Victoria

=Book Log= Bauer || E || Summer ||
 * # || =Book Title= || =Author= || =E, JR, C= || =Date Completed= ||
 * ==1== || Little Dog Lost || Marion Dane
 * ==2== || Sprinkles and Secrets || Lisa Schroeder || JR || Summer ||
 * ==3== || Liar and Spy || Rebecca Stead || JR || ? ||
 * ==4== || I Survived Shark Attacks || Lauren Tarshis || E || ? ||
 * ==5== || The Fenway Foul Up || David A. Kelly || E || 9/17/14 ||
 * ==6== || The Book Of Elsewhere || Jacqueline West || JR || 9/24/14 ||
 * =7= || White Fur Flying || Patricia Maclachlan || E || 9/30/14 ||
 * =8= || Infestation || Timothy Bradley || JR || November ||
 * =9= || Paint The Wind || Pam Munoz Ryan || C || December ||
 * =10= || Pictures of Hollis Woods || Patricia Reilly Giff || JR || 12-2-14 ||
 * =11= || Tortilla Sun || Jennifer Cervantes || JR || December ||
 * =12= || Dewey The Library Cat || Vicki Myron || JR || December ||
 * ==13== || Wait till Helen comes || Mary Downing Hahn || JR ||  ||
 * ==14== || When Life Gives you OJ || Erica Perl || JR ||  ||
 * ==15== || City of Ember || Jeanne Duprau || JR ||  ||

Mrs. Palmieri recommends...

 * ==#== || ==Book Title== || ==Author== ||
 * ==1== || Paint the Wind || Pam Munoz Ryan ||
 * ==2== || Journey to the River Sea || Eva Ibbotson ||
 * ==3== || Ruby Holler || Sharon Creech ||
 * ==4== ||  ||   ||

Dear Mrs. Palmieri, So far I definitely agree with you that Laurie is a brat and personally I feel the only character that you can connect with throughout the story is Bud. I feel this way because Bud has a sad past and the book did a really great job helping you understand how Bud is feeling but he is a little annoying and can get on your nerves. If I could talk to a character in the book I would ask Ponch or John why they are so vicious.

One of the books I am reading and enjoying a lot is __Wait Till Helen Comes__ which is the book that Lauren did for her book talk. My favorite character by far is Molly she's curious, kind, and can sometimes be a little wimpy but that makes her more interesting. Another character in this book is Heather. I can't stand her! she's bratty, mischievous, and is constantly lying to get poor Molly in trouble. On page 6 of the book Molly states "We were perfectly happy before Heather came along." The reason Molly and Heather are forced to hang out together is that Molly's mom and Heather's dad, Dave got Married which makes Heather and Molly sisters! Both Heather and Molly hate the idea of that. But I predict towards the end of the story Heather and Molly might start to like each other and even help each other out.

Sincerely, Victoria

Hi Victoria-

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 9, 2014**
 * Dear Mrs. Palmieri,**


 * I am so glad we are reading an MCBA in class and cant believe we are already almost done,that is amazing! The author of Tortilla Sun got me interested when Izzy found the mysterious baseball with the words because magic and a smudged space was discovered in between the two words which made it even more fascinating . I cant wait to keep reading this awesome book especially because that will be another sticker to put on the MCBA chart!**


 * Hollis Woods is another book I would like to talk about. I cant believe we finished it that's so exciting. My favorite character is definitely Hollis because you can really connect to her throughout the story. I did not predict that the book would end like that. I thought Hollis was going to end up living with Josie and that they would keep each other company. This ending I like a lot better then the other one I predicted because she gets to see Steven and his family again and Josie is happy living with Beatrice.**


 * Talk to you later,**
 * Victoria**


 * December 7, 2014**
 * Dear Victoria-**


 * I'm so excited that you took my recommendation of reading __Paint the Wind.__ The author, Pam Munoz Ryan, has been on the MCBA list many times and this was my favorite book from about four years ago. I think one of the reasons I loved it was because I loved horses growing up and I had many little horse figurines like Maya does. I don't want to give too much away, but I assume that you are already up to the part of the book where Maya leaves California for her mother's family in Wyoming. Going to live with these people she has never met reminds me a little of __Tortilla Sun__ that we just started to read. Although Izzy does know her grandmother, she has never spent time in New Mexico like Maya will find great adventures living in Wyoming. Boy is Maya's life going to change!**


 * 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.

Talk to you soon, Mrs. Palmieri

December 3 2014 Dear Mrs. Palmieri,

I read up to six chapters in the book __Paint The Wind__. I cant believe my favorite character Maya has tricked so many maids into leaving she is very clever. I also like the vocabulary in this book because I am learning a lot of new words that I want to put in my writing. The author got me interested when Maya was making a plan to get Morgana fired, it made me want to keep reading. Also if I was the character Morgana I would not have told Maya's grandmother about the horses and the photo. I want to see what adventures Maya goes on and I can't wait to read more.

Sincerely, Victoria

November 25 2014 Dear Mrs. Palmieri,

I have decided to read one of the books you've suggested, __Paint The Wind__. I read the back of the book and it sounds really interesting. After reading some pages the character I like the most is Maya because she likes to use her imagination. So far I really like the book even though I haven't read much. It grabbed my attention right away. I also have a question about the book that I really want to know. What chances will Maya have to take to find her freedom?

From, Victoria

November 20 2014 Hi Victoria,

I haven't read The Book of Elsewhere but that seems to be a really popular book among the other students in the class. What else can you tell me about the plot? or parts you liked or disliked? I would love to find some books for you that might be challenging, as I see most of your log is "E" or "JR". Check your bin and your suggestion log above for period suggestions :)

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.

September 24, 2014 Dear Mrs. Palmieri,

*After reading some of Silverwing I was thinking about where shades father could be. I really like __Silverwing__ so far and have many questions about it. When do Shade and Marina find out about Goth and Throb? Also, how do they escape from them? * Another book I have read is __The Book Of Elsewhere__. It is so interesting. There's action and mystery that makes you want to keep reading. I'm sure you would love it! Have you read it? If not try reading it.

Sincerely, Victoria

September 1, 2014 Dear Victoria,

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