Who needs directions?

I decided to reorganize my yarn stash over Winter Break.

You might be thinking, Big whoop! She moved around some yarn.  What you might not understand is that knitting, like reading, can be aspirational. I have patterns and yarns I’ve never knit, just as I have books sitting around that I have yet to read.

This reorganization was serious and required new furniture. So, naturally, I turned to IKEA. Knowing the limitations of my strength and my desire to stay home, I ordered the perfect shelving unit – an eight square Kallax . You might have seen it before. Heck, you might even have one.

When it arrived, I pulled everything out, sorted them by shape and function and set the instruction booklet in a safe place. I assembled the exterior frame and stood back to admire my work. That’s when I realized I should have looked at the instruction book.

With the frame assembled, there was no way to insert the shelves. My heart sank and I went to fetch the instruction book. I disassembled the frame and started on page one.

It all worked out in the end, but I hope I have learned from this mistake. Whether I do or not, I now have a nicely organized yarn stash.

 

The Voice in My Head Last Week

Last week, knitting and driving, I listened to Philip Pullman read the collection of his essays that constitute Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling. I’ve since put the print book on hold because he says some wonderful things in it. I want to see them in print and ponder them. I want to share some of them with my students.

If you like stories, storytelling or writing, I highly recommend it. It is not written for kids, but readers and writers of upper middle school and high school age might also find this fascinating.

Publisher’s Summary: From the internationally best-selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a spellbinding journey into the secrets of his art–the narratives that have shaped his vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling.

One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story–from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others–and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master, and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.

 

This week’s book talks 1/7-11

This year, I received a couple of gift cards from students and decided to use them to add more books to our classroom library. I book-talked some of them this week.

Monday

Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages

Tuesday

The Rhino in Right Field by Stacy DeKeyser

Wednesday

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Thursday

Echo’s Sister by Paul Mosier

Friday

Dog Days in the City by Jodi Kendall

Guest blogging over at The Hub

I am the guest blogger over at The Hub. In anticipation of the Youth Media Awards later this month,  I wrote a piece called “A Morris Award Reflection” about Morris Award finalists from my year  on that committee. Please click on the link above to see what I got up to.

Snack time

Monday.

Right back at it after Break.

It’s like we were never gone.

The bell rings. Sixth graders enter the locker room. They grab their stuff. They come to class. They mostly sit down and open their choice read books. There are always a few chatterers and stragglers who need a little herding or redirection, but, by the time I get in the room, the class is sitting, reading and eating their snack. I survey the room thankful for the routine.

And that’s when I spy him.

In a room full of kids eating healthy snacks, one boy has a giant tube of cotton candy.

While cotton candy might fall nicely into one of Buddy the Elf’s four main food groups (candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup) it does not qualify as a healthy snack in sixth grade.

I looked at the young man in question. He was nonchalantly reading his book as he pulled a strand from the tube. Although he avoided my eye contact, I could tell he was waiting to see if he’d get away with it. Maybe it was the smirk on his face.

He was a good sport when I sent him to his locker to put it away and get something healthier.

It’s good to be back.

Emerging from my cocoon

I spent the last two weeks in a delightful cocoon of my own making, filled with books and knitting.

It is hard going back.

But, back I must go.

I read several wonderful picture books during the break that touched my heart. One of them was Adrian Simcox Does Not Have A Horse  by Marcy Campbell.

From the Author’s Website: Adrian Simcox tells anyone who will listen that he has a horse–the best and most beautiful horse anywhere.

But Chloe does NOT believe him. Adrian Simcox lives in a tiny house. Where would he keep a horse? He has holes in his shoes. How would he pay for a horse?

The more Adrian talks about his horse, the angrier Chloe gets. But when she calls him out at school and even complains about him to her mom, Chloe doesn’t get the vindication she craves. She gets something far more important.

Can I just say that this is the book we all need to read these days, when we are so quick to judge and spout our opinions. This is a book about empathy – getting to know ‘the other” and seeing their perspective. It teaches us that being right isn’t always the most important thing.

