tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.comments2014-11-13T20:19:58.904-05:00Michiana Mock Newbery ClubUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-12952575737663715322014-11-13T19:48:43.617-05:002014-11-13T19:48:43.617-05:00Question? Can I read this as a stand-alone, or sho...Question? Can I read this as a stand-alone, or should I read Countdown 1st?Donna Gehringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11491074886026121894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-71485562590322926152014-11-13T19:47:00.384-05:002014-11-13T19:47:00.384-05:00An even in history that I had never heard of. Insi...An even in history that I had never heard of. Inside look at prejudice that is not pretty, but heroic stories of men who pushed the Navy and the United States to look in the mirror and realize that they needed to tend to our homegrown issues of freedom as well as fighting for freedom overseas.Donna Gehringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11491074886026121894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-67451865920023349112014-11-13T19:42:04.573-05:002014-11-13T19:42:04.573-05:00Loved this book! Wonderful use of language. Charac...Loved this book! Wonderful use of language. Characters I liked and a town I think I'd like to live in!Donna Gehringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11491074886026121894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-14249112950388686402014-04-29T11:54:56.424-04:002014-04-29T11:54:56.424-04:00Looks like a good starting line-up.Looks like a good starting line-up.Donna Gehringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11491074886026121894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-51829238223123180692013-11-10T14:41:36.447-05:002013-11-10T14:41:36.447-05:00I was really impressed with this little book. The...I was really impressed with this little book. There are not too many books written on War of 1812 for kids. Told teachers about it right away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-62911110935442545052013-11-10T14:40:09.431-05:002013-11-10T14:40:09.431-05:00I read this one a few months ago and it is still l...I read this one a few months ago and it is still lingering with me. I was a little impatient with it at the time of reading it but it has stuck with me. I need to do a reread before I would be read to discuss it as Newbery contender.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-27759347543655448642013-11-10T14:38:03.531-05:002013-11-10T14:38:03.531-05:00Excellent nonfiction. These are the type of books...Excellent nonfiction. These are the type of books I not only give young people but I pass on to adults I think would enjoy them also.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-76722307636446448872013-11-10T14:36:42.309-05:002013-11-10T14:36:42.309-05:00This would be a good book to give to a young stude...This would be a good book to give to a young student going through a grief situation but as a newbery contender, I found it to be a bit flat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-60223658432740327372013-11-04T21:24:01.474-05:002013-11-04T21:24:01.474-05:00In my opinion Clare Vanderpool has done it again. ...In my opinion Clare Vanderpool has done it again. Navigating Early is a wonderful book where the story unfolds slowly in it's own time. Unfortunately, it may unfold a little too slowly for some children and they will give up on it, but those who stick it out until the last page will be well rewarded. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-42666193864275878652012-12-19T11:41:13.320-05:002012-12-19T11:41:13.320-05:00I think I enjoyed this one more than When You Reac...I think I enjoyed this one more than When You Reach Me. The characters, both major and minor, were very likable. As an adult reader, I had most of it figured out but I think this book will have great kid appeal and would make a good classroom read. Good bullying thread for discussionAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-4727297025798784722012-12-06T12:17:26.912-05:002012-12-06T12:17:26.912-05:00Loved this book. Christopher Paul Curtis has a un...Loved this book. Christopher Paul Curtis has a unique way of bringing characters alive for his readers. I felt empathy for the characters in the story and cheered them on!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-15486551391048396382012-12-06T12:15:39.899-05:002012-12-06T12:15:39.899-05:00Loved this book!!! It had an interesting twist at...Loved this book!!! It had an interesting twist at the end that was unexpected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-15652384485772389362012-10-29T10:34:13.107-04:002012-10-29T10:34:13.107-04:00Thanks Patricia! Yes, we're planning to make ...Thanks Patricia! Yes, we're planning to make that 1 of our titles--and the November list will be out shortly, so stay tuned!Athenagirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03289680178254284075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-10829139156468794912012-10-29T10:33:22.088-04:002012-10-29T10:33:22.088-04:00I just finished a book I think should be on our li...I just finished a book I think should be on our list. It's "What Came From the Stars" by Gary D. Schmidit. Well written, timely topic and like "Wrinkle in Time" and "When You Reach Me" has the SciFi-ness (is that a word?) that would be popular with readers. Just my 2 cents!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-17824758287741785392012-10-08T17:05:38.897-04:002012-10-08T17:05:38.897-04:00I picked this one up with some reluctance because ...I picked this one up with some reluctance because I am not usually drawn to animal stories. I am happy to report, I was pleasantly surprised. The chapters were manageable, the illustrations were a nice touch, and the story will be adored by a large group of children. I appreciated the fact that the author did not make the human in the story a good guy or bad guy - he was just who he was. A beautiful story that would be a good read-aloud.