Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

It doesn't take much to get me to read a book.  An amazing cover and tweets from Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp...that will pretty much do it.  This is how I came upon Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee.

As I spent my days indoors during the great "Polar Vortex" of 2014, I happened upon Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy on NetGalley.  I had already requested it at the library, but when I thought about waiting until January 28 or popping it onto my Kindle in 10 seconds...well I didn't have to flip a coin.

Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard ranks right up there with my most favorite of characters...Harry Potter, Hazel from Breadcrumbs, Flora from Flora & Ulysses.  

Ophelia has just lost her mother.  She is sad and she is lost and her relationship with the rest of her family is different now.  She and her sister, Alice, have traveled with their father as he prepares for a great exhibition of swords in a mysterious museum with a mysterious curator.  

As Ophelia spends her time exploring this museum, she comes across a hidden door.  When she peers through the keyhole, she finds another eye peering right back at her.  Ophelia has discovered the Marvelous Boy, locked away from the world by the Snow Queen.  He's been waiting for someone for many years and he thinks that Ophelia is just the person to help him.

I didn't read any reviews or summaries of this book before starting, so it was a surprise to me that this was another story based on the Snow Queen.  If you have read my blog in the past, you will know that Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu is one of my favorite books of all time.  As I read, I was thinking about how awesome it would be to read this with my class, who I have shared Breadcrumbs with.  I think we would have fantastic discussions about how both authors incorporated aspects of The Snow Queen.  

So now to figure out if I can squeeze this book into my read aloud schedule...

Have you read Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy?  I'd love to hear what you thought!

Happy Reading!

It's Monday..What Are You Reading?

I'm joining Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers in sharing my reading this week.  Head on over to their blogs to see what others are reading and link up your own post!

This is the Arctic Blast edition of It's Monday!  What Are You Reading?  I just received the phone call that school is cancelled again tomorrow due to cold temps...more time for hot tea, books, and a little Netflix!  Though I am getting a little anxious to get back into a routine.  I even had an email from a student today, sad that we were out of school.

Here's what I read last week...

YA Books

We Were Liars was on my Must Read in 2014 list.  It doesn't come out until May, but I happened upon an ARC on NetGalley and devoured it in about 3 hours.  I highly recommend it!

Cinder was also on my Must Read in 2014 list.  I liked how different it was from the usual dystopian novel.

  

I read If I Stay last week and was happy to get this sequel right away.  It was interesting hearing from Adam's point of view.  I wasn't into this book too much until the ending (possibly because I just don't get into music that much), but I am really glad I finished it!  If you read the first book, you should definitely read this one too.

Picture Books

I love books with illustrations done in unusual mediums.  This is a wordless book that I will definitely share with my 5th graders!  (When we share wordless books, I place the book next to some chart paper, kids read it when they have time and jot their thoughts.  After about a week, we will talk about it as a class.)

I think I will enjoy sharing this story with my little niece when she is slightly older.  Someone is stealing the bedtime stories from all the animals...and they will be surprised to find out who it is and why he's stealing them.  

Reading Plans For This Week

I just found Ophelia and The Marvelous Boy on NetGalley, so this one is up first!

Happy Reading...Stay Warm!

Must Read in 2014

As I've been poking around Twitter during this winter break, I came across a great idea shared by Carrie Gelson who blogs at There's a Book for That.  She shared her list of books that she "Must Read in 2014".  Beyond making a Goodreads goal, I don't do much goal setting for my reading life.  If I see a book I like/want to read, I add it to my to-read list or read it right away.  I decided to join this group on Twitter to see how setting this goal would go for me.  Here's my list of Must Reads in 2014...

                          

                                    READ - 4/30/2014               READ - 1/2/14

                     
 READ 1/13/2014                                                           READ 1/20/2014

                    

                 READ 1/5/2014

                    

                 

                READ 5/31/2014                          READ 1/11/2014              READ 3/8/2014

As I was looking over my Goodreads to-read list, I realized that this could go on and on forever.  So I decided to stop at 12 15.  I've got some middle-grade fiction and a non-fiction, some YA, and an adult fiction and nonfiction.  Some old, some new.  I'm excited!

I'm looking forward to watching the progress of everyone else during this challenge.  You can follow this challenge on Twitter at #MustReadIn2014.

Also...here's a link to other participants and their posts!  

Happy Reading!

**Update - I started this post yesterday...and today I found WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart on Netgalley.  Three hours later, I can check that book off my list.  

