spy school by STUART GIBBS

 There is something about espionage that fascinates me.  Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five, and Aldrich Ames of the CIA intrigue me.  What drives a person to be a spy?  What makes them turn into a double agent?  I don’t read many spy books, but I love to watch spy shows.  Right now I am streaming MI-5 on Netflix, one of my favorites movies is Another Country loosely based on Kim Philby; and Homeland on Showtime is nail biting.  And the crème de la crème James Bond which keeps getting better. 

My mom once said, “James Bond movies are OK.  They’d be better if they were more realistic!”  Really, what can you say to that?  Except, if they were more realistic they wouldn’t be any good.

Last year Guy’s Read Book Club read belly up by Stuart Gibbs.  It was by far the favorite book of the year.  Many parents ended up reading it as well.  Recently, I found Mr. Gibbs newest book spy school while scouring the shelves at The Bookies.  I was very excited to see a new book from a great author.  After finishing the book I stand by my statement about Stuart Gibbs.

Spy School is a covert school located in Washington DC.  The CIA runs it, and its sole purpose is to train kids to be spies.  Most of the instructors are ex CIA operatives.  In other words that are too old or incompetent to be spies!   One day an average nerdy, 12 year old, named Ben Ripley comes home to find Alexander Hale, a spy, sitting in his living room. (Later we find that Alexander Hale is a total “Dig Me!”) Alexander is there to take Ben to spy school.  Ben is a mathematical genius, so he is told that he has qualified to be a spy.  What they didn’t tell him was the truth.  He is, actually, supposed to be a patsy, or a trap. While at Spy School he makes new friends, new enemies, and quickly finds out he is in over his head. Oh, and he saves the day.

OK, so that was a very brief blurb on the book.  I figure I would spend the time writing about what I like about the book.  Just like belly up, it is very funny.  Not slap stick funny, but situational funny.  Mr. Gibbs creates these very unrealistic situations that once you finish reading you say. “On, I could totally see that happening!”  The book is filled with wonderful characters.  It is very hard to figure out friend or foe.  This is important in a mystery.  I, also, like that Ben knows that he is not perfect. 

Another thing I like about the book is the layout.  Each chapter is titled, followed by location, date, and time.  I am not going to give the chapter number, but one chapter is titled:  

Interrogation 

Cheney Center for the Acquisition of Information

Most kids aren’t going to get the references, but REALLY how funny is this!

I quickly read this book, and I am giving it to a student this morning.  Unfortunately, the book is not right for Guy’s Read.  It is very much a high 4^th grade and above.  Not just reading level, but content.  You know just because they can read it doesn’t make it right. 

The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

Thank you Random House for my copy.

Last spring I was reading a blog post about John Boyne’s new book.  I got excited because at the beginning of last year I read Noah Barleywater Runs Away as my first read aloud.  I loved it and more importantly my class loved it.  After I finished reading the blog post I called The Bookies and asked them to order me a copy.  “No problem.  It will be published January of 2013.”  I went back to the post and realized that it was a British blog.  Needless to say I had to wait a few months to read it.  I am happy to say it was worth the wait for The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket.

Barnaby is not a normal eight year old. He is far from normal.  Barnaby floats.  He does not obey the laws of gravity.  This is a major problem for his parents because they DO NOT want anything to do with the abnormal.  Something terrible happens that sends Barnaby on a fabulous journey.  He travels from Sydney to Brazil and beyond.  On his journey he meets wonderful people that don’t fit the normal standards.

Mr. Boyne’s writing is not your typical middle grade writing.  It challenges the reader.  Not because it is too hard to read, or too weird.  He just makes us think really hard about our lives.  The longer I spend with young kids the more I realize that they like to be challenged this way.  At one point one of the joyful characters Barnaby meets says, "Just because your version of normal isn't the same as someone else's version doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with you," Kids (actually we all) need to hear this, or in this case read something like this. 

I have a list of kids I can’t wait to share this book with.

