My Top Ten EPIC Heroes. Or Heroines! by Angie Oliverson

Two loves (well, three if you count chocolate chip cookies and four if you count my family … but I digress): books. And movies. Can I say that here? But not any kind of movie. EPIC movies. Which often come from EPIC books. Or cases where they should have made an EPIC movie from the EPIC book. This journey has been called a basis for all things EPIC. In some ways I follow those guidelines in determining what is EPIC. Other times? It’s just me.

In No Particular Order Because I Love All of Them and Boy Is This a Random List

* Harry Potter.

Not to be too fangirl but Harry Potter! Because of course … he follows the classic road. He comes from humble beginnings and is unsure when he is first called. He faces challenges and temptations with his friends and a wiser, older mentor. He sacrifices everything (OH! Hopefully that is not a spoiler for anyone?) in order to achieve redemption. Plus he has Hedwig. Can an owl count as a mythical creature? I love owls. They are EPIC.

*Frodo and Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Remember this quote?  “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were…. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frod, I do understand… There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and its worth fighting for” (from Tolkien’s The Two Towers). LOVE IT. Most definitely EPIC. Is that not why we read? And to your writers out there … thank you. For sharing those stories with us.

*Morris Lessmore.

Started as a short film. Then became an app. Is now a book! I argue that he is an epic hero. He rises from a place left in shambles and is called when he finds the books. They are his helpers and mentors as he shares his love of stories with anyone who will listen. This is a wonderful story that we can share for years to come. EPIC.

*Liam from Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Cosmic.

Not everyone may agree with me on this but Liam … he is an everyman hero (Dear English Professors From College, It’s been a while, I know. Did I just make that up?). He finds himself in incredible situations and manges to get himself out of them. Also he makes me LAUGH. Cases in point? “I said cockadoodle doo. I don’t usually.” “OK. You lot are my mission.” Space suits that made everyone look like “criminal tangerines.” Oh and he does lead a group out from oppression. Just see what happens when he starts at a new school and is mistaken for a teacher. EPIC.

*Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.

No, there are no mystical powers here so it doesn’t exactly fit the definition of EPIC. Except in my book. Come on, anyone who can keep such a great attitude in the face of a family who thinks she should act in a manner more befitting a “lady”? That was her battle. And her Grandfather was, while by no means perfect, a loving and wise mentor. The book  does have an EPIC first line. Some of you will know what this really means. “By 1899, we had learned to tame the darkness but not the Texas heat.”

*Olive from The Books of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West.

I will be honest … this one took me a while to really get “in” to. But I’m so glad I finally did. Olive is most definitely a reluctant heroine facing supernatural beings with the help of mystical creatures. Slightly spooky but not really. Still waiting for book number three. How EPIC would it be to be able to enter a world through a painting?

*Benny Imura from Jonathan Maberry’s series.

(Fair warning … this is for the YA readers among us. NOT my current students!) It sounds so ridiculous but this is The Most Human of all zombie stories I’ve ever read (not that I’ve read anything close to all of them nor am I even a horror genre fan … this is NOT the author’s usual horror). Benny and his brother are called to dispatch zombies … sent by loved ones to save them from the neverending walk of the undead. UGH that sounds gross. But it is SO good! There are mentors and challenges and transformation. EPIC.

*Kira from Dan Well’s Partials.

I will be the first to say that the actual execution of the story is not necessarily EPIC. I would have done some of the editing differently. That put aside? Kira is a heroine to be reckoned with. The world seems to have ended (no babies survive long after birth) and all are asked to do more than their fair share. She rises above with the help of friends and … others. I will definitely be back for more of this EPIC story!

*(Gonna have to give a shout out here to my students.) PETE THE CAT (Eric Litwin) is an EPIC hero.

He faces all sorts of challenges and while he does not have any extraordinary assistance … he still succeeds. IT’S ALL GOOD. They tell me. And really … is that not what a hero is all about? Facing trials and new situations without getting upset?

*Otto Malpense from Mark Walden’s H.I.V.E. series.

Don’t let the Higher Institute of Villanous Education fool you. This is an hero who must defend against dark forces at every turn. He has friends. Mentors. Enemies. Cool spy gadgets. Even a little bit of magic. Go. Read. Run that EPIC movie camera in your head!

Angie Oliverson, known to her students as Ms. O, is a teacher librarian in San Antonio, TX. You can find her at www.msoreadsbooks.com as well as @senoritao.

You Aren’t Really Alone by Kimberley Moran

There has never been a single moment in my life that couldn’t somehow be connected to a book. My mother read Goodnight Moon to me every single night. It was a part of our nighttime routine—signed in stone—along with singing Rock a Bye Baby, back rubbing, glasses of water, 38 hugs, and the pesky, “You sat on his bed longer!”

When she got to “Goodnight to the old lady who was whispering…” she would stop and wait. There would be a hanging silence where everything was frozen. Then we would all breath it out together, “hushhhh.”

On nights where she read Where the Wild Things Are, we would make her take the book out of the room and shove it between big books in the living room so they couldn’t get out.  As she left the room those nights, she’d say, “I’ll eat you up, I love you so.”

