Jack

=Book Log= Applegate || **JR** || not yet today is 9/11/15 || 9/11 || Lauren Tarshis || **E** || 9/9/15 || Library || Chris Grabenstien || **JR** || summer ||
 * # || =Book Title= || =Author= || =E, JR, C= || =Date Completed= ||
 * ==1== || The One And Only Ivan || Katherine
 * ==2== || I Survived the Attacks of
 * ==3== || Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's
 * ==4== || Charlie Bumpers || Harley || **E** || summer ||
 * ==5== || The Worst Years Of My Life || James Patterson || **JR** || 9/25/15 ||
 * **6** || Catching Fire || Suzzane Collins || **JR** || 10/12/15 ||
 * **7** || Fortunately, the milk... || Gaimam Yong || **E** || 10/27/15 ||
 * **8** || Silverwing || Kenneth Oaple || **JR** || 9/15/15 ||
 * **9** || Sunwing || Kenneth Oaple || JR || 10/23/15 ||
 * **10** || Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Old School || Jeff Kinny || **E** || 11/3/15 ||
 * **11** || Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident || Eion Colfer || **C** || 1/13/16 ||

Mrs. Palmieri recommends...

 * ==#== || ==Book Title== || ==Author== ||
 * ==1== || Chasing Vermeer || Blue Balliet ||
 * ==2== || I, Q || Roland Smith ||
 * ==3== || The Mysterious Benedict Society || Trenton Lee Steward ||
 * ==4== ||  ||   ||

February 11, 2016

Hi Coach!

I'm starting to regret not reading "Hiding Out at Pancake Palace" when I had the chance. I had a hard time getting into it, but now, I like it so much! I can't wait to see how it ends. **//__If I were Elvis, I wouldn't help Cecilia find the music of the pinelands, because she gave away his secret and now papparatzies are coming to find him.__//** Elvis/Aaron must have really changed though, because I have a feeling if he was still acting like Elvis, He wouldn't do that. Our guided reading book The Young Man and the Sea, chapter 20 really leaves you on a cliff hanger, because all the small mackerel run away, and Skiff feels stupid. Then he hears a big splash that sounded like it came from a Blue Fin Tuna. I can't wait to read the next chapter. I'll bet it's one of the most important chapters in the book.

Your student, Jack for you to reply.
 * P.S.,** I'm sorry for not waiting

January 28, 2016

Hi Mrs. P,

I really like our new guided reading book "The //Young// Man and the Sea". I think it's very dramatic in ways, like how sort of desperate Skiff is. I have one question though, is it a real story? __//**I predict that Skiff will give up on trying to catch the huge tuna, and aw few days after he gives up, he will decide to go fishing in his small, little "box", and catch the huge tuna.**//__ Like I said before, I think it's a great book and I can't wait to read into it more.

I did not read the book "The Lost Treasure of Tuckernut" last it if year, but I'm sure I would have loved it if I had. I remember last year, Everyone except for about 2 people voted for the shark attacks book, and when we got to the assembly, everyone was astounded when it didn't win. But secretly, I thought there reactions were kind of funny.

Sincerely, Jack

January 24, 2016

Hi Jack,

I wish I had more time to read at home, but it was funny over this weekend I found myself thinking about __Hiding Out at Pancake Palace__. I was thinking about what would happen next and I'm getting really excited to finish it! This is what happens when I get hooked into a book! I wasn't sure I loved this book at first. At first, I thought Cecilia seemed strange (alright, she IS strange) and I wasn't sure if I would like her as a character. I have found that if you don't like the characters in a book, it can make it very hard to want to keep reading the book.

This happened to me last year when I read aloud my class the MCBA, __The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck__. Did you read that one last year? The female main character of that book was Laurie, and she was quite unlikable! She was snobby, kind of nasty, and altogether kind of tough to tolerate. It took a little while but class and I really go into the story and soon I better "understood" why Laurie acted the way she did. We liked the book so much, we decided to immediately read the sequel, __The Magician's Bird__. Reading that was easy because we already knew and understood the characters. Do you find that you like to read sequels or books in a series because she kind of already know a lot about the characters?


