Value of a book!

I know I posted about my Soar reading group, but this is astonishing. We had been reading Inkheart (which my boss bought for us to read). And we didn't know what to do with the books now that we are done with our group. Should they go into Take Home Reading or the Leveled Library?! After talking about where to put the books, my boss asked if the kids would like to have them! I was elated. I brought the kids together and told them our delema about what to do with the books and then told them that we had decided to give them each their own copy. There was a hushed silence as it dawned on the six of them that they would indeed get to finish the book after all. Then, they all started talking at once, hugging me and thanking me very boisterously. I couldn't believe it! Were these the same kids who "hated" to read? Well, maybe they will read this summer after all!

Power of Lucky

I just talked to a co-worker about this book I want to read this summer and she said she had just read it. She was very dissapointed that a Newbery Award winner would stoop to using inappropriate language for a children's book. Now, do I really want to read this book?

Summer Reading!

Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson....this is actually a poem as Woodson delves into her own family history, with women who inspired each other.

Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (I absolutely LOVE her books Inkheart and Inkspell....her 3rd book in that series-Inkdawn-- doesn't come out till next year!!!)

I will most likely be drawn to The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo yet once again! I have read it 3 times already!!!
And I will most certainly re-read Eragon and Eldest.
Kate DeCamillo is one of my favorite authors and I really want to check out her book.....The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Entertainment

I work with six 6th grade students in Soar Success to Reading.
They hate school and they especially hate reading!
We happened to get through all of the Soar books and still had
a month left of school. I talked with my facillitator to ask her opinion
about reading a book I love and she went out and got 6 copies of
the book....Inkheart. In previewing the book, I could see a more
than casual interest springing up in several of my students. By the time
we finished chapter 6, they were all begging to go on. Realizing that chapter 7
only had two pages, I let them. They didn't want to stop there! So, did I have them
hooked? They realized that we would not be able to finish the book by the
end of the school year. I told them that the Public Library had copies available.
(Most of them live within walking distance to Tyler Library!) They said they never read
at home, especially in the summer. I then mentioned that the next book Inkspell is
even better than the first and that I bet they could finish both of them this summer.
One student asked if that was a challenge and I told him "absolutely!"
The reason why I titled this entertainment is that I realize children today have
access to a huge variety of electronic entertainment. When I grew up....BOOKS were my
entertainment. How can we compete with this? Thank goodness for great writers today
who capture the imaginings of my students! (Of course, it helped when I told them Inkheart was being made into a movie!)