Four Mile by Watt Key

Judging the Cybils Book Awards is quite the adventure.  The excitement starts in August when I apply to be a judge. It is an honor to be chosen.  Then the waiting starts.  Which books will be nominated?  How many have I already read?  The lists start appearing.  Yay, I read that one.  I have no idea what that book is.   Next it is “Oh my god!  What have I done?  I can never read all these!”  Short lists are started, revised, revised, revised.  Discussions start, and finally the BIG chat about what we will send on to the final judges.  (For the record that job sounds WAY TOO stressful!)

http://www.cybils.com

Through the whole process I am reading books that I can share with students. Every year I end up shortlisting books I have never heard about.  This alone makes it worth the experience.   One standout this year is Four Mile by Watt Key. Foster is a twelve year old that lost his father to a fatal accident on their farm.  His mother starts dating a lowlife named Dax.  Foster knows the guy is bad news, but doesn’t have much control in what happens.  Foster’s anger towards Dax is understandable, but not always controllable.  In one of their fights Foster smashes the windshield on Dax’s truck.  He must paint the fence along the property to pay for the damage.  It is here that Foster meets Gary, an Iraqi war vet wander the country.  This chance meeting changes everything.

Four Mile is gritty.  It is everywhere in the book.  This grittiness is what makes this book stand out.  The sorrow that Foster and his mom are feeling is dark and gritty.  The relationships with Dax are stressful for the characters and the reader.  The secrets that Gary carries are unnerving.  I had trouble putting down this book.  At the end I immediately thought about what Foster will be like as an adult.  These are just some of the reasons why it was easy for our group to shortlist Four Mile by Watt Key for the Cybils’ shortlist.

It is definitely a high middle grade book.  Given the theme I would say 5^th grade to 8^th grade.

KINDOF SPOILER ALERT:  DOG ON THE COVER!

The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader

When it comes to superheroes, there are the loners like Superman, Spiderman, Aquaman, and Thor.  Then there are the ones with sidekicks.  The most famous being Batman and Robin.  In Lisa Harkrader’s wonderful book The Adventures of Beanboy the world is introduced to the next major sidekick.  Tucker MacBean’s life is in turmoil.  Tucker is a seventh-grader trying to make it in life.  His recently divorced parents are not so pleasant to each other.  His younger brother has special needs.  His mom works too much, and is overwhelmed with getting her degree. A girl named Sam bullies him, and to make matters worst his favorite comic book is not being published for months.

As he finishes the final issue of the comic he reads about a contest the publisher has to find the perfect sidekick for the superhero.  The grand prize is a scholarship to university.  Tucker sees this as the solution to all his problems.

The Adventures of Beanboy is quirky.  What made this book so enjoyable were the relationships between the characters.  Tucker grows emotionally during this turbulent year.  He learns that his actions greatly impact those around him, and appearances can be very deceiving.  There are touching parts when Tucker realizes why his archenemy and tormentor acts the way she does.  There are funny parts. Let’s get real the superhero is called Beanboy, so you know what the superpower has to be.

In my opinion this is a fourth grade and above book.

PS I know it has been along time since my last post.

Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D. Biel

Last week I received a box of books from Random House.  As always I was excited, and quickly looked through to see what had come. It was filled with great choices.  My eyes focused Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D. Biel. I read the inside flap; and figured I had finally found my first read aloud.  After about 20 pages I realized, nope not this one. (I should have read the press release page in the box.)  However, by the time I knew it wasn’t right for my class I was already hooked; and I couldn’t put the book down.

Nicholas Mettleson is the main character.  He and his twin sisters have to spend summer vacation at their great uncles house on Forsaken Lake.  Their dad is a doctor with Doctors Without Borders, and their mom is a very busy executive.  Nicholas’ dad spent summers in Ohio with his uncle Will, and feels that it is time his kids do the same.  As you can imagine the three siblings are not thrilled.  However, just like I did with the book they quickly find that the summer at the lake looks to be quite an adventure. 

Nicholas makes friends with Charlie, a tomboy that throws a wicked curve ball. As the friendship grows they find that there is a mystery that links Nicholas’ dad to Charlie’s mom.  While solving the mystery they become excellent sailors and boat builders. 

As I read Summer at Forsaken Lake I was very nostalgic for summers past.  Funny thing is I never spent a summer at the lake.  I do have many friends that did.  Coming from a dry, land locked, state lakes are scarce and really more ponds.  My friends talk fondly of summers in Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, Minnesota and one even talks about the Cape and Maine.  So I have a clear idea of what it must have been like.  At times I forgot that the book was newly published.  There were elements that made it seem like the book was written when I was a kid, but in Mr. Beil mentioned something very 21^st century to remind the reader that this book is current.  I think this is why I couldn’t put the book down.  He kept it interesting and fun.

