Sep4
Author Archives: ewartzenluft
Sep4
Best Summer Reads of 2017! Some excellent titles here!
Aug25
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie is one of my new favorite authors! This book gives a true, and kind of sad, look into life on an Indian reservation (the rez). The main character, Junior. is real, raw, and seems to speak right to you in the book. Jumior decides to leave the rez to go to an all white school because he is sick and tired of the drinking and craziness of all of his Indian friends and family. but what he finds is that he feels he has to be both Indian and white, which causes him to lose some of what he holds most dear to his heart. A great, quick read that really made me want to dig deeper into life on an Indian reservation. There are great sketches throughout the book as Junior writes comics and his comics give a very real voice to what he is thinking and feeling!
I will be reading more of Sherman Alexie!
Happy Reading!
Beth
Aug17
Refugee by Alan Gratz
I COULD NOT put this book down! My husband and I went golfing and I stashed my kindle in my golf bag and read the last four holes while my husband whacked away at the ball! It is the story of three refugees, all middle school age. One is fleeing from the Nazis in Germany, one from Cuba after the fall of the Soviet Union and one from Syria. Their harrowing stories of fleeing their homes and their journey to, hopefully, freedom will have you on the edge of your seat. I could not turn the pages fast enough! It is a fast read and I now want to read more of Alan Gratz!
Happy Reading!
Beth
Jul14
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
Wow…what a book! I read this one last year, but reread it this summer because it was sooooo good! Written by Melba Pattillo Beals, who was 16 when she was chosen to integrate into Little Rock School during a Civil Rights firestorm. Warning…this book was difficult to read at times because of the horrific treatment of the African Americans who were chosen to go to an all white school however, all of the hatred these teenagers faced is 100% true because Melba was there! This is a must read for everyone and would be a great family read so parents and students can discuss this time period in history!
Happy Reading,
Beth
Jul14
March…a series
I just finished the first book in the March series, by John Lewis who is currently at U.S. Representative in/for Georgia. March is the first hand account of Lewis’ journey through the Civil Rights movement. Lewis was a member of the Freedom Riders and was arrested over 40 times during his fight for civil rights and in 1965 endured a fractured skull during a march on voting rights for African Americans. I am not much of a “series” reader, but this one I want to finish and because it is a graphic novel, the reading went pretty quickly! This is a good one to launch readers into learning more about this time period in history, which is really fascinating!
Happy Reading!
Beth
Jul10
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
If you like football, you will love this book! I am not a huge football fan, but I still liked how fast paced this book was. It is about a teenager who is faced with the struggles of living in the shadows of his dad, who played in the NFL. The main character faces challenges with friends, coaches, teammates, family and himself. This was a quick read!
Jun29
Reading Blog Kick-Off!…and two book reviews!
Jun26
The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas
This book was a true page turner! There is some explicit language and it involves the shooting of an African American teenager by a white police officer. Race is a BIG theme in this book, and the author gives a very true and accurate portrayal of what is it like to be a black girl (and family really) living between two races. All of the characters were developed superbly, the pace of the book was quick and I found myself sticking my kindle in my purse whenever we had to drive somewhere to get as much reading time in as I could! Starr, the main character, has real struggles, none of which I would have thought about had I not entered her world
Parents, do a quick review of this book before letting your kids read it. Here is a link that will give your more info:
Happy Reading Everyone! I need a new book! Any recommendations?
Beth
Jun23
Reading Blog Kick-Off!…and two book reviews!
In an effort to try and connect with book recommendations and happy summer reading vibes, I would like to offer up this blog as a place to do just that…a place to share books!
I will start this work off by reviewing my first two summer reads. Please check in here if you are looking for a book to read or just want to find out what your friends are reading. Every student who posts at least three book reviews will get to order a book of their choice in the fall! If you see your friends over summer, encourage them to check out blog our and let’s see what we can create as a community!
Happy Reading!
I finished my first book, This is Where it Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp. It is told from four different perspectives, within a 54 minute time frame, and is about a school shooting…so parents please review before you let you child read. I would give it a 5 on a scale of 1-10. It was kind of confusing to keep the characters straight because they were all pretty one dimensional…not much character development. It was a very quick read as I really wanted to know what was going to happen, but it was also pretty predictable. To me, the book was more rooted in the possible effects of bullying than a school shooting itself. I’m glad I read it, but it would not be my first recommendation for a summer read!
I just finished my second book, Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate. I loved, loved, loved this book! It was short (written in prose) and told through the eyes of a child who is a refugee here in America. From his perspective, I was able to get a sense of how people from other countries, especially war torn ones, view things in America (he has fled his country because of war and is awaiting to hear the fate of his mother, whom he was separated from in a raid). He calls the trees in winter the “not dead trees” because he learns that trees without leaves in Minnesota are not dead; they just don’t have leaves during winter. These things totally confuse Kek, the main character, but through his new friendships, one with a cow, he learns how to adapt to a new place, all the while missing his familiar home.
So who will be next to put a recommendation on our new blog? Help me make this blog a great “go-to” spot for good reads!
If you have a kindle and need a new book, don’t hesitate to email me with the titles and authors and I will get those to you ASAP. Also, if you want to come and book shop in our classroom, email me and we can set up a time to come and book shop!
Well, I am off to read my next book, As Brave as You Are.
Happy Reading and Happy Summer! Stay tuned for a Pop Up book share in July!
Beth
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