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Book Recommendation over this historical fiction book. Seventh chapter book.

I think this would be a good book to read to students. It teaches them to be happy with what they get. In this book Turtle the main character is not from a very wealthy family. In fact, this book is set in the era of the Great Depression so no one except the wealthy had money. More than anything turtle wanted a home for her and her mother but that is not what she got. Instead she must be sent to live with family because the lady her mother was working for did not like children very much. Although this happen Turtle was happy in the end even though she didn’t get what she desired, a house. What she got was a home, a place she could feel safe in. This book shows that you do not need materialistic things in your life, you need family, you need love, and that doesn’t cost money. Be grateful for what you have because it could be what the person beside you is yearning to have.

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One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

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One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

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Defining quote over this historical fiction book. Sixth chapter book.

“I was thinking, Alive. We have to be alive.” I think this is a good quote from the book because it is showing that they must be alive to make a difference. They must be alive to make changes with the way society is treating African American people. What good would they do, what change would happen if they were not here to advocate. They wanted to make a change from a place where they knew they couldn’t be hurt. They want to participate but were scared because of the things they had seen happen to other people. They didn’t just want to be another person rallying on the news, they wanted to truly make a difference in the lives of the African American community.

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Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl by Barbara Park

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Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl by Barbara Park

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Book recommendation over this realistic fiction book. Fifth chapter book.

Growing up as a child I loved reading Junie B. Jones books. They were my very first chapter books and I learned how to read them very early on. In this book Junie B. Jones is getting ready to graduate from kindergarten but gets into a little bit of mess through all the excitement. I think this book shows a lot of good messages throughout the book. One of the messages is that you should listen to your teacher or your parents when they don’t want you to do something. They usually have a good reason behind not wanting whatever you’re doing to be done. Another lesson I took from this book is that your friends will always be there for you no matter what. When Junie B. Jones felt bad about the dots she had made on her shirt she was embarrassed and sad about it. So, instead of letting her just be the odd ball out on their special day the whole class colored dots on their caps and gowns too. They were there for her when she needed it most and that’s what good friends do.

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A Trio of Tolerable Tales by Margaret Atwood

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A Trio of Tolerable Tales by Margaret Atwood

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Book Review over this fantasy book. Fourth chapter book.

In this book the author goes through the adventures of Ramsay, Bob and Dorinda, and Wendy. Something I thought was very interesting about this book is that the author uses alliteration throughout the whole book to tell the adventure happening with each of the characters. While talking about the adventures of Ramsay she uses the letter “R” to tell his story. She did the same with each of the characters, she used the first letter of their name to tell their story. This use of word play makes each of their adventures as she is doing her best to make each word start with the same letter. I would say it might me a little hard to read for some students who do not have a wide vocabulary because she often must use synonyms of words to fit the pattern she is using. Other than that, this is a great book to read.

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The Girl who Thought in  Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca

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The Girl who Thought in  Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca

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Book recommendation over the biography of Dr. Temple Grandin.

This is a book that tells the story of Temple Grandin. It shows you how she grew up and what people thought of her when she was a kid. It shows the struggles she went through with children in her classes and how she grew up to become a scientist. I would recommend this book if you are teaching your students about biographies and autobiographies. It is an easily readable book and has a lot of rhyming so the story flows together well. I would also encourage reading this to teach about the different types of kids there are. For example, Temple had autism and this book shows how because of this she thought different and she was a late speaker. Although she battles with this she made something great of herself despite what others thought of her. She had the encouragement of her family and a passion and that was all she needed to push her to be successful.

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Book Review over this banned book.

This is a banned book because someone called into question that the author was saying abuse is okay. However, this was not the case at all. When the kids were hopping on pop they were told that it was not okay for them to do that. So, you see that Dr. Seuss isn’t saying it’s okay to cause physical abuse to someone, instead he is showing that it can be harmful, and kids should not practice this behavior. Other than that, I think this would be a good book to read young children because the words in this book are very simple. This book also has a lot of rhyming words so when you are teaching about this in class this would’ve been a good book to read.

