I told myself I was going to read when we went home to Pennsylvania. I told myself I'd read on the airplanes. I told myself I'd read at the airports.
I did none of that. In fact, I remembered very quickly that I get horribly airsick. Also, I don't read to relax. I have to be relaxed in order to read. Airports are the opposite of relaxing for me.
So I didn't make much progress in October.
I did finish When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. It was okay. I'd rate it a B-. I liked it well enough as there was a little mystery to it, but it was sad.
I also read Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. I'd give it a C. I read it in one week and that was a raging success because it was a library book and I refuse to let the system of ebook-borrowing beat me.
It was okay. I actually really liked the first 1/4 or so and then I started losing interest. I liked Out of the Easy much better. This one, with all the points of view (and I am a FAN of short chapters), didn't have a character depth that I could appreciate.
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I will call that an absolute failure in one sense, but it also opens up the chance for me to share my favorite fall read-aloud books for 4th graders.
The Headless Ghost by R.L. Stine
This is my second favorite Goosebumps book. I always liked it as a kid and started reading it to fourth-graders back in 2010...I've read it every year since. If you look on Netflix, there is a corresponding episode of the Goosebumps TV show for it. The show is a complete 180 from the book, so it makes for a nice lesson in comparing and contrasting. Any excuse to pull out a Venn Diagram, right?
Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
I didn't read this until I was substituting in a 4th grade classroom back in 2008. I read it to my class in 2011 and it's been a permanent fixture ever since. Some years I read the sequels, but usually I just tell kids about them so they're aware. It's likely my favorite children's book of all time.
No Talking by Andrew Clements
I can't remember when I first read this. All of Andrew Clements' books are amusing and real and just fun to read. I love a good school story. I may have read them all over the last 5 years. This one inspires a bit of introspection on the part of the students and gives me a chance to pose some interesting questions (i.e. why do we talk so much?). I read this in November because it takes place in November.
Mayflower Treasure Hunt by Ron Roy
I found this in 2012, which was a year after we visited The Mayflower II in Plymouth. The book corresponds so well with the real setting of Plymouth and the actual history, with a little bit of fiction thrown in to make it extra interesting. The A to Z Mystery books are generally for 2nd-4th grade students, and I've read this to 2nd and read it to 4th and they both like it. With 4th, I go more in-depth, teaching about the real first Thanksgiving and showing them what Plymouth actually looks like and how my experience there compares to this book.
Sadly, I don't think I'm going to get to Mayflower Treasure Hunt this year. My group isn't overly mature, but they did refer to Goosebumps as "cringey", making me think that they may not appreciate the works of Ron Roy. Oh well. We only have four more school days until Thanksgiving (!!!) so I'll just finish Bunnicula and move onto No Talking.
So that's October. I would say I have high hopes for November but you know how that can go...I'm always looking for a good recommendation though!
Linking up with Jana and Steph!
