Reading At Home

I've had good luck lately introducing new books to the seventh graders in my Research and Reading class.  Several have used these books for their RAH (Reading at Home) presentations.  I Am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler, Ship Breaker by Paola Bacigalupi, and Five Flavors of Dumb by local author Antony John are some current favorites.  Although not a recent book, one of my favorite young adult novels is The Canning Season by Polly Horvath.  Horvath won the 2003 National Book Award for this one!

Random readings

John is reading Social Studies For the Twenty-First Century by Jack Zevin, a professor of social studies education.  Zevin was a secondary school teacher before becoming a professor at Queens College.  This is a recently published book about inquiry and discovery teaching methods.

I have discovered the author Jonathan Carroll; I am currently listening to The Wooden Sea, which is a wonderful mix of humor, oddities, and mystery, the perfect entertainment for a cold winter night.  If you have someone in your life who will read aloud to you, I highly recommend it.

Louise Erdrich, one of my favorites, has a new short story in the January 10 issue of The New Yorker, available at the Crossroads Library or your local public library.

The Giver

The seventh graders recently had the great experience of seeing the play "The Giver," based on the novel of the same name by Lois Lowry.  Lois Lowry will be in St. Louis on Friday, April 15 to deliver the 2011 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture, sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.  Free tickets are available by visiting www.slcl.org/arbuthnot.  I think Lowry is a fantastic speaker and I encourage you to attend!

Holiday Reading

Crossroads folks enjoyed a variety of books over the holiday break (in addition to writing and reading student comments).  Perhaps something will appeal to you! I am sorry not to include links for the titles this time.

Billy wins the award for most books read--
"It was a great break for reading.  In addition to the reading for my second semester class, I read:
Fiction:
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zooet by David Mitchell (beautiful historical fiction)
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (good but not his best)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (very dark, disturbing but absorbing mystery)  --Dave is reading this one right now

Nonfiction:
The Wave by Susan Casey (fascinating study of giant, rogue waves and the people who study and surf them)
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner (great new study of Lincoln's evolution on slavery)
The Publisher: Henry R. Luce and His American Century by Alan Brinkley (good biography of the publisher of Time-Life)

Billy says, "I'm now reading Pauline Meier's Ratification (study of the ratification debate on the American Constitution) and Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs."

Here is Anne Treeger Huck's note:  "I LOVED the magical realist trippiness of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and the harrowingly beautiful Room by Emma Donoghue.  I'm reading Trollope's Lady Anna now and enjoying imagining my biggest worry to be whether or not I'd regain my Countess status!"

David is a Kennedy buff so he read The Kennedy Details over the holidays.  It's written by Gerald Blaine, a Secret Service agent who served on President Kennedy's White House detail.

Elaine enjoyed The French Lieutenant's Woman, one of the classics she's been meaning to read.   Heather is enjoying The Elegance of a Hedgehog.  Joan read House Rules by Jodi Picoult, a portrayal of someone with Aspberger's Syndrome.

Both Dave and Mike read Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand.  Dave also read Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.  He is currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  Mike also read Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number by Jacob Timerman.

Cliff re-read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because of his disappointment in the movie's significant departures from the book.

That's all for now!