Literary references were common banter in our house. I had no idea that there were people who didn’t read every day. People who didn’t know who The Nutshell Kids were or Carole King as Really Rosie.

On the day school ended for summer, we would race home to get my mother and go right to the bookstore on 92^nd and Madison. I spent my school year in New York City, but a few days after school let out we drove to Maine for three long and perfect months. I had to have my books for the summer.

My heart pounded as I looked up and down the stacks locating an author or a title. I’d be scanning and then there it would be and for a moment my pulse would slow down while I set the book on my pile and checked the list.

There was a library in Maine. A lovely library where I would spend much of my days and where I was allowed to check out books.

But I needed the books on my summer reading list like, well, you get it…I’m an addict. I didn’t just want the ten recommended or required books on my summer reading list, I begged my mother to let me get every single one on a list of over 50 and she acted like that was pretty reasonable. God love that woman.

My mom let me read almost anything I wanted to read, but I remember one drive to Maine where I was in the far back lying on a pillow—for those too young to remember, seatbelts were not required—sobbing my heart out over Flowers in the Attic. In between gasps, I would say something like, “Mom, there was arsenic in the doughnuts!” and then I’d start crying all over again.

All of a sudden, my mom pulled over, got out of the car, threw open the back door, grabbed my book from me, and tossed it away from the car. “Life is short, there are millions of books out there. This trip is long, I cannot listen to this any more. Take out another one and move on.” Then she closed the door, got back in the car, and pulled out. No one said anything. I thought quietly for a moment, then took out A Wrinkle in Time and moved in with the Murrys. She didn’t censor much, so I wasn’t about to question it. I was pretty relieved to get out of that poor Dollanganger family.

Our house in Maine was in a very small town. We rode bicycles everywhere and, even as young as six years old, went about unaccompanied by adults. We lived at the top of the town, my uncles all lived nearby, and my grandparents were in the center of town right next to the library. Some days when it was hot, I would lie down on that cool marble floor and read right through the shelves from left to right. The Wizard of Oz series, The Little Peppers, Trixie Belden, Half Magic, and All of a Kind Family. I was not terribly discriminating, I’d just pick up the next one in line and keep going. If I was hungry, I’d run next door to my grandparent’s for a hot dog.

My love for reading has never waned. I get power and energy from reading. My addiction is stronger than ever. When I read Body and Soul (Frank Conroy) and The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay), I cried through most of it. I become so invested in these characters or real people that I don’t sleep some nights. I have to know how they’ll end up. I know I share this passion as I read to my children (both classroom and home kinds). I. Just. Love. Books. I cannot get enough.

I started this post thinking I would write from the perspective of developing the love of reading as a first grade teacher and mother of a 5 and 6 year old, but I am really not a preacher. I don’t believe you have to be converted. I believe you have to be alive which isn’t a bad deal. “Sign me up!” you might say, “I can do that.”

Because it’s when I know that you are alive, that’s when I can give you a book. That’s when you’ll read about someone else who thinks or does something in that same way that you thought was so darn secret. That kind of connection is what we have to share with people. Like when I read about Franny Dillman hiding in her closet reading and eating potato chips in It All Began with Jane Eyre. “Hey, “ I thought, “I do that.”

When you share how a book changed you, you bring a passion that is unsurpassed. It says, you aren’t alone…there’s that book over there just waiting for you.

Kimberley Moran

Kimberley Moran is a lifelong member of the Nerdy Book Club who just remembered to order her card. She is also a First Grade teacher in Southern Maine. She has worked at a lot of non-profits, taught middle school, and been a literacy specialist. She can be found on her blog at 1stinmaine.blogspot.com and on twitter @kagmoran.

A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone Reviewed by Angela Quiram

Title: A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl
Author: Tanya Lee Stone
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Publication Date: 2006
Good Reads Synopsis 

  Why I Read It

I was in the library looking for books written in verse. I am trying to write my own book in verse and wanted to study books written in verse by different authors. In the past, I have read several of Ellen Hopkins books and a few of Sharon Creech’s books in verse. While at the library, I found Ellen Hopkins’ new adult book Triangles and decided to give that one a try. And, intrigued by the title, I checked out this one.

Short Synopsis (no spoilers)

Read the title again. So, what do you think this book could be about? An important lesson, ladies and gentlemen. This book is about one Bad Boy, bad with a CAPITAL B, and follows the three girls who learn a very valuable lesson for any teenage girl. Each girl approaches the Bad Boy with a different purpose/focus and leaves the relationship with the same lesson. The first of these girls, Josie, leaves a message behind, for all the other girls in school, inside the back of the book Forever by Judy Blume.

  My Review

The title caught my attention immediately and I remember thinking about what it could possibly mean. It didn’t take too long before I realized it would be a book about teen relationships. Stone writes Bad Boy in verse and from the beginning it is a quick and fun read. Each girl speaks in her own voice about her reasons for wanting to be with the Bad Boy, how the relationship grows, and of course how it ends. The poems are stand alone poems woven together into a cohesive whole, which a novel in verse must do. Stone’s verse is clear cut, to the point, and the structure of each poem helps the reader feel the poem’s emotions.

