I HATE to abandon a book. I mean, HATE to abandon a book. Even if I don't like a book, I stick with it because I feel like I want to know how it ends. Lately though, my thoughts on it have shifted a bit.
See, I started three different books lately that just didn't hook me into the story. I kept going, I read over 100 pages in each, but then I found myself saying, "Why am I reading this if I am not really into it?" It seems to me that there are a lot of other REALLY COOL books out there for me to read.
Now, I don't think those three books (I'll tell you what they are here in a moment) are awful. I just think that they aren't books for ME. I mean, we all like different books just as we like different foods, pets, or subjects in school. This has been REALLY good for me to think about lately.
The first book, THE ALWAYS WAR by Haddix, was okay. I would give it three stars, but it wasn't the book for me. Honestly, I was bummed, as I LOVE Haddix books, but this just wasn't one for me. HOWEVER, if you have read this book and liked it, PLEASE see me or submit a blog entry to me. Just because a book isn't for me, doesn't mean it's a bad book. It just means it wasn't one for me.
The second book, JOURNAL OF A SCHOOLYARD BULLY by Farley Katz didn't hold my attention either. Written in the same format as DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, I figured I'd enjoy it and be able to pass it along to my students. While I will place it in my classroom library, it just wasn't a book for me. Again, if you have read it and loved it, please let me know. I'd love to place your review on the blog. As for me, it got two stars. I was disappointed by this one too.
The third book, THE FOURTH STALL by Chris Rylander was also a let down. I found it in our most recent Book Order, and used free classroom points to get copies for the classroom. I read over a hundred pages of this one, but decided yesterday that I wasn't enjoying it so I abandoned it. I'd give it three stars, but I still had to put it down. I didn't find myself looking forward to it or hooked on it at all. That being said, I think kids would enjoy it. I also noticed that there is a part two to the book, so if you are into series, perhaps this is a book for you.
I will admit, sometimes I see my students abandon a book before they really give it a chance, and that bums me out. At the same time, through these three book attempts, I now have a new perspective on abandoning books.
Books are incredible, with adventures available at our fingertips. I want to encourage you, if you are enjoying a book, AWESOME. If you don't enjoy a book after you've given it a fair chance (More than one page), go ahead, abandon it. I know that are MANY others you can choose from that might just be for you.
In case you're wondering, yes, I have started another book. I am still waiting for the third book to SKELETON CREEK to arrive here at home, but I started another book last night and might just have a review up for it later in the week. We'll have to see though, I'm only thirty pages into it, and I'm not sure if it's a book for me or not. *grin*
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Dear Ms. Springer,
ReplyDeleteI would like to suggest a book for you to read.(If you like true sad stories) My Uncle wrote a book called Into The Deep by Robert Rogers. It's about my uncle's family who died in a flash flood. It is very sad. There are even pictures of their family and the van after it got swept off the highway into a river! He now has a new family with three kids. And a new one on the way.
Fron Connor P.
6-Z