Fool For Books Giveaway Blog Hop

Thank you to I Am a Reader Not a Writer and The Bookish Snob for hosting this awesome blog hop.

Since this blog hop is in honor of April Fool's Day, this is my offering:

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
Publish Date: October 5, 2010
Pages: 159
Genre: Humor
Audience: Adults

From Goodreads:

If animals were more like us, if mice kept pets and toads could cuss, if dogs had wives and chipmunks dated, sheep sat still and meditated, then in the forest, field, and dairy you might find this bestiary, read by storks, by rats and kitties, skimmed by cows with milk-stained titties. "I found the book to be most droll," might quip the bear, the owl, the mole, Others, though, would be more coarse. "Bull," could say the pig and horse. As to the scribe, they'd quote the hen: "Trust me, he's no La Fontaine."

Contest Rules:

• Must be 13 years or older to enter
• Open to U.S. residents only
• You are not required to be a follower to enter but it is greatly appreciated
• Starts April 1st, ends April 2nd at 11:59 PM EST

How to enter:
Leave a comment explaining your favorite animal story (don't forget to leave me your email so I can contact you if you win!)

My favorite animal story is the Tortoise and the Hare because it teaches so many great lessons about the need to be humble and not counting people out.

I also love the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  I think it's my favorite dog book of all time because it's one of the few dog books that won't make you cry at the end!

 Don't forget to visit the other blogs in the blog hop:

Waiting on Wednesday: The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is meant to showcase upcoming books that you can't wait to read.

This week's selection is:

The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
Expected Publication: August 20, 2011 by Henry Holt  Co.
Pages: 384
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: YA

From Goodreads:

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries. 

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

 Everyone except Jenna Fox.

I absolutely loved and was fascinated with The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I was ecstatic to discover that there would be a sequel. The synopsis of this upcoming book sounds like it might even be better than the first one. I am not usually a huge fan of science fiction, but Pearson's writing is so contemporary and not over anyone's head that it almost doesn't read like science fiction. This is definitely one of my highly anticipated 2011 releases! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors That Deserve More Recognition

 
This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is:

The Top Ten Authors That Deserve More Recognition

I had a hard time coming up with ten because so many authors that I love have received Newbery or Printz honors so these were the authors on my list that I thought deserved more accolades.  I only have six.

1. Adam Rex

Not only is Rex a talented illustrator, but his writing is downright hilarious.  Listening to the audiobook of The True Meaning of Smekday was one of the most uproarious listening experiences of my life.  I am still constantly quoting a line from the book to my husband and friends and continue to giggle uncontrollably each time.  Seriously.  Check out his work.  You won't be disappointed.


2. Maryrose Wood

Maryrose writes middle-grade and YA lit, and even though I haven't read her YA books yet, if her middle-grade Incorrigibles series is indicative of her witty sense of humor in all her books, I'm so sold on reading the rest of her literary canon.



3. Michael Zadoorian

Zadoorian is a sentimental favorite of mine since he hails from Michigan, and his books are set here.  Not to mention that fact that I met him at my public library when he did a reading and discussion of his amazing book The Leisure Seeker.


4. Mitali Perkins

Not only is Mitali a beautiful person inside and out, but I love her mission as an author: to create entertaining and accessible multicultural literature to children and young adults. I'd have to say she is succeeding at this mission.  I love that the books she writes are contemporary fiction rather than strictly historical fiction.  So often we equate multicultural with historcal, but Perkins is trying to show that to build bridges of understanding, we need to see what its like for people in other cultures right now and not just back then.


5. Raina Telgemeier

Raina's most popular work as a graphic novelist is her recently published book called Smile, which is based on her own dental trauma as a pre-teen and teen.  What I love so much about this book is that despite the fact that the story's protagonist is a girl, boys in my class are passing this book around like they're baseball cards.  I love when books told by girls can be enjoyed by both genders.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


6. Alison Pace

Alison's books just make you feel good. They would most likely be classified as chick lit, but I love how she adds a warm and fuzzy element by including dogs in all of her books.  Not to mention the fact that two of her books (one set to be released in June) have pugs in the title.  As a lover and owner of pugs, I can say she won my heart immediately with just the titles (Pug Hill and A Pug's Tale).

