So many of my book recommendations come from teachmentortexts.com, a website that links many bloggers and lets us all share what we have read over the week. Jen and Kellee read an incredible amount of books and the rest of the bloggers who share books on Mondays keep my TBR pile high! To see what others are reading or to participate, follow the link to their blog.
Thanks to Katherine Sokolowski for encouraging me to return to Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green because once I got through the first 50 pages, I was hooked. This book has a clever plot and some memorable characters with a speech from the main character that is one of the most memorable literary passages I have read recently. Definitely PG-13, though--read it before giving it to students.
Thanks to Linda Baie for the recommendation of The Lonely Moose by John Segal. What a lovely story about friendship that could pair with The One and Only Ivan and inspire classroom conversations about the importance of loyalty and empathy.I picked up How To Catch an Elephant by Amy Schwartz because I was looking for a mentor text for our kindergarten How To Writing Unit. While it won't work as a mentor text for this unit, this book is hilarious and could work for teaching about voice and sound in writing.
My tear-jerker for the week was Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg and I highly recommend it as a historical fiction book and as a book for teaching about empathy, acceptance, assumptions, and prejudices. The narrator's deaf father connects with Jackie Robinson as a person who has experienced discrimination first-hand. This book could lead to great classroom discussions. It's also a great mentor text for understatement and developing a setting.
Grandpappy by Nancy Carlson is a lovely tribute to a grandparent and would be a powerful mentor text for focus and elaboration, as well as parallel structure and repetition. Although not a new book, this was one I missed and was glad to find.
Being on vacation allowed me to read more than usual this week. These books were the highlights.
Enjoy the week,
Melanie Meehan
Hi there Melanie, I just read my first David Levithan novel "The Lover's Dictionary" and I simply fell in love with it. I have a feeling I'd enjoy Will Grayson Will Grayson as well - I've heard so many great things about it. The Lonely Moose also looks charming. Thanks for sharing all these. :)
ReplyDeleteYAY! Forgot to say something to you last week about Will Grayson Will Grayson. So glad you returned to it. Love that book. :)
ReplyDeleteI read the Lonely Moose this week too. :) I really enjoyed that one. I love all the books suggestions I get from reading all these "It's Monday!" posts.
ReplyDeleteYAY for Tiny Cooper! Glad you enjoyed it. Have you read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares? http://wp.me/pzUn5-1qI
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Dad, Jackie & Me-I've been reading more about Jackie Robinson, so thanks for that. And your welcome for the book rec-thanks for the mention! (Loved Will Grayson, Will Grayson) Keep on with those by John Green! Thanks!
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