Most checked out 2018-19

As always, graphic novels were the most checked out books form my classroom library this year. Here are the top three stats on what kids checked out most in graphic novels, fiction, and nonfiction.

Graphic Novels

# 1 – This One Summer by  Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki

# 2 – Hey Kiddo by  Jarrett J. Krosoczka

#3 – Brave  by Svetlana Chmakova

Fiction

#1 –The Valiant  by Lesley Livingston

#2 – The Fourteenth Goldfish

#3 – Fallout by Todd Strasser

Non-fiction

#1 – The Faithful Spy  by John Hendrix

#2 – Spooked  by Gail Jarrow

#3 – Poison  by Sara Albee

 

 

 

This week’s booktalks 9/24-28

Banned Books week booktalks are always fun. This year, the  kids in both of my classes asked more questions about how books get banned or challenged, than all other years combined.  Here are the books that got them fired up.

Monday

The Seventh Wish  by Kate Messner

Tuesday

The Golden Compass  by Philip Pullman

Wednesday

This One Summer by

Thursday

Harry potter and The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

I am out for a meeting today, tp there is no Friday booktalk.

This week’s booktalks 9/25-9/28

It is banned Books Week, so I booktalked some books in my library that have been challenged over the years, in various places.

MONDAY,  I presented This One Summer.

It was a popular check out last year and has already been checked out a couple of times. I was worried it wouldn’t be on the shelf for me this week.

TUESDAY, I shared The Seventh Wish.

WEDNESDAY, I talked about The Golden Compass.  There is a new book in the series, La Belle Sauvage, coming October 19th. It seems an opportune time to introduce students to the series.

I am at a conference Friday & Saturday, so my last booktalk was THURSDAY. I saved Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for the end of the week.

It is the only book in the HP series in my classroom library. I haven’t read it and don’t plan on reading this book. I like to leave Harry at the end of the Deathly Hallows. I live the life of a middle-aged person. I don;t need to see him as one.

My Classroom Library’s Top 10 Graphic Novels

The highest checkout numbers in my classroom library went to graphic novels.  This is certainly due to their popularity. I think it might also be due to the fact that they can be read quickly. That said, I know students who would check one out and read it multiple times.

Here, in ascending order are the most popular graphic novels in my classroom library.

#10 – El Deafo by Cece Bell

 

#9 – Brain Camp  by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, and Faith Erin Hicks

 

#8 – Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks

 

#7 – This One Summer  by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

 

#6 –  Boxers by Gene Luen Yang

 

#5 –  Level Up by Gene Luen Yang

 

#4 – Primates by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

 

#3- Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

 

#2 – The Dumbest Idea Ever by Jimmy Gownley

 

#1 – Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saving Montgomery Sole

Some words just feel good in your mouth, like my favorite word, bungalow. 

Some book titles have the same effect, rolling around in your mouth with a rhythm that captures your attention. So it was when I first heard the title, Saving Montgomery Sole. 

I knew I had to read it.

It wasn’t just the title that grabbed my attention. It was also the author: Mariko Tamaki, co-creator of the bestselling Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor Book This One Summer.

And I wasn’t disappointed.

At a time when so many people are so angry and so judgmental about others, this book provides a beautiful example of how to navigate a world that isn’t as black and white as it feels.

Publisher’s Summary: Montgomery Sole is a square peg in a small town, forced to go to a school full of jocks and girls who don’t even know what irony is. It would all be impossible if it weren’t for her best friends, Thomas and Naoki. The three are also the only members of Jefferson High’s Mystery Club, dedicated to exploring the weird and unexplained, from ESP and astrology to super powers and mysterious objects.

Then there’s the Eye of Know, the possibly powerful crystal amulet Monty bought online. Will it help her predict the future or fight back against the ignorant jerks who make fun of Thomas for being gay or Monty for having lesbian moms? Maybe the Eye is here just in time, because the newest resident of their small town is scarier than mothmen, poltergeists, or, you know, gym.

Thoughtful, funny, and painfully honest, Montgomery Sole is someone you’ll want to laugh and cry with over a big cup of frozen yogurt with extra toppings.

 

2015 Hub Reading Challenge Check-In #6

This week, I finished two books for the HUB reading Challenge. Quite frankly, with report cards to finish, I am amazed that I read any!

First, I read, the graphic novel  This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki.

This was FANTASTIC! Here is the publisher’s summary:

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It’s their getaway, their refuge. Rosie’s friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It’s a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it’s a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

This book felt so real. I could have been either of those girls, doing what they did, thinking like they thought. I think the Tamaki cousins really captured the essence of girls on the edge of adolescence.

Then, I read the book I’ve picked up & put down a lot this year.

The earlier picking up & putting down did not involve any reading of this book. It involved me, picking up the book and thinking “UGH, a basketball book.” And putting it down. So, I finally opened it and read it. So not what I was expecting. I will be honest, I skimmed some of the basketball parts, but the story of the family really got me. As a twin, I loved the twin angle and I think Alexander really gets the complicated relationship twins can have. It isn’t always Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap. Written in verse, the book moves quickly. At first, I had a little trouble distinguishing which of the two boys was talking, but eventually, I got it.

I highly recommend both of these books.