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Book summary over this previous Bluebonnet award winning book.

This is a book about a dog unlike others. This dog named Togo is a Siberian husky, but he is not as big or strong as the others. He is a quirky dog who loves to run wild and play but this does not make good for a sled dog. The owner of the dogs Seppala wants to give him away but this effort did not work the dog found his way back home. The next thing you knew Seppala was going on a trip but was not planning on taking Togo, he took other stronger dogs instead, but Togo new he must go so he broke free and ran all night to find them. He proved himself to Seppala and was able to run with the pack. Soon he was the leader and took them on all kinds of adventures. Seppala won all kinds of marathons with Togo, but one night a man came to the house in need of a serum. Nome the town in which they lived was becoming very ill and they needed a serum to stop it from spreading as soon as possible. They new Seppala had the quickest pack, and so did he, so they agreed to go get the serum except it was a very far travel. Worn out and exhausted they made the trip and met another group and that had the serum, Seppala thought they were going to take it back to Nome but he was wrong. He and the exhausted dogs would have travel back ninety miles to meet someone who would take it the rest of the way. They used all they had to do this, and Togo was never able to run a race again.

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Infographic over this fantasy book.

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The Book of Fairy Poetry by Michael Hague

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The Book of Fairy Poetry by Michael Hague

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Poetry read aloud video over this book of poetry. Third chapter book.

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The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau

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The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau

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Defining quote over this Biography of Jacques Cousteau.

“Always I rebelled against the limitations imposed by a single breath of air.” Jacques Cousteau loved the ocean. He had a deep passion for exploring the oceans wonders and for brining the ocean to others. To me this quote shows that he would not stop just because he had to hold his breath to explore the ocean. He would need come up with ways to allow him to stay under the water longer to capture the wild life, and he did just that. He came up with new inventions to let him breath while under water and let him go deeper into the water. Since he was a young boy he kept challenging the odds, not letting them stand in the way of his passion. This was how passionate about the ocean and wildlife of the ocean he was, and I think this quote depicts that very well.

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Book talk over this non-fiction book.

https://vocaroo.com/i/s1u6md0pBquo

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Blog post over this non-fiction/informational book.

Turtles in their eggs:
When turtles are in there egg the time, it takes them to hatch can vary depending on the weather above the sand. If the weathers warm meaning the sand is warm, then it can take about six weeks. On the contrary if the sand is cool then it can take 9 weeks for the eggs to hatch.

Turtles as babies:
After turtles hatch they wait until night to go to sea. This is because if they go during the day they will be spotted by their prey. The horizon tells the baby turtles which way they should go but some might get confused by other light sources. During this stage of life their shells are soft and fragile, so the baby turtles stay in their nest most of the time where they are safe.

Turtles as adults:
During this stage turtles have hard shells and have been swimming around for miles and miles. They eat crabs as their food source. Even though you think a crab may be too hard for them to eat the jaws of the turtles are heavy so the shells crack easily. After turtles have mated the female turtle travels to land to lay her eggs. This is very dangerous because on land the turtle is very heavy making it hard to make this journey. Once on land the females stay for months making between four and ten nests during this time, then the cycle repeats itself.

Websites:
For facts about turtles go to http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/turtle.html
For a list of activities to do with your class go to http://www.childcarelounge.com/general-themes/turtles.php

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Book review over this book of poetry.
This is a story about a boy and a tree. When the boy was young he was always at this tree, he would climb it, play with it, and rest underneath it. This made both the boy and the tree very happy. As the boy grew older he went to the tree less and less. The few times he did go to the tree, the tree wanted to play but the boy said he was too old for that. He would explain what he wanted, and the tree usually couldn’t give him that exact thing, but she offered her branches or her trunk instead, because she wanted him to be happy. The boy took everything until he was an old weak man and the tree was an old stump. By this point he went back and she told him she has nothing left to offer but all he wanted was to rest and so he sat on her stump and rested, and they were both happy. I liked the message the author was trying to give in this book. The author was showing that when all a person wants is for you to be happy they will do whatever they can to help you achieve happiness. It also shows greed, as the boy became a man he wanted and wanted from the tree and took whatever it gave until there was nothing left. I think everyone should take sometimes to read this book and see what lessons you can learn from it.

