Tonight I have another book review for you! I have been reading, but you can tell by how long it is in between posts how good a book is because if it's REALLY good, it's not very long in between posts. However, if it's just "ok" it takes a while because I just read it before bed. Well, that's where I'd place my most recent book.
I read TRASH by Andy Mulligan. In this story, three boys are dumpsite kids, who spend their days going through trash to earn money for their families. That's right, they sort through dumpster trash. However, one day one of the boys find something that changes their entire lives. The whole story is the journey of the three boys and their find in the dumpsite.
This book had my attention at first. I really liked it and was really into it. As the book went on, I found myself reading it to find out how it ended, but not because I was REALLY enjoying it. That's why I only gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
If you're into adventures, this may be the book for you! I would state that it is for students in 6th grade and up. The vocabulary is on a higher level, and that's why I think it's better for older students. *grin*
So, go ahead, stock up on books, cold weather is around the corner.
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Mr. Terupt Falls Again ***
Tonight I have a new book review for you! I just finished the sequel to the book, "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea. The book I just read was "Mr. Terupt Falls Again" by Rob Buyea.
I was really excited about the book arrival on my porch, as I LOVED the first book! Mr. Terupt's classroom captured my heart, and left me wanting more. My favorite part of the first book was the fact it was written from the perspective of each student's point-of-view. I loved it.
In the sequel, Mr. Terupt has looped with his students to sixth grade, and has fallen for a fellow teacher as well. It makes for an interesting year for Mr. Terupt and his students. Throughout the year, each student has events that happen that show each student maturing in their own way.
While I liked it, I recommend it for 6th graders and above. There is some content that is not appropriate for younger students in this book.
I will also add, I didn't look forward to reading this book each night after the first couple, like I did the last one. My favorite aspect of the first book, several perspectives, was what wore me out in this sequel. At first I liked the various perspectives, but then it got old because I felt like I was re-living the same parts of the story over and over again. I think the writer thought so too, because after a certain point, the perspectives decreased in number, and the story line moved on. The ending was quick and with very few different points-of-view. I was glad, to be honest, as I was ready to be done with the book.
Therefore, I give it three stars. I do encourage people to read the first one, "Because of Mr. Terupt" before the sequel, as there is a lot of ground work in the first one.
My next read is "Trash" by Andy Mulligan. I am intrigued and I'm only 30 pages into it. I'll keep ya posted!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT.
I was really excited about the book arrival on my porch, as I LOVED the first book! Mr. Terupt's classroom captured my heart, and left me wanting more. My favorite part of the first book was the fact it was written from the perspective of each student's point-of-view. I loved it.
In the sequel, Mr. Terupt has looped with his students to sixth grade, and has fallen for a fellow teacher as well. It makes for an interesting year for Mr. Terupt and his students. Throughout the year, each student has events that happen that show each student maturing in their own way.
While I liked it, I recommend it for 6th graders and above. There is some content that is not appropriate for younger students in this book.
I will also add, I didn't look forward to reading this book each night after the first couple, like I did the last one. My favorite aspect of the first book, several perspectives, was what wore me out in this sequel. At first I liked the various perspectives, but then it got old because I felt like I was re-living the same parts of the story over and over again. I think the writer thought so too, because after a certain point, the perspectives decreased in number, and the story line moved on. The ending was quick and with very few different points-of-view. I was glad, to be honest, as I was ready to be done with the book.
Therefore, I give it three stars. I do encourage people to read the first one, "Because of Mr. Terupt" before the sequel, as there is a lot of ground work in the first one.
My next read is "Trash" by Andy Mulligan. I am intrigued and I'm only 30 pages into it. I'll keep ya posted!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
SON by Lois Lowry ****1/2
Tonight I have a book review for you! I finished SON by Lois Lowry this week and I give it four and a half out of five stars! This book is about a mother in a dystopian society searching for her son. In case you're wondering what a Dystopian Society is, it's a society in which the rules are not really good for the people who live there. (The Hunger Games had a Dystopian Society, if that helps. However, this story line is COMPLETELY different.) In this society, the birthmothers give birth to babies, but they can't keep them. So, the journey is a mother searching for her son. That's a really simple explanation of the book, honestly. This book is really tough to describe without ruining the ending. *grin*
So, I recommend this book for sixth graders and up! It's a really cool story with a journey that will leave you on the edge of your seat from page one until the end of the book!
CHECK IT OUT!
*grin*
LIFE. IS. GREAT...WITH A GREAT BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!!!
