Sunday, August 21, 2011

Summer Reading Challenge Weeks 11 and 12

71. Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors: Fighting for the Soul of America's Toughest High School by Alexander Russo - adult book - story behind Green Dot's attempt to revitalize an L.A. school - 8/10

72. Secret Daughter: A Mixed Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away by June Cross - adult book - memoir by an Afro-American daughter of a white mother and black father, who was raised by friends of the family - 9/10

73. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda - adult book - an international adoption story told from the perspective of the birth mother, adoptive mother, and daughter - 10/10

74. The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson - middle grades - the imagined story of one of the Friendship Dolls sent to the US by Japan in the 1920's - really four interconnected short stories - 9/10

75. Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford - young middle grade - two girls are accidentally locked into the library at night in a snow storm, best thing is the title - 6/10

76. The CAFE Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser - adult book - explanation of a reading workshop system, some good elements for 5th grade but seems better for primary - 8/10

77. Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War One by Ann Bausum - middle grade/young adult - background information and story about World War One - excellent connections to 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan today - 12/10

78. Photo by Brady: A Picture of the Civil War by Jennifer Armstrong - middle grade/young adult - background story of the Matthew Brady and Civil War photography, super pictures, hard text - 8/10

Didn't quite make my summer goal but came very close!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Summer Reading Challenge Weeks 9 & 10

62. March by Geraldine Brooks - adult - the story of the dad from Little Women during the Civil War - 8/10

63. Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster - adult - romantic fluff, but fun - 10/10

64. Best Books for Boys by Pam Allyn - adult - reading ideas and lists for boy readers, not much new - 8/10

65. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix - middle grade - second book in series about children who were stolen from their place in history, raised in modern America, and are being sent back in time to fix things - 10/10

66. A Pemberly Medley by Abigail Reynolds - adult - five P&P short novellas in one book, varying quality - 9/10

67. Abduction by Peg Kehret - middle grade - Kindergarten student disappears from school, gripping story but some security measures out of date - 9/10

68. The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg - young adult - two boys discover a mystery and work to right a wrong, seems to recycle some plot ideas from her other novels - 8/10

69. Leading Change in Your School: How to Conquer Myths, Build Commitment and Get Results by Douglas B. Reeves - adult - interesting book with some good ideas, not a long read - 9/10

70. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks - adult - gripping story, interesting plot layout - 9/10