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The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

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The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

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Story Map of this tradition tale.

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La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya

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La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya

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Book review over this Pura Belpre award winning book.

I enjoyed this book and liked that it had some parts in Spanish. In this story there is a prince whose mom was protective over him. She didn’t just want him to marry anyone. One day there was a girl “la princesa” who wanted to marry the prince. When the prince saw her, he thought she was very beautiful and wanted to marry her as well, but his mom need to test her first.  She got to the castle where she would sleep, the mom got a pea from the garden and planned to put it under twenty mattresses. If the girl could feel the tiny pea under all those mattresses, then she could marry the prince. The next morning the mom asked the girl how she slept, and the girl slept uncomfortable, so she did in fact feel the pea and could marry the prince. Little did the mom know the prince wanted to marry the girl so much he added pitch forks and more to make sure the girl would pass the test. Throughout this book the author incorporated Spanish words. I think this a neat idea and adds an aspect to the book that most books do not have. I believe this book would be great to read to children who are learning Spanish or who are bilingual. If you do not know Spanish however, make sure you look at the definitions to words you don’t know which are in the front of the book.

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Defining Quote over this Coretta Scott King award winning book.

"You will soar become a swan, a beauty, a firebird for sure" The reason I chose this quote is because it shows that despite the way she is thinking right now her dreams can indeed come true. She idealizes a professional dancer and thinks she will never be as great as her. Little does she know it took lots of practice and hard work for that dancer to get where she is now, it didn’t just happen by chance. So, to me this quote shows her that if she practices over and over she too will become great. She too will be able to move and perform like her idol. I believe you cannot be truly great at something if your do not put forth practice and effort. I also believe that you should not doubt yourself. Just because you are not there now doesn’t mean you do not have a chance of getting there.

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Infographic over this Caldecott award winning book.

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The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin, David Shannon

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The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin, David Shannon

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Sticky notes over this traditional tale.

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This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne

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This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne

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Book Review over this post-modern picture book.

This is an interactive picture book that gets the reader to not only verbally but physically interact with the book. While reading this book the reader is asked to tilt the book on its side and shake the book. This form of interactive book makes it so that the child can incorporate play in the book. In this book there is a little girl named Bella who is walking her dog across the page. When she reaches the part of the book that folds her dog doesn’t appear on the other side, he is stuck in the book. She calls for help and a person comes but he also gets stuck in the book. The same thing happens with the dog rescue truck and the fire brigade truck, and even Bella. Now is when the Bella calls on the reader to help. The reader is asked to tilt and shake the book which makes all the characters fall out. After that everything is back to normal, well slightly. The dogs back half is upside down. The author ends the book with a note from Bella telling the reader to not let the book be so naughty next time. I think this was a very well written, fun interactive book that keeps the reader interested. This is good thing since children have short attention spans.

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Book Recommendation over this Newbery award winning book. Second chapter book.

I recommend this book because it shows you the lives of the people who lived during the time of the Nazi invasion. You see people who lived in the same community without problems. Germans and Jewish people were friends they weren’t defined by their nationality. When the Nazis came they changed everything and people started to be defined by whether they were Jewish or not. I believe this book does a good job in showing you the emotions of these people. The fright in which the Jewish people had to be found out and to be taken to a “new place.” These neighbors and friends relied on one another to keep each other safe. The bravery and courage of Annemarie and her family to take their Jewish friends family to safety was overwhelming. To see the perspective of a child who is not Jewish during this time is different and unique. It shows the amount of love friends can have for one another and the lengths they will go to help when in need.

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Book Recommendation over this former Bluebonnet award winning book.

