Summer Reading, Week Two

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
 Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

This past two weeks, I haven't traveled anywhere without a book in my bag, just in case I get stranded with a few spare minutes. Waiting rooms are my new favorite places. And my workout routine has become even more boring than it was (did not know this was possible), as I now head for the stationary bike the second I walk through the door of the gym and read the entire time I'm there.

This binge (sanctioned, but a binge, nonetheless) has been bringing back memories of my childhood, when I spent most of my free time with my nose in a book. When I got in trouble, the consequence -almost always- was being grounded from reading. No books, no newspaper, no mail, no cereal box at the breakfast table, even. Since I was usually disciplined for reading instead of washing dishes or doing my homework, I guess the punishment fit the crime.

Not grounded yet (I'm trying to keep up with other aspects of life in a fairly adult fashion), but I'm looking over my shoulder, still. Didn't make it through quite as many this week, though my page count is similar to last weeks. Oh, and click here for a refresher on my starring rationale.

Picture books:

**The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. Grace Lin is one of my new favorite children's authors. My class loved all her stuff this year. I think The Ugly Vegetables is one of her first books.

*Betsy Who Cried Wolf by Gail Carson Levine. This will be a fun read-aloud. Twist on the original fable, of course.

Intermediate books:

**Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. Very cute. Set entirely in a second-grade classroom, and not too far off from reality. I've had students who could probably give Gooney Bird a run for her money. Would connect well to a unit on story writing.

Mercy Watson, Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo. Beginner-level "chapter" book with lots of pictures. A five-year-old I know loves all the Mercy Watson books. Compared to anything else by DiCamillo, it's disappointing...but it was cute, I guess.

Teen/Young Adult Books:

** The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. My favorite read so far. I was mesmerized by the story.

** Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Not at all as fluffy as it sounds, though it still would be categorized as a girl read. A great girl read.

* Deadline by Chris Crutcher. Eighteen year old boy (who's 5'3", 123#)  finds out he has a terminal illness and decides to live his senior year to the fullest, going out for football, dating a girl who's eight inches taller than him, etc. There's a decided political undertone which I didn't love (didn't love the language, either), but the idea is interesting, and Crutcher makes it work.

Page count this week: 1,162 (not counting the picture books)

Thinking Out Loud

One thing I learned from tonight's class (which focused on motivating students to read) is that students get much more out of their reading if they talk and/or write about it. Both is better. Makes sense to me.

Since my go-to talk-it-out person is several states and a time zone away tonight and it's too late to call anyone else, I'm going to share my learning with you, dear blog audience. Questions from several of you have probed my thinking (thank you for asking!); here are three of the major thoughts now rising to the surface. I hope you're getting some learning out of your summer, too, wherever you are. 

Connection: Class to Teaching

Being a student is giving me empathy for my own students. It's not easy!

This grad class is by far the most challenging classroom situation I've encountered in at least eight years, and I don't quite have my land legs yet! My professor is sharp. Wonderful, fun, but really with it. She's pushing me, and it's good. She's human, though. Tonight, she misunderstood a question I asked and then told me I was wrong; I was surprised by the level of emotion that surged up within me. I know I've done that to students of mine (sometimes the level of adrenaline that I've got running during my middle school class makes slowing down and actually listening really hard), but I hadn't realized the depth of frustration it caused. "Did I answer your question?" is an important one to ask. (Good news: I calmed down and thought about it more like an adult once I made that connection.)

Connection: Reading to Life

Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games was my favorite read this week. Since I'm sick of writing annotations, no review from me, other than to say it drew me in to the story in a big way AND gave me tons to think about. Though not the central theme, one tension in the book (futuristic sci-fi) is between the capital city, in which the people live glamorous, push-button lives centered around appearance, comfort, and entertainment, and the twelve surrounding districts, which are ruthlessly kept in poverty and forced to produce commodities for the capital city. Those who live in the city are blind to the cost of their lifestyle. 

At first, I was annoyed by the city characters; then, shamed as I saw myself in them. I live a comfortable life, often with no thought to what goes on below the poverty line to make me able to live as I please. I don't consider my own connection to the tearjerker stories I hear from around the world or across the street. To recognize the cost with integrity would mean to be willing to bear more of it on my own shoulders. Awareness should bring change.

In my Bible studying recently, I've been constantly tripping over verses about the church being the body of Christ. If one part suffers, the whole part suffers. In this book, it was so clear that the "health" of the capital city is an illusion. It is bought at a horrific price, one which costs everyone at the soul level. 

Literature is influential! I know these things already; I've had multiple conversations with friends about these topics just in the past few months. But seeing it played out in a story (powerful things, stories), caring about a character fighting against a terrible disadvantage, well, somehow that poked it furthest into my heart. 

Connection: Research Reading to Teaching (and a pat on the back to myself)

There are a lot of small things I can do to motivate my students to read. And I actually did a few of them this year!

1. Give them choices. (Wildly successful with my middle schoolers - not directly related to reading, but just engaging with the class.)

2. Relate with them. Know them. Make personal connections. (I've been hearing this message everywhere!) One part of this is to recognize, respect, and make room for their preferences.

3. Make sure they get to write and talk about what they're reading.

4. Only reward reading with rewards that are connected to reading itself. Like earning a new book for having read so many pages. Lots of research tells us that disconnected rewards (say, a toy or treat) decrease motivation.

Going Green in the Dark

It was the sound of panic on the other side of the bathroom door. "Aaahhh! Aaahhh! It's dark in here! I can't see ANYTHING!" Mr. Four-year-old's voice was thick with self-inflicted drama. "I can't see what I'm doing! Aaahhh!"

