Dead City

When this book was first suggested I did not know how much I would enjoy it but as I began reading it I really started to enjoy it. The story is well written and keeps the reader engaged. I can see using this book in my classroom as an example of a fun engaging book that will keep most of the students wanting to know what happens as the end. It is filled with suspense. It also has some factual information as well as a lot that is fictional. This book features several strong female leads and examples of boys who do not mind having a female in charge. This could be helpful for many male students to see as well as female students that may be a little shy. This is not a typical zombie story. There are level to the zombies. They also have to stay on the island of Manhattan and be close to Manhattan schist which is what makes the dead into zombies. There are so many connections to different mythologies and codes. The groups that protect and police the zombies are called Omegas and have a secret society of high school aged students that monitor zombies. The zombies in this book don't like being called zombies and prefer undead. They also try to blend into the world and wear makeup to fit in. I like this concept. It is different than most other zombie books which is refreshing.

There are a few grammatical errors that make a few places difficult to read. These places could give students an opportunity to discuss the importance of editing and that even the best editor miss some things. They could then work as a class to fix the errors. This will help them learn how to fix the same errors in their own writing. I enjoyed this book so much that when the book ended I ordered the rest of the series. My husband could not wait so he actually ordered them tonight so I could read them to him over the break.

Wonder Part 2

This is such a great book. I just want to keep reading. Even my husband wants me to keep reading. I'm so glad that everything worked out so well for Auggie in the end. I am also glad that the bully will be going to a new school next year. It was so great that the principal was able to present Auggie with an award at the end of the year to recognize how much he went through. I also like that he was able to make friends with some of the boys that had not been the nicest to him during the year. I think that nest year Auggie is going to have a great year. It was sad when his dog died. It is clear that he has grown so much over the year.

It is great to see the family come together over the  death of the dog and getting the new puppy. I cant wait to use this in my classes to teach friendship and bullying. There are so many good lessons in this book. There are adults that could stand to learn from this book too. The part where they are at camp and the older bullies start a fight is great for teaching students to standup for those that are being bullied. You do not need to promote fighting but defending those that are being bullied is important. It is also important to show that you can make mistakes and may not always be the best friend but can be forgiven. At the same time being a bully is not being a friend. I can see doing a project of picking out examples of being a good and bad friend to help students understand how to treat people. I would also like to have students understand that all people are to be treated with respect even if we are not their friend.

Wonder Part 1

So far I really like this book. I feel so bad for Augie It can be hard going to a new school let alone school for the first time. It made me so sad that his friends were mean to him. I really like Summer she is the only person who wants to be friends with Augie simply because she did not want him to sit alone. I this is so sweet. I got so mad at Jack for giving into peer pressure and saying negative things about Augie behind his back. This is not how friends behave.

I liked getting to see the different sides of the story. Especially Via and Jack's you learn that Via has had a very difficult year but because she knows that Augie is having a hard time and their parents are worried about him she keeps her problems to herself. I would hope when I have kids that I am able to give them all the attention they need. I also like that is shows Jack having met Augie before and him knowing that the student he was being asked to show around was Augie. It also shows that he did not mean to hurt Augie he was just trying to be one of the group. While this is still not acceptable everyone makes similar mistakes from time to time.

I think I would use this book to teach topics such as bullying. Many times Augie is bullied just because he looks so differently. No one bothers to get to know him. I do not see the teachers trying to help much either though. God teachers know what is going on in their classroom and I feel that there are several times that teachers could have talked with students about getting to know someone and the damage that bullying has on people.

Wednesday Wars Part 2

I love how this books ends. I also like that he seems to understand that she did not give him the assignments because she hates him. I was not sure how this book was going to end. I am so glad that her husband was able to come home. I also like that the book dealt with difficult subjects such as his sister leaving and his father not wanting to help her get home. The Vietnam War era is a difficult time to explain because society was very different in many ways then today. I would use this book to help students understand what the culture looked like at the time of the war to give some context.

I am not sure if students would like the book as well as I did but I would like to see how many of them tried reading it and really liked it. I will have to keep it in mind if I teach upper elementary. The book is very well written and makes you care for the characters and want to see the happy ending that comes at the end of the book. Now I want to know more about what happens to the people in the story when they are older. I want to know how his father deals with him not wanting to be an architect.

