Jessica Schmidt

Karen Prespa reviewed a book.

“Summary:
The English Roses are group of girlfriends that are as close as can be. They do everything together and they seem to have everything you could want. They are pretty, have great clothes and live in nice houses. The girls normalcy is shaken when a new girl named Binah moves in to...”

“Summary:
The English Roses are group of girlfriends that are as close as can be. They do everything together and they seem to have everything you could want. They are pretty, have great clothes and live in nice houses. The girls normalcy is shaken when a new girl named Binah moves in to town. This girl is the prettiest girl they have ever seen and the girls are instantly jealous. They are jealous of of her looks and her kindness until a fairy godmother shows them what Binah’s life is really like. It is not the perfection they were expecting.

Age Group: Everyone

Teacher Connections:
Social Skills- acceptance, jealousy, judgments
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Karen Prespa reviewed a book.

“Logan, Miles, Daisy and Phillip were chosen twelve years old to compete in this year’s candy-making competition. This will be their one and only chance to compete for the best candy creation. The beginning of the story is told from each character’s perspective, revealing secrets and twists along...”

“Logan, Miles, Daisy and Phillip were chosen twelve years old to compete in this year’s candy-making competition. This will be their one and only chance to compete for the best candy creation. The beginning of the story is told from each character’s perspective, revealing secrets and twists along the way. Logan is the son of the Life is Sweet Factory owner. He has a long line of family candymakers and winners in this contest, so the pressure is on Logan to keep the tradition up. Logan doesn’t have many friends outside of the factory workers. Could it be from the scars that cover his face and arms? Miles is talks about the afterlife way too much and is allergic to almost everything. He is haunted by an incident in which he witnessed a girl drowning in a deep lake. Even though he is paranoid and says odd things, he develops a friendship right away with Logan. Daisy is outgoing, bubbly and liked instantly. She loves to read and won’t be caught anywhere without her book. There is a lot more mystery to Daisy that the rest could ever expect. Lastly is Phillip, he comes from money and is extremely rude to most people he comes in contact with. Phillip has nothing nice to say and doesn’t seem the least bit interested in getting to know the other contestants. In a surprise twist, the characters will be surprised to see how their stories connect and who will win the big prize.

Age Group: Intermediate

Teacher Connections:
Literacy: character development, character perspective

Social Skills: acceptance
”

Kelly Serrano added a book. (see 15 more books added to shelf)

Kelly Serrano reviewed a book.

“This book is about a teenage girl who is overwhelmed with eveyrthing in her life and how she learns to deal with events out of her control. The main character, Haven, is facing her father's remarriage, her sister's weeding, her mother's mid-life crisis, and has to deal with her own personal...”

“This book is about a teenage girl who is overwhelmed with eveyrthing in her life and how she learns to deal with events out of her control. The main character, Haven, is facing her father's remarriage, her sister's weeding, her mother's mid-life crisis, and has to deal with her own personal issues of where she fits into it all. When her sister's former heart throb, Sumner Lee, returns to the scene, Haven is reminded of happier times when her family wasn't torn apart and everyone used to laugh and be carefree. Haven has a lot of resentment for her sisiter throwing Sumer to the curb, and Haven blames her for this being the start of her family's demise. This book is about coming of age, learning adult responsiblities, and accepting that life dones't always go your way no matter how much you hope it will. This book would be a great reccomendation for early high school/late middle school, young girls, or kids who think nothing ever goes their way.”

Kelly Serrano reviewed a book.

“Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games series. The book begins with Katniss waking up in District 13--which was believed to be destryoed years ago by the Capitol. But, they actually went underground. The scene is described as very sanitary, conforming, rule driven and full of fear. ...”

“Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games series. The book begins with Katniss waking up in District 13--which was believed to be destryoed years ago by the Capitol. But, they actually went underground. The scene is described as very sanitary, conforming, rule driven and full of fear. Although this is supposed to be the liberated district, it is actually the most rigid of them all.

A team of Hunger Games victors and rebels alike fomulate a plan to take over the Capitol. They nominate Katniss their leader as she has won the respect of all the districts. After learning about the revolutions in other districts, Katniss accepts her role knowing there will be death and destruction along the way to final victory.
Eventually, her team makes it to the Capitol and in a surprise move, Katniss kills President Coin whom she is supposed to be working with and eventually President Snow dies as well. The book leads the reader to believe Katniss will become President, but she does not--only another twist of Collins that makes you turn the pages faster than you can read!
At the conculsion of the book, Katniss and Peeta find true love within each other, move back to District 12 and start a family--without the Hunger Games returning.
Beware that when finishing this book, you may be a bit disappointed. Throughout the series, I cheered for Katniss to become this great revolutionary for the Panem people and she returns to her burned and destryoed district to deal with depression over the games, of her loss, and her future with Peeta.”

