counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

9/10
counting by 7s

The beginning of this book was spectacular!  It was one of the best I had ever read.  The book was pretty good to.  Sometimes though, it felt like it dropped slightly out of it.  The character did drop out, actually.  So it may have been on purpose.  However, the parts where Willow was as she began were so incredible that I do not think that I wanted to accept the new Willow. The style of writing matches the new Willow and I kept wanting the old Willow and voice.  Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library still takes my top bid, because of that little factor. Which may actually have been really good writer's craft on Ms. Sloan's part.

The vocabulary in this book is stellar.  It plays right in with the character's genius and uniqueness.  The chapters are set up some in first and some in third person. Most of the story is from Willow's point of view, but the author steps in to give us insight into other characters in several chapters.

Dork The Magnificent

8 ½ /10

Dorko the Magnificent by Andrea Beaty

Well right off the bat this is in 2^nd person.  The character is telling the story to you and talks to you the entire way through.  I loved seeing this really well done and in action.  This would have been a 9/10 if the author hadn’t had the ending that they made.  It went from a humorous, joyous story to devastation.  I didn’t like that.

However, up until that point it was a 9/10. I love the voice and the humor. I loved the in depth detail of the personalities of the characters.  It also talks about the character’s process of writer’s craft in many places.  Of course it was filled with figurative language…

METAPHOR:  “So, last year’s talent show stunk, but that’s old news.  Stale Cheese.”

         “…waiting for that burnt offering, Trixie calls a cake.”

SIMILE: “…and the whole thing started all over again, like some weird modern dance.”

         “…while I sat there with my mouth open like the first guy in a sci-fi movie to witness the alien invaision.”

ONOMATOPOEIA:  “By the way, if you want to add some sound effects, go ahead.  I might add some, too! Kaboom!”

         “Grandma Melvyn snapped.”

         “Whe went back to wheezing and snorting while I sat there with…”

         “(Insert movie explosions here:  Kerblooey! Kerblam!)”

PERSONIFICATION:  “ I could feel the excitement in the air.”

         “”…but which really took the magic out of the moment.”

IDIOM: “ In a heart beat.”

Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes... a lot of cats!

Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes

7/10

     This is a great quick read.  It is a girl or pet lover book.  One of the writer's craft elements that I truly enjoyed was the text feature that showed Gaby's profiles on each of the animals at the shelter, they were sprinkled throughout the story and related directly to her emotions and events in the portion of the book that they were featured in.  The thing that bothered me the most in these features is that she wrote them as she thought a high level sixth grader writer would write. (See my alliteration?  haha!)  "Gaby" wrote them in 1st person, but had a lot of "I's" in her writing.  Anyone who writes with me knows I can't stand "I, I, I, I ..."  Vary your sentences structure.  My 5th graders leave knowing this rule!  I think that Ms. Cervantes underestimates great middle school writers!

It is kind of a bummer ending, but, I won't spoil it for you.  :-( 

On to Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt...

PERSONIFICATION:  "The comment stung."

METAPHOR: "I'm an energetic four-month-old ball of tan-and-white fluff that needs exercise every day."

     "Bones are treasures that must be buried for safety." (and alliteration)

SIMILE: " My idea of heaven is to be carried like a fluffy cloud around your neck or to curl up on your lap while you read the newspaper."

ONOMATOPOEIA: "Shush! Don't tell anyone."

Jinx by Sage Blackwood---a lot of curses?

Sage Blackwood's Site 
7.5/10

Mrs. Zuber is currently reading Jinx

Definitely a fantasy!  Elves, trolls, wizards, witches, magic...  I am enjoying this book, but for some reason it is a slower read for me.  Could be all the traveling I am doing right now.  This book has been in Illinois and Iowa...hotels, soccer fields, and several restaurants! 

Written in third person, the fun thing about fantasy is that sometimes the personification is literal. When the trees talk to Jinx, they are talking to Jinx.  I don't think that is personification in the figurative language sense, but an example of fantasy.  So finding personification in fantasy is a little trickier, but not much.  You just have to have an awareness to whether the object is a character or a detail in the story.

I like that the author weaved fairytales into this story, without telling their stories.  You just knew because of the clues.

ALLITERATION and PERSONIFICATION: "This was the sort of situation that made people in the clearing cast a calculating eye upon their surplus children." (eye doing math?..Mrs. Hummel definitely has calculating eyes!  LOL)

"...gave him a little shove to the left or the right around a great glowering tree..." (at this point in the book, I did not know the trees were characters so it was personification.)

"...under Urwald's menacing shadows."


METAPHOR and SIMILES: '"Ah! Well, don't jus sit there like a lump on the ground--lead on, boy!"'
"Rounding a great gnarled knot of a tree trunk, Jinx ran smack into a creature and yelped." (also alliteration this is a good example of alliteration is not the letter, but the sound... 'gnarled knot')
"But magic poured off the man, ripples of magic as strong as the pulses of life that seeped from the trees all around them."
"...and the wizard's nose twitched at the bad smell of a lie." (metaphor and personification)

By the way, these were all found within the first chapter of the book!!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstien. (cool name) a lot of books or games??? :-)

10/10!

