Leaving Gee’s Bend
By: Irene Latham
Starry River of the Sky
By: Grace Lin
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy
By: Nathan Hale
Book Love
By: Penny Kittle
Hello friends! After taking the week off from blogging, I am super excited to be back talking the latest installment of the Newbery Challenge. I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Be sure to check out what Mr. Schu had to say about Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
The Christmas Quiet Book
By: Deborah Underwood
Picture By: Renata Liwska
Navigating Early
By: Clare Vanderpool
Zoe Gets Ready
By: Bethanie Murguia
Bridge To Terabithia
By: Katherine Paterson
The Westing Game
By: Ellen Raskin
The fourth graders at Minges Brook Elementary (Battle Creek, MI) and Brook Forest Elementary (Oak Brook, Il) worked collaboratively during the month of November on a Mock Caldecott project. The students had a blast: reading, discussing, Skyping, chatting on Edmodo, and voting.
I’m excited to share the fourth graders choices for Mock Caldecott.
Good News Bad News
By: Jeff Mack
Thoughts from the panelists:
I LOVE funny things-this was super funny.
Good News Bad News is a beautifully funny book about friendship.
I like how they were having a good time and it was good, and and then it was really bad news for them.
It was my favorite mock Caldecott book because I love the illustrations and the colors.
Green
By: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Thoughts from the panelists:
I love the holes in the pages.
Because one picture goes to the one on the next page.
This book is one of my favorite books because I like the way of how they found real but different colors of green.
This book is one of my favorite book in the whole world because of all the illustrations and cuts.
Extra Yarn
By: Mac Barnett
Pictures By: Jon Klassen
A few words from a pair of my biggest Extra Yarn fans.
One Cool Friend
By: Toni Buzzeo
Pictures By: David Small
A couple of my students recorded their book talk of One Cool Friend.
Thoughts from the panelists:
It was funny and the pictures are good.
I loved that he brought home a real live penguin he had to hide it from his dad.
Boy + Bot
By: Ame Dyckman
Pictures By: Dan Yaccarino
Be careful these 2 fourth graders will convince you to buy Boy + Bot…
Thoughts from the panelists:
The colors look like a cartoon.
I liked it because it showed the relationship and to me that is very important.
I liked it because it was about a boy and a robot that wanted to understand each other.
Another week….another Newbery…another video. I’m hoping Mr. Schu’s video is more exciting than mine. I promise to try and bring my A-game next week.
I am running out of 2012 reading days. My to-read pile is as big as ever, and I am starting to feel the heat. I’m looking forward to tackling 2013 books, but first I really really need to read these 2012 books.
Last year I focused my week after Christmas reading on finishing up the Schu-Jonker Top 20. I plan on doing the same this year.
Island of the Galapagos
By: Jason Chin
Starry River of the Sky
By: Grace Lin
Hilda and the Midnight Giant
By: Luke Pearson
One Dead Spy
By: Nathan Hale
Bomb
By: Steve Sheinkin
I have read 56 Newbery Medal winning books in 2012. I am hoping to read 2 more.
Bridge To Terabithia
By: Katherine Paterson
The Westing Game
By: Ellen Raskin
I am sort of obssessed with the Newbery Medal, and I am hoping that when the winner is announced in January that I will be able to say that I have read the most distinguished book of the year. Some say these books are candidates, so I need to check them our before the big day.
Three Times Lucky
By: Shiela Turnage
No Crystal Stair
By: Vaunda Nelson
Summer of Gypsy Moths
By: Sarah Pennypacker
I have a zero percent chance of reading all of these books in the next 12 days, but it has helped to prioritize my reading.
What books are you hoping to read as we come to the end of an amazing year for children’s literature?
I have spent much of the last couple of weeks pouring over the Nerdy Book Club ballot. I’ve been celebrating the nominations of my favorite books, and putting holds on many of the books that I have not read. I can’t wait to vote on Friday.
I thought it would be fun to put links to the author posts of the finalist, so that I could have them all in the same spot.
Picture Books: Fiction
Boy + Boy by: Ame Dyckman and Dan Yaccariono
I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Picture Book: Nonfiction
Annie and Helen by Deborah Hopkinson and Raul Colon
A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson and John Hendrix
Early Reader/ Chapter Books
Marty McGuire Digs Worms! by Kate Messner and Brian Floca
Graphic Novels
Babymouse #16: Babymouse for President by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm (Jenni’s Post)
Squish #3: The Power of the Parasite by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm (Matt’s Post)
Squish #4: Captain Disaster by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm (My Top 10 Reading Moments Post)
Lunch Lady #7: Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes by Jarrett Krosoczka
Lunch Lady #8: Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril by Jarrett Krosoczka (2011 Nerdy Winners)
Mal and Chad: Food Fight! by Stephen McCranie
Teen Boat by John Green and Dave Roman
Middle Grade and Young Adult Nonfiction
Middle Grade Fiction
Capture the Flag by Kate Messner
Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
The Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz
Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger
The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Young Adult Fiction
Ask The Passengers by: A.S. King
I recomend that you take a look at Mr.Schu’s video instead of mine. Mine was a bit of a train wreck.
