Wicked Girls

Hello Bloggie Fans,

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas. The novel that I am dying to introduce to you today is Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill. Wicked Girls offers the reader a new perspective on the famous Salem Witch Trials. It is told in verse and from the perspective of 7 different girls. This book, 390 pages, offers more than just a fictional story- it offers a plausible, research-based account, and also provides the readers with alternative resources to further your research, and a brief account/into to the real girls and the "witches". I was hooked and I feel that this book would make for an excellent read-aloud. It could show the value of different perspectives and introduce historical fiction as a whole. At the bottom of the page I will attach resources that may be of value if you decide to adopt this book into your classroom. Without further ado "Pull up a Chair, Grab a Cup of Coffee, and ENJOY!"

" Black, she wears black, her petticoats like tar. The sky is white. I cannot look to it. Even her blood colored black. I cannot see but black and white. Old and dead, the tree that creeps from the rock wears no frock of leaves, not even in the summer. Charolette Easty's body convulses, her legs squirm. The blood gushes from beneath her nose and mouth and ears. She dies slowly. She swings though no wind blows. My hands ball. I could punch own the clouds. There is such power in my hands. I bend over and retch like an empty water pump, for nothing comes out of my mouth. The other girls gnaw on their nails, stare bewildered at the body hung on the tree. Margaret trembles. Her teeth chatter louder than shutters unloosed in strong wind. Abigail opens her lips to speak. I lift my finger, and she reconsiders. Elizabeth rubs her shoulder as Doctor Griggs checks the stopped pulse of the witch's body. She then falls to her knees, folds and refolds her hands in prayer. Susannah stays wisely out of view. And Ann, Ann's big eyes scour my skin. No matter what be about, even a hanging, Ann cannot unleash her eyes from me" (Hemphill, 252- 254). The section presented to you is a little more than half-way through the book and the section is entitled First Witch Hanging - from the perspective of Mercy Lewis, 17. In summary , a group of girls, want their voices to be heard and acknowledged in the town. Through a series of events the girls get named as the seers of the invisible world. They are charged with presenting the town with the witches/wizards. However, most of this is random pickings or purposeful based on a persons history. Either way the fame that is entitled to them is attached to a lie. Will the girls come forth with the truth? Will they get caught and the 'witches' go free? That is for you to discover when you pick up the book.

-Aly

Links

1. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6970101-wicked-girls
2. http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/stephanie-hemphill/wicked-girls/_/R-400000000000000240315
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okEy0HKhDEQ
4. http://dogearedandwellread.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/wicked-girls-by-stephanie-hemphill/

The Missing Mitten

Hello Bloggies,

"Where are my mittens?! Mom, I've lost my mittens?" Have you heard these words before? These are common phrases that occur just about every winter season. Steven Kellogg understands this quite well as he writes The Missing Mitten Mystery. This delightful story captures the very scenario that many young children have experienced. The neat thing with this book is that it ties wonderful into art or even English. It would be fun to have your students make mittens. They could draw on the mitten a spot where the mitten was lost. For English they could write/illustrate a scenario where they have lost/found a mitten. These are some simple ideas that could be done to accompany this book (at the end of the entry I will attach links to other websites that offer excellent ideas). So without further ado- Pull up a chair, Grab a cup of coffee and Enjoy!

"Oscar, I lost my other mitten. That makes five mittens this winter. I'm in big trouble" ( Kellogg, 1). Meet the child, who like so many others, who has trouble keeping track of her mittens. In this book we journey with her and her dog Oscar as she recalls her day of winter fun. We start with sledding, then snowball fights, then we venture into the unknown possibility that a bird, an eagle, or a mouse have taken it for their own purposes. But their is always the possibility that it was planted in the garden to grow more mittens. The young girls hope is slowly dwindling. Will she find her mitten? That is up to you to discover. Enjoy this book and please share the wonderful activities that you have/ will have done with your students/children.

