Why I Picked It Up: Buzz Kill is one of the books on the 2015 Lone Star List. In preparation for another successful Battle of the Books, I am beginning to read the chosen texts. I should probably start with the ones that don’t necessarily speak to me, but I’m not there in my personal […]
Book Review: A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson
Why I Picked It Up: I originally picked up this picture book thinking it would be a biography. Sherry and I are always working on expanding our popular session Historical Fusions, and so we are continuously searching for quality biographies to add to our collection. Why I Finished It: This book is different from any I have […]
Book Review – Update: The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander
** Contact us if you would like to have one of our engaging mentor text sessions come to your campus! ** Almost a year ago, I reviewed The Crossover with lesson ideas and then began shoving it (sometimes unwillingly) into teachers hands. It seemed like the golden ticket to reluctant adolescent readers. Why would they not […]
Book Review: Diary of a Wombat, by Jackie French
Why I Picked It Up: My youngest son has become obsessed with Australia. His dream right now is to see the Sydney Opera House. So, we were exploring Amazon for all things Australian and this book popped up. I quickly added it to my cart. Why I Finished It: This story is adorable! It isn’t […]
Book Review: Knucklehead, by Jon Scieszka
Why I Picked It Up: Sherry and I recently attended and presented at TCTELA in Houston. While there, we were most excited about hearing Jeff Anderson and Mark Overmeyer present sessions on revision and troubleshooting a Writers’ Workshop. When Sherry and I got home later that night we busily discussed all the things we were thinking […]
Tech Fusion: YouTube Playlists
YouTube Playlist YouTube has so many great videos that can be used in the classroom to teach or to inspire. I love to use book trailers in the classroom, especially when introducing new books for literature circles, but searching for and bookmarking the videos you want to use individually can be time-consuming. The YouTube Playlist […]