I recommend this book because it shows kids they don’t need to have money or be popular to have a big dream. This book shows that materialistic things don’t matter and when you have a passion and a dream anything can come true. Ada was just a little girl from a city that was built near a landfill. The town didn’t have much but one day a volunteer decided he wanted to have free music lessons for the people in the town. Ada’s grandma signed her and her sister up and when they began the teacher quickly found out there wasn’t enough instruments. Instead of being down about the situation and giving up they pushed forward and thought of new ways to make it work. The teacher with the help of a friend made instruments out of stuff from the landfill. After that the kids soon began to practice and got good enough to play for not only their city but travel the world playing. Ada was even good enough to have solo’s in their performance as well. So, you see, you do not have to come from a big town or have lots of money and be popular to achieve your dreams. I believe with a little bit of passion you can do anything you set your mind to, and I believe this book will teach kids this lesson.

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In and Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

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In and Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

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Letter to teacher over this realistic fiction novel.

Dear Teacher,

Inside out and Back again is a very good story that I strongly suggest you have your class read. Although it is fiction book where the characters are made up it tells the story of some real-life things the author remembers going through. This book shows the emotions that the people in Vietnam at the time the communist took over were going through. It shows you the struggles and hardships these people dealt with. In my opinion it would be a good book to read so that these children can get a glimpse of what life was like for these refugees. I believe this book should be introduced when these children are learning about communism and the Vietnam war. When children get to use the material multiple times the learn it better. So, letting them read this novel while learning about the war in their history class will help them retain this information and teach these kids about the lives of the people who went through it.

Sincerely,
Mikaela Zapata

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Summary of this Caldecott award winning book.

This book tells the adventure of a little girl and a baby wolf getting lost in the snow. On their separate journeys they run into each other. The little girl huffing and the wolf weeping. When she meets the wolf, she hears other wolves howling in the distances, so she tries to get him home. After traveling awhile, a way she meets the other wolves and gives the baby wolf back. They are now reconnected but she’s far away from her destination. As she travels back home she is tired and weak and gives up, but the wolves come to her rescue. When they find her, they start to howl in hopes that her dog and parents who is searching for her will find her. They finally do and get her back home. Now both the wolf family and her family are whole again.

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

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Book review of this Newbery award winning book.

This book told about the lives of animals in circus. It was narrated through the main character a silverback gorilla named Ivan. He lived at the big top mall where he was put in a “domain” for the people to watch him. Later and elephant named Stella joined him and a stray dog named Bob. It was just the three of them for a while. This was the way Mack the circus director would make money. By putting on shows with Stella and selling Ivan’s paintings. When business started to go down he thought that he needed to make an addition, so he brought in a baby elephant named ruby. They were all saddened at this because ruby was just a baby, she didn’t deserve this. Stella took care of her until she no longer could. She mad Ivan promise to get ruby to a better home and that’s just what he did. By painting and the help of a little girl named Julia who went with her father to clean the mall every night and shared a passion for art with Ivan. They ended up at a zoo where they could be with other animals like them. This was a very great book that showed the pain of animals in captivity. Animals belong in the wild where they can live free with their families. A piece of advice for readers is that there is a lot of imagery in the book and there are some pictures. Try and create an image in your head of what’s happening while your reading, I think this really helps bring the book to life.

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Book review of this graphic novel. First chapter book.

I really loved this book. It is a book about friendship and becoming a teenager. The main character Astrid had a best friend named Nicole. In the beginning they were friends who did everything together. As the book goes on it shoes how they began to take interest in separate activities which eventually tore their friendship apart. All of this was happening while Astrid was finding herself while trying out and working hard to be on a roller derby team. In the end they settled their dispute, but Astrid had a new group of friends now and that was okay too. I think this was a really great book that tells about the struggles of becoming a teenager and growing out of friendships. If you’re lucky you’ll have lifelong friendships but, in most cases, you’ll start to grow apart from your old friends when you meet new people you share common interest with. A piece of advice I would give to the reader is to pay attention to the illustrations because you really get to see the emotions of the characters through them.