 * Feel free to tell me about a character in the book that you just read/or are currently reading

Back to Cecilia- so at the beginning she seemed strange, but now I find myself feeling sorry for her. She is lonely and kind of an outcast. I'm sure it's not easy to be her- and it definitely feels like she really wishes she had friends. On page 125 it says, "It wasn't like Cecilia wanted to be friends with Natalie. All she wanted was to wave and have them wave back." It's such a simple thing- you don't realize how much it might mean to someone just to be friendly towards them.

I saw in your letter that you thought that Natalie would show up at Cecilia's party and expose Aaron. It wasn't Natalie, but it sure seems like it was the goal of R.J.'s sister Elizabeth to just that. Aaron ran out though before he could be discovered.

I'm not sure that I knew that you had read the first __Artemis Fowl__? Did you read it this year? It was an MCBA over ten years ago and one of my favorites. I didn't love __The Arctic Incident__- although were you surprised to find out that Artemis's dad was still alive? I actually remember really liking the third one- __The Eternity Code__.

Your friend, Mrs. P

January 15, 2016

Hi Mrs. P! I had a great vacation, but I'm glad to be back at school to see all my friends and, of course, you. After vacation I started reading Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident. I finished it a few days ago, so now I've started another one. I can't keep track of which one it is, since it's such a long series. In Hiding out in Pancake Palace, __//**I predict that Cecilia will invite Natalie Bracer to her birthday party, and Natalie will come because of her suspicions about Elvis/Arron, and Cecilea will tell her, andthen Natalie she will tell everyone, and the papparatzies will come, and Natalie will say she found out about Elvis.**//__

Your student, Jack

January 7, 2016 Hello Team 7-

Welcome back from vacation!

I found myself thinking about our new read aloud during this break. I always get excited when I'm reading a new book out loud to my students that I also haven't read.

Several of you were talking to me about your book talks before we left for vacation. I know specifically people were wondering about how to figure out a book's "theme" or "author's message". This sometimes feels like it will be hard, but might not be as tricky as you think. Think about what the author is trying to teach you, the reader, through the story; what big life lesson do they want you to know. One of the themes in __Silverwing__ is teamwork, or believing in yourself.

What do we think might be the message in __Hiding Out at Pancake Palace__? Let's think about what we know so far. Elvis is cutting off and coloring his hair- something he is famous for and he has to hide away from the world because of this embarrassing thing. I wonder if the message might be something about "being true to oneself" like don't be pretend to be something else, be who you want to be. I'm also wondering if Elvis really wants to be this famous star- or is this something his dad really wants? Again, since I'm reading this with you guys I'm just guessing (speculating)

I don't think we know as much about Cecilia yet- but I predict she and Evis (Aaron) are going to help each other in some way. She wants to find out if the trees sing- he likes to sing.

Guess we will read more and find out!

Your friend, Mrs. P

Dec.12, 2015

Hi Mrs. P-

I'm really pumped that vacation is only a few days away! Me and my family haven't even started getting gifts for Christmas! I've started reading the H.I.V.E. book, but between my guided reading, worldly wise, and book talk, I haven't had much time to work on it. I'm at the part when they've just started school and have a strict teacher. It seems to be a great book based on the little bit I read from it. Thanks for reading pancake palace to us. I had a hard time reading it myself and understanding it, but since you've been reading it I've started to like it more. **I predict that Celia will meet the famous kid while she's asking the trees to sing, because I think he will be hiding in the woods and she will see him and ask him to show himself.** When do you think Celia will meat the most famous kid?