As the girls share their experiences with the reader, they are also sharing with other girls at Point Beach High by writing about their experiences in the library’s copy of Forever by Judy Blume. For those not familiar with Blume or YA novels, Forever was written over three decades ago and was a teenage love story, which included some explicit sexual content. It is still a common book to find in public libraries and bookstores. Stone uses the Blume novel as a symbol of teenage girls’ desires to understand how relationships could/should work.

A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl is a novel every teenage girl should read at some point, especially before delving into the world of teen relationships. It is a clear manifest for how the Bad Boys operate and how other girls sometimes encourage this behavior, when in the end we should all be supporting each other, not tearing each other down. The book takes the reader through the emotional roller coaster teenage romance becomes when unchecked by reality. Stone takes the time to lead the reader through each girl’s emotional upheaval and slightly through their healing. I do think this is an area of weakness, which could have lent the book more power, spending time on how the girls overcome their devastation at being played by the Bad Boy.

Overall a great read, especially for a book written in verse. Stone writes in a clear and expressive manner, befitting the characters she weaves into the story. Any teenage girl would enjoy this book. It would make a great book club book for teens, also. 4 stars!

 

Angela Quiram is a mom of 2 girls, teacher of high school English, as well as an avid reader, movie watcher, and music lover.  You can read her blog at http://readingafterbedtime.wordpress.com.

Soulbound (Legacy of Tril #1) by Heather Brewer Reviewed by Rachel Harcrow

Soulbound (Legacy of Tril #1)

Published June 19,2012 by Dial

From the Publisher:

Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons’ wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya’s life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.

My summary and review:

What would you do if you had to choose between trusting your instincts and obeying Protocol?  In the first of a new series of YA fantasy by Heather Brewer, Kaya is faced with numerous difficult decisions. Each one has the potential to rock her new world, one that she does not fully comprehend.

Kaya was born to parents in exile—parents who have abandoned the society of Tril .  Her parents are both skilled Barrons, who fought in the first battle at Wood’s Cross against the notorious King Darren.  Both parents lost their healers in the battle; consequently, they fell in love. Since Protocol states that Barrons and Healers can only be romantically linked to one of the other kind, their relationship is against all of the regulations.  Kaya’s parents chose to flee from the Tril society, and built a life in a small village of Unskilled  (people without powers who do not know that Tril exists) named Kessler.

Through an attack on her unskilled village, Kaya and her family are discovered. A letter comes from the Headmaster Quill, politely requesting her attendance at Shadow Academy, or her parents would be in danger. Despite offers from her parents to flee, Kaya is determined to go to Shadow Academy to learn how to protect herself from the Graplar monsters that attacked Kessler. As anyone starting a new situation, Kaya is confused and disoriented starting from day one. With the help of her tough-as-nails guard Maddox, Kaya begins to understand the hierarchy which her parents abandoned.  Barrons are viewed as strong and fierce, whereas healers are meek and obedient. Kaya wants to go against the grain and become a fighter. However, she is immediately bound to the gorgeous and kind Trayton, the son of an influential family whose original healer died in battle. They begin to form a relationship based on trust. When Kaya asks for what she wants—to learn to fight— the rule-abiding Trayton declines to help her. Kaya seeks out the mysterious Unskilled Darius, who agrees to train her in secret.  As her situation deepens, Kayas despair increases. Should she keep her commitment and confess her training to Trayton, who she has feelings for? Or should she keep it a secret because she also feels electricity when Darius is around? This non-stop plot is one that you won’t want to miss out on.

To my fellow Nerdy Book Clubbers: I believe there is a bit of Kaya in each of us, centered in our passion for reading. The story begins with Kaya’s paper cut from a fresh book. When Kaya first becomes overwhelmed her first night at Shadow Academy, she thinks, “All I wanted as a soft bed to sleep in. Maybe some hot pepper chocolate. And a book to lose myself in.”

What could be better?

Auntie Heather(preferred nickname of author Heather Brewer)  writes another amazing book, which kicks off a series that is sure to be a success. Fans of Matched,  Insurgent and Across the Universe will recognize Kaya as a strong heroine who is determined to follow her beliefs. Teenagers will undoubtedly identify with Kaya’s urge to belong to a group (the healers), but also challenge the authority that separates her from her family and beliefs (the headmaster and Zettai Council).  Harry Potter fans will enjoy the classes (An Introduction to Protocol or Anatomy of War, anyone?).  I found myself weighing her choices in my head as well as my heart. I sympathized, cheered and thoroughly enjoyed exploring this new world. The story began with action, and this trend continued throughout the book. Descriptions by Auntie Heather will leave you captivated. There are so many questions left unanswered, and much, much more that I want to know about Shadow Academy and Tril. The countdown begins for Soulbroken (Legacy of Tril, Book 2).

Rachel Harcrow is spending her summer reading as she gears up for a second year of teaching Language Arts in Arizona. She believes in the power of a good book , and aims to establish new lifelong Nerdy Book Club members each year. You can find her on twitter as @MissHarc.

