Lauren

=Book Log=
 * # || =Book Title= || =Author= || =E, JR, C= || =Date Completed= ||
 * ==1== || Little Dog Lost || Marion Dane Bauer || JR || summer ||
 * ==2== || The Familiars || Adam Jay Epsein and Andrew Jacobson || JR || summer ||
 * ==3== || Dewy The Library Cat || Vicki Myron and Bret Witter || JR || abandoned ||
 * ==4== || Everything For a Dog || Ann M Martin || C || abandoned ||
 * ==5== || Turtle in Paridise || Jennifer L Holm ||  || abandoned ||
 * ==6== || Silverwing || kennath oppel || read aloud || long time ago ||
 * **7** || the ghost of grutchfield hall || Mary Downing Hahn ||  || abandond ||
 * **8** || surviving the applewhites || Stephanie S Tolan || JR/C ||  ||
 * 9 || tortilla sun ||  || read aloud || before Christmas break ||
 * 10 || City of ember || Jeanne DuPrau || JR ||  ||
 * 11 || the hunger games ||  ||   ||   ||
 * 12 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 13 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 14 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 15 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 16 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * 17 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

Mrs. Palmieri recommends...
Hi Lauren! I am reading The City Of Ember for a guided reading book like you. A question I have about the book is why is there is all of these power outages and the city keeps getting shut down? Another thing I am wondering is why didn't Doon want to have the messenger job? I wonder if there is like going to be something wrong about the job? I can't wait to find out what you are reading?
 * ==#== || ==Book Title== || ==Author== ||
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 * ==2== ||  ||   ||
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Sincerely, Elizabeth

Hi Mrs.Palmieri I cant believe how fast the school year went by either. right now I'm mainly focusing on reading The City Ember and writing my questions. so far I'm wondering if any thing I remember from the movie happens like when Lina and Doon find out mayor Cole is stealing food from the people of Ember. I like the part of the book when the longest power outage happened because it was suspenseful, would she find Poppy. sincerely Lauren.

Hi Lauren-

I can't believe how fast this school year is flying! I am so glad that we read __Tortilla Sun__ too, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It reminded me how fun it can be to read a book out loud "cold"- like I have never read it before so I get to ask questions and make predictions right along with you guys. __***I'd like to read another book by this author, Jennifer Cervantes,because I enjoyed the beautiful imagery she created when she described the village with such beautiful colors.**__ **On page 22 she describes Albuquerque from the airplane- "it looked like brown sandpaper stretched between a giant mountain in the east and a long green ribbon of trees in the west. The river beyond the valley curled back and forth across the landscape as if it were looking for a place to rest." That's one of the many beautiful descriptions I enjoyed.**


 * I'm glad that we made the decision to read another MCBA. I like __Tuckernuck__ so far. I wouldn't say I love it, yet. It's hard when a book doesn't grab you right away. I know many students have mentioned that this book is kind of hard to follow- and I agree. This might be another good reason that we are reading it together so that we can talk about and think about everything that is going on and help each other to understannd. Actually, I think one of the parts I'm struggling with most in the book are the main characters. When I read a book, I tend to like something about the main character right away- Ex. I love Shade and Marina.**
 * In Tuckernuck, I like and feel sympathetic to Bud; his mom is gone, dad seems intense, and other kids seem to think he's kiss up. But Laurie, I just don't like her. I feel like she acts bratty like on page 40 where she says, "Sorry Bud no dice. I found it, okay? All you did was act like a klutz. This paper means treasure, and sorry, I'm not giving it up." **


 * Do you this Laurie is bratty? Do you think Bud is annoying? Do you think they will change through this story?**


 * I would love to hear about your guided reading book or other books you are reading too.**


 * I would especially like it if you could find a quote like I did above to back up your ideas.**


 * Your friend,**
 * Mrs. P:)**


 * December 14, 2014**
 * Hello Lauren!**


 * I'm really enjoying __Tortilla Sun too__ ! I enjoy that I am reading this with you guys for the first time- it adds to the adventure for me too! I think the setting of this book, the little village in New Mexico, is important to the story as it's adding to the mystery and fantasy elements of the story. Izzy didn't know that her father had spent time there and that so many people would have known him and I predict that this is going to help her get to know the dad she never knew and maybe solve the mystery of the words on the baseball. **


 * I would like to think that I might get to read a book or two over vacation. It would be a great way to relax, but with the baby I'm guessing I might be too busy :) Sometimes right before Christmas, I like to read my favorite holiday sections of the "Little House" series. Do you know these famous books by Laura Ingalls Wilder? They are the description of her own growing up in the late 1800s in places like Wisconsin, Kansas and South Dakota. I enjoy how simple their life was and I love how she describes their festivities. For example- in**
 * __By the Shores of Silver Lake__, pg. 180, "Frost was thick on the windowpanes and frost furred the cracks around the door. Thickly against the clear upper edges of the windowpanes the snowflakes fluttered. But lamplight was bright on the red-and-white tablecloth, and the fire glowed behind the open drafts of the stove."**