Your Student, Jack

December 11, 2015

Hi Jack-

As Christmas approaches, I often like to reread some favorite holiday themed books from my own childhood. When I was your age and a little younger, I loved to read __The Little House on the Prairie__ series. These wonderful stories are from the childhood of the author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, as she grew up in the late 1800s in places like Wisconsin, Kansas, and eventually the Dakota Territory (today South Dakota). This time of year can be so busy and crazy and I always enjoy seeing how simple this pioneer family made their holidays. Sometimes we get so caught up in "buy, buy, buy" or " I want" that I really like reading these descriptions of the simple food and presents that they had and the happy holiday they created as a result. Here is a quote from fifth book in the series called, By the Shores of Silver Lake. Chapter 19 "Christmas Eve"-

"It had snowed all day and soft, large flakes were still falling. The winds were quiet so that snow lay deep on the ground, and Pa took the shovel with him when he went do the evening chores. "Well, it's a white Christmas," he said  "Yes, and we're all here and all well, so it's a merry one," said Ma  The surveyors' house was full of secret. Mary had knitted new, warm socks for Pa's Christmas present. Laura had made him a necktie from a piece of silk that she found in Ma's scrap bag. Together in the attic, she and Carrie had made an apron for Ma from on of the calico curtains that had hung in the shanty. In the scrap bag they found a piece of fine, white muslin; Laura had cut a small square from it, and secretly Mary had hemmed the square with her fine stitches and made a handkerchief for Ma. They put it in the apron pocket. Then they wrapped the apron in tissue paper and hidden it under the quilt blocks in Mary's box."

Descriptions like these really help me imagine what it would have been like to make gifts like Laura and her sisters did. Life was very different then. ***But when you read the descriptions of the family making and eating their meals and celebrating, it makes you as teh reader feel like maybe life isn't that different after all.**


 * When I want to read these books, I usually pull out my little paperback set of all the books that I bought in book order when I was a student teacher. I was recently excited to discover __A Little House Christmas Treasury: Festive Holiday Stories__ was published. This is one book that contains all of the holiday stories from the author's different books. Perfect!**


 * I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family.**


 * Your friend,**
 * Mrs. P**

10/15/15 Dear Mrs. Palmeri,

The one and Only Ivan was not as sad as you think, there is one sad part, and one of Ivan's friends dies, but that's all. Bob is the dog in the story, FYI. To summarize the text I would say that Ivan is a gorilla that lives in a zoo at a mall,next to his friend, Stella. One day a new elephant named Ruby comes to live with them. Then Stella gets sick and dies, then Ruby and Ivan get sent to the zoo, and bob is adopted by a family that works at the mall and comes to see Ivan. I noticed that you asked me what kind of books I like, I like adventure books, funny books, and mystery books that you can't tell the answer to the mystery right away.

Sincerely, Jack

October 13, 2015 Hi Jack-

Hope you had a great weekend! I have heard that __The One and Only Ivan__ was a great book, it has won many awards. But I haven't been able to get myself to read it because it seems so sad! Which animal is Bob, is he the elephant?

At home, I'm still reading Elvis and the Underdogs. I've had a harder time getting in to this book and found it a little boring. I actually haven't even got to the part where Elvis the dog is introduced. I HATE to abandon books, so I'm hoping if I pick this up now that I might be ready to give it another shot. **We could compare the main character, Benji, to Shade from Silverwing. Benji is small and sickly and his mother kind of smothers him like Ariel does to Shade** **. I wonder if Benji will kind of break away from his mom and have an adventure like Shade?**


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


 * PS- I would love to recommend some books to you- especially maybe one that might be a Challenge- so let's talk about what kinds of books you like?**


 * PPS- I put a few kid adventure/mystery books kind of like Mr. Lemoncello's Library in my recommendations to you**

9/30/15

Dear Mrs. Palmeri, The One and only Ivan was a great book. My favorite charector was Bob. He kind of reminds me of Zephyr the Albino bat in Silverwing because they are both very wise and they survive on there own, even if Bob is a little goofier. I liked Bob more than anyone else even though he isn't the main charector. If I could ask him one question I would ask him if he truthfully wanted a owner.

Sincerely, Jack
 * P.S. I almost forgot about writing to you until you pointed it out, thanks! :)**

September 10, 2015 Dear Jack,

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