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson

 

Small as an Elephant

by Jennifer Jacobson

Publisher: Candlewick Press, March 2011

 

Awards and Recognitions:

Parents’ Choice Gold Fiction Award  (http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=29593&StepNum=1&award=aw)

2012 Maine Lupine Award (http://www.prmaine.com/2012/04/children%E2%80%99s-book-small-as-an-elephant-wins-2012-maine-lupine-juvenileyouth-award/)

2012 IRA Young Adult Choices Reading List (http://www.reading.org/Libraries/Awards/YoungAdultsChoices2012_web.pdf)

2012-2013 Maine Student Book Award Nominee (http://efolio.umeedu.maine.edu/~masl/msba/newlist.html)

2012-2013 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (http://www.dcfaward.org/)

Spring 2011 Kid’s Indie Next List (http://news.bookweb.org/news/spring-2011-kids%E2%80%99-indie-next-list-preview)

From the publisher: Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and “spinning” wildly until it’s over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself – starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before DSS catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties – and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all.

A fear of abandonment is one we have all experienced at some point in our lives. I’m sure we all have a story of the time we got separated from mom in the store, or dad forgot to pick us up after baseball practice. Being left or forgotten is a common childhood fear that middle grade readers can identify with rather quickly. But what if that “fear” became your reality? In Small as an Elephant Maine author Jennifer Jacobson tackles this real fear in a story that is filled with adventure and survival, not in the wilderness, but rather right in middle of the busy tourist area of down east Maine.  As Jack makes difficult decisions and deals with the emotions of having a mom who’s unreliable, Jacobson intentionally puts the reader inside Jack’s head, which helps the reader understand why Jack makes certain decisions even if they aren’t what most kids would do.  Written in a way that hooks readers from page one, Jack’s story is both riveting and touching, the characters are interesting and realistic, and the pace fast moving.

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I had the opportunity to talk with Jennifer about Small as an Elephant in more depth when she visited our school as our Author in Residence this year.   Which, as a side note, if you ever have the opportunity to bring an author to your school, do it!  It’s a powerful experience that really strengthens a reading community!

Jack’s story is one that hit close to home for several of my students. One in particular shared at the end of our reading it aloud “You know, this is first time I’ve ever seen myself in a book.” How did you come up with the idea of Jack’s story?

Ten years ago I was at a writer’s conference and the instructor (Virginia Euwer Wolff of Make Lemonade fame) suggested, as an exercise, that we try writing an irresistible beginning. I had a rush of an idea: What if a boy on a camping trip crawled out of his pup tent and discovered that his family (I did not yet know who he was camping with) and the camping equipment were gone?  I shared this beginning with the other writers, received an enthusiastic response, and then let it go.  Or tried to let it go.  But it wouldn’t let go of me.  Who was the boy?  Why was he abandoned?  I had to write the book.

As my class was sharing this story, we kept coming back to the question of why you made the choice to have Jack be so enamored with elephants?

For years I had a brief story about a story tacked on my bulletin board.  You might remember the story (mentioned in Small) that Pliny the elder told. He had observed that an elephant, beaten for her inability to perform a trick, went missing.  She was found later that night, back in the arena, practicing.   As a writer, I related to the elephant’s need to try until she got things right.  I also think that my character, Jack ,is a lot like the elephant in the story.  But perhaps most importantly, I chose elephants (as opposed to other animals or obsessions) because they are so maternal.  Even when at risk, a female elephant will not leave her young.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

While writing the first draft, I used Google maps to determine how far Jack could get in a day and, with satellite, exactly what he would see along each road.  I also read a good deal about bipolar disorder and elephants.  I visited York Wild Kingdom, met Lydia the elephant, and talked to her trainers.

The Maine setting is so important to the plot and you’ve describe it so well. Have you visited all of the places Jack visits?

Yes!  After completing a first draft, I went back with my camera and notebook and recorded details in each stopping point on Jack’s journey. I wanted to stay true to the actual locations, so this required revision (I had to remove a swimming scene for example, because the rocky beach was too rough for swimming), and it also gave me ideas for new scenes (there really is a vault in the center of Left Bank Books!). 

But perhaps most importantly, this journey transformed my writing.  I used to believe that it was the strength of a writer’s imagination that made a story come alive.  I now understand that observation is an equally powerful and perhaps even necessary tool.  Currently I carry a notebook with me, recording interesting details as I go about my daily life…

What is the strongest message you hope readers take away from reading Small as an Elephant?

I never write with a message in mind,  but now that the book is written, I hope readers come away with a reminder that the world (and especially relationships) are not black and white. A person can be wonderful in a myriad of ways and yet, under certain circumstances, do something deeply regrettable.  I also hope that children who are dealing with difficult issues realize that, like Jack, they are not alone.

How did you first become interested in writing children’s books?

I was training to be a teacher, taking a children’s literature course, when I fell back in love with books for children.  It was then that I decided I wanted to write them.  When I was teaching, I wrote with my students during Writer’s Workshop.  I’d share my writing, and revise according to my students’ feedback.