Kelly Serrano reviewed a book.

“This book is about a babysitting job gone terribly wrong. Amy has recently completed a babysitting course and desperatly wants to prove herself as reliable and responsiible. She disappointed her father a few years back and the last words the spoke to each other before he was killed in a tragic...”

“This book is about a babysitting job gone terribly wrong. Amy has recently completed a babysitting course and desperatly wants to prove herself as reliable and responsiible. She disappointed her father a few years back and the last words the spoke to each other before he was killed in a tragic car accident linger in her mind everyday. So, Amy enrolled in a babysitting course and owes it to herself and her parents a chance to prove she is responsible. But when Amy takes a first time job, it goes terribly wrong. After she puts the little three year old Kendra down for her nap, Kendra is kidnapped...and so is Amy. Amy must find ways to entertain Kendra and keep them both alive. Two men have taken them to a remote location and plan to send videos and demand ransom for the girls safe return. Soon after they settle into the cabin, Amy learns that Kendra's original babysitter was in on the plot-but abandoned the men at the last second to run away with her new boyfriend. In the videos Amy sends messages, clues to their families and she knows her best friend Jorja will pick up on them. Jorja does pick up on the clues and soon do the police as well. After a few attempts to escape proved fruitless and the men are feeling like they are being closed in on-Amy sends some revealing clues to their location in the last video. On the day the men plan to move them and demand the ransom, Amy knows if she doesn't escape now she will never see her family again. In a last ditch attempt, and with the police following some really good leads, Amy steals the car and the girls return to their families.
This is a story of survival and hope. This book would be a good reccomendation for a teenager, more likely a young girl about babysitting age. It is filled with suspense and will keep you turning pages to find out what happens to the girls. This book would be appropriate for middle school.”

Karen Prespa finished reading a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Deb Flaherty rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Deb Flaherty rated a book.

• Rated 5 stars

Deb Flaherty is now reading a book. (see 4 more books added to shelf)

Deb Flaherty reviewed a book.

“Percy Jackson must prevent World War Three, but this time the war doesn't involve the super powers of the world. Well, at least not in the sense we usually use the term--this time it's the super powers of the Greek gods ready to battle. Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon and...”

“Percy Jackson must prevent World War Three, but this time the war doesn't involve the super powers of the world. Well, at least not in the sense we usually use the term--this time it's the super powers of the Greek gods ready to battle. Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon and therefore a demigod--half mortal and half human. After years of struggling with dyslexia, ADHD and getting kicked out of every school he's ever gone to, Percy finds his place at Camp Half Blood where there are others just like him. Percy and his sidekicks, Annabelle and Grover, find themselves on a quest to catch the thief that stole Zeus' lightening bolt. What follows is a fast paced adventure full of danger, betrayal, and mythological power.

The mythological characters in the book are presented with modern flair, such as Ares riding a motorcycle or Apollo being a surfer dude. Students can research the characteristics of other mythological characters and recreate them to fit into the modern world. This can include writing, art and discussion activities. Students could also further research the mythological characters that ARE mentioned in the book and persuasively write/discuss whether the author portrayed them well. Physical educations classes can get in on the fun by creating a themed obstacle course to obtain Zeus' lightening bolt, or reproduce training activities, like capture the flag, from Camp Halfblood.”

joelle kilcourse reviewed a book.

“In Nothing But the Truth by Avi the main character, Phil, is a 14-year old freshman who wants to try out for the track team but he’s failing English. The coach talks to him personally and expresses his interest in Phil’s talent. Phil blames the English teacher for his ineligibility and the...”

“In Nothing But the Truth by Avi the main character, Phil, is a 14-year old freshman who wants to try out for the track team but he’s failing English. The coach talks to him personally and expresses his interest in Phil’s talent. Phil blames the English teacher for his ineligibility and the situation gets out of hand. Through a series of unfortunate events, the AP gets hold of a very one-sided story and the teacher is forced to defend herself. She is publicly “tried” without anyone ever hearing the facts. This story is about right and wrong, and how things can grow out of control. It’s about innocence and guilt and owning up to your actions. It’s about freedom of speech and point of view. There is so much that this book offers in terms of morality, and opportunity for discussion. Nothing But the Truth is a "documentary novel" so it’s not written as a traditional narrative—it is written as dialogue (in play version), journal entries, conversations, and excerpts from letters and memos.