Corinna Luyken’s illustrations — in black ink, colored pencils, and watercolor — remind me of books published when I was young and makes the book feel timeless.

My Cybils Nominees

I was thrilled the first time one of my Cybils nominees made it to the finalists list. This year, I had five nominees make it to the second round of judging.

In the Easy Reader category – one of my favorite books of the year:
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin.

 

In the Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels category:
The Cardboard Kingdom  by Chad Sell

In the Junior High Nonfiction category:
Spooked: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America  by Gail Jarrow

In the Senior High Nonfiction category:
Votes for Women! American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling

 

In the Young Adult Fiction category – one of my favorite YA books of the year:
Darius the Great is Not Okay  by Adib Khorram

 

Cybils Reading, Part 2

Today, I would like to introduce the Senior High Nonfiction titles I’ll be reading over ht next six weeks.

Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend
by Karen Blumenthal
Viking Books for Young Teaders

Bonnie and Clyde became legends of the outlaw world. Even today their names are known and used–Blumenthal does an excellent job of giving as clear a picture as possible of what is known (or thought to be known) about Clyde and Bonnie and what led them to become outlaws. After reading about the shocking number of people they killed it’s understandable why these two became so famous, but it’s a sad commentary on American society is the fact that these two are still so famous yet their victims have been all but forgotten.

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)
by Bryan Stevenson
Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Based on his own experiences as a nonprofit lawyer defending people whom others have tossed aside and/or tried to forget about, Stevenson offers readers an in-depth look at our all-too-often dysfunctional and biased justice system. His flowing narrative allows us to get to know the individual clients, which drives home the often life-or-death nature of their various legal battles. This is a powerful, impactful, and enlightening book that has the power to transform the way this country thinks about justice, mercy, and compassion.

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler
by John Hendrix
Amulet

A heavily illustrated biography of German theologian and resistance figure Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Hendrix’s almost-graphic novel makes excellent use of color, portraying Bonhoeffer and his allies in blue, and Hitler and the Nazis in red, and the visuals add to the dizzying and terrifying changes in Germany as Hitler’s power grows. A fitting and appealing way to tell the story of a man willing to die for what is right.

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century (Scholastic Focus)
by Neal Bascomb
Arthur A Levine

Neal Bascomb tell the compelling tale of a group of World War I prisoners who plotted and executed an almost unbelievable escape from a German prison camp. The daring individuals who came together to set this escape into motion are briefly described along with their backgrounds, but the focus is on the circumstances that led up to the escape, the escape itself, and the aftermath. The book reads like a thriller, with near misses, plenty of setbacks, and failures detailed along the way. A fabulously told story that proves the adage: truth is stranger than fiction.

Votes for Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot
by Winifred Conkling
Algonquin Young Readers
Nominated by: Me!

Spanning almost 100 years, this book takes an unflinching and comprehensive look at the fight for (and against) women’s suffrage in the United States. Reading it evokes a wide and ever-changing range of emotions: outrage, shame, shock, awe, empowerment, and, ultimately, hope. Never once, however, does it evoke boredom. The compelling narrative, primary source material, photography, and rich backmatter make this book highly recommended reading for all genders.

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide
by Carol Anderson
Bloomsbury YA

A sobering look at how the US’s laws and court decisions have systematically disenfranchised African-Americans. Bolden’s Young Reader’s Edition of Anderson’s adult title White Rage focuses not just on landmark court cases but also the smaller moments, putting them into the broader American context. It excels at making complicated legal and judicial proceedings clear and easy-to-understand, showing how these issues are still current, and not just stains on our past.

We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists
edited by  Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner
Crown Books for Young Readers

Students in the newspaper and TV broadcasting classes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida write about the shooting and the aftermath, from putting out a memorial issue shortly after the tragic events to covering the March for our Lives. Along the way, they deal with their own feelings about the shooting and wrestle with how to cover a story when they’re part of it. A moving and important collection of teen voices.

Cybils Reading, Part 1

For the fourth time in five years, I am a Round 2 Cybils Judge for Junior and Senior High nonfiction. Guess what I’m reading (or rereading) for the next month. Yup, excellent nonfiction for older kids. Here are the Junior High Nonfiction Finalists.

Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed Everything
by Martin W. Sandler
Candlewick Press

1968 was a difficult year for the United States, but it ended with at least one bright spot—the successful mission to orbit the moon. 50 years later, Sandler expertly reveals the true tale of Apollo 8 from many important angles: the science and technology behind the mission, the lives of the individuals involved in making it happen, and the cultural and historical relevance of both the mission itself and its most iconic image, the Earthrise photograph. The gorgeous design and absorbing storytelling combine to offer something for every reader.

 

Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam
by Elizabeth Partridge
Viking Books for Young Readers

A stirring account of the Vietnam War told in a mix of profiles of prominent Americans and memories of those who were there. Context and large black-and-white photographs are woven in, but the focus remains on the personal stories, creating a moving, compelling, and immediate look at the war.

Capsized!: The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster
by Patricia Sutton
Chicago Review Press

Patricia Sutton explores why the Eastland disaster has been unknown for so long in a riveting, page-turning history for YA readers. Capsized! is told through firsthand accounts of responders and survivors of this Chicago River passenger ship tragedy. Archive photos give readers glimpses into the lives of the passengers and stand as reminders of forgotten history. A highly worthwhile read and exceptionally documented history.

Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin
by James L. Swanson
Scholastic Press

Swanson has written another compelling narrative account of a heinous crime. Just as in his two previous assassination accounts, Swanson gives the reader both the before and after of King’s assassination. While the book is not a full length biography of Martin Luther King Jr. Swanson does provide enough information to give the reader context and understanding as to why someone might want to kill the man. Using a plethora of sources (which are thoroughly documented at the end of the book), Swanson walks the reader through the days leading up to the assassination and the days following. The book takes the reader past the violence, past the funeral, past Ray’s sentencing, followed by his ongoing efforts to prove his innocence and his escape attempts. The photographs provide a particularly powerful picture of events shared in the book. But after all is said and done, after the burial, and the sentencing, and everything else, one question remains: why did Ray kill Martin Luther King, Jr.? We will likely never know as Ray spent the remaining years of his life denying that he’d done it at all.

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man
by Tonya Bolden
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Author Tonya Bolden believes there is more to reveal about one man known mostly for his autobiography of emancipation. She has written this illuminating, well-researched biography for YA readers about his character and contributions as a statesman, publisher and suffragist. A unique design feature of Facing Frederick is the use of famous daguerreotype photos of Douglass as focal points on the timeline of his life.

Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America
by Gail Jarrow
Calkins Creek Books
Nominated by ME!

Author Gail Jarrow reflects on how far hoaxes can undermine trust in legitimate sources in this exceptional history about the 1938 radio broadcast of a Martian invasion. Hoax aficionados will find the well-designed book both informational and engrossing reading. A nifty graphic spread reveals the level of audience outrage from excerpts of letters, postcards and telegrams CBS received following the radio broadcast. Published complete with timeline, a “More to Explore” section, source notes, selected bibliography and index.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (Young Readers Edition)
by Sam Kean
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This young reader’s edition of a 2010 title takes readers on a rollicking journey through the periodic table. In addition to the science of each element, Kean focuses on the personal stories of the scientists involved and the history of the element—including everything from what it’s been used for to the role it plays in current and historical pop culture.

The New Calendar

Mom once told me it was bad luck to hang up a new calendar too early. Or look through the pictures. Or Hang it open. To be honest, I can’t really remember what superstition she told me. Whatever it was, it has morphed into my own tradition of prepping the new calendar on New Year’s morning.

I used to spend a lot of time in bookshops picking out the “right” calendar that would set the tone for year. Nowadays, I order two different basset hound calendars from charities and hang one at home and one at school. The school calendar is on my desk at school,  waiting patiently for me to return next week.

I’ll set to work on the home calendar shortly. It is a bittersweet job. I get to look at the year that was as I flip through the old to add the birthdays and anniversaries I mark. There are some happy events and some sad memories that come together to give me sense of the year that was. When I have finished the writing, I will place that calendar on its spot on the kitchen wall and start building new memories.