In My Mailbox (22)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.  The books you share do not have to be ones you actually received in the mail.  They can be ones you bought at the book store, checked out at the library, or downloaded to your e-reader.  The idea is just to share what's on your TBR pile for the upcoming week.

For Review:
 
Shimmer by Alyson Noel

E-Books:

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (This is a great deal right now.  Only $1.99!)

Library Loot:
 
Willow by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illustrated by Cyd Moore
Someday is Not a Day of the Week by Denise Brennan-Nelson, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley

Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner, illustrated by Yan Naschimbene

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood: Audiobook Review

 Miss Penelope Lumley has shown quite a bit of success at civilizing the wolf-like children Lord Ashton has curiously claimed custody of.  However, after the disaster of Lady Constance's Christmas Ball which was caused by the dear Incorrigibles, the family has packed up and escaped to London while Aston Place undergoes renovations.

In London, Lady Constance looks forward to all the social engagements she will inevitably encounter, while Miss Lumley is excited to continue the children's education in such a civilized city.

But something foul is afoot in London and Miss Lumley is determined to figure out what it is with the help of a new friend, despite a stern warning from her former headmistress to stay out of trouble.  With that foreshadowing, the reader is sure to realize that the remainder of the book will be anything but Miss Lumley and the Incorrigibles staying out of trouble.

This is the second book in the series, and it is equally as charming and full of belly laughs as the first one.  The book itself is entertaining enough, but when you add Katherine Kellgren's lively narration, you are in for one of the most perfectly entertaining audiobook experiences around.  The mark of a successful audiobook to me is when the narrator brings the story to life in such a way that it becomes even more enjoyable than it would have been if you had just read it.  That is exactly what Kellgren does with her animated, nimble character voices, almost on par with that of Jim Dale's voices in the Harry Potter audiobooks.

In addition to the pure joy of just listening to the fabulous narrator, this installment of the Incorrigibles' mystery brings to light Lord Ashton's very strange behavior, leading the reader to make some conclusions about why he was so insistent about keeping the Incorrigibles in the first place (but we won't find out the true answer until book 3).  We also have a new storyline to contend with and guess as to how it will manifest itself in the third book: Miss Lumley's mysterious past and why her parents aren't in the picture.

The open-ended storylines will keep readers anticipating, guessing, and eagerly awaiting the final installment.  Not only am I looking forward to seeing how the story ends, but I'm also happy that I will be able to revisit all of the wonderfully eccentric characters once more.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
Published: February 2011 by Balzer & Bray
Audiobook Published:  February 2011 by Harper Audio
Pages: 240
Audiobook Length: 5 hours, 58 minutes
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Audience: Middle Grade

Thanks to Harper Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook.

But books are so... enjoyable. Certainly students can't be learning anything from sitting around reading them all day.

I've recently had a few people ask me, in rather accusing tones, something along the lines of, "How do you know that your kids are learning anything in reading workshop? I mean, all they're doing is reading books.  How are you teaching them any skills?"

Oh ye of little faith.  How you doubt the power of giving kids permission to choose their own reading material rather than having the teacher mandate and suck any sort of pleasure or life out of the act of reading.

So let me enlighten you doubting Thomases.

A few days ago,  I was reading one my 5th grader's literature journals.  She wrote me a letter (a frequent required assignment in my class) about a book I had just finished reading aloud and to my shock and awe, I noticed that this quiet, shy, diminutive 5th grader used the word anti-climactic to describe the ending of said book.  Since when do 5th graders go around using the word anti-climactic? I think I had a difficult time with the concept of climax until I was in college! (I was slow to grasp abstract thought, what can I say?)

Then, I also had a group of 6th graders who were meeting in a literature circle (which was one of the few teacher-mandated reading experiences they've had this year) and one of them asked what genre the book was.  They discussed and debated whether it was a mystery or a science fiction because yes, there was something that needed to be solved, but it also had "elements of dystopia." (The book they were referring to was The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart).

I was both blown away and swelling with pride over these observations because these were not terms they learned in a textbook. This is just the way well-read students speak.  And when you give them the opportunity to read voluminously, they pick up the vernacular of an educated reader.

So you want to know how I know my kids are learning? I listen to them.

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop winner

I have been extremely remiss in announcing the winner of the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop.  So congrats to Shannon B.  She won a copy of The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson