I have a lot of great students who will be helping out at the Book Fair. I appreciate their enthusiasim. I am looking forward to my first ever Book Fair at Maxson, and it would not be possible without the help of my "Library Sidekicks".

Speak

I finished Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Once again, this was not a Battle of the Books selection, but I think it's important to post this review.
It was a very powerful story about the first year of high school for a girl who is being shunned by her best friend and all the rest of the kids. The kids are angry at her because she called the police to a party she was at, but she had a good reason for doing it. Unfortunately, only she (and one other person) knows the reason she called 911.
A great book for 8th graders to read. I really like the style of Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm looking forward to more books by this writer.

Book Fair

The Maxson Middle School Book Fair will run from Tuesday, Feb.21-Monday, Feb.27 in the library. It will be open during lunch periods and after school.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Maxson will be holding Parent Conferences. The Book Fair will be open during that time, which is:
Wedneday, Feb. 22, 1:30-3:30, and 6:00-8:00 P.M.
Thursday, Feb.23, 1:30-3:30.

Hope to see parents and students there, because the book selection looks terrific.

Yesterday I completed Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the historical fiction novel on the 8th grade list.
I really liked this book, and in fact, stayed late after school yesterday to finish it. In all the history books I have read throughout the years, I never knew that Yellow Fever had killed nearly 5,000 people in the Philadelphia area in 1793, when George Washington was our president.
This is a great story about a young girl dealing with an epidemic, family loss, and other things.
You will like Mattie, she's a great character.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson is a 7th grade Battle book. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have read it aloud to many of my classes, and they all end up loving it. (And Disney did a good job on the movie.)
This is the story of how a young teenager, Travis, grows up in the wilds of Texas just after the Civil War. Life was very different back then, and Gipson does a good job describing how difficult it could be. The characters are very much alive, though, especially the little brother Arliss, and of course, that "ole yeller dog."
Picture yourself in the west, give yourself a western drawl, and have fun with this book.

Al Capone does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is on the 8th grade list. I read this book back in November, but never got around to discussing it in my blog. It was both funny and serious at the same time. The setting is during the 1930's, when Al Capone is a prisoner at Alcatraz. Well, curiously enough, the guards and their families really lived on the island of Alcatraz at that time, and this story is about a young man, and how he copes with a sister who has major problems (autisim?) and how he makes friends at his new school. It's a good read, with the family problems, gangsters, and Alcatraz looming in the background.

Happy 2006 to all Maxson Battle of the Books participants. I hope most of you have been reading during this vacation. I finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This book is not on any of our lists, but I really liked it. It was a story told from the point of view of an autistic teenager.

I am planning on having some lunch-time meetings this week, perhaps on Thursday or Friday. I will be making an announcement during homeroom.

Book Review

I just finished reading The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo. This is an 8th grade Battle of the Books selection. This is the story of Sade, whose home country, Nigeria, is in political turmoil. Her father is a journalist who is trying to speak out against the government, and the government in turn murders her mom.

This book is a good read, and really allows you to see what life is like for people who have to flee their homeland in order to be safe.

I also finished Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. This is a 6th grade Battle book. This was a simple story of 2 sisters, and the great love they have for each other. It is also a multicultural story because the family is Japanese, and they are learning to cope with life in America.

I believe I have corrected the problem, and all students should be able to post comments to this page.

Sign-ups have begun! We had the first wave of students come to the library today. The biggest turnout so far is in the 7th grade class.

8th Grade Battle of the Books

Here is the 8th grade book list:

1. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
2. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman
3. Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
5. Devil on my Heels by Joyce McDonald
6. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
7. Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
8. The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo
9. Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser
10. Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis

Book List Grade 7

1. Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers
2. Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
3. Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
4. Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
5. Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
6. There’s a Girl in my Hammerlock by Jerry Spinelli
7. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
8. Heaven by Angela Johnson
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
10. The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez

Book List for Grade 6

Here is the Book List for Grade 6:

1. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
2. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
3. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
4. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
5. Holes by Louis Sachar
6. Rodzina by Karen Cushman
7. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
8. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
9. There’s a Hair in My Toothbrush by Jerry Spinelli
10. Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson

We will be starting Battle of the Books in November. I will announce the first meetings over the PA, and also put notices in the ELA teacher mailboxes. Each grade level will have their own meeting. Refreshments will be served. I am looking forward to a productive year.

I am still reading Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going.

I am starting a blog because I think it is a terrific way to communicate with all of the students, teachers and parents at Maxson MS. I love books, and am currently reading Fat Kid Rules the World, which I think I will recommend for 8th grade students.