Books: Seedfolks

I read this lovely little book today while G worked on his school work. It is so simple and sweet. You could use it to study immigration, community, gardening, urban area, first person... Each chapter is written in the voice of a person in a Cleveland neighborhood. It is a depressed, drug ridden area. One day a girl plants a few lima beans in a vacant lot in remembrance of her deceased father. This small act causes a ripple effect resulting a huge community garden. I enjoyed this book so much and G was amazed that I could finish it before he finished his work.

Favorite Books: July 2010

We have been reading a lot this summer. Besides it being a part of our nightly rituals, our library has an amazing summer reading program! Here are some of our favorites:

Peter & the.... by Dave Barry
We have enjoyed both Peter & the Starcatchers and Peter & the Shadow Thieves. We have listened to both on tape. Which by the way are read by the talented Jim Dale.
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Seeing the trailers for the new Beezus & Ramona movie reminded me of how wonderful these books are and it is now time to share them with G.



Multiplying menace : the revenge of Rumpelstiltskin by Pam Calvert
Rumpelstilskin is back and wants the little boy he lost out on the first time. A fun math story.

William the Curious : Knight of the Water Lilies written and illustrated by Charles Santore
Gorgeous book with a great message.

Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban
Good old fashion sweetness.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
I am reading this for myself. I thought we might use it when we study Shakespeare. I am really enjoying it. It is the first of a set of 3.

Books: Charlie Bone

G & I wanted to share a new favorite series with you: Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.
Charlie Bone is a Fantasy Series of 8 books which takes place in modern times but is effected by an ancestor, the Red King, from the 12th Century. Many of the main characters are descendants of this magical Red King and have their own magical powers. Charlie, like another British, fatherless, boarding schooler we all know (HP), seems to attract trouble like a magnet and his "endowed" friends are there to help him out, if sometimes reluctantly. But those are the only similarities Charlie and Harry share. I don't even know how to describe them without resorting to plot summaries. We just love them! Magic, mystery, suspense, good vs evil, friendship, family.....

Both G and I find this series gripping and think it would make a great movie... if done right. I even have some casting ideas in my head,if any people in the know would like to hear. giggle

So if you are looking for a new series to dive into we suggest The Children of the Red King Series aka Charlie Bone. pssst Book 8 doesn't come out until May in the US. I am considering buying the British copy. So if you speed through them like we did you will have to wait for the ending.

Here is the author Jenny Nimmo setting up book 5 the Hidden King.

Books BooksBooks

We have been reading a lot of great stories lately. I thought I would share some of them. The covers are linked to further information.

I saw Jotham's Journey on a new blog, The Architect & the Artist, along with the other two books in the series. I went to the library and it was sitting on the New Book display! Jotham is chapter/ devotional a day Advent story. It is a griping story. I would probably not read it to children under 2nd grade because there are some violent acts. I cannot wait each day to hear what happens next.

When we started studying multiplication, I scoured the library for storybooks to go along with it. I was surprised to find a chapter book. G enjoyed following Wilson's journey through the dreaded Timed Test. Other multiplication titles we enjoyed were: 2x2= Boo!, The Best of Times, and Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do.

Jack Stalwart, a pint sized James Bond. Jack receives a mystery country puzzle piece each night at 7:30. Placing this piece in his map whisks him off to his next assignment. These books are a similar reading level to Magic Tree House, in my opinion but are shelved with the next level up in our library. We devoured these books as soon as we could get our hands on the next one. There are 12 books in this series.


One Hen. Words cannot express how inspiring this book is. It gives me chills. Based on a true story, Kojo turns a few coins into a business which will, over his lifetime, change his country. It makes me want to do something somewhere.


My not so favorite books but hugely popular with our library friends. G goes to look at the selection every time we set foot in the building. The 8-10 year old boy set loves them. G likes the action and the "life risking" moments. Momma's not so much. I think the writing is a bit choppy and overly simple. They remind me of Goosebumps. Same storyline just change the name and location.

What have you been reading?

Reading

One of my goals for G this year is that by the end of the year he will sit down and read a Magic Tree House size book on his own for pleasure. To build him up for this, he selects a book or two from a pile of books I have selected. We started the school year with simple easy readers and are getting progressively longer and more wordy. He has read almost 60 books in 9 weeks. Right now he is reading a Pokemon series I have been collecting at Goodwill & Paperback Swap.

He wanted you to see the pages.

On another reading note...
I find myself having conversations with other Mom's about teaching reading. And my constant response is what is your purpose/ goal. "Hmmm, I never thought of that", they say. We do several types of reading each day and each has a different purpose.

Basal Readers- fluency, confidence, new vocabulary, correctness
Explode the Code- phonetic solidification, independent work
Independent Reading- confidence, pleasure
Book Adventure- comprehension
Read Aloud- joy