To get an idea of what I read in a typical evening, I read all of these and also got about halfway through Renee Watson's new Piecing Me Together (February 14th 2017 by Bloomsbury).
I wasn't a fan of Accelerated Reader in the past, but it's gotten to the point where my students spend so much time on their phones that they don't read very much unless we hold them accountable, so Accelerated Reader at least motivates a few of them. Phones. Argh. The bane of my existence.
Shoup, Kate.Billie Jean King: The Battle of the Sexes and Title IXJanuary 15th 2016 by Cavendish Square Publishing
This was really great! It followed King's life in a matter-of-fact way, but also gave readers a lot of background information about what it was like in the sociopolitical climate for women in sports. Well illustrated, with plenty of additional information. It quoted a lot from King's own writing, which I thought was a nice touch. This Game Changing Athlete series also includes Roberto Clemente, Althea Gibson/Arthur Ashe, Jesse Owens, Muhammed Ali and Jackie Robinson. I may have to get the whole series.
Kurlansky, Mark and Schindler, S.D. The Story of Salt September 7th 2006 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
This was for my Dewey 500-600 square.
Hand this one to students who think picture books are easy. The Accelerated Reader level on this is 7.0, which is really high. (High school core novels generally have a level of 4.5.)
I like Kurlansky's work, and this was fun.
Shaffer, Jody Jensen. The Way the Cookie Crumbled. July 5th 2016 by Simon Spotlight
Cookbook square (since titles have to be AR for some students.)
Super fun! Who knew that baking ammonia was made from the horns of deer, or that the most popular cookie in the world is NOT chocolate chip? Now I really want The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate, The Deep Dish on Pizza, The Tricks and Treats of Halloween, The Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks, and ALL the other titles. These are great for my struggling readers and are just fun to read.
Courtney Carbone, William Shakespeare. Macbeth #killingit (OMG Shakespeare)January 5th 2016 by Random House Books for Young Readers
This was for my "Recommended by a friend" square. An elementary library aide had asked me about this one.
I don't even know what to do with this. I'm not a Shakespeare fan at all, and I'm even less of a fan of stories told in text messages. Maybe for high school collections with more money than they know what to do with?
Bowden, Rob. United Kingdom (Destination Detectives)April 16th 2007 by Raintree
Book About Another Country in the World
I've given up on keeping the country books up to date. I have bought a few that are just fun to read and have Accelerated Reader tests. That's about the only time these get used. When kids do reports, we get updated statistics from the encyclopedia or CIA World Factbook. I probably need to weed again; anything published before 1990 should go. My standards are really low for these. I have a book about Greece from 1985 because there is a picture of the shop where I bought my briefcase in 1986 in it!
I really like The Story of Salt too! I read it with my son two summers ago when he was a rising 5th grader. It does seem like an easy book because it's a picture book but it's fascinating and was the right level for him. We both enjoyed it, even for me, my second or third time reading it with my kids!
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