Boom ! by Mark Haddon

A few years ago my book club, at the time, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. I affectionately called it the dead dog book. I loved the book. You know I’m not much for dog books. The dogs always end up dead. Here the dog starts off dead, so no emotional strings to pull the tear ducts. Two summers ago we spent time in Scotland. We ended our trip in Edinburgh where I purchased another Mark Haddon book titled A Spot of Bother. (I got it at Waterstones!) Where the first was a YA book this one definitely was not. I enjoyed this one as well and since we had just spent time on the little island I did have some back ground knowledge.

So, I was very excited to see Boom!. The story is about two friends, Jimbo and Charlie, and the discovery that their teachers are aliens. Jimbo’s family is making a transition to Dad staying home and Mom working. Jimbo has a strained relationship with his older sister and HATES school. Charlie’s mom is a caterer and his dad is a doctor, very CSI! Charlie is, also the leader. In other words he gets both into trouble.

Jimbo and Charlie decide the must stop the aliens. OK Charlie decides and Jimbo reluctantly follows along. After they have proof Charlie disappears and Jimbo and his sister, Becky are attacked. They take off on a quest, become friends and help safe the world.

That last part is what makes this such a fun book. The aliens have most of their knowledge of earth from pop sources and ABBA! Mr. Haddon has a quirky writing is fantastic. I started the book and couldn’t put it down. This is a great 5th grade and above book. I was hoping that I could use it as a read aloud, but I was disappointed because of amount of times “Hell” is said at the end. I will push the line with read alouds but I do have a point. I get in enough trouble with cussing A LOT! I did give it to a fifth grader that loved and didn’t say peep about the language.

Cybil's 2010 Middle Grade Novels Finalists

The finalists have been announced.  I know I'm a lttle late.  Here is a link to the fantastic list.  It was great fun and hard work being a Round One Judge, but it must be even harder picking the winner.  Enjoy reading the list.  Cybils 2010 Finalist List.

Milo Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

This autumn I read many books for the Cybil’s Award. A common theme was death and autism. One book had death, violent murder, autism and a National Book Award. Through out the process I kept saying to myself “This is a beautifully written book, but does it have kid appeal?” Milo Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg is one that dealt with death and has kid appeal. The book is about a dork (the book says geek, but in my class it would be dork) named Milo Cruikshank. (I have a student this year named Milo with a last name that is even more fun or torturous.) His mother dies of cancer and after the death Milo, his sister and dad move often. Milo is always the new kid. Not an easy task for a tween, especially one that is having to deal with the death of his mother on his own.


Milo makes friends at his new school. As a matter of fact this friendship helps him start the process of fixing his family. Throughout the book Milo tries to win the heart of the girl of his dreams, balance two friendships one with a boy and one with a girl, not sticking out at school and how to be polite to strangers. Milo’s father has not dealt well with the death of his wife and mother of his children. Ok, to be blunt, Dad is a jerk. His way of dealing with the grief is to pretend that the person never existed. (Given how my dad grieved his parents Milo’s dad must be German and Dutch!) The stranger is the woman across the street. He befriends her after a tough day. Actually they befriend each other. Sylvia Poole helps Milo understand that it is important to remember loved ones. This leads Milo to take charge of his families healing in a fun and productive way.

Here is why I think Milo SN&BF has kid appeal:

• It is well written.
• It is funny.
• It is sad.
• It is filled with hilarious illustrations of Milo’s life.
• It has an alter ego named Dabney St. Claire. (Come on with an alter ego like this what’s not to love.)
• It has romance. Ok not really, just tween hopefulness.
• It makes you think.

 

There were many wonderful books nominated for the 22010 Cybil’s and in my opinion one of my favorites was Milo Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze.

 

The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

As I wrote yesterday, I know can you believe it two posts in a row; there were many wonderful books on the middle grade Cybil’s list. One of my favorites was The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter. It was the last one I read. I had to wait a REALLY long time for it to come from the library and the copy I ordered from The Bookies won’t be here until next week. It is so good that I am glad I will have a copy for my classroom. Accessibility to kids was in the front of my mind when I read books for Cybil’s. It may be a beautifully written book, but will the average kid pick it up t o read. The answer with The Kneebone Boy is YES, YES, YES. Note to the publisher don’t change the cover when you release it in paperback. You can’t always judge a book by the cover, but in this case the delightful cover sets the stage for a wonderful read.

The story revolves around the three Hardscrabbles siblings. Otto us the eldest that hasn’t spoken for years, but uses a sign language that he created. Lucia, pronounced Lu CHia not Lucy a, and the youngest brother Max. They live in a small town in England called Little Trunks. From the beginning the reader does not know who the narrator is because the siblings they want to make sure that the story belongs to all three of them. I think it is Max. Anyhow, as you can tell by the cover they aren’t your average 21st century kids. Their father is an artist that leaves for periods of times to paint portraits of dethroned royalty. Many years ago their mother disappeared. The children have no idea what happened. This sets the stage for the adventure to find out what really happened to their mother.

