13 Booktalk: Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (M.S.: T.W.Y.O.M.L.) by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts is a surprisingly well told story that uses a similar layout as Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Unlike Wimpy Kid, however, M.S: T.W.Y.O.M.L. is not meant to be funny. It is meant to tell the tale of a kid who is dealing with a lot of big things in his life.

In M.S.: T.W.Y.O.M.L. Rafe Katchadorian, a sixth-grader who is new to middle school, decides to turn a torturous school year into a game he calls Operation R.A.F.E. (which stands for Rules Aren't For Everyone). Basically, in order to win the game, Rafe has to break every rule in the school handbook before the end of the year. Along the way, Rafe has to deal with an ongoing feud with a bully named Miller the Killer. He also begins to become friends with the girl who he has a major crush on, Jeanne Gallette.

This book is a ten for unexpected reasons. First, I have never liked a book by James Patterson, so my expectations were low. When the story begins, it seems as though the story is going to be about small things, kinda like a Wimpy Kid book. But it turns out to be about much bigger, more important things. I would love to give you an example, but I don't want to give anything about the second half of the book away, because of the second reason I loved this book. This book has two major plot twists, neither of which I saw coming. And both plot twists greatly affected my connection with Rafe. My jaw literally dropped open when I read both plot twists. In fact, I was taken so off guard by the first twist that I went back and re-read it, THREE times! And the second twist nearly made me cry. Seriously!

If want to be sucked into a story that WILL surprise you, and maybe even make you cry (in a good, heartwarming way, not a sad way) this is the book for you. Or, if you have ever wondered what it would be like to break a ton of school rules, but were scared to try because you know you are not a trouble maker, read Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life!

This story will definitely NOT be the worst book of your life. It just might be one of THE BEST!

12 Charlotte's Web vs. Bridge To Terabithia Part 1: The Similarities!

We had a great discussion in class today comparing Bridge to Terabithia with Charlotte's Web. The following are some of the similarities we came up with:

1. Both Charlotte and Leslie are introduced at the very end of a chapter.

2. Both Charlotte and Leslie are female secondary main characters to male main characters.

3. Both Charlotte and Leslie are 'smarter' than their male main characters.

4. Both Charlotte and Leslie use the power of words and reading to help the main characters.

And yes, the BIG one:

5. Both Charlotte and Leslie die.

So, what I want to know is...


Discussion Points:
a. What are some other similarities Charlotte's Web shares with Bridge to Terabithia?

They could be similarities the characters, like Wilbur and Jess or Charlotte and Leslie, share, similarities the two plots share or even similarities the two settings share.

Let's Write!

11 The New Look

I'm experimenting with a new look and new format for Bloggin With Your Noggin. It's called 'dynamic view' and is supposed to be more intuitive and interactive.

Discussion Points:
a. What do you think?
b. Do you like it or not? Why?
c. Does this view work well on iPads, Kindles and Nooks?

Let's write!

10 Booktalk: I Survived: Hurricane Katrina

I Survived: Hurricane Katrina by Lauren Tarshis is a very fast-paced action story set during 2005's Hurricane Katrina, the most devastating hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. It is a short story of only 90 pages, including illustrations.

I.S.: Hurricane Katrina is about a 11-year-old named Barry who lives in the Lower Ninth Ward, the section of New Orleans that suffered the greatest devastation. His family tires to leave the city, but has to turn back when his three-year-old sister, Cleo catches the stomach flu. When Katrina destroys the city's levees (dams) Barry's neighborhood is flooded with over ten feet of toxic water. While trying to wait out the storm on their roof, Barry ends up being separated from his family. Most of this story is about Barry's quest to reunite with his father, mother and sister.

There is so much I like about this story. The pace is break-neck. It doesn't slow down until the last few pages. The characters, despite the book's short length, are well-developed and entirely believable. I was surprised by how quickly I connected with Barry. But most of all, I loved how this book put me in the middle of the Katrina's tragedy. I remember learning all about what happened from watching the news. But I never was able to get a real sense of what folks went through until I read this book. 