Top Ten of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Head on over to see more Top Ten lists!

This is the first time I am participating in Top Ten Tuesday, though I have read and enjoyed many of the blog posts in the past.  I was going to do a Favorites of 2013 list anyway, so I figured I would link up today!

My Top Ten of 2013

Winger by Andrew Smith

Even though it's hard to pick a TOP book of the year...I think this one does it for me.  Any book that can make me laugh and cry and then punch me in the gut is a sure-fire winner!

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Two of the best, most memorable characters ever!

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

I just love the voice in this book.  I reviewed it here.

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

While Breadcrumbs is still my favorite, this one was amazing as well.  I reviewed it here.

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadahota

This is another book with very memorable characters.  I reviewed it here.

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Callie has spent her life running from town to town with her mother who kidnapped her as a child.  When she is caught, she is sent to live with the father she barely knew.  Callie is one of my favorite characters of the year.  

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series that comes out in January!

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Considering You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies ever, it's no surprise that I loved this book.

Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'd love for this book to get some Newbery love in January!

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

Looking forward to this sequel, Jinx's Magic, coming out next week!

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm joining Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers in sharing my reading this week.  Head on over to their blogs to see what others are reading and link up your own post!

I haven't posted an IMWAYR post in quite awhile.  But since I am once again attempting a winter break book-a-day, I thought I'd recap my reading so far.  I've been in quite a reading rut, I think that between Thanksgiving and winter break, I only read picture books, not one complete novel to be found.  Thankfully, having time to travel and rest over the last week has brought me back to my usual reading habits!

YA Books

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.  A different take on the usual dystopian novel.  Water has become extremely scarce, and therefore, extremely valuable.  Lynn and her mother have lived alone for her entire 16 years, their main goal for survival is keeping their water supply safe from others.  This is the book that brought me out of my reading rut...it's fantastic!  I'm really looking forward to anything this author writes in the future!

Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson

I think someone recommended this on their blog, so I checked it out as a quick, Christmas-themed, read.  It's a collection of 3 short stories that have intertwining characters and events.  I enjoyed reading the first story and getting a glimpse of a character, then reading the next two to see how their story fit in with the others.  

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

This book starts out with a seemingly perfect-for-each-other family spending an unexpected snow day together.  Quickly, things turn to tragedy and Mia is fighting for her life.  It kind of reminded me of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which I also loved.  There is a sequel to this book, Where She Went, which I have requested at the library and will hopefully be reading soon.

Absent by Katie Williams

I would actually kind-of put this book in a category with the above book, and the Lauren Oliver book.  Paige has recently died as a result of falling off the roof of school during physics class.  She and her fellow ghosts, two other kids who also died at school, are bound to the school grounds.  As she listens to her fellow classmates deal with her death, she starts hearing awful rumors about herself and sets out to set the record straight.  This was a really short book and I loved it!

Middle Grade Books

The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman

I loved this companion book to The Grimm Legacy.  The whole premise is so intriguing - a mysterious library in the middle of New York City where guests can borrow objects from history - including magical items from fairy tales and science-fiction.  I think I'm going to do a blog post about this one later this week.  

The Hidden Summer by Gin Phillips

Nell and Lydia have been best friends for ages.  However, their mothers do not get along, and Lydia's mom has forbidden her to see Nell all summer.  Nell comes up with a plan for them to be able to spend the long summer days together because she can't bear to be in her house with her unpredictable mother.  This is a book where I felt like nothing much happened, but it was beautifully written.  Here's an example from the beginning where Nell describes her mother:

"I am an expert when it comes to reading my mother, but that doesn't mean I don't make mistakes.  The trick is to tell when she's in a carnivore mood or a herbivore mood.  (Carnivores have sharp teeth for biting.  You shouldn't get too close.  But herbivores never attack.)" p. 8

I really felt bad for Nell and wanted everything to change for her in this book.  But as she says at the beginning, "Don't go thinking that this story will end with my mother coming to her senses and realizing her mistakes and begging me to forgive her." p. 16

Picture Book

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

I read this one to my sweet little niece...she's not quite 1, so I don't know what she thought of it.  But I think it's cute!

Currently Reading

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Possible Reads This Week

                    

HAPPY WINTER-BREAK READING!

Flora & Ulysses

Hello?  Hello?

Is this thing on?

Oh, it's working.  Guess that can't be my excuse for going silent for 2 months...

Anyway...

I recently read Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo.  As soon as I finished I thought, "This is a book I have to blog about."