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-76248993438054825722012-09-18T11:27:07.196-04:002012-09-18T11:27:07.196-04:00I really liked this book. Stead did an excellent j...I really liked this book. Stead did an excellent job of keeping me guessing. Although as an adult I sort of figured Mr. X wasn't cutting up bodies, I was caught up in the suspense of Safer's spying. Georges, Safer and Candy were likeable but realistic characters. I liked how the author built the second plot of “The Science Unit of Destiny” into Georges teen's trouble of identifying himself. The reveal of the the two secrets caught me totally off guard. Pacing and short chapters make this a quick read. A good recommendation of boy looking for a quick, suspense novel. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-29443360922579952952012-09-08T20:52:43.965-04:002012-09-08T20:52:43.965-04:00I'm a huge fan of Sonnenblick's and Curveb...I'm a huge fan of Sonnenblick's and Curveball was one of my fave books of his. But, I don't see it's distinguished qualities. I thought the plot of One adn Only Ivan was more original. I also felt the characters in Summer of the Gypsy Moths were more defined. <br /><br />Unfortunately, older books can't weigh into a Newbery discussion but I loved Heartbeat by Sharon Creech which combined similar elements as Curveball using art, sports, and family illness.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15682700901945724953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-90933389005863615852012-09-05T12:13:37.881-04:002012-09-05T12:13:37.881-04:00Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip was excellent. ...Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip was excellent. Neither title nor cover were appealing, but it was on audio so I listened, and loved it. Photography is an even stronger theme than baseball, plus negotiating changing relationships with family and friends.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02996463286502350418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-34528332413916650342012-07-16T10:36:55.186-04:002012-07-16T10:36:55.186-04:00I love the simplicity of the writing (more like po...I love the simplicity of the writing (more like poetry than prose). Very heart-warming.Gloria Moyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06112137848457837450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-61989593827126940582012-07-13T10:41:45.695-04:002012-07-13T10:41:45.695-04:00I loved this one too. Listened in my car and enjo...I loved this one too. Listened in my car and enjoyed the voices, especially Augie's. Thought the author did a good job making Augie a more real character by showing him through others' eyes. Very moving.Athenagirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03289680178254284075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-75598815931946828062012-07-10T10:15:24.024-04:002012-07-10T10:15:24.024-04:00I liked this one. It's well thought out. Each ...I liked this one. It's well thought out. Each chapter keeps on topic while moving the story along. The descriptions of what Temple was feeling and how it relates to the actions and emotions of animals helped me understand what is going on inside the heads of some of the autistic children I see. Montgomery did an excellent job of presenting explanations of autism, as well as the history of treatments, or lack of, and the various theories on causes for her target audience. This one may in up on the short list for Newbery.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-51285407280571221562012-06-27T10:03:28.035-04:002012-06-27T10:03:28.035-04:00I like this one too. The voice of Ivan & othe...I like this one too. The voice of Ivan & other animals seems plausible/real. Loved the way the books sentences were broken up into little paragraphs and the small chapters. Made for a feeling of living in the moment. I thought the ending was heartwarming and wonderful. The whole work touched my heart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-88042020305265277882012-06-11T11:51:20.140-04:002012-06-11T11:51:20.140-04:00Levine created believable a story with historicall...Levine created believable a story with historically accurate information concerning the closing of the schools in Little Rock, something that Northerner-me didn't know about. Also, she did an excellent job of presenting the tensions present during this struggle for integration of schools and created sympathetic characters. That said, I found some outcomes a little far fetched, such as Marlee suddenly talking in front of class, her involvement with stealling the dynamite out of Red's car and her just happening to see the Red's car in Liz's neighborhood. Perhaps children reading this book might not see these as a problem. All in all, a good, not great, book. Since I found the historical aspect of the book interesting, it's unfortunate that I can't see this book gaining many check-outs at our library, unless, of course, it wins an award.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-42024273511842675782012-06-04T11:36:40.666-04:002012-06-04T11:36:40.666-04:00I loved this book! The book is written in the fi...I loved this book! The book is written in the first person, but not just in Auggie's voice. All the characters who have a relationship with Auggie tell parts of his story from their point of view. The author did an excellent job of creating realistic voices for each character. A powerful look into the life of extreme disabilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7125075817902350182.post-48748263564341292882012-06-01T17:30:31.973-04:002012-06-01T17:30:31.973-04:00Thought this was a good read; Ivan was a sympathet...Thought this was a good read; Ivan was a sympathetic narrator, and his emotions & thoughts seemed believable for a gorilla. Themes were relevant & moving for children & adults. Thumbs up.Athenagirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03289680178254284075noreply@blogger.com