As I mentioned earlier this book is not right for a third grade read aloud, but is for high fourth, fifth and above.  There is nothing that screams don’t let young kids her this story.  It is just that the budding friendship between Nicholas and Charlie is more mature then 8 year-old friendships. 

All I can tell you is I think it would have been fun to spend a summer at Forsaken Lake.

Guy-Write What Every guy Writer Needs to Know by Ralph Fletcher

Last year the New York Times listed 11/23/63 by Stephen King as one of the Ten Best Books of 2011. In high school the book everyone was reading was the Shining.  I tried to read it, but it scared the living daylights out of me.  (Of course that doesn’t take much, but still….)  11/23/63 is about a guy that travels back in time to try to stop the assignation of John F. Kennedy.  It sounded interesting, so I put it on my stack of books to read this summer.  I am still reading it.  (I know this post should be on Monday for What are You Reading?)  Anyhow, Jake Epping, the main character, is a high school English teacher.  He, also, teaches English for people pursuing their GED’s.  At the beginning of the book Jake is describing his job as a teacher.  Jake says his job is hard, and “the red pen became my primary teaching tool…I practically wore it out.”

During a GED class Jake has his students write a paper on “The Day That Changed My Life.”  Most of the themes turned in were, well you can imagine.  However,  “There were no violins or warning bells when I pulled the janitor’s theme off the top of the stack and set it before me, no sense that my little life would change.”  The paper was filled with misspelled words, and awful grammar; but “half way down the first page, my eyes began to sting and I put down my trusty red pen.”  Jake let the story and the words impact him.  He didn’t let the mechanics control his emotions.

About the same time I started 11/23/63 I received a copy of Ralph Fletcher’s new book Guy-Write What Every guy Writer Needs to Know.   As I read this book I kept thinking about what Jake had done with the janitor’s story.  Teachers often get so caught up in the mechanics of the story that we can see the true story.  Before I continue I want to make it clear that I do understand and know that mechanics are important, but imagine what would happen if mechanics became the secondary thought?

Guy-Write What Every guy Writer Needs to Know is not a professional book.  It is a book for guy writers.  With that said teachers must read this book.  It gives wonderful insight into what half our class is thinking.  (Unless you teach at an all boys school where it is 100%.  Or a girls school, and well…)  Ralph uses interviews with boy writers and grown boy writers. 

In the chapter Riding the Vomit Comet Writing About Disgusting Stuff,  Ralph interviews Jon Scieszka about making gross stuff good writing.  Jon talks about using interesting language to describe the scene, and stretching out the description.  I really liked this because a famous author is giving our guy writers permission to write about what they like, but it better be interesting or the reader will be BORED!

When I was a kid we lived for a couple of years in Nogales, Arizona, actually a few miles north of town out in the middle of the desert.  My friends and I had motorcycles.  (Yes, I got my first motorcycle when I was nine!)  Playing War on motorcycles is way more fun then just plain old War.  We could cover more ground, but a surprise attack was challenging.  My point is that I played War all summer long, and my favorite cartoon was Jonny Quest.  I grew up to be even keeled.  I don’t walk around with guns.  Yet there is this believe by many educators that if kids write about violence etc. the young author is going to go on a shooting spree in school.  I know there evil is out there!   I don’t want to make light of anyone’s loss to such violence.  I live in Colorado, so I know that guns kill way too many innocent people.  As teachers we must balance kids innocent writing about blood, guts, guns, etc.  In the opening chapter Ralph writes about how guys are constantly shot down for using violence in their writing.  He uses a poem written by a first grader to demonstrate this:

Weed Hunter

I feel like I am hunting a very victorious plant, a weed.

I circle it.  I study it. I watch its every move.

I always take it by the roots.

My weapon is my shovel.

Weeds come up way ahead of the other plants.

I shall pull up every one I see and

Put it a very dry place without any dirt.

I will defeat these weeds

even if it will take my entire life!

Because of one word this poem was not printed in the classroom anthology.  I’m sure it is easy to figure out which word.

Now reality.  We have to get up out test scores, we have to fit everything into common core standards, we have to………… So with everything how do we balance what our kids want to write with what we want them to write? Libations.  OK, well not at school, but at school we compromise.   I believe Guy-Write What Every guy Writer Needs to Know  will help everyone in class become a better writer.  


Book provided from Ralph Fletcher!