If you like fast-paced, survival stories, I.S.: Hurricane Katrina is the story for you. And if you read this book and want more, you are in luck. It is just one of five I Survived books currently available. And if you are looking for longer, more in depth survival tales about kids dealing with powerful forces of nature, you might want to try The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen or Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. 

I.S.: Hurricane Katrina is a great tale. I rate it a nine! You'll do more than just survive this book, you'll be wanting more!

Discussion Points:

a. How does this title sound to you?

b. What part of this booktalk seems most effective at getting your attention? Least?

c. Do you have any books like this that you'd like to recommend?

d. Have you ever been through a powerful force of nature? What is your story?

Let's write!

09 Charlotte's Web

I know how I feel about reading Charlotte's Web. I'm thrilled! I love this story! I love everything about it. I love the characters. I love the setting. I love the themes. I love E.B. White's style. I love how this book is an absolutely masterful tour-de-force of writer's craft and technique.

But that is not what is really important. What I want to know are your HONEST first impressions. We read chapter one. You might have read this story before. Or maybe you've seen one of the two movie adaptations. Or maybe you just know what your friends have said about the book and their opinion has influenced your opinion.

So, let's get it all out on the table, so to speak. Don't hold back. Be honest. Share how you really feel about reading Charlotte's Web. Good, bad or ambivalent (that means you don't care one way or the other), tell us your opinions.

And just so you know, I am taking it as a personal challenge to get each of you to love this story as much as I do by the time we finish reading!


Discussion Points:
a. How do you feel about reading Charlotte's Web?
b. What have you heard about the story?
c. What do you know about the story?

Let's write!

BONUS: Click Here for MUCH more about Charlotte's Web. Interesting trivia. Cool facts. Videos. Pictures. Quotes. And much, much more. Check it out!

08 NaNoWriMo

Normally, these posts are all about reading novels and other stories. But this post is a little different. I want to share with you an opportunity to WRITE your very own novel.

It is called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every November people from every walk of life, young and old, novice and professional, take the opportunity and join thousands of other aspiring authors in writing a novel.

For adults, that means a story of at least 50,000 words. For kids however, it means setting a personal goal of usually something in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 20,000 words. The idea is to not let quality stand in the way of quantity. In other words, write as much and as fast as you can for the entire month, and worry about how good the story is later.

I would like you to click on the link below. Explore this opportunity for yourself, read about it, then give your thoughts about NaNoWriMo.

The NaNoWriMo homepage for kids: http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

And if NaNoWriMo sounds like something you want to try, please remember to get your parents' permission before signing up!


Discussion Points:
a. How does NaNoWriMo sound to you?
b. Have you ever taken on a major challenge of some kind, and succeeded?
c. Do you think you might like to try NaNoWriMo?
d. Would a weekly NaNoWriMo club, one that meets to share ideas and progress and frustrations, help to convince you to try it?
e. What else are you thinking about NaNoWriMo?

Let's write!

07 Bridge to Terabithia: The End

Bridge to Terabithia has come to its dramatic, and I hope satisfying, conclusion. We learned that from Leslie's tragic death were built many, new, wonderful bridges. Jess is a different person at the end of the story. He has grown up in a lot of ways. And in most ways, he has Leslie to thank. She really was an transformative person in Jess's life.

In class we talked about the many different bridges that were built at the end of the story. There were the two actual bridges: the fallen tree branch and the bridge Jess built with Bill's left-over lumber. But there were also the, get ready for it..."metaphorical" bridges; the kinds of bridges that can not be touched, but instead are used to REPRESENT the connections (remember, "real" bridges are built to connect two separate things) between two places or two people or two of anything else.

Here are some of "metaphorical" bridges we came up with as a class:

1. The bridge between Jess on earth and Leslie in the afterlife (heaven? Terabithia?).
2. The bridge between the former Queen of Terabithia, Leslie, and the new Queen, May Belle.
3. The bridge between the relationship Jess had with Leslie and the relationship he will develop with May Belle.
4. The bridge between Jess's former life as "a stupid, weird little kid who drew funny pictures and chased around a cow field trying to act big" and his new life, a life in which Leslie "tried to push back the walls of his mind and make him see beyond to the shining world - huge and terrible and beautiful and very fragile...".
5. The bridge between Jess and his father.
6. The bridge between Jess and Monster Mouth Myers.

