Books! Books! Books!

 When thinking about my second post for the revival of my blog, I knew it had to be about books. It's no secret books are a controversial topic in education right now. I'm a Texan and will be scanning and vetting all my books before school starts. Thanks HB 900. I also have a book box from Scholastic coming today and some more books in my Amazon cart. 

Here are some books I'm so excited for!

The One and Only Ruby  by Katherine Applegate--This book just came out May 2, 2023. A few years ago, my school read The One and Only Ivan for a school-wide book initiative. My students loved it and one even donated their copy to my classroom library. I can't wait to add this one too. This story picks up a few months after the events of The One and Only Bob, which I will also be adding to my library.

Four Eyes by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza-- This graphic novel was published in May. Having a brother with glasses, I was interested in this one right away. Here's a short synopsis about the book: 

Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt, and the bullies won't let him forget it. His closest friend is unreliable, at best. And there's a cute girl in his class, who may or may not like him back. With so much going on, everything is a blur -- including Rex's vision! So when he discovers that he needs glasses, and his family can only afford the ugliest pair in the store, any hope Rex had of fitting in goes completely out of focus.

In this true coming-of-age story, Rex has his sights set on surviving sixth grade, but now he's got to find a way to do it with glasses, no friends, and a family that just doesn't get it!

I'm sure there will be students who can relate to this book when they read it. 

The Book that No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade: I came across this book published in March of this year while searching the other day for new titles to add to my library and came across this one. Knowing that there were books in my 2nd grade library that went untouched a lot of the year, I was also interested in this one to encourage my 4th graders to have an open mind about books. I imagine using this one as a read aloud.

Think Like a Detective by David Pakman--This book was just published TWO weeks ago. When I saw it, I knew it was an immediate add to my library. As teachers, teaching our students how to think critically is so important as it is a skill our children and future generations need. This book also teachers children how to be problem solvers. I can't wait to read this one 

You're Finally Here! by Melanie Watt--This picture book may be geared for younger learners but I still think it would be great for the first day of school. It was also just published this month! This book also teaches patience, an important skill for all of us to learn and practice. 

I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids by Gabi Garcia: I've heard about using affirmations in the classroom the past couple of years but have never put it into practice. After coming across this book last week, I knew I had to use it to start incorporating affirmations into my classroom. 

Scissors on Strike by Jennifer Jones--I absolutely adore this series of books and just learned of Scissors on Strike after using Pencils on Strike and Glues on Strike this past year with my 2nd graders. I would frequently reference these books and ask if we needed to read them again when my students started getting a little careless with supplies. Though meant for kinder-2nd grade,  I definitely plan on adding this title and using it with my 4th graders at the beginning of the year to remind them how to treat their classroom supplies respectfully. 

The next two books are ones that I will be pre-ordering for my classroom.

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown-- Teaching second grade the last three years, I didn't read The Wild Robot or The Wild Robot Escapes with my students, but knew I wanted to start with my 4th grade class. I have the first two in the series and can't wait for this one to come out September 26, 2023. It will definitely be added to my library. 

Cat on the Run by Aaron Blabey: This new series is by the author of The Bad Guys, a series that my boys always loved. My students can tell you I love cats (I'm always telling stories about my sweet cat, Chloe), so when I saw this I was immediately intrigued. I also love any books with animals. The first book in this new series comes out September 5, 2023. In this first book, the world's biggest cat video star is accused of a crime she doesn't commit and becomes a cat on the run while trying to clear her name. I cannot wait to put this in my library. 

I'm always looking for new books, so I'm sure as the school year goes on, I'll be making another blog post about books. 

-Elle