BLOG TOUR: WIG IN THE WINDOW by Kristen Kittscher

 

 

Today, my blog is a stop in the WIG IN THE WINDOW blog tour! On this type of tour, books make a stop at a "location" for readers to peruse. No tickets are needed, and if you want to visit the book again, you can!

 

 

THE WIG IN THE WINDOW by Kristen Kittshcher
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication date: June 18, 2013
Pages: 368

Friendships are so important to us, but ESPECIALLY when we're young and ESPECIALLY as we grow into becoming who we were meant to be, and when we're learning all about ourselves and becoming more and more independent.

In THE WIG IN THE WINDOW, Sophie and Grace are twelve-years old and best friends. Grace is homeschooled and Sophie is  making her way through Luna Vista Middle School. Along the way, they conduct midnight spy missions in their neighborhood and go on stakeouts.  They have walkie talkies and flashlights and use words like "Roger" and "check" and "standard procedure". One night they come across a very scary scene at the home of the school counselor, and from that point on, trouble and adventure ensue! What really happened? What did they overhear? What did they see? What is the real story behind this mysterious counselor? It's a mystery with secret codes, trespassing, and a suspicious blue car that seems to be everywhere! Sophie narrates the story and takes us through her classes, lunch table angst, and relationships with family and fellow seventh graders. Trista Bottoms, a classmate and very interesting and clever character also joins in. The plot takes us through a crazy set of turns and plot twists, and as Sophie shares her thinking, the reader is also trying to figure everything out and being entertained along the way, too. Sophie and Grace are smart and adventurous characters who get themselves in many sticky situations!

A WIG IN THE WINDOW is a suspenseful, fast and funny mystery perfect for middle school readers or older. Kristen Kittscher is a VERY talented writer, skilled at crafting humor and realistic dialogue into a very witty plot that keeps you reading and guessing.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so read the book to see how it all turns out! And make sure you visit the other stops on this blog tour, too!

How I Organize My Classroom Library

We're nearing the end of the year, and, as this post is published, I will slowly begin taking down my classroom to begin a new and very exciting journey.

But as I start to pull down items and pack them up, an email from a friend has me thinking about my classroom library. My friend, also a 4th grade teacher, recently asked me how my library was organized. As I typed my email response, I thought I would share it here. It is, after all, the last classroom library I will ever set up.

First, I buy clear plastic shoeboxes which are available at most stores for dollar or a little over. (I save the lids for later.)

Next, I apply labels I have printed. I buy labels (nametags) that go with my theme. I use these categories:

• historical fiction
• mysteries
• realistic fiction
• Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees (past and present)
• Newbery Medal
• Caldecott Medal
• humor
• animal fiction
• fantasy
• adventure
• classics
• school/friendship
• graphic novels (right now I have 6 boxes of these)
• Series (39 Clues, Infinity Ring, Lightning Thief, Boxcar Children, Magic TreeHouse, Weird School series, Lemony Snicket, Babymouse, Lunch Lady, Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and more!)
• By author: (Sharon Creech, Kirby Larson, Andrew Clements, Jenni Holm, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, C.A. London, Peg Kehret, and more!. )

(Picture books have their own display shelf that is separate and just as prominent in our classroom.)
My categories/genres have changed each year with each class, and with the new offerings each year, adjustments are necessary. I retire some genres/categories, and multiply others (i.e. graphic novels). I keep up with what's available, I read everything I can, and I pay attention to what my students are bringing in to read on their own. Eventually, a student will ask if they can put together a box for class favorites. I don't ever have to bring this up. It's true that as my students grow in their ability/tastes, we work together to curate OUR collections. Yes, it's a classroom library filled with worn paperbacks, and food-stained pages ;-) , but to my 4th graders and me, these books have become the basis for rich discussion, interaction, collaboration, and connections.

I will have to pack up this classroom library very soon. And now that I have written this post, I realize that I learned so much from it--and that this learning will serve me well in my new destination!

This is my BEFORE picture.  (As I sorted the stacks, I slowed down my own work because I stopped to read favorite books I hadn't seen in awhile.)


This is the AFTER. But as the year progresses, things DO get moved around a bit!
 

 

 

How do you organize your classroom library? (Notice I didn't talk at all about checkouts! That's for another post!)

 

Review: RUMP: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

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RUMP: THE  TRUE STORY OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN by Liesl Shurtliff

Published: 4/9/13
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

I am forever looking for good middle grade books.  And I know a few other #nerdybookclub friends who are always on the hunt for MG, too. So when a few of my friends were on Twitter last weekend tweeting about RUMP: THE TRUE STORY OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN, I knew I needed to read it for myself. I got a copy and immediately started reading. And, immediately, I was hooked. I read it in one day!  (An early summer #bookaday!)

The story grabbed me from the very beginning. Rump lives in The Village, by The Mountain, and in The Kingdom. His mother died right after he was born, and she did so before saying his entire name. So for the entirety of his very short life, he's been known to all as Rump, and he's teased about it often. Raised by his poor grandmother and under the oppressive rule of King Barf, Rump has lived a hard life. But he knows there's more to his mother's story, and when he discovers some magic, he sets out on a journey to learn more about his mother's past and his destiny and save himself from an inescapable dilemma.