I’ve heard many authors say that to be a great writer you have to be a reader. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Absolutely!  The more you read, the more your understanding of story structure (or expository writing) grows. Your vocabulary and sentence fluency grows. Eventually you begin to read like a writer asking yourself: How did the author do that?  How did the author create suspense, or use symbolism, or make me cry?

How or when did you become a member of the Nerdy Book Club?

I have always been a reader, but when I was around eight years old, I found a book of short stories for children in our attic.  After each story was a list of comprehension questions.  I spent an entire Saturday reading the stories and then answering the questions in this little hardcover book.  I suppose one doesn’t get much nerdier than that!

Small as an Elephant makes a fantastic read aloud as it has so many wonderful discussion points. If you working with students, you can also visit Jennifer’s website where students are encouraged to imagine what Jack would have done if he had passed through their town, and to write their own Jack adventures.  All stories are published on the site.  There’s also a map, and if kids click on the icons, they can see the actual Maine locations in from the book and learn more facts about each location.

As a fellow Mainer, I couldn’t be more proud of the story Jennifer has written. She truly captured not only the beautiful Maine setting of the Bar Harbor area, but more importantly the sense of “community” that is Maine where the idea of “paying it forward” is just the way life is.  In that spirit, I’m thrilled to be giving away a signed, hardcover copy of Jennifer’s  book to one of my fellow Nerdy Book Club members.

Susan Dee is a life-long member of the Nerdy Book Club (though she didn’t know it was nerdy for a long time) who has taught pre-k through 5^th on the coast of Southern Maine for a l-o-n-g time! An avid reader and recommender, devoted to inspiring life-long reading habits, Susan is also a member of the Maine Student Book Award committee.  You can follow her on Twitter (@literacydocent) or visit her blog at www.thebookmavenshaven.blogspot.com

In addition to being a proud member of the Nerdy Book Club, Jennifer Jacobson is a former elementary school teacher and award winning author of several books including STAINED, SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT, middle grade series WINNIE AT HER BEST, and the early reader series ANDY SHANE.  She has also written a book for teachers titled  NO MORE, “I’m Done!”:  FOSTERING INDEPENDENT WRITERS IN THE PRIMARY GRADES, published by Stenhouse Publishers.  You can learn more about Jennifer at her website: http://jenniferjacobson.com/

 

Embracing the Nerdy by Lauren Donovan

Let me set the scene: my 8^th birthday party. Sleepover: pretty big deal. My friends had taken the bus home with me on a Friday afternoon. Everyone was ready to get down and celebrate (as much as second graders can) when I suggested that we all do our weekend assignment of 30 minutes quiet reading time.

“Just to get it done so then we’re not worrying about it,” said I, the ever-practical child. I settled atop my bed with Oliver Twist, after lending my friends books from my fledgling personal library. We proceeded to read in silence, even after my parents tried to dissuade me, alarmed at what must have been the quietest birthday party of all time. This, my friends, is nerdy-ness at its essence.

If that didn’t convince you, behold the as-yet-unpublished manuscript of one of my many childhood chapbooks. As you’ll note, I was very into writing didactic nonfiction:

 

My favorite part of this is the “About the Author,” which, looking back, I always included in my work. While the firm grasp I had on writing in the third person is noteworthy, I love most the benevolent conclusion: She has written a lot of books for her class. As if I were a missionary for literacy on their behalf! Oy. So embarrassing.

This self-consciousness that comes with reflection is what I want to write about here. My family and I laugh at these memories, and marvel at my unabashed affection for reading and writing. Clearly, I considered myself a master of storytelling at a very young age. Books, words and language were things that I cared about very much, and I had no qualms incorporating them into my daily life.

Then, of course, there was that inevitable transition out of childhood, when it’s no longer cool to write sparse prose about cold weather attire. Maybe it never was, but I didn’t care—until I did.

Jerry Spinelli writes about this very moment—when a child loses a childlike innocence and gains a grown-up awareness— in his upcoming book, Hokey Pokey. It’s too fitting not to mention, especially since I am what is affectionately known in Nerdy Book Club circles as a #pushypublicist. And this brings me full circle, because after an adolescence trying to cover up my nerdy language obsession, I embraced it: took creative writing in high school, went to college and majored in French and English, did my senior capstone in Poetry, and was just pushy/nerdy/lucky enough to end up at Random House.

I work in children’s books, and since my job is to make sure readers are discovering and discussing our authors, I can’t help but wonder about the young people who aren’t. Maybe they’ve already had their “Hokey Pokey moment” (seriously, add to TBR pile) and feel too cool for reading. Maybe they don’t pass around books with their friends anymore. Maybe their parents think they should be focusing on testing and extracurriculars. Or maybe they are reading constantly, like I was, and just don’t feel like they should talk about it.

All I can do is send books and authors out into the universe with as many emails, events, and hashtags as possible. All I can do is try to connect these stories with their young audiences and make it nearly impossible for kids to ignore their inner bookworm. All I can do is hope that with enough pushy publicity, reading will be so encouraged and celebrated that kids won’t think twice about turning their birthday parties into nerdy book clubs.