The place to start with this book is literally the first page of Chapter One.  I just can't get enough of Flora in this book...I am obsessed with the voice Kate DiCamillo has chosen to use.

Flora Belle Buckman was in her room at her desk.  She was very busy.  She was doing two things at once.  She was ignoring her mother, and she was also reading a comic book entitled The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto! (p. 5)

See what I mean?  It's amazing.

In this book, Flora's neighbor, Mrs. Tickham, receives a vacuum cleaner for her birthday.  (NOTE TO HUSBANDS:  THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.)  Even if it is a Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X.

Let's just say this doesn't go over well with Mrs. Tickham, Mr. Tickham tries to impress her with its features, and the vacuum ends up flying out the door, into the backyard, and sweeping up a squirrel.

Flora sees all of this from her bedroom window.  And since one of her favorite comics is titled "Terrible Things Can Happen To You", she is always prepared for disaster.  She rescues the squirrel (now named Ulysses), who has gained some unexpected superpowers.  

So begins the story.  

There is quite a cast of unusual characters - 

Flora's mother - a romance novelist - Flora cannot stand romance

Flora's father - who will always introduce himself, even if he's met you before

William Spiver - who is "suffering from temporary blindness induced by trauma"

Mary Ann - a shepherdess-shaped lamp that Flora's mother loves dearly

The more I got into this book, the more I felt for Flora.  She feels misunderstood by her mother.  She doesn't get to see her father that often.  Ulysses is the first "person" that she has felt emotions for in quite some time.

There is one more passage I need to share.  Kate DiCamillo's words can be so powerful:

(This is a conversation with her mother - but I don't want to give too much away)

Those four words (so small, so simple, so ordinary) came flying at Flora like enormous slabs of stone.  She actually felt herself tip sideways as they hit her.  She put up a hand and held on to Ulysses.  She used the squirrel to steady herself. (p. 151)

Powerful stuff.  I think that would be a great passage to use as a mentor text in writing. 

I also have many kids in my class who love writing graphic novels.  Since this book has some short comics (amazing illustrations by K.G. Campbell) in between some chapters, I think it would be a great mentor for incorporating narrative and comics into one piece of writing.

Obviously, I loved this book.  After checking it out from the library, I bought a copy for my classroom.  But (and I do have a "but" about this book), I am not sure if the humor will make it through to my 5th graders.  It "might" be one of those books that adults can appreciate more than kids.  I do have two kiddos in mind that I am going to recommend it to first...I'm actually hoping to snag another copy and maybe they can try reading it together.

Have you read Flora & Ulysses?  Have any of your students read it?  I'd love to hear what you think!  

Wake Up Missing

Let's just say, I am a huge fan of Kate Messner.  I read The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. a couple years ago, and I thought, "This is an author I need to have on the shelves of my classroom".  Kate Messner "gets" kids.  As a former teacher, she knows how kids sound and how kids act.  All of her books have such real and believable characters.  I recently read her book Eye of the Storm (review here) and loved it.  And when I heard that there was another science-based novel coming out, I knew I had to read it ASAP.  Thankfully, my friend Stephanie sent me an ARC to read.

Cat has had a life-changing concussion.  She has lingering headaches, trouble focusing, and dizziness.  She is unable to do many of the outdoor activities that she has loved her whole life.  When she and her mother learn about a cutting edge brain-injury center in the Florida Everglades, they jump at the chance to send her.  Cat is nervous for her mom to leave her, but she really wants to get better.  When she arrives, she meets three other kids her age who are also being treated for similar brain injuries.  Things look great at the start, state of the art labs, two smart doctors, kids who say they feel better already.  But Cat is observant.  She notices everything.  She starts to get a funny feeling when she learns about two other kids who are supposedly there, but she never sees them.  She overhears the doctors talking about the DNA of dead scientists and a girl who isn't getting better.  Cat knows something is up and has to convince the others that things might not be what they seem.

Just like Eye of the Storm, this book is fast-paced and exciting.  I read it in one sitting and was sad for it to end.  Kate Messner does a fabulous job researching her books...this book taught me about the science of brain injury and also a lot about the Florida Everglades.  I hope she has some more of these sci-fi type novels to come!

This books comes out on September 10th!  I can't wait to get a copy for my classroom!

Here are some other Kate Messer books I love:

Capture the Flag

Over and Under the Snow

Marty McGuire

Real Revision

Have you read Wake Up Missing?  I'd love to hear what you think!