"So turn the light on, silly!" I yelled back.

"I can't!" Moments later, the door opened, and with an expressive sigh, he explained, "I was saving electricity. See, when you have the lights on, it wastes power."

There's nothing like making your morning more exciting AND saving electricity at the same time.

Summer Reading: Books I Hope to Finish

I'm plowing through my literature assignments, but I have other books I'm crawling my way through, hoping to give them decent attention throughout the summer. Heart-related books, the kind you have to chew (no snarfing allowed). A feast, just in these three:

Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson. Need to give this one its own blog post soon. It is transforming the way I see the gospel, which is transforming the way I see lots of other things. You want to read this.

How People Grow by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I've been working on this one for a couple of years. Bottom line: how all growth is spiritual growth. Good stuff. 

Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I never quite feel ready to engage with this book at the level I think it deserves, so I'll read a few pages and put it down. It's a dangerous message, and I don't dare zip through it without letting the Holy Spirit talk to me about it. 

Summer Reading, Part One: Best Homework I've Ever Had

This summer, I'm taking a grad class on K-12 literature requiring me to read well over 50 books. I'm in bookworm heaven, mostly. The gritty part of writing bibliography entries and pulling out themes, well, that still feels like work. But mowing through the pile of books on the coffee table (currently, there are 41)? This is homework?! 

For all you fellow bibliophiles, here's what I read the past week. Stars (*) denote my personal level of recommendation. One: worth your time. Two: excellent and moving. Three: stunning (or I somehow just read it on a really good day).

How week one stacked up...

Picture Books
**The yellow star: the legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy. Story isn't exactly true, but inspiring nonetheless. And beautiful. Would be great to include in teaching about WWII at any age level.   
 
*The lion and the mouse by Jerry Pinkney. One of the most gorgeous, engaging wordless picture books I've seen.


Zarafa: the giraffe who walked to the king by Judith St. George. True story; the title says it all. Lovely illustrations.


The windigo’s return: a north woods story by Douglas Wood. Native American legend; Minnesotans could appreciate it on a few levels...


Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale. Humorous, irreverent retelling of Sleeping Beauty. 

***The cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse. Another powerful picture book relating to WWII. Would be excellent for older kids.


**Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming. Yet another view on WWII and its aftermath. Based on a true story.


Why kings and queens don't wear crowns by Princess Martha Louise. Cute...


**Flotsam by David Wiesner. Wiesner is one of my favorite illustrators. This smirky, off-beat wordless book is a reason why. I can look at these pictures for hours.


Children's Literature
**Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Well-written story about a settlement in Canada of escaped or freed slaves. I really liked the interaction between the narrator, an eleven-year-old boy, with the adults of his community. Touches on difficult themes relating to slavery and freedom, but overall, hopeful and full of life.





Nory Ryan’s song by Patricia Reilly Giff. Intermediate-level book about the Potato Famine in Ireland. Sweet characters, sober plot, lots of historical connections to pull in.

*The lightning thief by Rick Riordian. Engaging story. Interesting twist related to Greek mythology. Lots of good action and characters I cared about. And though I predicted some of it (a knowledge of mythology "sets up" some of the scenes, making it more interesting), I didn't see it all. Will probably read the rest of the series...

**When you reach me by Rebecca Stead. Apparently, lots of people hate this book. I was not one of them. Was fascinated from the beginning.



Young Adult Literature
**I am the messenger by Markus Zusak. There's plenty of colorful language throughout the book that I could do without, but the story drew me in right away. Loved the plot and the characters.


**Out of the dust by Karen Hesse. Novel set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, narrated in poetry. The sparse, rich text mirrors the setting and struggle of the characters. Quick read, but certainly worthwhile.


Page count this week: 1280, not counting the picture books or the 500 page Zusak book (since I read it a month ago).

Seat Belts and Marshmallows: Intergalactic Travel With a Four Year Old

Four-year-old boys are the best. I got to hang out with one of my favorite ones all day today, since he finished school a week earlier than brother and sister...summertime bliss.

We read books, ate snacks (both of us eating the peanut butter chips out of our snack mix first), and did a lot of chasing each other in magic spaceships we'd made. Once we were tired of running (and constantly repairing our ships), we upgraded to a couch-sized spaceship of his creation, complete with seat belts. (Seat belts are always his first priority when inventing any vehicle; you can see why I love traveling with him.)

While lounging in our respective spaceship corners, cozied up with our blankets, he informed me that our spaceship (authentic pronunciation: "faceship") had a refrigerator (for which the authentic pronunciation is too difficult to spell -- today was a refresher course in his dialect). "Does our spaceship have coffee?" I asked. "You know how much I love coffee."

"It has EVERYTHING to drink," he replied. "Here's your coffee. I put marshmallows in it for you." Never tried that before, but I have to say, it was delicious.

"What are you drinking?" I asked.

"Lemonade -- with marshmallows in it." We downed our marshmallowy drinks, and then he realized that we were out of marshmallows. We quickly flew to the food planet, parked the spaceship, unbuckled, and bought more (turns out invisible money is the perfect currency for invisible purchases). 

He zipped back downstairs to the spaceship while I checked a voicemail. A minute later, he was back upstairs. "I'm just buying some more marshmallows," he informed me. "I didn't get enough the first time." Gotta love that kid.

I think it's safe to say we were the only Minnesotans doing marshmallow runs in a spaceship today. Makes me feel pretty special...