When You Reach Me

Finished this book with my class yesterday and they loved it!!!!

My students awarded this book ***** 5 stars!!! Most are anxious to read A Winkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time: Madeline L'Engle

So I finally finished this book and I have to say I really enjoyed it. There is a connection to When You Reach Me. I can see the connection with Miranda and Meg, two girls about 12 with no father and this great mystery to solve. I am really not one to read sci fi books about space and time, but this book has a great storyline!! Even though it was written in the 70's it is clearly a classic. I hope I have tilme to read this to my class before the year ends.

When You Reach Me: 2010 winner

When You Reach Me: by Rebecca Stead

Just finished this book recently and am now reading it to my 5th graders and they love it. I really liked it I couldn't put it down. My class is having a fun time trying to.figure out who "you" is in the story. This book is an brilliant mix of realistic fiction, mystery and sci fi. Rebecca Stead talks on her website about her favorite author as a kid being, Madeleine L'Engle . So naturally the book A Wrinkle In Time (Newbery winner) has a connection. This is actually,the book I am reading now and should finish tonight. I.definitely recommend this book.

Number the Stars: Lois Lowry 1990

Number the Stars: Lois Lowry 1990

I start with this book because this is the book that really inspired me to get started on this process. A college professor in an undergrad reading course at Fitchburg State College read this book to our class. She did more then model how to read a book aloud to a class, she opened my eyes to the amount of wonderful literature was out there that I never read. This book won in 1990 I was in 6th grade and really wished on of my teacher had read this me because it is one of the most spectacular books ever!

A wonderful historical fiction book about a girl growing up in Demark during WWII, and her struggle and her familes to save the Jewish community. A must read!!! I read this every Sept. to my class and I still get tears in my eyes every time!

I had the privilage to hear Lois Lowry speak just a few weeks ago at Fitchburg State, she is truly an amazing author. I have read most of her books and will blog on them soon. If your new the the Newbery list start here! Let me know what you think.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I am a 5th grade teacher who truly loves children's literature, especially novels. I have been teaching for 8 years and have discovered so many wonderful children's books that I never knew existed. When I was in elementary schools (in the 1980's) I recall only a few of my teachers that read books to our classes, but those are some of my best memories of school. I now find that my 5th graders love read aloud time and they can't wait for me to read the next chapter. I hope to bring the joy of reading to all the children that I teach and by doing this I need to read as much literature as I can. Kids learn to read by reading books, not these curriculum series that large publishers make school buy because it appeals to the state and the districts. These do very little to get kids to be life long readers and to read for pleasure.

It is my goal to read every Newbery Award winning book, and blog about each one so that hopefully other teachers and kids will want to read them as well. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. I am now just discovering wonderful books that were never introduced to me as a child that I am now reading with my classes, and of course each year there a new awarded book named.

I have never been disappointed yet with a book from this list! I have no idea how long it will take me to read all of these books since I have only ready a handful and the list began in the 1920's, but I will finish eventually.