About the author: Lauren is 24 years old and has 4 people in her family. She has written a lot of press releases for her authors.

Lauren Donovan is a Publicist, Social Media Specialist at Random House Children’s Books. 

Life Gets in the Way of Books by Rose Cooper

I have a confession to make. Come closer, I’ll tell you.  Closer…closer…ok! Now, lean in and I’ll whisper in your ear…

BOOKS ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so that isn’t exactly a confession. And I kind of shouted it, but I was so excited I couldn’t help myself.

But I do actually have a confession. One that my agent would probably wag her finger at me for, my editor would probably hit me over the head with one of my own books, and well…let’s just say my husband gave me “the look.” You know the one.

Once upon a time my library card was revoked.

I wish I could say I just loved the book so much I couldn’t give it back (um, that would be stealing though) but I think I lost a book or two when I  moved.  My husband, knowing what a book fanatic I am, told me to stay away from the library. STAY AWAY! Can you imagine? Okay, maybe I do tend to get a little carried away at the library. It’s like being a kid in a candy store, except everything is free. And you can check out like 100 books at once. So of course that means I have to take advantage of that and check out as many books as I can possibly carry.

Note to librarians: I’d like to suggest shopping carts.

Even though I’m a fast reader, I’m not fast enough to read 20 books in two weeks. So I have a huge stack taking up plenty of space in my room that sits there begging to be read. I end up re-checking out the books only to return the ones I did read and of course check out more. I could NEVER leave the library empty handed. There are so many great books out there and just not enough time to read them all.

And the worst thing about a great book?  Life gets in the way. Maybe you’re like me, and before e-readers, you brought your books everywhere with you, hoping to sneak in reading time whenever possible. But then your nose is buried so deep in the pages and you’re so absorbed in the story, you have not a clue as to what’s going on around you. You get that feeling where you can’t seem to get enough and you’re eyes are practically skipping over words, stumbling over sentences …trying to devour page after page of awesomeness.  Your heart beats quicker, your breath becomes shaky, and you might even break a sweat.  And then,  right when you get to a good part…BAM! You smack into a wall. Or run into a person. Or in my case, trip over a tiny-barely-there crack.

To be honest, it’s hard to carve out a specific time just for reading. Between working, the husband and kids, that little thing on the side where I write kids’ books, oh yeah, and finding time to eat, it can be near impossible. I tried a few times but it went something like this:

Reading at work during lunch (at my desk)
Boss: You need to get back to work.
Me: I’m still on lunch.
Boss: Your lunch isn’t 3 hours long…
Me: Oops.

Reading at home after work…
Son #1: Can I have dinner?
Son#2: When’s dinner?
Son#3: I want dinner!
Husband: What’s for dinner?
Me: Seriously? Do you need to eat every day?

Reading at the gym:
Me: Didn’t I just read that sentence?
100 calories burned later….
Me: Didn’t I just read that sentence?

Reading in the bathtub:
Me:  Yes! I will finally find out what happens as soon as I turn this page…
*splash*

Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. I had to give up my reading during the day, but I did find a time that worked for me. A time when life moves a little bit slower, a place free from bosses, away from water and distractions:  My bed.

Right before going to sleep, I cozy up with a book. I set rules that I plan to strictly follow. I tell myself I will only read a few pages. But then I break that rule and it’s more like a few chapters. Or ten.  My eyes get that grainy feeling and my lids feel heavy and they begin to droop until I’m practically squinting. Then I realize I’m reading with one eye closed to keep my vision from blurring and then next thing I know…my alarm is going off. Then I’m groggy and find my book on the floor and can’t remember which page I was on. But that’s okay. And I will do this all over again the next night. Because books are just that awesome. And I’m slightly addicted to them.

Another confession? I’m proud to be a book nerd.

ROSE COOPER is a children’s writer and illustrator and a self-taught artist. Her art work can be seen in local galleries, art fairs, and festivals. Writing for children gives her the perfect excuse to keep in touch with her inner child and never really grow up. She lives in Sacramento, California with her husband, Carl, and their three boys.

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For more about Rose and a chance to enter for giveaways of her books, visit sharpread (interview) and Watch.Connect. Read. (book trailer premiere).

Top 10 Reading Events in My 4th Grade Classroom (As Chosen By My Readers)

I believe in independent reading.

I believe in high quality mini-lessons.

I believe in reading aloud.

Reading a ton of self-selected books every single day, coupled with high quality mini-lessons and read alouds make for a pretty rocking reading environment. I also want to provide my readers with reading events. Events, centered around reading, that rock their 10-year-old worlds. I want my fourth graders to go home at the end of the school day and have something big to tell their parents when asked the question, “What did you do at school today?” I believe that these positive moments that can give the dormant readers  an opportunity to allow themselves to fall in love with reading.

At the end of the school year I asked my students to come with a list of their 10 reading events. Our brainstormed list included well over 30 events. They reluctantly narrowed them down  to 10.

The list in is chronological order.

