January 29, 2012

Book Talk Tuesday 2012


I have been searching the web for a great place to post book reviews for librarians and teachers to use in the classroom. Well, I am going to try hosting my own Book Talk Tuesday! I invite teachers and librarians to link to a recent book talk or book review that can be used by others- to help purchase new books, learn about new books and to help give us book talk ideas. 

My rules?
1. All content must be appropriate for children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. 
2. Please link to your original content, not the content of others. 
3. Websites that you link to must be child friendly since lots of kids visit this site and if they click on your link, I want it to be appropriate for them. 
4. Positive reviews only, please... we only spread love here at The Lemme Library! 
5. Books must be available in The US. (you are welcome to link to ARC reviews)
6. I reserve the right to remove any reviews that don't meet criteria 1-5. 
In the link title field, be sure to include the title of the book you are reviewing and your site name. In the URL field, please link to this specific post that contains the book review (That way people don't have to scour your blog looking for it!) 
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Wednesday is Groundhog Day. It doesn't really make any difference whether that little furry guy sees his shadow or not... but it is a fun way to predict the remainder of our winter. Winter has been so mild here- I won't complain no matter what Phil decides. 
Do you ever experience a reading Groundhog Day? Do you feel like you read the same genre or author or style of book over and over? I think the entire Barnes & Noble YA section is stuck in a vampire-groundhog combo day. If you asked my students, they would tell you that I tend to read realistic fiction books where 1 or both of the parents have either 1. died, 2. left them with a less than familiar relative or 3. neglects them or has some type of mental illness.  I realized this one day when I was book talking to a class of 6th graders and someone asked "Why are all these moms dead?!?!?". I think that makes for a great story and strong character. What would Freud say?

Recently I have bucked that trend and have opted for a milder, gentler historical fiction trend. It's not a matter of a genre that hooks me- it's the character development that happens within the 1st few pages. (I think that is why I struggled to get into Okay for Now but later loved it.) 
What about you? Are you having a Groundhog Day reading life? Do you drift to certain types of books? Do you tend to recommend certain kinds of books to the kids in your life? Leave a comment and let us know! Then, go out and do something crazy- check out a different kind of book! Try my new favorite book suggestion site!

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1.Dinosaur Mardi Gras11.Sora and the Cloud (Perogies & Gyoza)21.The Sniffles for Bear (Geo Librarian)
2.Bink and Gollie, Two for One (pageinintraining)12.Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth (Gathering Books)22.Lisa Ard
3.Breaking Stalin's Nose (Books YALove)13.The Fourth Stall Part II (Colby Sharp)23.This Kid Review Books
4.Troll Hunters: Sky Fall by Michael Dahl14.January Nonfiction Picture Books (Rovingfiddlehead Kidlit)24.Inside Out and Back Again (Oakridge Reads)
5.The Cath in the Hat15.Bluebonnet Books (Lit Lad)25.Sue Morris
6.I Will Surprise My Friend by Mo Willems vlog (Lesa @ Baja's Cozy Book Nook)16.The Snowy Day (Picture Books & Pirouettes)26.Stacy Ford @Mr Ford Reads
7.Raj the Bookstore Tiger (Bigfoot Reads)17.The One and Only Ivan (Chocolate Air)27.Ms. O & Darth Paper Strikes Back
8.Wonder by R.J. Palacio18.Voki Book Talks (Try Curiosity!)28.Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin (No Water River)
9.Argus (Jen Robinson)19.The Snow Leopard Dream (NC Teacher Stuff)29.Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
10.Tuesdays at the Castle (Our Time in Juvie book reviews)20.Parachuting letters of the alphabet


9 comments:

  1. When I need a comfort read or an escape, my groundhog reading day is fantasy.

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  2. I was really pleased to see Breaking Stalin's Nose win a Newbery Honor. Be sure to visit the author's website to see the real history underlying Sasha's story.

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  3. Hey! Took me most of January, but I am all organized and ready to start taking part in BTT 2012. Thanks for leading the way...er, I just realized I need to come back and link to the Tuesday post, lol. See ya tomorrow :)

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  4. I tend to read realistic fiction, but every once in awhile I let my friend Penny talk me into reading something with a supernatural twist to it.

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  5. I'll read just about anything juvie/YA, though it depends on my mood. I'm back in the dystopian loop again right now, though I'm finding myself drawn to more kids' fantasy too. -Jenny

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  6. I have a 2 year old, so my reading Groundhog Day is not about finding groundhogs, but Going On a Bear Hunt.

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  7. I tend to read picture books the most since my kids are still young and because picture books are what I am trying to write...and I definitely gravitate toward the rhyming ones. Am starting to read some picture book biographies, though, and try to fit in the occasional YA novel!

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  8. (Oops, forgot to post my link yesterday, so I'm a bit behind. What a great list this week!) I have toddler twin boys, so forget the groundhogs...right now they are obsessed with a moon book, so I'm going with that!

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  9. Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs is a wonderful read. And if you haven't read her Cronus Chronicles trilogy, these are a must read for all Greek myth loving kids (and adults). They are not as well known as the Percy Jackson series, but should be...smart, witty and page-turning stories!

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