October 2009
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art imitating life.
growing up, i never encountered a book character who was biracial. nowadays, there still aren’t many but the market seems to be expanding a bit.
here’s what i am reading now. brendan buckley’s universe and everything in it is a chapter book about a 10-year-old biracial boy who is trying to figure out why his mother never talks about the white grandfather he’s never met.
...
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art work + local library = stairs to the...
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Sheila Egoff Gives Us Some Context →
Good stuff.
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writing contests. for teens. so back off,...
http://www.davidbarrkirtley.com/teenwriter/ContestsOther.html
a whole list of writing contests. all on one page! what more could you ask for?!
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i'm black and i'm proud.
the skin i’m in. sharon g. flake’s coming-of-age novel has been a student favorite in my classroom library for years.
great for 6th and 7th graders.
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powerful book.
wow.
keesha’s house is full of so many teen issues that it seems like it was taken straight from a case manager’s files.
helen frost wrote the whole book in sestinas (and some sonnets), which makes it even more impressive from a crafting standpoint.
highly recommended for 8th - 10th graders.
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no question.
teach middle school reading or language arts? thinking about reading this book?
do it. you’ll hook your readers immediately.
preview it here.
September 2009
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asians do exist in adolescent literature.
being of mixed-race asian descent, i am always on the lookout for books that speak to the asian experience.
this is one of the best i have come across.
smart writing. honest perspectives.
preview it here.
3 tags
who am i to me. who am i to you.
sherman alexie is a phenomenal writer. not a phenomenal native american writer, but a phenomenal writer.
period.
his first go at adolescent literature garnered him a national book award. not bad, sherms!
recommended for 7-10th graders. you know, during that awkward time of figuring out who you are and how you fit (or don’t fit) within your society. fun stuff.
a great read for guys.
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adorable.
love it.
preview it here.
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the power of three.
This short text packs a punch.
Toning the Sweep is a fabulous story about three generations of women who remain resilient through times of grief and anguish.
Great for 8th graders.
Preview it here.
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the rose that grew from the concrete.
After Tupac and D Foster is an excellent book written by the wonderful Jacqueline Woodson. My 6th grade students loved this novel, which I kicked off with a study of Tupac Shakur. Since Woodson refers to various events in Tupac’s life, it helped to build the schema needed to make those connections while reading.
Preview the book here.
Highly recommended.
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a letter to yotsuba&!.
oh, my dear yotsuba,
you came into my life a few years ago, at the urging of greta, a former student and self-proclaimed manga maniac. my first voyage into the world of manga was through your eyes and i have forever been changed.
you cracked me up with your innocent wit and brutal honesty…i loved you from page one, green hair and all.
i had been looking for your latest print book for...
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writer's notebook.
there are so many teacher resources out there to help us navigate the wonderful world of writing workshop.
here’s one of my favorites for the 3-6 grade range:
preview the book here.
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3...2...1...blastoff!
excellent book on launching the writing workshop (grades 1-6):
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the arrival.
deivis, a wonderful librarian at my local library, suggested this graphic novel. a year later, the arrival by shaun tan still haunts me.
it is a wordless book that lyrically illustrates the journey of various immigrants.
here’s a sampling:
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tulane gem #3.
from the miraculous journey of edward tulane:
“I don’t care if anyone comes for me,” said Edward.
“But that’s dreadful,” said the old doll. “There’s no point in going on if you feel that way. No point at all. You must be filled with expectancy. You must be awash in hope. You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next.”
...
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tulane gem #2.
from the miraculous journey of edward tulane:
But let’s not speak of what might have been. Let us speak instead of what is. You are whole. (DiCamillo 168)
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tulane gem #1.
yesterday i mentioned how i love reading children’s literature, especially for the small nuggets of wisdom that lay between the pages.
here’s one from the miraculous journey of edward tulane:
Edward knew what it was like to say over and over again the names of those you had left behind. He knew what it was like to miss someone. And so he listened. And in his listening, his heart...