So, I recommend this book for sixth graders and up! It's a really cool story with a journey that will leave you on the edge of your seat from page one until the end of the book!
CHECK IT OUT!
*grin*
LIFE. IS. GREAT...WITH A GREAT BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!!!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Stocking Up for Winter!
GREETINGS!
So much has happened this year, and there's so much more to come! Guess what I'm already thinking about? Are you ready for this?
SNOW DAYS!
I know, I know, it's not even cold yet!
But, I LOVE to read, and snow days are a GREAT time to read! So, just as some animals stockpile food for winter, I get books for winter.
I was given some gift cards a little while ago, and I'm using them to get ready to go for winter! Plus, I've pre-ordered some books that will be out, such as The New Diary of a Wimpy Kid and (for 6th graders) the third book in the MATCHED series. I'm so excited!!!
So, go ahead, start thinking about what you would like to have for those SNOW DAYS. I predict that they will be here before we know it! (And, psst, so will our BOOK FAIR!)
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT...with a GREAT book in your hands!
So much has happened this year, and there's so much more to come! Guess what I'm already thinking about? Are you ready for this?
SNOW DAYS!
I know, I know, it's not even cold yet!
But, I LOVE to read, and snow days are a GREAT time to read! So, just as some animals stockpile food for winter, I get books for winter.
I was given some gift cards a little while ago, and I'm using them to get ready to go for winter! Plus, I've pre-ordered some books that will be out, such as The New Diary of a Wimpy Kid and (for 6th graders) the third book in the MATCHED series. I'm so excited!!!
So, go ahead, start thinking about what you would like to have for those SNOW DAYS. I predict that they will be here before we know it! (And, psst, so will our BOOK FAIR!)
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT...with a GREAT book in your hands!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
WONDER by R.J. Palacio *****
So, the school year has been underway for a few weeks, and we've been BUSY. We put Mrs. Trigg on the roof (You guys won!), had a back-to-school picnic, and even had a bird show for kids who read enough pages this summer. We keep busy around Sunset Valley Elementary, don't we? *grin*
I have an AMAZING book review tonight. It's a book that Ms. Johnson showed me at the beginning of the year, and I took it home on the weekend it rained on Friday and Saturday. I had it read within 24 hours, which is saying A LOT because I keep busy on the weekends.
The book is WONDER by R.J. Palacio. In this book, the main character is born with a face that is different from everyone else. The kid's name is August, and they call him Auggie. It's his story of life with a face that's a little different from everyone else's.
In fact, he starts school for the first time in middle school and it makes for a REALLY good story. It really touched my heart on so many levels! I laughed, cried, cheered, and was changed by this little character. I'm different because of this little guy in this book. That's when a book is REALLY good. *grin*
We talk at school about making connections with what we're reading. I wanted to share a connection I had with the book. See, Auggie is picked on by other kids because of the way he looks. I won't go into details, because I don't want to ruin the book for you, but people picked on him because he looked different. It wasn't his fault, that was just the way he was born. That's what happened to me too. When I was a kid, people picked on me because I walked different than they did. I made a connection with that character because of the way people judged him because of something that wasn't his fault. It made me cry and smile all at the same time. *grin*
I want to end this post by saying I'm proud of the students at SVE because I don't hear kids pick on other kids who are different than they are. Instead, I see kids accept other kids in the most kind ways around our school. WAY TO GO, SVE! You're an amazing group of young people!
So, check out WONDER by R.J. Palacio!!! It will make you *grin* ear-to-ear!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT...WITH A GREAT BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!!!
I have an AMAZING book review tonight. It's a book that Ms. Johnson showed me at the beginning of the year, and I took it home on the weekend it rained on Friday and Saturday. I had it read within 24 hours, which is saying A LOT because I keep busy on the weekends.
The book is WONDER by R.J. Palacio. In this book, the main character is born with a face that is different from everyone else. The kid's name is August, and they call him Auggie. It's his story of life with a face that's a little different from everyone else's.