 * Talk to you soon,**
 * Mrs. P**


 * December 9, 2014 **


 * Dear Mrs. P, **
 * I love Tortilla Sun so far it grabs my attention. The book is mysterious and while you read it you wonder what the missing words are. I predict that Izzy will search for information about her dad. I also predict that the talking trees are just somebody playing a trick on her. I wonder if she will want to go on the treasure hunt. **
 *  I have been to the Smithsonian museum and I saw the flag. It was so cool and old looking. But the rules were no phototoghraphy I really wish that I could have taken a pictures. **
 * your friend, **
 *  Lauren **


 * December 7, 2014**


 * Hi Lauren-**


 * I think what make a lot of scary books so scary is that they start out feeling like realistic fiction- but I wonder if they start to feel more like fantasy when ghostly things start to happen? Has that happened in your book so far? You mentioned that they main character is Florence and she was just adopted by her aunt and uncle. Why does the aunt not like her? Is Grutchfield Hall their house? That sounds like a very grand name- is it a mansion or castle?**


 * One of the other MCBAs I read this summer was __Capture the Flag__. This story captured my attention right away as I have been to see the flag that they were describing being stolen. The real "Star Spangled Banner" is famous for surviving the War of 1812 and can now be seen at a very cool exhibit at the American History Museum (Smithsonian) in Washington D.C. One thing I really like about this book was how it started out with a lot of action and adventure and pulled you as a the reader right in. One thing I would have changed about the story was that it was slow in the middle and I had to push myself to stay interested and to finish it. I assumed that the author would make this into a series and I was interested to find her next two books are called __Hide and Seek__ and __Manhunt__. I like that her book titles seem to match with games that kids like to play- clever.** This book reminded me of several other series where kids work together to have some awesome adventures- like __Chasing Vermeer__ and __I.Q.__ ** Both books involve stolen famous artifacts or artwork, and if you like creative adventures with kids trying to solve the mysteries you would probably like these books too.

In my next letter I'm going to talk about __Tortilla Sun__- what do you think of it so far?

Talk to you soon, Mrs. Palmieri

November 24 2014

Dear Mrs. P

I do really enjoy animal books but I also LOVE ghost stories. __Right now I am reading the ghost of Grutchfield hall by Mary Downing Hahn__. So far I think this books genre is realistic fiction. I predict that later in the book it will become fiction. After reading these first couple of pages I found out that this book is about a orphan named Florance who's uncle and aunt just adopted her but Florances aunt doesn't like her.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving sincearly, Lauren

November 20, 2014

Dear Lauren,

You seem to really enjoy animal books. Is that one of your favorite genres? I will work to find some good suggestions both for your log above and for book basket in class.

Right now I am slowly reading __The Mark of Athena__. I really enjoy Rick Riordan's books (__The Lightning Thief, Lost Hero__, etc.) I have always LOVED Greek Mythology and was excited to discover a series that included it in modern day situations. I say I am slowly reading as I find myself dozing off at night and also that I'm getting a little bored with the series. I typically love books that are in a series (do you like books in a series?) because I like to have characters that I'm familiar with and can get to know over a series of books. Sometimes I think authors who write very popular series (like J.K. Rowling and __Harry Potter)__ start to write books that get too long and maybe could stand to be edited/revised to make them a more concise story. __The Mark of Athena__ feels like it's just a recycled version of his other books. Demi god kids having adventures, fighting monsters, trying to solve some giant quest or task by the end of the book. I dislike these parts of the book because I feel like I'm bored of the same thing happening over and over again. I've been told by other kids that I should stick with this book and the rest of the series, and I probably will. I just feel a little stuck right now.

Talk to you soon, Mrs. P.

Dear Mrs.Palmieri , I love silverwing so far ,it has so much action and so many cliffhangers. I cant believe that shade is letting Goth and Throb go with him and Marina to the south. it is also surpising and good that shades father is still alive.this book reminds me so much of the MCBA The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstien and Andrew Jacobson because both books are about animals who are on a journey to find something. I'm reading everything for a dog. the auther got me interested when the mother of the pupies goes missing leaving bone and squirelle to find food and shelter for themselves durring the hot summer or the harsh winter.

September 1, 2014 Dear Lauren,

I am so excited to be sharing __Silverwing__ with you this year as a read aloud. This is definitely one of my all time favorite books, which is probably why I can’t imagine starting a school year without sharing it with my class. *The genre of this book is definitely fantasy since I don’t believe that bats and owls have wars or detailed adventures together. I also consider this to be a genre of my own invention- called Animal Adventure. I love the character Shade; he’s one of my all time favorites. *If I could talk to Shade, I would ask him if he thinks it was worth it to break the law and see the sun, especially after what happens to his colony as a result. What do you think of __Silverwing__ so far?

Your friend in reading,

Mrs. Palmieri J