During their quixotic quest they learn about survival, their great aunt and that their siblings are important. Their journey is what I enjoyed most about this book. It is fun to follow these quirky kids. The longer I read the book the more I cared about them. It is so odd (but not weird odd) that I think boys will love reading it. I have many boys like Max and Otto. Know you may ask why is it called The Kneebone Boy. I will not add a spoiler to this post. In other words you have to read it to find out.

I’ve heard and read that there is Newbury buzz about The Kneebone Boy. Often the winner is not so kid friendly. In this case it is very kid friendly. Regardless of whether it ends up with a gold sticker on the cover it is a winner for the reader. Thank you Ellen Potter.

My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian

Done! I just finished my blurb for a book on the shortlist for the Cybil’s. It was a fantastic reading season. I read more this year then last. There were many great books and some not so good. It was an interesting list. It leaned older middle grade, boy and white. To get it out of the way the books I will blog about from the Cybil’s list express just MY views and not the fabulous Middle Grade category.

My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian was one of the boy books. (Since this is The Boy Reader it fits nicely into this blog.) It is a great book, so I ordered it for my classroom. (The copy I read came from the library.) I have a list of boys that will enjoy reading this book. Derek Fallon is a typical 12 year old looking forward to a fun summer until he ends up at Learning Camp. Derek is labeled a “reluctant reader” by his teacher, but as he says “I like to read. If everyone just left me alone with Calvin, Hobbes, Garfield, …”. Does he remind you of anyone you know? At the beginning of the book Derek finds a ten year old newspaper article about a girl that drowned. His mom refuses to discuss the article. Note to Moms when asked about something mysterious avoidance just leads to no good! Derek spends many hours trying to find out the answers to his questions. At one point he spent an hour READING on- line, but is afraid he will get in trouble because he wasn’t READING.

I enjoyed this book because Derek is a fun, lovable, and determined kid. The book is filled with little, fun illustrations (done by Jake Tashjian the author’s son) of vocabulary words. A strategy Derek is supposed to use to help him remember his words. I liked how Derek solved the mystery and to be honest I didn’t see the twist coming at the end.

Even though Derek is twelve I would say this is a third and fourth grade level book. A struggling or “reluctant” fifth grade would easily enjoy it as well.

Poetry Friday

I am very excited about today’s Poetry Friday which is at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Three years ago our district started a poetry competition for grade K to 5 and the winning poems are published in a poetry collection. Poems are submitted in the spring and in the autumn students, parents and teachers find out if the young poets will be published. Last night was the book reception and poetry reading. Two of my boy poets are now published poets. They did an awesome job reading to a packed auditorium. Below are their poems. I hope you enjoy them. The first one is on the Welcome Page.

Books are ways to escape reality,

ways to feel joy in times of pain

Books are portals to other worlds
      waiting to be opened
         waiting to be read
      waiting to be enjoyed
       waiting to be explored.

Ethan (currently a fifth grade)

The Full Moon

The full moon casts and eerie glow on the ground
Lighting the night for the horned owl to find its prey
Telling people it is time to turn into werewolves
It lures us to sleep with its glow
That’s the moon.

Nicholas (currently in fourth grade)

Both boys are very high readers. Last year there were many times when I had to say “Put the book down. Do something else.” Never thought I’d say that as a teacher.

because of mr. terupt by Rob Buyea

The Cybil’s list of middle-grade fiction is full of 144 books. Our task is to read the first 50 pages of as many books as possible and then marrow it down. Not an easy endeavor, especially if they are like because of mr. terupt by Rob Buyea. At page 98 I realized I was way past the 50 page minimum.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I don’t cry. Plain and simple I don’t cry. I have a good reason for not crying. It is too hard to stop. I don’t like the feeling of losing control. It took many years for this to happen. The event that put me to the point of no more tears happened 20 years ago. I spent too many days crying while my brother laid in a coma with a brain injury. For a long time I thought it was my fault. Why didn’t I just drive him to the bank? I was an adult so I realized that it wasn’t my fault. It was just an accident. This book made me cry and I didn’t care. Actually, I do care. It is such a special book that it deserves my tears and laughter. Thank you Mr. Buyea.

As teachers we read many books that touch us and more importantly we get to spend our day with children that touch us and make us better people. because of mr. terupt is a book that has both. It is a beautiful book about a class of fifth graders and a new teacher. The book is told by seven of the students. I love books like this because it is a graet way to teach voice and narration to kids. My spoiler gives away that someone ends up in a coma with a brain injury; but as Jessica, one of the students, tell Mr Terupt she likes happy endings. This book does have one.

I first I thought this would be a great read aloud. I’m not sure. The tears are still fresh. I will get back to you if I do. What I can say is enjoy this first novel.