Discussion Points:
a. What is one more bridge that was built in the end?
b. Who was your favorite character? Why?
c. Which chapter, besides the one in which Leslie dies, stands out in your mind? Why?
d. What did you rate this book? Why?
e. Please share any other feedback, positive, negative, whatever, about this story.

Please remember to be specific with your comments. Whenever you can, include specific examples from the story that show what you mean.

Let's Write!

06 Booktalk: Locomotion

The best book I've read in a long, long time. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is a short story told in a series of poems written by the main character, Lonnie C. Motion.

Locomotion is about a boy, Lonnie, who, four years later, is still struggling with the death of his mom and dad. They were both killed in fire at their home. Through the course of a school year, Lonnie uses his poetry assignments to come to grips with his feelings about his parents dying, his feelings about having to separate from his sister, Lili, and his feelings about whether or not where he currently lives, with Ms. Edna, is becoming his home, or just another stop in a long series of temporary places to stay. Lonnie is dealing with a lot of very big feelings, and that produces some absolutely beautiful poems.

One of the things I liked so much about this book was how the story of Lonnie was told. Unlike most books, Lonnie's tale is told out of order. As Lonnie writes his poetry, the memories of this tragedy come back to him, but not in the same order in which they happened. Another thing I loved about this story was the poetry itself. Because his poems are also assignments from his teacher, they take many different forms. There are free verse poems, haiku, rhyming poems, epistles and even a sonnet. And each makes a statement. Each poems gives the reader insight into who Lonnie is, and how the tragedy he has been through has affected him.

As I read Locomotion, Love That Dog kept jumping to mind. The stories are similar in their form. They are both told through a student's poetry assignments. And they are similar in content. They are both about kids who have suffered a terrible tragedy. If you liked Love That Dog, I bet you will like Locomotion.

The best book I have read in more than a year. Enough said. Read Locomotion!

05 Booktalk: The Kid Who Ran For President

 The Kid Who Ran For President, by Dan Gutman, is a realistic (sort of) fiction story that is filled with facts about what it takes to become the president of the United States of America.

Judson Moon, or Moon, is a twelve-year-old whose new friend, Lane Brainard, convinces him to run for president. At first Moon thinks the whole idea is a joke. But he quickly realizes that Lane, who becomes his campaign manager, is not joking. Through a series of incredible events, Moon winds up on a winning path.

The idea of a twelve-year-old running for president, in reality, is both not constitutional or plausible. But what I loved so much about this story was how Gutman was able to make each step in Moon's campaign seem believable. I also loved Moon as a character. He is very funny. I laughed out loud a few times during the story.

If you've like other books by Dan Gutman, like The Homework Machine and The Million Dollar Shot, than I sure you'll like The Kid Who Ran For President.

If you want to read a very funny story, and learn all about what it takes to become president, The Kid Who Ran For President is the book for you!


Discussion Points:
a. How does the story sound to you? Will you read it?
b. Which paragraph of this booktalk is best? Why?
c. Does anyone have a book to booktalk in a comment?

Let's Write!

04 Protagonists

I want you to think about the protagonist, the main character, in the book you are reading independently right now.

Who is he or she? What kind of person is he or she? Funny? Brave? Sad? Athletic? Artistic? What are the traits and characteristics that make your protagonist seem real?

When you have a detailed idea of who your protagonist is in your mind, then I want you to compare that character to Jess, the protagonist in Bridge to Terabithia.

How are your protagonist and Jess the same? How are they different? What traits do they have in common? Would they get along if they were to meet and hang out? How do you know they would or wouldn't get along?

Finally, once a bunch of comments have been published, read about a classmate's protagonist and compare your protagonist to a classmate's.

So, to sum up, you are going to make two comparisons. The first comparison should be between your protagonist and Jess from Bridge to Terabithia.

The second comparison will be between your protagonist and a classmate's protagonist.

Got it?

Great!

Let's write!