In fact, he starts school for the first time in middle school and it makes for a REALLY good story. It really touched my heart on so many levels! I laughed, cried, cheered, and was changed by this little character. I'm different because of this little guy in this book. That's when a book is REALLY good. *grin*
We talk at school about making connections with what we're reading. I wanted to share a connection I had with the book. See, Auggie is picked on by other kids because of the way he looks. I won't go into details, because I don't want to ruin the book for you, but people picked on him because he looked different. It wasn't his fault, that was just the way he was born. That's what happened to me too. When I was a kid, people picked on me because I walked different than they did. I made a connection with that character because of the way people judged him because of something that wasn't his fault. It made me cry and smile all at the same time. *grin*
I want to end this post by saying I'm proud of the students at SVE because I don't hear kids pick on other kids who are different than they are. Instead, I see kids accept other kids in the most kind ways around our school. WAY TO GO, SVE! You're an amazing group of young people!
So, check out WONDER by R.J. Palacio!!! It will make you *grin* ear-to-ear!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT...WITH A GREAT BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!!!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
What's Your Number?
So, here we are, ready for Meet Your Teacher on August 13, 2012! Are you ready? Are you excited to be back? I am glad you said yes! *grin*
I took time away from the blog to re-charge and serve kids out at Camp Barnabas for a couple weeks, and I have returned! I am SO EXCITED about this upcoming school year!
So, I have a BIG question for you tonight. What's your number?
You're probably thinking, "Ms. Springer, what are you talking about?"
You remember the last day of school when Mrs. Trigg challenged students to read more than staff over the summer? Well, how many pages did you read? What's your number?
I just counted up my pages! I kept my log on my kitchen counter, and I kept up with it all summer so I could help with the STAFF number!
My total number of pages...are you ready for this?
2,421
How cool is that? I read 13 books for a total of 2,421 pages!
I think it's GREAT!
So, what's your number?
Tell me at MEET YOUR TEACHER NIGHT, okay? (Logs due BY August 17th in the library!)
I can't wait to see you!
Welcome back! It's going to be an AMAZING school year!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME...AT SVE!!!
I took time away from the blog to re-charge and serve kids out at Camp Barnabas for a couple weeks, and I have returned! I am SO EXCITED about this upcoming school year!
So, I have a BIG question for you tonight. What's your number?
You're probably thinking, "Ms. Springer, what are you talking about?"
You remember the last day of school when Mrs. Trigg challenged students to read more than staff over the summer? Well, how many pages did you read? What's your number?
I just counted up my pages! I kept my log on my kitchen counter, and I kept up with it all summer so I could help with the STAFF number!
My total number of pages...are you ready for this?
2,421
How cool is that? I read 13 books for a total of 2,421 pages!
I think it's GREAT!
So, what's your number?
Tell me at MEET YOUR TEACHER NIGHT, okay? (Logs due BY August 17th in the library!)
I can't wait to see you!
Welcome back! It's going to be an AMAZING school year!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME...AT SVE!!!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Whopper by Savannah
GREETINGS!
Gosh, how long has it been since I've been on here? Oh, right, IT'S SUMMER BREAK! *grin*
What have you been doing? READING, I hope! Have you been keeping track of your reading for your reading challenge so that you can get Mrs. Trigg on the roof? I have been keeping track, and I'm at about 800 pages so far. *grin* Plus, we still have several weeks of summer left. *grin*
Today I have an entry that was submitted by Savannah. I actually have two of her entries but will do one today and one this weekend. You'll want to check back and check it out. I'll also post it on THE VAULT page, as that's strictly student writing. I hope you like this story as much as I did! *grin*
THE WHOPPER
When I reeled it in I saw a ten foot fish on my line. It was red and pink together on the fish. Then my Dad got his camera out and took my picture of me with the biggest fish. Then my Dad took it off the line and put it back in the water to have it free. The judges came over and handed me a trophy that said it was the biggest fish ever on it. Then I told my Dad I like fishing now, it is the best ever! Everyone from school came and said good job for catching the biggest fish. I told my Dad I called the fish Amy because that is my name and I caught that big fish. My Dad told me he was happy to see me catch that fish. I told my Dad we can go fishing together all the time now. That was when I caught the biggest fish named Amy.
GOOD JOB SAVANNAH! *grin* I liked it!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Gosh, how long has it been since I've been on here? Oh, right, IT'S SUMMER BREAK! *grin*
What have you been doing? READING, I hope! Have you been keeping track of your reading for your reading challenge so that you can get Mrs. Trigg on the roof? I have been keeping track, and I'm at about 800 pages so far. *grin* Plus, we still have several weeks of summer left. *grin*
Today I have an entry that was submitted by Savannah. I actually have two of her entries but will do one today and one this weekend. You'll want to check back and check it out. I'll also post it on THE VAULT page, as that's strictly student writing. I hope you like this story as much as I did! *grin*
THE WHOPPER
When I reeled it in I saw a ten foot fish on my line. It was red and pink together on the fish. Then my Dad got his camera out and took my picture of me with the biggest fish. Then my Dad took it off the line and put it back in the water to have it free. The judges came over and handed me a trophy that said it was the biggest fish ever on it. Then I told my Dad I like fishing now, it is the best ever! Everyone from school came and said good job for catching the biggest fish. I told my Dad I called the fish Amy because that is my name and I caught that big fish. My Dad told me he was happy to see me catch that fish. I told my Dad we can go fishing together all the time now. That was when I caught the biggest fish named Amy.