Chris Grabenstien Website

Mrs. Zuber's favorite so far!!! is currently reading Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library 

So far she is enjoying the games!

Okay, incredible on so many levels!!!  This is an author that I may have to investigate further!!!  This has puzzles for reader and characters, PUNS galore, which you know I love, mystery, humor, adventure, competition, and technology!!  The characters are incredible, the plot is original...I could go on and on and on!!  Author names are dropped like powdered sugar on donuts.  So many literary references, and so many reasons to read!

If the students out there read this one, at this point, it is my pick to take the trophy!

The ending completely tied back to the beginning... Kyle wrote an essay about balloons at the grand opening of the library and the last line of the book is..."There might be balloons."  The balloons popped up several times throughout the story.

I also liked how the author gave a run down of all the books he used in the story and why he used them...they were mostly award winners.  :-)  He gave an interview in the back and a lot of other "bonus info."

PUNS: "Well, great Gilly Hopkins," said the Limoncello gummy, "here you go!" (notice some dialogue rules for punctuation and capitalization here?)

      "Keep working the puzzle but try to avoid Mrs. sail E. Frankweiler's files.  They're all mixed up."

ALLITERATION: "We want to win this game," said Kyle.

     "We were supposed to write why we're excited about the grand opening and, well, balloons are always my favorite part."  (also this is the beginning I talked about going back to the ending...)

METAPHORS: Well the whole book is a metaphor for "Life is a game."  

     "We have books, which are windows into worlds we never even dreamed possible."

     "An open mind is an open book."  (also an idiom ;-) )

   

SIMILE: "The smarmy guy was oilier than a soggy sack of fries."

     "My hands feel flatter than a pancake," she moaned.

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff a lot of gold!!

Liesl Shurtliff's Website

RUMP--Mrs. Zuber is in progress reading this.  

8/10

A very different take on the old fairy tale from Rumps point of view!!!

Lead---My mother named me after a cow's rear end. (Now if that doesn't make you want to read more, I don't know what else will...)

It started out slow, but I really liked the idea behind this story…Rumplestiltskin’s story.It is actually a better story than the original.  That is probably because I am an optimist.  It struck a cord to that names have meaning and destiny.  I will let you in on a little secret…There are certain names teachers will not name their own kids.  Think about it!  There are also certain names that teachers “find” to name their kids.  All three of my children have very special reasons and meanings to their names.

Liesl talks at the end of the book about her reasons for writing this book and her thoughts behind it.  I love that authors do this now.  

She had a lot of rhymes in her book.  There was even a mono rhyme poem.  Look it up on http://www.shadowpoetry.com 

Figurative Language: 

Onomatopoeia and Simile:

‘“Buzzards!” I screamed, but they shrieked ad converged on me like a flying army.’

“Before long, I heard muffled voices in the distance.”

Alliteration:

“It’s also home to the Witch of The Woods,…”

Idiom:

“I thought of all the things Opal could foolishly promised me.  Her right eye.  An arm and a leg.”

Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko a lot of prisoners...

On to Al Capone.... Reading is in process...  8.5/10

Gennifer Choldenko Site 

Alcatraz Island Prison...   

Stays with our Mark Twain Theme and is based on real situation and time period.

Just a note of how much this author makes the character really seems to be talking to the reader.  It really struck me.

On Gennifer's site she talks about writing what you want to know and understand as well as what you know...I liked it.  She also has a page http://www.alcaponedoesmyshirts.com/interviews/ (VERY, VERY, VERY INTERESTING!) where she researched by interviewing actual Alcatraz residents and workers.  So she learned it to write about what she knows...

Great story.  A very enjoyable read!!

Lead---"Today is my dad's first official day as an associate warden on Alcatraz Island, home to anyone who is anyone in the criminal world."

Conclusion---"This is why he is the warden, and Trixle is not."

SIMILE:

“My head begins to throw like someone is digging my brain out with a trowel.”

“…berfore it crumbles, like the house made of sticks in the story the Three Little Pigs.”

ONOMATOPOEIA:

“The swing continued to make a vreek-vrok-vreek-vrok  sound.”

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool...

Mrs. Zuber is reading...has read...

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool...website

Okay, I will also have to read her 2011 Newberry Award winner, Moon Over Manifest.  There is a reason they are award winning!

Navigating Early

9/10

What a great story!  I so enjoyed reading this adventure.  I am all about connections in life!  This book is about connections.  I love that this story has a connection to math!  I can't wait to read her Newbery Award winner!  I love that her title has more and more meaning as you read the story.  As a writer she tells how she came up with her ideas and gives a little more information on π.   It joins back into our Mark Twain theme relating to events...π and WWII.  It is written in 1st person.