One of my favorite parts was when he got to go to the baseball game. I was so disappointed in his father for not taking him to the game. I am also so proud of his teacher for making sure he gets to go still. I also think it is great that she was able to get the baseball stadium for the other student's father. This shows that she is truly a caring teacher who wants the best for all her students. I also liked that she taught him how to run better. They are able to connect through this activity and I believe that this is when he realizes that she really is there to help him and does not hate him for being in the class on Wednesdays.

The Wednes Day Wars part 1

This book is not as interesting or as engaging as the others we have read. I have found it to be a little slow going. I am enjoying the situations he finds himself in. I think that a lot of students would have connections to the topics in the book such as thinking a teacher hates you, being bullied, and not always getting along with family. I would want to give some context about the time period before I have them read the book because there are some references to topics students may be unfamiliar with. I would want to provide context for the Vietnam war, flower child and other terms and events that they may be unfamiliar with. This would help provide understanding.




I think this book would make a good classroom book that we all read together. This too would help with understanding and I would be able to help with difficult topics. I am not sure that I would recommend this book to my students I think that if I had older students then maybe I would consider it.  I look forward to seeing if the rest of the book becomes more interesting and if it has more topics or ways to incorporate it into my class lessons. I love having more books to use in my classroom but I want them to have a purpose.

Hatchet Part 2

This has still been one of my favorite books so far. I wanted to keep reading to see what happens next. He really changed over the course of the story and I like that the author had him address the changes he was seeing in himself. Often we do not see the changes that happen to us over time He became a person who really takes time and thinks before he acts and makes the most of everything he has. I wish that he would have gone into more detail about the reunion with his parents. It sounded to me that they spent hardly any time with him after he got back. I would want to hold him tight for as long as possible when I got him back if he were my son.

I think this would be a story that every student would be interested in reading. It has so many vivid details and just keeps you hooked until the end. I could use this as a teacher as a way to teach narrative writing. Having the students write stories of an event in their life the same as Brian did would be interesting. I also think that this could be a great classroom book that we could use to introduce a higher level of reading. We would read it as a class and answer questions as we go through to help the students learn vocabulary, parts of writing and keep the information in the story organized. I also looked through the reading group guides in the back and could use those to guide a book club in my class. Maybe some of my students that are further ahead in the reading could work on this in small group. I could also pair them with someone that needs help with reading comprehension to work through the questions together. This helps them learn from each other.

Hatchet part 1

Hatchet is the story of a 13 year-old boy named Brian who is on a plane trip to see his dad for the summer. He is going from New Jersey to the Canadian oil fields. He is in the small plane because they are also bringing parts. He is not in the best mood because of his parents recent divorce. The pilot had been quiet for most of the trip but at one point shows Brian how to use the controls and even allows him to fly the plane for a moment. This gives Brian some knowledge that he is able to use to crash the plane into a lake after the pilot has a heart attack. The plane and everything but the hatchet attached to his pants sink. This leaves Brian with little few survival skills and little to help him. He has to learn through trial and error that eating all the berried he finds will make him sick. He also begins to encounter several types of wildlife such as bears and porcupine. It will be interesting to see just how he learns to deal with the animals in the woods and how he is able to survive. I think that the language used in the story is so descriptive that it makes the reader feel that is happening and makes the story seem real. It paints an image in the mind and makes the reader feel as if they are in the story or are being told the story by Brian himself. I think this has been my favorite book we have read so far. It is so descriptive and detailed the reader is pulled into the story and is compelled to continue reading to find out what happens next.



I think that this is a great book for all my students. When I spoke with my brother last week he was surprised that I had never read this book. He has never liked reading and began raving about the story and that he read the rest of the books Paulson wrote because of this book. He remembered tons of details and wanted to tell me about all of his favorite parts. I had never seen him excited to talk about a book. If it can get a person who avoids reading at all costs interested in books then I am all for it. I will keep this book in mind as a suggestion for my students that struggle at getting interested in reading. I liked that Brian remembers that a teacher once told him that his greatest tool is himself and I think it will be interesting to see how this continues to play a role in the story and how he survives. I think this is also something that we are trying to instill in all of our students. They all have different skills and while they may not be the best at everything the skills they have are valuable and make them special.