1. Darth Paper Strikes Back Party 

The day that I got my class list, in early August, I called every single one of my students and invited them to a reading party to celebrate the “Book Birthday” of Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger. I invited all of my students from the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school year. Close to 30 students showed up at the party. It was so much fun. My incoming students got to see: how crazy I am about reading, hear my first book talks, ask my students from the previous year questions, hear book talks done by former fourth graders, and they got to drink Yoda Soda. I feel that this party really set the tone for the school year.

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2. Mr. Sharp Loves Reading

I hit my students with this “pump up” speech the very first morning of the very first day of the school year.

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3. Book Birthday Party

 On September 27, my students and I celebrated the “book birthday” of Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder and Squish 2 by throwing a party complete with chocolate cake for Bread Box (flavor of the cake chosen by Laurel Snyder) and pink lemonade to celebrate Squish (pink because we LOVE Babymouse).

After cake, juice, and booktalks we Skyped with one of the nicest ladies in children’s literature – Laurel Snyder. I was so excited for my students to get an opportunity to chat with Ms. Snyder. After the Skype, Bigger Than a Bread Box was in student readers’ hands for 6 straight months.

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4. A Steaming Bowl of Sadness

Near the end of September we finish our first chapter book read aloud: Fig Pudding. One of the chapters near the end is called A Steaming Bow of Sadness. This is the chapter where my students first saw me cry while reading. This isn’t as exciting as some of the other moments we shared together, but I think that it sets the tone for year. When students see this old guy cry, they see that reading is serious, powerful, and important. I think that it helps them to emotionally connect with books in a way that they previously did not know was possible.

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5. Author Visit-Michael Scotto

On October 12, my students and I had the pleasure of hosting author Michael Scotto at our school. Mr. Scotto spoke to the third and fourth graders at our school the importance of reading your writing aloud. My students thought they were so cool when they found out that they got to be some of the first students to see the book trailer to Michael’s book, Latasha and the Little Red Tornado.

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6. Blackout-Read Aloud

My students often clap after a picture book read aloud. It always makes me smile. After I read them aloud Blackout they clapped, and then they started begging me to read it again. They often ask to hear our picture book read alouds a second time, but I could tell that they REALLY wanted this to happen. During the second reading a student stood at the light switch, and when the power goes out in the book he flipped off the lights in the classroom. It created an amazing atmosphere in the room as I read Blackout in the dark. When the power came back on in the book he flipped the lights back on. Rereading Blackout to my readers was so much fun.

7. ALA Awards

I think that it is important that we celebrate books, like normal people celebrate movies, sports, and music. When it was time for the American Library Association to announce the Newbery and Caldecott my class tuned in. We popped popcorn, drank juice boxes, and took a few minutes of our day and watched.

Please understand that I’m not sharing this video to show disrespect to the Caldecott winner. The reason my students reacted the way that they did, is because they fell so madly in love with the other candidates, that they were devastated that “their book” didn’t win. After the awards we read A Ball for Daisy, and they liked it:)

OH NO! I am running out of words. We try to stick to a 1000 word limit on Nerdy Book Club, so I am going to be brief with my last 3 reading events.

8. Linda Urban Visit

Linda Urban visited our classroom? Seriously, the Linda Urban spent two plus hours hanging out and talking with my readers. WOW!

9. Donalyn Miller Visit

Donalyn Miller visited my district to lead professional development for a day. She was there to help us grow. I tried telling my students that, but they decided that Donalyn Miller was their to hang out and talk books with them. They felt like a reading celebrity was coming to visit. They were right.

9 Four-Way Skype

My students were able to connect via Skype with Mr. Schu’s students, Jennifer Holm, and Matthew Holm. It was Babymousetastic!

10. Babymouse Lip Dub

I am out of words. I hope this video, that we filmed at the end of the year, speaks for itself.

Reading Around the Fire

Like many other kids, teens and young adults, the arrival of summer for me meant camp was just around the corner. My packing list for the resident camp I attended and then worked for probably does not look too unusual:

Bug Spray (mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes)

Sunscreen (if only it ever got taken out of the bag)

Sleeping bag (mattress help or campouts)

Cheap flip flops (showers, need I say more)

Boots (great protection from horse hooves not so much from tree roots)

Hooded sweatshirts (for when the sun goes down)

Jeans (not fit for school anymore but fine for messy camp fun)

Flashlight (for reading under the covers and snipe hunts)

Books crammed in every leftover space ( if only more fit!)

As a camper, I had books to read for rest hour and flashlight time. These ranged from big fantasy bricks by Robert Jordan to The Horse Whisperer. I’d be the girl awake before the barn director and squinting through the blinding early morning light to get extra reading time.

When I became a camp counselor, my packed reads changed. That doesn’t mean I gave up the fantasy or the horse books. There was a stash of horse magazines somewhere in my bags and drawers along with Pony Club Manuals and horse encyclopedias. I was helping teach horse care and riding so I needed the research and the girls would pour over them at times.

Parts of my children’s and YA lit collection started making the trip out to camp with me as well after weekends. If kids didn’t have a book to read, they could borrow one from the top of my bunk. Joanna Campbell’s Thoroughbred series could normally be found there. I hauled an entire box of fantasy novels out to camp for one of the RITs (riding instructor in training). That is still one of my favorite instances of handing off books ever.

