Only 39 Days Until School Starts?!?

We traveled to Iowa this weekend to watch Ashlyn show in the All American Jr. Sheep Show, so I had plenty of travel time to read some books. 

A Certain Slant of Light - This was one of those books that I started reading and really struggled through the first part of it.  Halfway through, I wanted to abandon it.  I encourage my students to abandon books that they are not interested in.  There are so many great books out there, don't waste your time reading something that you aren't interested in.  Granted, I have kids that seem to abandon every book that they start.  Why is that?  I understand that they don't get reading, but shouldn't there be something out there that they enjoy.  My guess is that they don't know how to enjoy get into reading.  It's that whole metacognition thing.  They need to be "thinking about their thinking" while they're reading. 

Wish You Were Dead - Great book by Todd Strasser who is a great author.  Easy read too!  There really isn't a main character but several main characters.  One of the characters (you do find out who by the end of the book) starts a blog.  This character is frustrated with the "popular" crowd at school and wishes on her blog that certain students were dead.  The mysterious thing is that those students start to disappear from thie upper class community.  It isn't what who you think either. 

Loser Queen - The back of this book does a great job of inviting you in to this book.  "Cammy Hall is used to being a loser.  All of her attempts to rise beyond high school obscurity have ended in utter humiliation.  Now that she's a junior, she's setting her sights a little lower:  If she can avoid doing anything horribly embarrassing, she'll consider the year a success."

"Then Cammy accidentally flashes her granny panties at the school dance, and all hope fo flying under the radar is lost.  But just as the dustr of humiliation begins to settle, she is sent an anonymous text message with instructions on how to get her revenge.  With the help of the texter, Cammy causes the downfall of the most popular girl in school..."

Throwing Like a Girl- Ella moves from Chicago to Texas during the middle of her sophomore year.  Back in Chicago, she had a great life and great friends.  In Texas, she isn't sure where she fits in her new private school.  She decides to tryo out for the softball team even though she has never played softball.  With the help of an upper classmen who is fantastic at softball but can't go out for the team because of family obligations, Ella makes the team.  (Everyone who tries out, makes the team.)  Of course, life in Texas doesn't become easy for Ella.  Her new boyfriend's snotty sister just happens to be on the team and makes her life miserable. 

Happy Kid! - Not sure what I thought of this book.  Kyle is a seventh grader who really doesn't care about anything.  His negative attitude has basically earned him no friends and he really doesn't seem to care.  His mom gives him a book, "A Young Person's Guide to Satisfying Relationships and a Happy and Meaning-Filled Life", and tells him that she'll pay him $1 for every chapter that he reads.  For every chapter that Kyle reads, he becomes more happy and has some positive experiences along the way.  Easy book to read.  Not terribly exciting.  If you don't want to have to think too much about what you're reading, this is the book for you.