Nicolas Sparks-The Best of Me

I'm looking forward to my next read-the ultimate romantic author: Nicolas Sparks.

Fractured Fairy Tales

The Gingerbread Girl

I love this book!  It has great illustrations and follows the traditional story of the Gingerbread Boy very closely.  This would be a great choice when studying fairy tale literature and comparing and contrasting traditional literature.

Kate and the Beanstalk

What a cute twist to the traditional fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk!  I thought this book was cleverly written and very appealing to children of all ages.  It’s written pretty closely to the traditional tale, only the main character is a girl, Kate instead of Jack, and a few minor twists such as a when Kate ran into a woman at the top of the giant beanstalk and she informed Kate about how a giant took over the castle and about the three, golden magical eggs.  There are a couple of other twists from the traditional tale that would be great to use while teaching students to compare and contrast stories.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

I love the concept of this fractured fairy tale.  I used this book to complete my book review.  I think this story is a great starter for having students study the elements of traditional fairy tales as well as fractured fairy tales.  This would also be great for students to create their own fractured fairy tale.

The Quickie

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors.  This is the newest book I am indulging in: The Quickie. This thriller is about a character named Lauren who is certain her husband is being unfaithful.  She decides to beat him at his own game when she discovers a fight between her co-worker and her husband.  This book has be on the edge of my seat.  I cannot put it down!  It is action packed and cleverly written.  I hope the thrills continue throughout the book!  

My Hippo Has the Hiccups

This book is so cute!  It includes numerous funny, good ol’ poetry pieces that will leave your students belly laughing!  There are many great writing lessons you can use from this book.  For example, small quick writes on “tiny topics” to teach the ideas trait and of course choosing topics for poetry while studying the various topics modeled in this book! I loved it and look forward to using this again in the classroom.

The Circuit

Wow!  This is a great read and I really couldn’t put it down.  As I was reading, I was thinking about the appropriateness of age-level for my students.  I would like for my students to read firsthand about the hard times people went through to make minimal money.  I think this would evoke many emotions from my students and they would feel feelings of empathy and gratefulness.  I think this book would fit well with grade levels 5-up.  I think it may be too difficult for my third graders to read on their own in a literature circle, but would be a great read aloud!  This book made me sad and depressed but that is what is fabulous about wonderful books; the ability to evoke emotions!!

There's Cake in my Future

http://anovelmenagerie.com/2011/05/31/book-review-theres-cake-in-my-future-by-kim-gruenenfelder/

Now You See Her

If you are looking for a thrilling book: Now You See Her by James Patterson is one of my favorites that I've recently read. I couldn't put this thriller down! It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know more (I love that feeling!)  Anyway, it's about a woman named Nina Bloom who is a successful attorney and lives in NYC.  She receives a very interesting case and discovers that in order to prove this man's innocence she will have to put herself, her family, and her safety in jeopardy and uncover a secret she has kept hidden for two decades!  Check it out!