Books came with me not just for independent reading but for read alouds. When flashlight time started it was a great time to share with a cabin. Many nights counselors would sing to their kids. Often times I would read or tell stories. It was at camp that I learned that it can be a good thing to read a book all the way through before reading it to your cabin (my whole cabin was taken aback by the ending of Just Ella). The RIT mentioned earlier read to my cabin when I couldn’t. That cabin worked through Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements.

I will admit I used my cabins as a testing ground for stories of an unpublished nature. I read to them from pieces of my first novel draft, which was created from different college projects. Reading a story where horses played an important role to a bunch of girls at horse camp helped give me a forgiving audience. They asked for a reprise on year on New Year’s Eve and they listened to me read past midnight. I read other stories too over the years (Reading aloud is such a good way to figure out you have story problems. This includes learning why you shouldn’t name brothers Sedgewick and Cedric).

Sometimes it felt like camp was a roving book club. The best moments for this took place under the willow tree or just outside the dining hall. A group of campers and staff would sit there during trading post time and chat. We’d share books we enjoyed (or ones we loathed) and discuss characters. Some kids would leave me book suggestions to read when they left.

One summer in particular stands out in my memory as The Summer of the Book. Two books swept through camp that summer. One was Laura Hellenbrand’s Seabiscuit, which is a phenomenally well researched book that remains one of my all time favorite nonfiction reads. The other was the The Order of the Phoenix. Suddenly most of the cabin ‘code of living’ posters had a new stipulation – NO SPOILING OF HARRY POTTER. Many of our campers wouldn’t get the books until after their camp stay. Some had the books mailed to camp so they would get them. People were lending the book and were in all different places. We had excited conversations about the book in which no one finished a complete sentence so we wouldn’t make other readers mad. We still managed to complete understand each other even if the dialogue was something like “Did you get to? Can you believe?” I plowed through 300 pages when I was on duty one night waiting until enough staff were back in the cabins for me to go to bed. My campers laughed as I would laugh or hit my bed during rest hour as I worked through the book.

While my days at camp are done, books were a great part of my experience there. I find I am still sending books that direction as my cousin now attends as a camper. I hope she finds them to be a great part of her experience too.

Sarah Wendorf is an elementary school librarian and technology enrichment aide in Wisconsin. Her first book love is fantasy. She is @pageintraining on Twitter and writes at pageintraining.wordpress.com.

Retro Review: Half Magic by Edward Eager

I admit it. I’m a book nut. When I read one book and enjoy it, I tend to try to read everything else by the author whether a series or single titles. I love being a teacher librarian as I can pass that passion on to hundreds of children yearly.

When I was growing up, I was surrounded by books and additionally storytelling and poetry recited through the years. My parents constantly demonstrated their love of books and shared it with me, I’m quite grateful for that since it compelled me towards my dream job. I loved books with a passion, eating up every single book I could read by Noel Streatfield to Elizabeth Enright to Sydney Taylor to L.M. Montgomery.

Sometimes, I wondered if I missed some terrific fantasy books while I grew up with my personal focus on reading realistic fiction and mysteries. I discovered one wonderful fantasy when I became a teacher that I’m a bit of a fanatic about now: Half Magic by Edward Eager. Reading it the first time, I was immediately captured by children who made a two-mile visit to the library to check out new books. I’ve always enjoyed reading books that have family members adventuring together, normally they were realistic fiction. So when I read Edward Eager’s Half Magic later in life, it threw me back to those childhood days with my favorite book treasures.

Half Magic begins with siblings discussing the possibility of magic and one of the children finding a coin that turns out to be a magical talisman. They don’t realize the powerful magic at first and accidentally set something on fire in addition to having their mother go on an accidental adventure and making their cat partially talk. They discover that the talisman grants wishes, but only half way, so they have to make very careful double wishes. As the story progresses each child is able to use the half magic power for an adventure they want to go on and various issues and problems arise.

What captured me with this fantasy, were the various voices of the four children that still each stand out with individuality and age range. Each of the characters has their magical adventure fitting their interest and need. They learn to appreciate what they have and additionally work together to solve issues when learning how to use the magic correctly.

This book has it all, magic, time travel, math, financial constraints, sibling problems, careful wishing, and children learning how to manage power. What a treasure! I recently listened to the audiobook with my son and fell in love with the book once again. The audiobook brings the story to life. I loved introducing him to a life not heavily steeped in technology but instead filled with family time and adventure. I think this book is approachable for readers Second grade up through adult and highly recommend it as a read aloud. One of my fifth grade teachers had a fantastic time reading it aloud with her class this year. It is one of those books that I would hand to a parent who has an advanced younger reader. I’d partner Edward Eager books with Eva Ibbotson’s work as well if asked to provide more options. I look forward to listening to the sequel: Magic by the Lake soon with my son!

 

Debbie Alvarez is a teacher librarian presently preparing to move from Oregon to Hong Kong. She blogs over at http://thestylinglibrarian.com and loves to share her passion for reading amongst a wonderful mix of other Nerdy Book Club reading adventurers.