Appropriate for grades 6-9

Curricular Connections:

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Jamie McDevitt reviewed a book.

“Finklehopper Frog watched from his window as all those around him went for a jog. Finklehopper Frog wanted to join the joggers, so he went to visit Mrs. Chimpanzee’s clothing store to buy a “jazzy” jogging suit. Finklehopper couldn’t find just the right one until Mrs. Chimpanzee took out a green...”

“Finklehopper Frog watched from his window as all those around him went for a jog. Finklehopper Frog wanted to join the joggers, so he went to visit Mrs. Chimpanzee’s clothing store to buy a “jazzy” jogging suit. Finklehopper couldn’t find just the right one until Mrs. Chimpanzee took out a green suit with purple, pink, and white dots. It was wild! Just what Finklehopper Frog was looking for! So, he bought the suit and started his pursuit of learning how to jog! He had no idea how, all he knew was to hip, hop, hippity-hop. When he finally made it to the track, Itchy Flea the dog started to laugh at Finkelhopper, he laughed at his jogging suit, and he laughed at his jogging (which was only hopping according to Itchy). Finklehopper just wanted to jog, and so he sprang away, when Yowlereen the alley cat passed and said the same thing! That his jogging suit was goofy and he couldn’t jog! Finklehopper was very sad, but he was determined not to show it and continued along the way. He was nervous when he passed the next runner, Ruby Rabbit and she said “You’re looking’ pretty cute a-hoppin’ and a-boppin’ in your hippy hoppin’ suit!” Finklehopper Frog couldn’t have been more excited to hear such kind words, and Ruby helped him feel better about his hopping too—that is what frogs do!

Ruby’s lesson that we’re all special and have different things we are good at – it doesn’t have to be the same as anyone else! Different, unique, and special are all better than being the same! So Finklehopper Frog learns that it is best to be himself and do what he loves! Young readers will learn to be happy with doing their best no matter what their best is!

The rhythm and rhyme of this story make it super fun to read aloud and the colorful drawings bring Finklehopper and the others to life. Students will enjoy the rhyme scheme and can use this book as a lesson in distinguishing rhyming words. In addition, students can use this to start a discussion about what they love or do and what makes each student special or unique. They can then do a short writing to explain their choice and an illustration. This is an excellent lesson for students to understand how Finklehopper Frog feels when the others were making fun of him and how students feel when they are made fun of. This is a great lesson for bullying and learning how to overcome mean words and actions. In addition, students can use this story in a physical education class to talk about jogging, hopping, and other actions that the animals in this book perform. Students can participate in each one to demonstrate how animals move.
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Jamie McDevitt reviewed a book.

“What do you do when you get angry? When Sophie gets angry, she runs! As soon as Sophie’s sister took her stuffed gorilla, declaring that it is her turn, Sophie got very angry. When her mom confirmed that it was her turn, Sophie got really angry. She fell over the truck when trying to get away....”

“What do you do when you get angry? When Sophie gets angry, she runs! As soon as Sophie’s sister took her stuffed gorilla, declaring that it is her turn, Sophie got very angry. When her mom confirmed that it was her turn, Sophie got really angry. She fell over the truck when trying to get away. She went into her room and turned into lion roaring her anger, a volcano ready to explode, and she just can’t stay inside any longer.

So, Sophie runs. She runs through the woods, cries a little, and begins to look around her. She sees nature and hears the birds, she climbs into her favorite tree to just sit and listen until Sophie calms down. The breeze, and the water comfort her and she is ready to go back home to her family. Where Sophie is welcomed with open arms, no one is angry and everyone can be together.

This is an excellent book to begin an elementary school discussion on what makes you angry and how to handle it. What does Sophie do when she gets angry? She runs to find her favorite tree and sits there to calm down. The story doesn’t go into how Sophie calms down, but this would be an excellent opportunity to ask students what they think Sophie is thinking and what she can do or tell herself to calm her down. A good lesson would be for students to predict what he conversation would be like when Sophie came back home. Would she apologize to her sister? Would she tell her sister that they can share in the future? Students can do role play to come up with a variety of scenarios. The figurative language is beautiful throughout; students can draw their own before and after, explaining how they manage anger. Also, they can talk about what else Sophie could have done to manage her anger rather than running away. This would be an excellent lesson in problem solving with young children.
”

Jamie McDevitt reviewed a book.

“Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
The idea is simple. Everyone is born with an invisible bucket; when you hold, nurture, sing, play, provide safety and care, you’re filling a child’s bucket. In addition to being loved, children need to be taught how to love others. This book teaches young...”

“Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
The idea is simple. Everyone is born with an invisible bucket; when you hold, nurture, sing, play, provide safety and care, you’re filling a child’s bucket. In addition to being loved, children need to be taught how to love others. This book teaches young children how to be bucket fillers. With colorful illustrations and a rainbow filled bucket, this simple book helps children understand how to show appreciation, kindness, and love every day.

The illustrations demonstrate that everyone around the world has a bucket, everyone in your family has a bucket, and you have a bucket. The only purpose of the bucket is to hold the kind thoughts and good feelings you have for yourself. When you’re happy, the bucket is full. When you’re sad, the bucket is empty. So how do you fill your bucket and how do others fill theirs? When you smile, say or do something kind, be a good friend, or show someone you care, you are a bucket filler.

Unfortunately, you can also be a bucket dipper. Bullies are bucket dippers, when you make fun of someone, call someone a name, or are mean –these people have empty buckets themselves and think that dipping someone else’s bucket will make them feel better –but it doesn’t work that way. You can’t fill a bucket by dipping into someone else’s. Just remember that when you fill someone’s bucket, you fill your own bucket too! Practice kindness all the time, and you’ll be a super bucket filler!

If you’re wondering how to fill buckets, the book gives great ideas simple enough for anyone, no matter how young or old you are. This would be a great book for an elementary school classroom. This could be a lesson for classroom management. For every good deed, students can earn a sticker and they can place it on an oversized classroom bucket. When students reach a particular number of stickers, they can earn something in the classroom related to helping others. Lessons on feelings can help students understand the filling and dipping concepts –students can brainstorm what makes them happy and what makes them sad to understand how to fill the bucket. This can be used as a guidance lesson, a whole-school initiative. It would be a very cool project for students school-wide to participate in a bucket filling initiative!
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joelle kilcourse is now reading a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

joelle kilcourse reviewed a book.

“Sisters Grimm: The Fairytale Detectives by Michael Buckley is the first book in the Sisters Grimm series. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have lived a pretty grim life. Their parents abandoned them and they have been shuffled to foster home to foster home until the day their grandmother, Granny Relda,...”

“Sisters Grimm: The Fairytale Detectives by Michael Buckley is the first book in the Sisters Grimm series. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have lived a pretty grim life. Their parents abandoned them and they have been shuffled to foster home to foster home until the day their grandmother, Granny Relda, adopts them. But the girls are suspicious of Granny (who they believed was dead), of her wolfish companion Mr. Canis, of her house with special rules, her bizarre neighbors in Ferryport and especially of her explanation of their family history: the girls are the ancestors of the Brothers Grimm and the stories they read and thought were fiction are actually case files. Before the girls and their granny can do some serious family bonding, a giant abducts Granny Relda and Sabrina and Daphne are left to save her- and the rest of Ferryport before it's too late.

Appropriate for grades 3-6

Curricular Connections:
Reading: Students can select a fairy tale character from the book and read the original Grimm story. Students can then write an analysis comparing the two characters.
Writing: Fairy-tales are their own genre of literature. Students can learn the elements of a fairy tale and then write their own. Students can then use digital storytelling tools (storybird, xtranormal, even Twitter) to share their stories with their classmates. ”

joelle kilcourse reviewed a book.

“Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is the first book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Set in medieval Brittany, Grave Mercy tells the story of the beautiful Ismae, who we meet on the day she escapes from her arranged marriage to an abusive and vile pig farmer. She finds herself in a convent of St....”

“Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is the first book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Set in medieval Brittany, Grave Mercy tells the story of the beautiful Ismae, who we meet on the day she escapes from her arranged marriage to an abusive and vile pig farmer. She finds herself in a convent of St. Mortain where Ismae learns that she is the daughter of Mortain, the God of Death, and that she has been blessed with a number of gifts which make her special-- and lethal. She and her fellow novitiates are trained as assassins to do the will of Mortain and soon Ismae is sent on her fist mission: to discover a spy in the bigh court of Brittany and to save the Duchess' life. However, despite all of Ismae's training and preparation she finds she has no defenses for her heart.

