Hello, again. I have enjoyed reading the comments of students who have joined the discussions that I have started.
Now I’m going to give you a chance to begin posting your opinions of the new books that are going up in the “Good Books” display. If you check out a book that has the message “I’m New…Blog Me,” please tell us what you think. Reply to this posting and then I will separate your comment so that others can respond to it.
Was it a “good” book? What makes you say so? Tell us about a scene or a character just don’t give away the whole story! If you did not particularly care for it. tell me why. Maybe you can suggest the type of reader for whom it might be appealing. Sign your post with your first name and last initial. Here is an example:
I just finished a new book by Gary Paulsen called The Legend of Bass Reeves. Who did you think were the heroes of the Wild West? Wyatt Earpe? Kit Carson? According to Paulsen the only true hero was an escaped slave who became a U.S. Marshall when he was 51 years old. Since there is not much written research on Bass Reeves, Paulsen calls his book “a true and fictional account.” In one scene, Bass comes face to face with a Comanche warrior with two fresh scalps on his spear. He was a fugitive surviving in Indian Territory until the Emancipation Proclamation made him a free man. As a marshall he brought dozens of criminals to justice, killed fourteen men in the line of duty but was never shot even though he never opened fire unless his opponent fired first.
Gary Paulsen is known for his gritty, survival stories. This one is based on the life of a man who dealt with the injustices in his own life and became an icon of fair-play in a wild and wooly time.
Mrs. H.
Starting this week students will be coming for orientation and checkout. I will have the opportunity to introduce the Book Blog and find out how students respond.
Will you enjoy this way of communicating about what you are reading? Why?
What are your top reasons for coming to the library? Do you see the library as a tool in your plan for school success? How does that work for you?
It took me awhile to figure out that my first “post” wasn’t a post at all but a comment. So I decided to pull the comment out and post it so that the next post would make some sense. Fortunately, most of you will be able to wind your way through the maze and make your replies. I hope to hear from many of you once school gets started. See below and then go to the post on books in series.
July 7th, 2006 at 4:02 pm e
Hello, Benold readers and any others who find this blog. I thought it might be fun to share what we are reading. Feel free to comment on a posted title or add your own new favorite.
I’ve read several books this summer but I’ll kick off with Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. It is a Texas Lone Star ‘06-’07 pick but is especially relevant because of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This book is an adventure thriller set aboard a luxury airship. Heiress Kate and the ship’s cabin boy are searching for something they are not sure exists. Which is more deadly– pirates or this mythical creature?
This used to be the “first day of school” standard assignment. Among other things I did some weekend trips to Indiana and to Beaumont, TX. and some virtual trips to the Middle East (circa the time of the Crusades) and to Antarctica (flash forward to 2083).
These last two “trips” were via a couple of intriguing books. BLOOD RED HORSE by K. M. Grant is both “horse story” and survival adventure wrapped in a historical time period that gives insight through an earlier war in the Holy Land to the conflict that continues today. A horse named Hosanna is the link between young warriors, one a Christian and the other a Muslim. The challenge: Can you see both points-of-view from the back of the blood red horse?
My other adventure was through a survival reality show set near the end of the 21st century. SURVIVING ANTARCTICA: REALITY TV 2083 by Andrea White places five fourteen-year-olds on the same journey as Robert Scott and his team of scientists who perished attempting to reach their goal. As part of the educational format of the society, students “learn history” watching simulations. In the latest twist this means observing other kids struggle with both the ecosystem and the government bureaucracy that promotes the “show.”
Where did you go on your summer vacation?
Yesterday I mentioned how much I enjoyed the book Airborn. So much so that I checked out the sequel Skybreaker. I haven’t had time to begin it yet but I am curious to see how the stories connect and where the adventure goes next.
Do you prefer reading books in a series? Tell me why. I have a few ideas but I would like to hear from student readers. What are some of your favorites?
Look for more posts soon!
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