Help Readers Love Reading

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett Journal Entry

2013-04-01T05:12:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. W,In Hold Fast I see three main parts in the story. There is a family that is homeless, the missing person mystery, and the diamond mystery. All of them connect in some way. For example if Dash, the dad in the family, hadn't disappeared then the family wouldn't be homeless. And somehow Dash has been connected to the missing diamonds, which makes no sense to me, but there it is. Finally

Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

2013-03-27T05:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. W,I just finished Bomb by Steve Sheinkin. It is about the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. There are four parts to the story. Part 1: Three-Way Race, Part 2: Chain Reactions, Part 3: How to Build an Atomic Bomb, and Part 4: Final Assembly.The Three-Way Race introduced in Part 1 is about who would be able to build the first atomic bomb. The United States, working with

The Fourth Stall Part III by Chris Rylander

2013-03-22T05:49:00.000-05:00

This sample journal entry is actually three entries in one. After the introduction paragraph, the following paragraphs were written to meet different expectations. Sixth grade is to explain how the author shows a character's perspective. Fifth grade explains how a character's perspective affects how story events are told. Finally, fourth grade is to tell how a story would change if it is told

Melvin Beederman: The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich by Greg Trine

2013-03-18T05:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. W, Melvin Beederman is a superhero. The first book in the Melvin Beederman series is The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich. Melvin graduated from the Superhero Academy at the top of his class. He beat out Superhero Carl who is stronger than him because Melvin uses his brain. “Your brain is your greatest weapon,” Headmaster Spinner tells him. That’s also in the Superhero’s Code. The world

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz and Holes by Louis Sachar

2013-03-13T05:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. W, The main difference between first person point-of-view and third person point-of-view is who is telling the story. In first person point-of-view the narrator is a character in the story while in third person point-of-view the narrator is someone not in the story. The third person point-of-view narrator knows everything. The narrator can travel through time, see people’s thoughts,

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick Journal Entry

2013-03-09T12:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W,I just started reading The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg and already I have been able to make some inferences. I know plenty about two characters, Stink and Smelt, from their words and actions, things the author hasn't told readers.They are criminals. They have a man tied up by the wrists and ankles and have a sack over his head. They kicked him when he made noise. Smelt

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

2013-03-02T11:31:00.001-06:00

After reading an ARC of Hold Fast, I immediately changed my read aloud schedule, moving the book to the top of the list for sixth grade. As I post this, we are about three-quarters finished, and it has been a powerful experience for both students and teacher. This is a sample journal entry we wrote together about how words, phrases, and smaller pieces of text add meaning to the whole Dear Mr

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm Resources

2013-01-19T04:17:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's just me, but don't some books just push you away? No, wait, that's not right. Let me rephrase that. Sometimes there are books that are so engaging that they send readers off to other resources to learn more about their subject matter. Better? Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm was one of those books for me. Turtle's story sent me off to learn more about the Florida Keys, 1930's

Wonder by R. J. Palacio Journal Entry

2013-01-13T05:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. Wilhorn, I’m reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio and I’m telling some character traits for Jack. I thought I had a pretty good idea about Jack, but my opinion might be changing. Jack is respectful and empathetic. When I first met Jack it was when he gave Auggie a tour of the school. Charlotte mostly jabbered on and on and Julian was sort of a jerk. But Jack kind of stuck up for

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

2013-01-08T04:59:00.000-06:00

The latest novel from Clare Vanderpool, Navigating Early, arrives in stores today. Had I known about her Newbery-winning debut novel, Moon Over Manifest, before its publication, I’d have recommended you get your hands on it as soon as it was available. This time, thankfully, I have that opportunity. At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, Kansas born and raised, son of Colonel John Baker,

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill Journal Entry 3

2013-01-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, In the chapter I just read from The Year of Miss Agnes, there is an important theme that Fred tells the reader. When Bokko brings Fred’s lunch to school, Miss Agnes says that she must start coming to school too. Fred says, “it’s better to kick some instead of just sinking.” She said this after they learned about sign language for deaf people and reading for blind people. That’s

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill Journal Entry 2

2012-12-29T05:03:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, One main character in The Year of Miss Agnes is Miss Agnes. Some character traits for her are that she is a good teacher. She is also helpful and kids are important to her. It’s important that kids learn. I know she is a good teacher because none of the other teachers ever tried to teach Bokko because she is deaf. Miss Agnes taught her sign language and how to read lips. She even

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

2012-12-24T05:08:00.000-06:00

The original plan was to start my review of Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo with two Christmas lists, but I quickly realized that both lists were the same. So I combined them. And now I share them with you.Things That Have Become Associated With Christmas AND Things That Really Have Nothing To Do With Christmas:Candy canes, cookies, red and green, fake reindeer antlers, bad sweaters, bells,