-Aly

Links for Classroom Use

1. http://www.wondersomestorytime.com/2008/02/missing-mitten-mystery-by-steven.html
2. http://ourrandomactsofreading.blogspot.com/2010/01/missing-mitten-mystery-by-steven.html
3. http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753191
4. http://www.preschooleducation.com/br105.shtml
5. http://www.thevirtualvine.com/mittens.html
6. www.users.muohio.edu/shermalw/EDP621SM2006/harrison_CLplan2006.doc

Snowmen at Night

Hello Bloggie Fans,

Have you ever wondered what snowmen do at night? Okay, so maybe you haven't, but I bet your youngsters have or even your preschoolers/Kindergartners have. Caralyn Buehner with the help of Mark Buehner not only tell, but show you exactly what snowmen do at night! This book has wonderful images, also it includes hidden images that keep your kids on their toes. If you decide to do this in the classroom it would work great to build your own snowmen in art. You could hook the three balls of snow together with paper fasteners-so that the balls can move around. It brings the snowmen to life:) I know that excitement is building so without further ado- Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and Enjoy Snowmen at Night!


"One wintry day I made a snowman, very round and tall. The next day when I saw him, he was not the same at all! His hat had slipped, his arms dropped down, he really looked a fright-it made me start to wonder:What do snowmen do at night?" (Buehner, 1-2) As we know snowmen melt, but in this book the author suggests that the snowmen are alive at night,and that is the reason for the droopiness. These snowmen drink ice-cold cocoa, they race, they ice skate, they make snow angels,they play baseball and have snowball fights, but their favorite is sledding. In this book you read about all the crazy things they do, and trust me your class or children will love it! It is a wonderful story for winter, and it is an easy explanation as to why their snowmen "melted." I hope you enjoy this book and I want to hear how you have or will have used this book.





-Aly

Christmas Wishes

Hello Bloggies,
 It is another day and I havea book that is excellent for Christmas preperation. It gives a slight twist to the traditional book Twas the Night Before Christmas . Tony Mitton presents Christmas Wishes with the introduction of two young mice and their preperation for Christmas. This book would be fun to read to Kindergarten- 3rd grade.  It lends itself to integration with a couple of other classes including, English and Art. With the younger grades you can have them practice their English skills by writing a letter to Santa. It allows you to teach them the proper mechanics for writting letters. I would make sure that if you have the older ones write a letter, Santa is still part of their life. To tie this into art class you can have your students create stockings.  It will make your classroom fun and getting into the spirit of Christmas. Remember, you set the tone of your classroom and you can make it fun, it just depends how much effort your willing to put into it.  With those ideas and introduction to the book- Pull up a chair, Grab a cup of Coffee and ENJOY!

"On the night before Christmas,the tree was all hung with lights and with baubles that shone as they swung" (Mitton, 1).  This is the set up of Mittons story. The Mice are busy getting their house ready for Dear Mr. Santa Clause. The lights are up, the tree decorated, the milk is set out, the note is written, and the carrots for the reindeer are left out. Then off to bed these little mice go to patiently wait for Santa Claus to show. Now two of the mice are as antzy as can be, and scurry to the window. What do they see? Do the mice really see dear Mr. Clause and his reindeer? It is up to you to discover this ending!
Enjoy the rest of your coffee and make sure to check out the websites on the side to find more books that are fun to use for your family or classroom.
-Aly

One Winter's Day

Hello Bloggies!
Since winter is has come and Christmas is upon us, I figured I would do a series of childrens books relating to this particular season. Hopefully, it will keep the spirit alive, and will make good stories for the classroom or simply your home:) The story that I will present to you is entitled One Winter's Day by M. Christina Butler. With that said- Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and ENJOY!

Meet the cutest Hedgehog in Butler's story about a cold winters storm.  Little Hedgehog is faced with a problem when his nest is blown away by a storm. So he is left with only one option, head to Badger's house. On the way he meets a family of field mice, ottor and a family of deer. On each encounter he gives up a part of his winter suite (Hat, mittens, scarf). The farther he goes the colder it gets. Will Little Hedgehog make it safely to Badger's? Do the wood's animals repay him for his kindness? What will happen to Little Hedgehogs home?  Hopefully, I have wet your appetite enough to pick it up and read it:)

Stay warm, enjoy your coffee and have a goodnight !
-Aly

Telephone Man

Welcome to Aly's reading Corner

Hello Bloggie Fans!
  I would like to introduce to you Aly's Reading Corner. As a future English teacher I have a plethera of books for children and young adults. My goal is to read a book, or part of a book each week, and share it with you. This way you can read about books that you haven't heard of, that sound interesting, or my take on books that you have read. I hope you enjoy- So pull up a cozy chair, grab a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and read yourself into an adventure.
-Aly