I am in love with the book This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy Cavanaugh for many reasons: the nifty cover, the cool format, the connection I made to Ratchet (I could go on and on). Bottom line: I cannot imagine a middle grade classroom or library where this book wouldn’t be popular.

I read This Journal Belongs to Ratchet on the plane to IRA. Sitting next to an elderly man with a cowboy hat, I cried, and cried, and cried my way through Ms. Cavanaugh’s book. In some ways I was Ratchet as a kid. No, my mom didn’t die, and I wasn’t home-schooled,  but my father was a lot like Ratchet’s father. You see, my dad was different. He didn’t go to work each day in a fancy suit, he didn’t drive an SUV, and he surely didn’t feel the need to be politically correct. My dad spend most weekdays of my childhood driving across the country as a truck driver. He drove an old beat up motorcycle, and he was always looking to start a good debate.

Reading about Ratchet’s dad took me back to my childhood. Unlike Ratchet, I never worried about my dad being different from the other dads. I worshiped him, I still do.

I think that what I was routing for throughout the whole book was for Ratchet to see in her father what I see in mine.

I’m thinking that there might be a few middle grade readers in your life that need to see that their parents might be a little more awesome than they give them credit for.

Yikes! My 10 minutes is up…

*8:00-8:15 EDT: We will discuss Giants Beware!

*8:15-8:30 EDT: Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre will answer your questions.

*8:30-8:45 EDT: We will discuss hello! hello! and Another Brother.

*8:45-9:00 EDT: Matthew Cordell will answer your questions.

Miles Last Week: 22

Total Miles: 385

Books Last Week: 30

Total Books: 397

Be sure to visit Mentor Texts to learn more about It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
By: Kate DiCamillo

Crankee Doodle

By: Tom Angleberger and Cece Bell

Paul Thurlby’s Wildlife

By: Paul Thurlby

The Real Boy

By: Anne Ursu

Check out Mr. Schu’s video: Watch.Connect.Read.

I have heard about book speed dating from multiple people on Twitter the last two years. I’m sure that I do it a little differently than other people. As long as kids are getting the opportunity to preview and talk about lots of different titles, book speed dating serves its purpose.

How we roll:

1. I place a giant stack of books at each table group.

When selecting books for book speed dating I try to find titles that:

• Are in a series that not many students know about

• New titles

• Books that I am surprised not many students have found during the year

• Favorite authors that my kids are not reading (Blume, Dahl, Cleary, etc.)

• Lots and lots of nonfiction

• Old favorites-books that kids loved at the start of the year

• Old read alouds-I love including the books that my students teachers read aloud to them in third grade

2. Tell students my reasons for selecting the books (above)

3. Explain purpose of book speed dating

• Add to our to read list
• Explore books that we might not usually explore
• Revisit old friends

4. Set the timer

5. Rotate

After the time goes off students rotate to the next station.

6. Share

After students have visited each station, I give students an opportunity to share with one book that they enjoyed previewing.

I could not be more excited. I’ll be sharing more about Nerd Camp on the Nerdy Book Club blog at the end of May. My mind still needs time to process the the potential that this event holds.

Today, I am super excited to reveal the official Nerd Camp logo. The logo was designed by illustrator John Green. You are probably familiar with John’s work illustrating Teen Boat!

I only gave John three pieces of information before he disigned this AMAZING logo.

1. Our event is called nErD Camp

2. Battle Creek is the cereal city

3. I showed him the offical Ed Camp logo

Somehow John was able to take that information and create this fantastic nErD Camp logo.

Thank you, Mr. Green!

We would love to have you join us for nErD Camp this summer. It is going to be a rocking good time.

Registration
Website
Follow @nErDcampBC on Twitter

Ready.

Set.

Go.

Mustache Baby

By: Bridget Heos

Illustrated By: Joy Ang

A couple of weeks ago my children and I cuddled up on the sofa and read Mustache Baby. The book became an instant bedtime hit. We laugh our way through Mustache Baby each and every time we read Bridget’s book.

I think that one of the reasons that I love this book so much is that my kids (6,4, and 3) were able to instantly relate to “good-guy mustache” and “bad-guy mustache”. Lord knows we have plenty of good-guy and bad-guy mustache days at our house.

My absolute favorite part of this book is the last page. I haven’t found a page turn that I enjoy as much as the last page turn in this book since Me..Jane.

I hope the young readers in your life enjoy Mustache Baby as much as the Sharp kids.

Happy reading!

Be sure to visit Mentor Texts to learn more about It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Counting By 7s

By: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Penguin and Pinecone

By: Salina Yoon

That is Not a Good Idea

By: Mo Willems

Flora & Ulysses

By: Kate DiCamillo

For the first time all year I find myself a few miles behind pace in my quest to reach 1006 miles. To be honest, I am just holding on for dear life. I’m tired. Hoping that I can just make it to summer without falling too far behind.

Miles Last Week: 10

Total Miles: 363

Books Last Week: 11

Total Books: 367

They say that lightening doesn’t ever strike twice in the same place, but I was struck with mom awesomeness twice. After growing up with an amazing mom, I am now married to a perfect mom. My children are so lucky to have a mom that loves them for who they are, and a woman who takes such great care of them. My wife is the bomb.

I think of my wife every time I read Luciana Navarro Powell’s  My Mom is the Best Circus. Sometimes I even start to think that my wife looks a little bit like the mother in this beautiful board book. On a day that it is all about the moms in our lives, I think this book is a perfect book to celebrate.

My favorite pages in My Moms is the Best Circus is the two page spread that shows the mother being both a magician and a clown. One thing that I love so much about my wife and my mother is that they know how to give their kids whatever it is they need in each specific situation.

If you are looking for a great book to read and reread, I recommend that you check out My Mom is the Best Circus. It is a book that is worth celebrating all year-long (just like the moms in our lives).

I received this book from Random House in exchange for an honest review.

The next time we have a Saturday without a Newbery Challenge video will be the week after we run our Ivan video. Crazy to think that the Newbery Challenge will be over before we know it. I’ve had so much fun reading, learning, and growing with all the participants.

Big thanks to Shana Corey for filming this video.