Thank you delacorte press and Random House for the book.

Cybils 2010

Teachers are an odd breed. We fill our plates and when we see something new and exciting we say "Wow, now I can fill my dessert plate!" That's what it is like being a First Round Cybils Judge. Even better is the fact that this year I came back for seconds. I am a judge on the Middle Grade Panel. It is a strange category because middle grade is an odd group. the range is beginning third graders to just shy of YA. Talk about a range. I have read some wonderful books so far. Stay tuned for updates.

It's a Book by Lane Smith Part 1

A couple of weeks ago The Bookies had its yearly Teacher Night. As usual it was a joyful night. One of the employees even commented that it is fun to see so many familiar faces. It is fun to catch up with friends and colleagues and to talk about what is great in the kid lit world. I always look forward to what the great staff at The Bookies is going to share. This year was no different. There are so many wonderfully interesting books out there. I am excited about all the new books I got that night. One that stands out is It’s A Book by Lane Smith.

I love this book on so many levels. Recently there was a disheartening article in the New York Times that discussed the decline of the picture book because many parents feel they are TOO EASY. It’s a Book disputes that argument. NO FOUR YEAR OLD is going to get the true meaning of this book. However, they will still enjoy this book.

It’s a Book pokes fun at technology. At Teacher Night I did have an interesting conversation with Shelly. She’s a wonderful resource and a true book lover. We talked about young kids and how easy it is for them to use an IPad and other types of technology. She mentioned during her presentation how she watched a trailer of a book she had on her lap. Truth be told we don’t know the impact e-books and other forms of technology are going to have on books. I do know that if we challenge kids using them and tell them that they can only read from a book we will lose.

It’s a Book has three characters. There is the monkey that loves to read, his fellow soul mate the mouse, and the techno-lover Jackass. The morning after Teacher’s Night I read It’s a Book to a couple of teachers. They both were shocked that I would even consider reading it to kids. They were both concerned that a teacher would get in trouble reading the word jackass to a class. I was SHOCKED, so I read it to a couple of more teachers. One said he’d read it to his own kids, but never to his class. Their reactions scared me and my beliefs. (That’s never a good thing when a children’s book is involved.) It is impolite to call someone a jackass, but when did it reach the level of forbidden words. It was used often on the Andy Griffith show. I had my assistant principal read it. She said “Can’t you just say his name is Donkey?” I said should I just say Winnie the Bathroom?” Ok, I didn’t say that but I thought that. Now I am worried. What is happening? I leave the book for my principal. Later in the day she drops it off and says, “I love it. Any parents call I’m sending them to you.” She is very supportive. This was the answer I was looking for.

After she left I picked it up and said “There are many different names for a donkey. This book uses one of them. Its’ a Book by Lane Smith….” We laughed at the pictures, we laughed at the sentences and we laughed at Jackass.

It's A Book - By Lane Smith Part 2

The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom by Stephen M. Giles

Does the amount of hair and the type of pet determine the wickedness of the villain? After reading The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom by Stephen M. Giles I would argue that it does matter. I mean look at Dr. Evil, he has no hair and a tiny kitty. Silas Winterbottom, on the other hand has a full head of hair and a pet crocodile. He personifies evil.

Silas Winterbottom is dying and he needs an heir. He sends for his nieces and nephew to determine which unsuspecting kid will be his “heir”. There is Adele, a red head with a mad scientist for a mother. Dear Old Mom threatens to send her to an orphanage if she does get the money. Then, there is Isabella an uncommon criminal that will do “anything” to be picked as the heir. Finally, there is Milo. He parents were killed by a volcano. Milo lives with his grandfather and wants nothing to do with the fortune. The three are forced to join forces to stop Uncle Silas.

I loved this book. It was funny and suspenseful. I wish it was in paperback because it would be our next Guys Read Book Club book.

Thank you Sourcebook Publishing for providing the ARC.

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen

It is hard to believe that I am two weeks into a new school year. My plan this past summer was to post numerous entries on The Boy Reader and comment on other blogs. Oops, that didn’t happen. I guess I needed a break. I am back with a fun book for reluctant readers that are proficient readers. I really want to focus on that. It seems much is written about reluctant boy readers that struggle and are below level, but not much on reluctant boy readers that read at or above grade level. They seem to be the boys that would rather go to the dentist then read.

Anyhow I received in the mail Gary Paulsen’s new book Masters of Disaster. It is a fun read. Three junior high boys set out to be “famous”. Actually it is Henry that wants the fame and adventures he just drags his friends Riley and Reed along for the ride and in Reed’s case literally and off the roof of the neighbor’s house. The short chapters make it easy for a teacher to read at night during the first weeks of school. This, also, makes it appealing to the reluctant reader. With many of Paulsen’s books the content is better for fourth and above.

Look forward to more posts. I really am back to blogging.

Thanks Random House and Knopf Delacort Dell