Book Review - The Summer of Bad Ideas, by Kiera Stewart

Summer Reading + Wyoming Skies =
The Perfect Combination!

     I'd been looking forward to reading Kiera Stewart's new release about a girl trying to reinvent herself over summer vacation - but I will admit that I purposely held off so I could read it on my own summer trip. And I can tell you, reading a book about humid Florida summers is quite refreshing when you're in a Yellowstone snowstorm in the middle of June!  

     This middle grades read captures the essence of the age level perfectly.  Edith is a 12 year old girl whose world is turned upside down when her only friend ditches her for someone less... boring.  At the same time, Edith's estranged grandmother, Petunia, dies unexpectedly.  Edith's family must travel to Florida to clean out Petunia's house.  Edith is left with the realization that her life is more boring than she thought... until she arrives in Florida to find that not only was Petunia some kind of Reptile Whisperer, but that Edith's got a cousin her own age who is anything but boring.

     While cleaning their grandmother's house, the cousins find a list that Petunia had written when she was a teen - a carpe diem list of ideas to have a fabulous summer.  Edith takes it to heart, embarking on a quest to complete Petunia's list.  What follows is a highly entertaining, often funny tale of crazy ideas, new friendships, and Edith's ultimate understanding that she doesn't need to let her fears control her.  

     I absolutely loved this book, and didn't want to put it down.  I loved how it describes the insecurities and lack of social skills that so often plague girls of this age.  It reminded me of summer adventures I spent with my own cousins at this age, and of a summer in which I, too, made a list that was intended to define myself as a person.  I think Edith's emotions and reactions in this book are spot on, and I was inspired by the growth she makes during the course of the book.  

     I would recommend the book to any girl in 5th grade or higher.  I'm definitely giving a Book Talk on this book during the first week of school this year! 

Book Review - Orphan Island, by Laurel Snyder

 I always tell my students that the best books have more than one theme.  Orphan Island is one of those books.  It would take more than one reading to truly appreciate this middle grade fantasy for what it is.  There is so much depth to this story, so many beautiful layers to unwrap and savor.  It isn't just a book to be read and shelved, but a book that begs to be discussed and enjoyed with other readers.  

Jinny is a tween who shares an island with 8 other orphans of different ages.  The island is a paradise - much like Neverland, but without pirates and crazy clock-ticking crocodiles.  Within this paradise, each of the 9 orphans works together for the common good. They are a family, and it's a beautiful family for the reader to get to know.

There's one caveat, however.  Only 9 orphans may stay on the island. Each year, a mysterious green boat arrives, bringing a new child and taking the oldest child away to an unknown destination. The next oldest child must step up as the new Elder, taking care of the new orphan and teaching the others what he or she has learned about life and survival.  Each child knows that the final day will come when he or she must choose to step into the boat and leave the island to the younger children.  Jinny's preparation for that final day makes up the plot of this book.

I would love to teach this book.  There are so many paired texts that would work well with it.  Peter Pan is an obvious choice, but there are several others that are referenced in this story - Where the Wild Things Are, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland come to mind.  There could also be tie-ins to religious themes for my parochial school friends.  My only pause is that Jinny's menstrual cycle is briefly mentioned - although not in great detail - so the book may be better for the upper range of the middle grades.  There isn't anything else that would be of concern to the middle grades teacher.

Ultimately, readers who discuss this book are going to answer these questions:
1. Should you choose to grow up, or not?
2. What are the repercussions if you keep choosing childish
    behavior?
3. What is your responsibility to children younger than you?
4.  What is your responsibility to take care of your world and
     environment?
5.  What is the best way to teach others?
6.  When does being protective of someone turn into enabling?    
     What effect does this have on a person?

I highly recommend this book, either for your own enjoyment or as a teacher.  But set aside a day to read it, because you won't be able to put it down.  

A Room With a View

This spring, I had the good fortune to read E.M. Forster's classic A Room with a View back-to-back with Donalynn Miller's Reading in the Wild.  I was struck by how much reading provides me with the travel - across both time and space - that I wish I could do in reality.  
I've always had a room with a view, even in my grad school off-campus apartment.  I only needed to open a book, and my view of the back-alley Dumpsters was replaced by Buttercup's farm in Florin.

Toward the end of the school year, I took a page out of Reading in the Wild and had my kids log their reading for a solid week.  Not what books they read, but their locations while reading.  The point of this was to have a discussion about our reading habits as we approached the summer break.  

This "room" definitely has a view!

Many of my kids had special book nooks that included "exotic" locations such as:

• under the covers with a flashlight
• under the bed with a flashlight
• the space between the bed and the wall with a flashlight (flashlights were very big with this class)
• in a bathtub filled with pillows and blankets instead of water, because it's the most private place in the house
• in a tent on a camping trip
• in the backseat of the car on a road trip

I don't think it's a coincidence that the "book nook" kids were also the kids who read the most books this year.  Some students realized that they only read at school - and that's a big problem when you're heading into summer break and you've already set your Summer Reading Goal.

Readers need a place to read, we discovered.  As part of this exercise, we helped our classmates find places to read within their own homes.  And I think, for many kids, that kind of planning is important.  Those are the kids who aren't going to read simply because they don't think even to read in the first place.  

If you've got a reading spot - a special little nook all set up just for reading - you're much more likely to <gasp> read!  The comfier, the better.  My kiddos had the best time planning the logistics of tight spaces and pillows, away from the prying eyes of siblings.

As a result of these chats, I fervently hope that some of the "nonreaders" will actually accomplish their Summer Reading Goals.

And me?  I filled in a log as well, and found that I'm a bubble bath / in bed kind of a reader.  But not to be outdone by the plans of my students, I am now the proud owner of a hammock.  My Boy Scout son helped me stretch it in between two ash trees in the back yard under some twinkle lights

Suddenly, my summer "travels" got a lot more cozy!  It's a big step up from Dumpster Alley!