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

2012-12-20T10:56:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, I just finished The Year of Miss Agnes. This is the plot. In the introduction I learned that Fred was the main character. Other characters include her classmates, her sister and mother, the people in town, and Miss Agnes. It is set in Alaska in 1948. The mood is unhappy because all the teachers they ever had have left them. The conflict is that once the kids like Miss Agnes, they

Tadpole by Ruth White Journal Entry 2

2012-12-15T05:44:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, I am still reading Tadpole. The main character is Carol. She is 10, the youngest, and says she is “nobody at all.” She is loud. Matter of fact, all her sisters are loud. They talk loud, sing loud, laugh loud, and quarrel loud. She is the youngest and smallest so people don’t really pay attention to her a lot. When Tadpole was singing, she had to sit on the ground and not by him

Flush by Carl Hiaasen Journal Entry

2012-12-10T05:22:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, Today in Flush, Noah was unfortunately trapped inside the main setting of the chapter: the women’s bathroom on the Coral Queen. He describes it as basically a closet with barely enough room to sit and do your business. It smelled like a combination of Clorox bleach, bathroom, and Shelley’s tangerine perfume. (Shelley was in the bathroom with him for a short time.) There is an “

Tadpole by Ruth White Journal Entry

2012-12-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, I am reading Tadpole by Ruth White. The story takes place in the hills of Kentucky in 1955. The book tells me that it is 1955. They live in a holler, which is like a valley that is open on only one end. The Collins family (and Tadpole, their cousin who they call Tad) live in a small house. There is a front porch, a living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms for all six of them. They

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

2012-12-02T05:07:00.000-06:00

My original review of I Want My Hat Back says, “Sometimes - no, oftentimes - the simplest books end up being the best books.” I then went on to summarize the book in five lines. Jon Klassen’s next hat book is not a sequel. It's more of a companion book. Either way the line from the previous review holds true. Simple stories make great books. Here is a 100% complete summary of This Is Not My Hat

Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

2012-11-28T10:11:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, I just finished Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. (He’s the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which I read, and I loved.) Anyways, this new book is the first of four in a new series called All the Wrong Questions. The genre of this book, and the new series, is mystery. The main character is a young Lemony Snicket. He is an apprentice to S. Theodora

Son by Lois Lowry

2012-11-24T05:20:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, I just finished reading Son by Lois Lowry and wanted to tell you about the setting. There are three main places where Son takes place. The first setting is the community where Jonas and Gabe live in The Giver. Claire is a birthmother in the community. (The title refers to her son.) She received her assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve about two years before Jonas receives his

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look

2012-11-20T05:01:00.000-06:00

Dear Mr. W, Today while reading Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look, Alvin used swearing words but they weren’t actual curses. The curses were from Shakespeare. He was at the psychotherapist, but he thought that meant she was crazy, like psycho. I was wondering what some of the curses mean. He said, “Grow unsightly warts, thou half-faced horn-beast!”

Reading Journals

2012-11-18T05:13:00.000-06:00

When I started teaching I knew two things for certain. First, I wanted to read aloud every day. Second, I wanted my students to read every day. I thought I was pretty smart for that. I didn’t call it readers’ workshop. There weren’t mini-lessons, at least not officially, and reading conferences were informal conversations between readers rather than intentional conferences focused on a specific

Transitions

2012-11-15T07:01:00.000-06:00

Life is full of transitions. Some are positive, others negative. Some transitions occur in our personal lives while others happen to us professionally. Whenever numerous transitions happen simultaneously, life can get a little … well, to put it simply: busy.The second half of 2012 has been full of transitions for your humble reader/reviewer/writer/blogger. Thankfully these transitions, both

Maya Makes a Mess by Rutu Modan

2012-07-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

If Maya Makes a Mess was nonfiction, if author Rutu Modan had created an illustrated account of a real Maya’s actual dinner manners, than this book would document the greatest achievement in childhood dinner manners in the history of children, dinner, or manners. In the opening pages, Maya is seen eating with her hands, standing at the table, slouching, leaning back in her chair, and feeding

The Importance of Thank You Notes

2012-07-19T16:12:00.001-05:00

My latest column is mostly not mine. After my brief introduction is an actual thank you letter from my wife's cousin, Mark, to their grandmother ten years ago. The letter speaks for itself, and honestly, I have nothing more to say. (Except, maybe, thanks for reading.)My wife’s grandmother recently passed away, and in going through some paperwork, my mother-in-law discovered an envelope,