Sometimes...

I love the author Matt de la Pena (and right now I'm hating that I can't remember how to put the little squiggle over the 'n' in his name). 

He speaks to my harshest kids in his writing so many times. I've really had kids say "Miss, he knows me." Because, he does.

Read his NPR piece here. You won't be sorry.

Sometimes the "Tough Teen" is Quietly Writing Stories

What do you think??

Sites to See--November 11

Kahoot  https://getkahoot.com
A new service for delivering online quizzes and surveys to your students. On any device that has a web browser (and I’d say 90% of their phones do), your students can respond to quizzes or surveys that you create and show on your presentation station. Sure, this sounds like other tools we’ve looked at, but the big difference here is that it Kahoot sets it up as a competition with students earning points for correct answers and how quickly the enter the correct answer. There’s a lot of research that shows that a game-based approach helps cement learning.

Creating & Sharing Google Calendars http://goo.gl/sFjyv1
Google calendars are super easy to use and share. AND a great way to make a calendar available on your school webpage or allow parents and students to see what things are coming up on the horizon. This tutorial will show you how to create one, and share it online.

Resources related to JFK and the 50^th anniversary of his deathJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum http://jfklibrary.org
Several lessons are available, about things specific to JFK’s presidency, as well as some newly digitized materials. Also, this library houses the largest Hemingway archive, with a media gallery.Infotopia’s JFK Assassination Resources http://www.infotopia.info/kennedy_assassination.html

Lots of different things, including documents from the police and public records, PBS, and Jim Lehrer’s memories courtesy of the Dallas News.

MindCipher http://www.mindcipher.com/

I can probably name the teachers who would most enjoy this site. MindCipher is a social brain teaser/logic puzzle/mental challenge collection. Use these to fill a few minutes at the end of class to keep the kids thinking, even if it’s not about your subject area.

Writing Prompts http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
While this is called “Writing Prompts,” lots of them could be used to spark discussion about things that maybe aren’t all that important, but get our kids thinking in different ways.

What do you think??

REVIEW: The Caged Graves, by Dianne K. Salerni

17-year-old Verity Boone expects a warm homecoming when she returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in 1867, pledged to marry a man she has never met. Instead, she finds a father she barely knows and a future husband with whom she apparently has nothing in common. One truly horrifying surprise awaits her: the graves of her mother and aunt are enclosed in iron cages outside the local cemetery. Nobody in town will explain why, but Verity hears rumors of buried treasure and witchcraft. Perhaps the cages were built to keep grave robbers out . . . or to keep the women in. Determined to understand, Verity finds herself in a life-and-death struggle with people she trusted.

I'm a sucker for good historical fiction, and this is GOOD historical fiction. It's...atmospheric, in that it pulls you in to the setting because of the many layers to the story and the characters. It's hard to step away from and come back to "reality." The characters are well-defined and the relationships (even the love triangle) are so easily written that nothing doesn't make sense or work perfectly.

The historical side is important but not the entire driving force and not overly done. The paranormal side is important, but again...not the entire driving force (and not overly done). There's enough in the story to keep you enthralled and wanting more. The love triangle, while it added to the story, was a bit typical YA for me, but it worked for Verity.

It's not too too much any one genre or aspect to turn off the average reader (meaning, the ones who don't want any one specific genre). 

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Enter Text Here through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: 17 & Gone, by Nova Ren Suma

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And . . . is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything. 

This was a really interesting tale. I love the premise--missing 17 year olds making a connection with a soon-to-be 17 year old. 

It's really pretty spellbinding. I made quick work of reading this one because I was so caught up in it. THIS is what a first person point of view should read like---so incredibly "in the head" of the narrator that you forget yourself for a bit. The atmosphere in the story is amazing...so dark, creepy, and thrilling. 

Lauren is completely obsessed with these teen girls, and what it means that they're contacting her. Nothing in the story was so far-fetched that I couldn't believe that it was happening, or (at the very least) that Lauren thought it was. I still don't know if she was truly experiencing the "ghosts" or if she was working through some psychological issues. This partially comes from Lauren reading as a completely empty "shell" unless one of these girls reaches out to her.

Amazing story and a great read.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Enter Text Here through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

REVIEW: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

I have to tell you, I'm pretty surprised by the massive number of low ratings on Amazon. So many seem to be stuck on the ending--get over it. It had to happen. (In fact, Roth addresses this in her blog post from Monday, Oct. 28th. WARNING: There are spoilers.)

This time, the story is told from two perspectives, Tris's and Tobias's (a.k.a. Four). It was interesting to get a feel for what someone else was thinking and feeling in this story, even if I do have to admit that I had to stop and double-check WHO was speaking a couple of times. The delineation of the voices could have been a bit better. 

The characters have teenage reactions and emotions because...gasp!..they're teenagers. Even if they're living in a vastly different world/society and have behaved in very adult ways...they're still kids. ANd it's okay. 

Roth wrapped up her story line quite well. I enjoyed the struggles and growing that went on as Tris and her friends not only made decisions about leaving their city, but also worked to figure out the world outside the wall and their places in it. Or not in it, as the case might be. We had closure even if it wasn't closure we were happy with, but closure doesn't have to be sunshine and daisies, you know? I've read several reviews blasting the ending for not offering any hope. But, that's just silly. There IS hope, a deeper meaning than easy to see hope. You have to pick apart relationships and actions, but it IS there. YA readers can see it....and that's really what matters.

All in all...I'm sorry to see this trilogy end. I'm attached to these characters, and who couldn't be? I can't wait to see what Veronica Roth does next.

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased this book myself. I was neither asked nor required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.