Reading Roundup 2013: Weeks 22 and 23

Ok, so I didn’t MEAN to fall into the every two weeks thing;
but I think I may end up here.

I’ve been doing a lot of surfing,
a lot of reading,
and some packing.

This week and into next week I’m down in LA to finish out my work year.
Schools down here go later than schools up North!
Extra days =extra pay, so I’m not complaining!

I’m also working on an exciting adventure:
Creating a writing camp for a friend’s child and her friends!
I’m going to be teaching a workshop style camp.
4 hours a day of “lectures” or “guided classes”
with plenty of breaks in between for reading, writing, and brewing ideas!

It’s funny how much I didn’t know I knew about writing
and reading even, that my friend wanted me to share!

I’m going to mash up my knowledge and experience
with all the things I’ve learned in conferences
and from meeting authors and illustrators.

It should be really fun!
I’ll share what I come up with here, so if you have any little writers at home,
they can get writing too!

Ok, onto read books:

One of the things I”m going to talk to my young writers about is book talks…so I’m going to mini-book talk these books!
Hopefully the little blurbs make you want to read the books!

Hattie gets a chance of a lifetime: her uncle left her a house and land in Montana! All she has to do to keep the “claim” is “prove up,” or live there and farm the land. But when she gets out to Montana, she realizes her house is more like a shack, it’s VERY COLD, and proving up means putting in LOTS of fence and planting 40 acres. Did I mention Hattie’s never done any of that before? Will she make friends? Will she “prove up?” And what about that friend of hers who went to war? Will he come back? Historical Fiction, YA, MG We all THINK we know everything there is to know about King George the Third. Well then, how did he spend his childhood? How old was he when he became King? And what did he really think of the rebels? This book is a fast read, has great pictures, and paints a more complete portrait of the King. Non-Fiction, MG Ditto for George Washington 🙂 Do you find yourself wondering a lot? Asking questions? Do you like silly little poems and fun little thoughts? Then you’ll love this book. The illustrations are very sweet, and it will make you want to write down the things you wonder about. PLUS it’s Amy Krouse Rosenthal! Poetry, Picture Books
Ever know someone who just doesn’t do things the way others do them? Elizabeth Cady Stanton is one of those girls who kept that up when she grew up. What did she do to push the cause of women voting? And why that cause? Read and find out! The illustrations are really lively too. An inspiring book! Non-fiction, biography, picture books
This book has it all. It’s thin and has a fun cover (did you know Jon Scieszka originally starting writing this series because he noticed that the kids in his class picked their books according to those two things?) Three hilarious and tricky boys get sent back in time thanks to “The BOOK” which has magic that they don’t understand. All they have to do is find “THe BOOK” to get back to the present. AND deal with Greek Gods and Goddesses. Yeah. No big deal 🙂 Chapter Book, Good Boy Read, Greek Myths
What was Booker’s dream? And what did 50 cents have to do with it anyway? The title of this book basically book talks it for you! Non-fiction, biography, picture book
During the Civil War, a woman went undercover and was not ONLY a soldier, but a spy and a nurse as well. Why did she do it? What are some of the disguises she wore when she went undercover? And why did she ALMOST not get to join? You’ll love the illustrations and the fun typography in this book too! Non-fiction, picture books, biography
Isabel and her sister Ruth are supposed to be set free when their Master dies, but instead, her nephew sells them to a couple in New York City. When they get there, they realize how scary their new Madame is. Isabel tries to protect Ruth, but, at the same time, is constantly looking for a way for them to get out of there. Will she side with the Rebels and spy on her Loyalist masters like that slave boy with the red hat she met asked her to? Will she and Ruth become free? Or even stay together? Historical Fiction, MG, YA, American Revolution Andrew draws. Lift the flaps and turn the pages in this book to see drawings come to life. After reading this one, you’ll want to grab a pencil and see where a line can take you! Picture Books Prairie Evers just moved from the South up to Upstate New York, and, on top of that ,her Grandma announces she’s going back. Prairie is heartbroken, because her Grandma is her best friend AND her teacher. Now she’ll have to go to school! Will she make friends? How do you even do that? Her parents let her get some chicks too, and she starts caring for a flock. What will this Grandma-less year bring for Prairie? Middle Grade, Realistic FictionOne day Liza’s little brother is totally annoying (like he’s supposed to be!) and the next he looks at her like something has switched off inside. She knows what it has to be: The Spindlers, magical spiders who weave with people’s souls. She doesn’t know how to find them but somehow Liza stumbles into their world. With a little help from a rat who LOVES to wear makeup, she makes her way and searches for a way to bring her brother back. Will she succeed? Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy
Know any boys who need inspiration? Look no further. This book is filled with stories 5 or 6 pages long, of boys who invented things, led protests, and stood up for change. They continued their work into their adult lives, but each of them started when they were teens and tweens; some even when they were boys! There’s fun historical trivia about each person too, and resources for learning more. Chapter Book, MG, YA, Non-fiction, biography
Book two about Isabel and Curzon, the boy in the red hat we met in Chains. In case you’re going to read the first one, I won’t say much about this one. Well, you know they’re IN the book, so they must be alive at the end of Chains. But that’s all I’m going to say!

Whew!
That was fun!

So far this year I’m up to:
345 books!
and a little over 35,000 pages!

What are you all reading?
Going to any conferences?
MAKE SURE TO READ THE BOOKS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PRESENTING!

I know it sounds obvious but I didn’t do it my first conference.
I’m so glad I do it now because if I see the author, I can say:
“I really loved your book__________”
and what author doesn’t want to hear that?

alright, until next time,
KE and SS