GOOD JOB SAVANNAH! *grin* I liked it!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Dork Diaries ****1/2
Oh my goodness, has it really been THAT long since I've posted? Well, one might think it's Summer Break or something. *grin*
Last night I finished Dork Diaries, Book #1. I liked it! I like Journal-Style books, and this one was really neat. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I would like it when I started it, but I really did.
There are other ones that I plan to read throughout the summer too. If you're wondering why I didn't give it five stars, well, I liked it, but I wasn't REALLY wanting to read it outside of my usual reading time. To me, that's the litmus test.
I started a new book this morning, and am already on page 93.
I love Summer Break.
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Last night I finished Dork Diaries, Book #1. I liked it! I like Journal-Style books, and this one was really neat. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I would like it when I started it, but I really did.
There are other ones that I plan to read throughout the summer too. If you're wondering why I didn't give it five stars, well, I liked it, but I wasn't REALLY wanting to read it outside of my usual reading time. To me, that's the litmus test.
I started a new book this morning, and am already on page 93.
I love Summer Break.
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
SCRAWL ****1/2
Tonight I have a book review for you! I just finished SCRAWL by Mark Shulman. I REALLY liked it. It was sort of written in a journal form, but not anything like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was more like a chapter book, which I enjoyed.
Tod is the main character in this story, and he is a bully. He is in trouble, so he's serving time in detention instead of being expelled from school. In detention, he has to write in a journal. This book tells a story through the journal that has enough surprises to keep you reading! I really enjoyed it!
Perhaps you noticed that I have it 4 and a half stars instead of five. I didn't give it five just because I wasn't hooked on it so much that I read it ALL the time. I read it daily, it just wasn't a "five" for me. *grin*
So, go ahead, check it out, you'll be glad you did.
By the way, I put it on my reading log. It was 240 pages toward our STAFF team count. How many have you read? *grin*
HAPPY READING!
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Tod is the main character in this story, and he is a bully. He is in trouble, so he's serving time in detention instead of being expelled from school. In detention, he has to write in a journal. This book tells a story through the journal that has enough surprises to keep you reading! I really enjoyed it!
Perhaps you noticed that I have it 4 and a half stars instead of five. I didn't give it five just because I wasn't hooked on it so much that I read it ALL the time. I read it daily, it just wasn't a "five" for me. *grin*
So, go ahead, check it out, you'll be glad you did.
By the way, I put it on my reading log. It was 240 pages toward our STAFF team count. How many have you read? *grin*
HAPPY READING!
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Friday, May 25, 2012
TIME TO READ *grin*
So, Summer Break is upon us.
Have you cried every day since we got out of school at 1:30 on Monday? *grin*
I'll admit it, I LOVE it because I now have time to read all the books that are on my nightstand. I'll be busy this summer, but I already have two books beside me now, just waiting to be read!
I'm currently reading "Scrawl" and will have a review up soon. I only have a few pages left. I will begin book #1 of Dork Diaries after that! I've read ALL of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories but NONE of the Dork Diaries. I'm curious to see how I like them.
So, go ahead, fight the tears. We have a lot of Summer left! Get out those books! Remember, there's a reading challenge between staff and students to get Mrs. Trigg up on the roof of the school!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Have you cried every day since we got out of school at 1:30 on Monday? *grin*
I'll admit it, I LOVE it because I now have time to read all the books that are on my nightstand. I'll be busy this summer, but I already have two books beside me now, just waiting to be read!
I'm currently reading "Scrawl" and will have a review up soon. I only have a few pages left. I will begin book #1 of Dork Diaries after that! I've read ALL of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories but NONE of the Dork Diaries. I'm curious to see how I like them.
So, go ahead, fight the tears. We have a lot of Summer left! Get out those books! Remember, there's a reading challenge between staff and students to get Mrs. Trigg up on the roof of the school!
*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)