Rump is the backstory to a fairy tale, and with interesting characters such as pixies, trolls, and gnomes, reading this story is one fantastic adventure! It is a page-turner, exciting and suspenseful, and even though you might know the fairy tale, this book will make you feel like you are hearing it all for the first time.

Have you read this book?

Review: Waiting for the Magic

WAITING FOR THE MAGIC by Patricia MacLachlan
Published: 9/30/2011
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

I'm so excited about our Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for 2013-2014! The list is full of good titles--which makes it a great source for summer reading.

One of the titles on this amazing list is WAITING FOR THE MAGIC by Patricia MacLachlan. In my opinion, Patricia MacLachlan wrote the most perfect sentences in SARAH PLAIN TALL (winner of the Newbery Medal in 1986), and I love rereading this book every year. (With each new group of students, I do my best to make sure this book gains new fans!)

WAITING FOR THE MAGIC is also about a family going through a tough time (just like Sarah Plain and Tall). In this book, Papa has left his family to go off to write, and in the transition, Mama takes the kids to adopt a pet, but comes home with more than one. As the children adapt without Papa, the pet(s) help the family with the sadness, acceptance and rebuilding that happens. The children are adorable, and you grow to love every pet, too. There IS magic in this book, and there is lots of love, too.  Families with love create magic every day!

Does Papa return? What is the magic? How does love bind a family together? You must read this book to find out!

I can't wait to recommend this book to my students -- present and future!

Have you read this book? What other Patricia MacLachlan books do you recommend?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 5/20/13

It's Monday! I join Jen and Kellee over at Teach Mentor Texts in this meme as often as I can.

This week I read:

WAITING FOR THE MAGIC by Patricia MacLachlan
Published: 9/30/2011
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

This title is on our Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for 2013-2014. I really loved it and I will review it tomorrow here.  It is heartwarming & sweet and it may make you want another pet!  

RUMP: THE  TRUE STORY OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN by Liesl Shurtliff
Published: 4/9/13
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

I read this book in one day, and I did so because a few of my Twitter friends were reading it, too. I really loved it, and I will review this one Wednesday. (It showed me how important it is to talk about books to others: that act in itself inspires more reading! 

What I'm reading now and what I will read this week:

 


I have so many good titles waiting for me, I can't make up my mind. How does a reader finally settle on ONE book to read? It is a miracle!

 I have two weeks before my next semester of grad school starts, so I am taking advantage of all of my reading time & reading every spare second! 

What are YOU reading?

A Good Thing to Do

On May 3rd, I celebrated SCHOOL LUNCH SUPERHERO DAY with my schoolwide book clubs. It was a great day and I tweeted about it several times. (Follow the #SchoolLunchSuperHeroDay hashtag to see all the tweets!)

During this time, my students lent a copy of one of the Lunch Lady books (by Jarrett. J. Krosoczka) to our cafeteria staff. We were glad to do it! They had never heard of the books.

Then the other day, I found the following note in my teacher mailbox:

Isn't this a nice note? I totally didn't expect it, and it absolutely made my day. When we share our passions, it always has an impact on others. And we never know who we will connect with. Sharing good books with people who matter to us --that's a very good thing to do!

What books will you share with your staff?

The Books Will Remain

As I sat around our classroom recently gathering my materials for the next day, I looked around at the border, posters, and objects I'd arranged in my classroom at the beginning of the year. This year, I decided to NOT put up premade displays, and instead have my students' work be the focus. I'm still glad I did that. I can see the drawings and handmade signs and smile. It was always their classroom. Not mine.

Our classroom library

 

I also see the classroom library and I remember those 3 days in July that I spent setting it all up. Arranging and rearranging. Weeding. Buying new titles. Labeling those plastic boxes. So many printings of labels! (I held up my own schedule because I often stopped to reread titles as I worked. I couldn't help myself!) Now, I look at the books and think of the students that read them over the year. I remember the first trip to the classroom library on the first day of school. And I remember the trips I made to the bookstore to fill my library. Worth every trip and every dollar.

As I pack up these books at the end of year (approaching very quickly), I will remember so much about my students, our library, and our reading.

I will remember the book talks and conversations. I will remember the excitement over new releases and the circling of Tuesdays on our school calendar. I will remember meaningful conferences with readers, the sign-up sheets for sought-after titles, and the towering book stacks on the corners of desks. I will also remember the lost books--so popular and coveted they never returned to my classroom library. (I am confident  they are with the readers who really need them.) I will remember my joy as I glanced over and saw readers with their noses in their favorite books. I will remember 5th graders walking into my classroom library to check out books, how our principal borrowed HOW TO STEAL A DOG after sitting in on a discussion, and my own faculty book clubs with fellow teachers.

The time will come to a close. The calendar will tell us the year is over. There will be no more talk around the shelves as my students decide what to read. But the books will remain in readers' hearts, and hopefully, my students will cling to their love of reading forever.

As my students and I take the next step in our life's journey, book will remain with all of us. The books will always remain.