Appropriate for grades 9-12
Curricular Connections:
History: The setting of the novel is based on historical fact. Students can research Duchess Anne of Brittany and the political intrigue that surrounded her life and marriage. Students can then create a fact-check sheet for the novel.
Western Civilization/World Religion: Ismae worships the 9 Saints-- who were once Gods. Students can research Medieval Europe and how religious beliefs changed and altered over time.
Science: Ismae is a master of potions. Students can research medieval healing remedies and antidotes and discover their accuracy and knowledge. ”

joelle kilcourse reviewed a book.

“Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roarke Dowell tells a story about war from a different perspective. Jamie Dexter loves everything about the army: the order, the routine, the honor, the dedication. So when TJ enlists in the army as a medic and is preparing to go to Vietnam, she's excited and proud...”

“Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roarke Dowell tells a story about war from a different perspective. Jamie Dexter loves everything about the army: the order, the routine, the honor, the dedication. So when TJ enlists in the army as a medic and is preparing to go to Vietnam, she's excited and proud of him. But when her father, a colonel, doesn't seem happy about TJ's enlistment and TJ sends her undeveloped rolls of film with images from Vietnam meant only for her, Jaime's ideas about war begin to change.

Appropriate for grades 5-8




Curricular Connections:
Art/Science: TJ loves taking photographs of the moon and while his a POW Jaime takes a picture of the moon every night he is in captivity. Students can select an aspect of nature-- like the sun or moon or a tree-- that they see every day but never really observe and photograph it every day for a month. Students can then analyze their photos and write about what they observe. If there is a class webpage, students can upload their images daily and share with one another.
History: The Vietnam War is a complex period of time in American history. Teachers can pose the question: Would you have wanted your son or daughter to enlist in or be drafted into the army during the Vietnam War? Students can research the war and then discuss their ideas in a socratic seminar. Teachers may also want to reach out to local veterans groups and invite speakers in to discuss the war and its repercussions.
Writing: We have service men and women all over the world. Students can adopt a soldier and send letters and care packages. A good place to begin is: http://www.anysoldier.com/index.cfm”

joelle kilcourse reviewed a book.

“The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick is set in a dystopian American after the Great Quake has destroyed most of the country. Spaz, an epileptic teenager abandoned by his adoptive parents who feared his illness was contagious, lives in the "Urb", a violent cityscape controlled by a...”

“The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick is set in a dystopian American after the Great Quake has destroyed most of the country. Spaz, an epileptic teenager abandoned by his adoptive parents who feared his illness was contagious, lives in the "Urb", a violent cityscape controlled by a complex network of rival gangs. However, peace does exist, in Eden, a place where "Proovs", genetically modified (and therefore perfect) humans live in peace. However, the "forbidden zone" separates the Urb from Eden and it is illegal-- and virtually impossible-- to cross it. Problems arise for our hero, Spaz, when he is sent by his gang (the Bully Bangers) to steal from an old man named Ryter who owns the paraphernalia of literature. In this world, books are reading do not exist because people are addicted to using mindprobes, technology that plugs into a user's brain and allows them to escape their terrible world for a while. However, because of his epilepsy, Spaz is immune to the addictive quality of mindprobes and he is capable of seeing the world around him for what it is. Soon, he and Ryter team up (with a few friends they meet along the way) to save Spaz's adoptive sister, Bean, who is suffering from Leukemia. But this is not just a simple quest story and Eden, as are most things that glitter, is not perfect at all. Soon Spaz is faced with a startling revelation about his own identity, violence and the importance of thinking proving he may just possess the key to unlocking the last book in the universe.

Appropriate for grades 6-9

Curricular connection:
Language Arts: The language in this book is compelling and strange and often very challenging. Students can select a number of words Philbrick has created and create an etymology for each one. Students can combine their ideas to create a dictionary. Students could then each create their own word (neologism) and explain its etymology and their creation process.
Science/Research: In The Last Book in the Universe an earthquake destroyed the world. Students can research other great disasters-- earthquakes, meteors, temperature changes, floods, etc. and learn how these events impact people and places short and long term.
Writing: The end of the novel is ambiguous. Students can write an epilogue about Spaz and his friends a year later.
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