On to figurative language…you know it is in there!!!

Personification:…obviously π. throughout the entire story

     “Because the dog tags contradicted everything in my head that said Fisher could not be Early’s brother.”

Idiom: “…and we packed our stuff without a word.”

            “Don’t pour salt in the wound, or you’ll never get the taste out of your mouth.”

Onomatopoeia: '"What is hat stuff?" I grumbled.'
     '"Shh." Eustasia Johannsn help up a hand, her attention..'

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World by Henry Clark...A lot of imagination and world saving.

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World
8/10

Henry Clark Website

Totally has nothing to do with anything historical.  It is as far from it as a book could be.  After reading the interview with the author at the end of the book, I can understand why!  He is pretty imaginative a cooky.

This book is very entertaining.  It has a lot of twists in it.  Very few books surprise me.  This one does.  Party because there is no way you would have seen that coming!  The main character actually (SPOILER).  I think his writer's craft was to just "Go for it!"  Definitely not realistic either, but you probably guessed that already.  It is written in 1st person.  

A lot of Figurative Language?  Yes.

Personification?  One word...FURNITURE.  Of course, I am not sure if it counts as personification when the furniture is actually a character in the book???  Figure that one out.

Onomatopoeia: "It was followed by a disapproving tch-tch, and then a muffled cry from Freak."

Simile:   " 'You look," said Freak, "like a camera lens.'"
               "'Like Santa Claus at the mall?'"

This story also had an incredible amount of advanced vocabulary all over the place.  Examples...renaissance, quintessential, charred, etc. (Granted, it also has a lot of neologisms, or made up words...)

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore...A lot of science and history

  The Water Castle   8/10

Megan Frazer Blakemore's Website

     There seems to be a trend of topics starting here.  We will see if it follows through with the rest of the nominees.  The first three have all included information about historical events and people.  Cholera and a doctor who discovered the source, Robin Hood's Legend, and this book contains it also.

    The Water Castle is about the legend of the Fountain of Youth, The search for the North Pole and Peary, Edison, Tesla, and several other historical figures.  It is written in 3rd person in two different time periods.  This story would be a good debate for realistic vs. science fiction.  Depending on how you view the events, it could be either.  A lot about the open ending of the story will determine which genre a reader thinks this book exemplifies.  After finishing, the author left me with ideas about the characters of Nora, Harry, and Orlando.  I wonder if you have the same inferences and predictions.

Figurative Language Time!

Onomatopoeia and alliteration: "She clicked off the television and navigated around the piles of books, up the stairs, and into her bedroom, where she side-stepped more books and picked up a picture of her parents."

"He heard the humming."

Idioms and Cliches:   Okay first what is the difference?  Idioms are considered great ways to put things and are often metaphors also, like "Yellow-bellied..." They would make know sense if you had not heard them before. Cliches are phrases that have become overused to the point where they lose their original meaning like "Where's the Beef?" or "Show me the money."  A good place to see the difference is at BrainPop.

Will In Scarlet by Matthew Cody...A lot of Legend and history

Will In Scarlet by Matthew Cody

8/10

     If you like Robin Hood Legends, you will like this book.  Great story...but on to reading like a writer...

     I am going to stick with Figurative Language!  That is what you struggle with.  :-)

Idiom:  "Lords weather the passing storms,..."
Cliche:  "...she said, hoping to change the subject." (had to change this, see why in previous blog about The Water Castle.
Personification: "Much followed him into the cell and was at once assaulted by the smell."
           "...his knife catching the sunlight as he brought it down towards Much's exposed chest."
Metaphor: "...he'd come to represent something else, a branch of a much larger rotten tree."
Simile:  "...looked like they'd been fletched by a blind man."

Matthew Cody lets you know why he wrote the story the way he wrote the story.  He gives you insight to himself as a writer.  He did surprise me with the twist in the perspective of this Robin Hood Tale. He let you see the characters as will saw them.  It is written in 3rd person with two different viewpoints from two different characters.

Matthew Cody's Website

The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson...A lot of sickness and history

Welcome to the 2015 Mark Twain Blog!!

First book...

Deborah Hopkinson's Site

Rating of 9/10

I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction.  I especially appreciate that the author told me a the end which characters were real and which were fictional.  She also went through her process for ideas, planning and writing.  

This summer I am going to specifically look at some of the writers craft that the authors use in their pieces.  It did have a great lead and conclusion.  She tied the beginning and ending together nicely…

Beginning:  “What we now call The Great Trouble began one thick, hot, foul-smelling morning in August.”

Ending: “But then again, so had all of us that summer when The Great Trouble had come to Broad Street.

And somehow, we had survived.

This particular book had figurative language out the wazoo!  I have chosen just a few to give you a taste. 

Alliteration:  “So when he spied me snatchin’ up something shiny from the murky water…”