Have you read a good book this summer? How about a lousy one? Write a review here!
Be sure to include the title and author, whether or not you liked the book, and explain why. As always, make sure all comments are appropriate!
|
I was very excited this week to be contacted by Amazon.com and asked to join their early reviewer program. I have been writing a lot of book reviews and posting them on Amazon. It’s good writing practice! Well, apparently, Amazon likes my reviews and I have been invited to join their Vine program. They send me a list of books that are not yet released and I pick which ones interest me. Then they send me an early copy to read and review –before anybody else can get the book! Isn’t that cool? The book is free and I get to keep it! So, that’s why I am soon going to receive a new book by Suzanne Collins, author of Gregor the Overlander, which won’t be available to purchase until October! It’s not a Gregor book; it’s called The Killing Games. From the summary, it sounds a bit like Surviving Antarctica:Reality TV 2083. I will be sure to post a review of the book after I’m done with it, for all you Gregor fans! Not too many of you have stopped by to check the blog. I hope to hear from more of you soon! Hello? Is there anybody out there? Where are the former students of A109? And what are they reading in July? So far this summer, I have visited Kansas and spent a few relaxing days hanging out by the pool. I learned that eastern Kansas looks a lot like southeastern Pennsylvania. While in Kansas City, I visited a museum full of artifacts from a steamboat which sank in the Missouri River in the 1850’s. It was a boat full of goods headed for stores on the frontier — something like a floating Walmart. I loved looking at all the amazing 19th century goods that were dredged up out of the wreckage of the boat. As for reading, I recently finished 56 Water Street, a pretty good ghost story. I’m also still working on The Memoirs of Cleopatra. I’m on page 460 and starting to lose interest. I don’t know if I can force myself through another 500 pages! What have YOU been doing? What have you been reading? What is the best book you read (or had read aloud to you) this year? Tell us which one was your favorite and why! What are your plans for the summer? Does your family have vacation plans? Will you be attending a camp or are you involved in sports? Tell us what you will be doing after June 17! Can you believe it is June already! What are you currently reading? After seeing the list of summer reading recommendations, what do you think you will be reading this summer? If you were to set one goal for yourself — one thing you want to achieve in sixth grade — what would it be? We have ended the year with book club discussion groups, changing the format of how we usually discuss our literature. How are you enjoying the groups? Do you enjoy writing your own questions? How do you like your classmates’ questions? Besides less writing, is there any other reason you enjoy this kind of group better than the old kind? Of course, we’re reading some fantastic books, too! Inkheart, Gregor the Overlander, Peter and the Starcatchers, and Into the Land of the Unicorns. Are these great books, or what? What is your latest independent reading book? How are you enjoying the literature circle books you are reading for class? And if it’s not too soon to look forward to summer, what do you plan to read then? Recently, while leading a Girl Scout meeting, I challenged readers to summarize a book in just 6 words. Difficult? At first, perhaps, but if you’re anything like me, once you get started, it’s hard to stop! (Kind of like potato chips.) Here are some examples: No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman: Football star’s detention wreaks schoolwide havoc. No Talking by Andrew Clements: Forced silence makes students think harder. High Spirits by Dianne Salerni: Paranormal hoax brings fame, dooms love. Now it’s your turn! Summarize the class read aloud, your independent book, or any book you have ever read — in just 6 words! |
Entries (RSS)