So much reading!

Good morning everyone! I have been doing a lot of reading and not as much writing about it! I'll post here about the one I finished last night and then come back and recap some of the others!

This book was so good that I finally finished it at 1am last night! Didn't want to put it down and finish it today, so I just kept reading! This is definitely a YOUNG ADULT book though some grade 7 students are definitely ready for this story. It is about making mistakes, taking responsibility, following your dreams/passions, friendships, relationship, family and your heritage, teenage pregnancy, and so so much more! You can check out reviews HERE on Common Sense Media as well and both students and parents will get more information to decide if this book is right for you!

This book deals with a lot of content in a very cohesive way and passion in different ways is what really came through for me. I loved how the main character faced so many challenges and questions and didn't always have all the answers; things weren't always wrapped up nicely in a bow... real life!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

The Parker Inheritance

Now this was a book I REALLY enjoyed! There were so many different layers to this one for a middle grade reader. I did have a couple of concerns as well, but the overall effect of the book was great. This is a mystery, which I honestly didn't realize when I started it. It is told both in the present and with flashbacks to the past... very well done. I even liked the little detail of making the pages of the book with those parts different colours with the flashback pages being a sort of grey colour. The flashbacks not only give us insight into the mystery, but also into a period in the southern US (a lot of it in the 1950s) when relations between blacks and white was even more divided and strained than it is currently... or at least different for sure. 

Yes, this is a mystery and it does get solved, but it's so much more than that! There are discussions to be had on friendship, family, secrets, identity, sexuality, race and racism, and so much more. There is a lot packed into this book for sure and so many great discussions that I think would come out of this story!

My concerns were that there are a lot of characters to keep track of and some kids might lose interest because of that. When the flashbacks first started in the book and more people were being introduced, I felt like I needed to start a sociogram to keep track of them all for myself even! The other thing was that there were times were the mystery itself seemed to be "solved" through the flashbacks themselves (where the 2 main characters aren't even there) or that there were leaps in conclusion with the problem solving of the mystery. Now, I totally get it, but there were a few points where I went back and reread bits to see if I missed how they got from one point to another, but I hadn't; it just wasn't clearly explained. I don't think this will bother kids at all and they'll just keep reading. 

Overall... 

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

Morning book lovers!

OK, so yesterday, I mentioned I had read a couple of books, so here they are...

This is a graphic novel and not something I would typically read honestly. I'm trying to expand my horizons both by reading more graphic novels and with topic content that I might not normally read. I didn't know a lot about this other than it came recommended to me. I have to admit that it was pretty darn good! I felt like I had more and more questions as the book went on and then, at the end, I was left hanging! Ahhhhh... now I have to try and get the second book. I just saw there is another book in the series that actually takes place before the first book that will fill in more background I guess. Looks like maybe that one is only available online though. I will say this is more in the YOUNG ADULT category though for reading!

This is the other book I read and it was AMAZING! It's actually a poem written by Kwame Alexander and then combined with amazing illustrations by Kadir Nelson. There is a lot of additional information in the back of the book as well to fill in some of what readers may not know about people in the book. So powerful. Highly recommend!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

What I'm reading...

Good morning,

It has been a few days since I posted about anything I've been reading, so I thought I'd better pop in and share. I'm actually reading 3 books right now: a middle grade reader, a young adult and a professional development book for teachers!

This is the middle grade novel.

This is the young adult (though would probably be fine for Grade 7s as well!).

And this is the professional development book about creating equality in education. 

I did actually finish a couple of books as well, but I need to get a few things done here on a timeline, so I'll be back let you know about those!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

Two more books read!

This is a really sweet story of a boy and a donkey named Winslow. I'm not going to give too much detail about the story, but it was a fairly quick and easy read and had a lot of "feels". Honestly, I tend to like my stories with a bit of grit, for a lack of a better word, but this isn't that type of story. I know a ton of students who will fall in love with this one! Can't wait to share it in the new year!

The second book I just finished is a middle grade reader called "One Speck of Truth" be Caela Carter. She also wrote "Forever, or a Long, Long Time " which some of you may have read. This is about a girl going into Grade 6 that lives with her mum and was told her Dad passed away when she was very young, so she has no memories of him. It's a story of friendship, growth, truth, love and its complications on many levels, family, and figuring out who you are. I really enjoyed this one and it has more of the "grit" factor that I personally like. I also felt like there was a bit of a mystery throughout, but I won't say any more about that... a great read!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

"Potato Pants" by Laurie Keller

This is a totally fun book about making mistakes and asking for forgiveness that everyone will love! Here's a trailer for you to check out:

This is a book talk for you on this book too!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich

"Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas" by Aaron Blabey

Some of you might remember "Pig the Pug" or know "The Bad Guys" series and this book was written by the same author. It's a fun rhyming book about a piranha trying to convince his friends to try some fruit and veggies! Full of great pictures and fun language that you'll love!

If you want to see Aaron Blabey, watch the video below where he reads his own book "Thelma the Unicorn" that I know some of you also know!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Heidrich