i finished The Dog Stars. if you like poetry and nature and adventure and love the world so much it hurts… well, then i highly highly recommend it. i liked it as much as Tell The Wolves I'm Home and that's high praise. peter heller is a masterful writer. so i'm on the hunt again, for a new story but may have found something. will keep you posted on my literary wanderings.
today in the classroom i started The Minpins by roald dahl. i wish you could have seen the faces of my red hot chili peppers. completely and utterly engrossed. no matter how wild things get story time in the dark class library is pure pleasure on so many levels. oh the power of words to thrill, delight, and charm. i am grateful for that.
I’m currently reading “The Time In Between” by Maria Duenas. It’s 600 pages of good story that I hope won’t end too soon. It’s an international best seller translated from its original Spanish. I am loving the storyline, the details, and the thoughtful way the author chooses words in her descriptions.
Have a craft happy weekend! I’m getting ready to make my first ROD album…..
how i used to love when a teacher read to us-usually after lunch. mrs piggle wiggle, beezus and ramona, james and the giant peach…
began my love affair with books~
I’m reading “Dear Mr. Darcy” by Amanda Grange right now. It’s a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, written as a series of letters to and from Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett and the various characters from the book. Quite entertaining, I recommend it if you are a fan of the works of Ms. Austen. I’ve added “Tell the Wolves I’m Home”, “Dog Stars” and “The Minpins” to my TBR list!
Hallo dahling,
Just a note to let you know I am going to download The Minpins right now. And then I am going to get Dog Stars.
For your next reading adventure, try James Salter’s Light Years for extraordinarily lyrical language and an analysis of the marital relationship. Oy, makes it sound awful – just one of the most beautiful writers I’ve ever read. I’ve highlighted more sentences than not.
And let me tell you, your journals – the letters, the maps, the graphics….oh so much happiness of eye candy I can’t tell you!!!!
I wrote in my journal the final words of the minpins, that you shared a couple of years. I hope the class feels and finds the magic.
Linda
I love seeing children spell-bound by an excellent book! And the Roald Dahl books are great – big kids love ’em too for some light reading!
You know, I don’t think I will ever forget those afternoons in a darkened classroom while my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Smallwood read us the Little House series. Such seeds grow strong humans!!
You would love WIldwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis:
Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, tangled forest on the edge of Portland. No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.
So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval—a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions…….
I ADORED IT! Full of great hand drawn illustrations.
Roald Dahl brings back memories of my daughter. She began memorizing stories at age 3 & her favorite stories when she dud begin reading were the wonderful Roald Dahl books. How she love to read his books for hours on end! I truly believe these books helped her find the love of creative writing.
nodding along BIG…books…nothing like them…nothing can match the magic that fills the world because of books…read on…read on….
We suggested to the 10 year old boy child that he sign up for music at school yesterday. He politely declined as it would cut into his library free time.
I’ve got Dog Stars on my TBR pile – that pile is gonna crash and break a toe one of these days. Am looking forward to hearing more about your Venice adventures. I’ve got a trip next week, and made a new journal, but of course I did (http://youtu.be/ZYMM2GR1JVk). Now just gotta pick the books for the trip. Fun.Fun.
Eons ago, when I was a classroom teacher in a very rough neighborhood, my school was equipped with a nice library. This was because there was no public library anywhere nearby. When I took the kids to the library, behavior problems melted away. Seeing that was one of the reasons I became a librarian (now retired).
Roald Dahl books are great for all ages! I used to love reading them to my own class. I have to get back to you with some photos, sorry we’ve been a little busy moving but I haven’t forgotten.
oh yes, the power of words. You absolutely have to love a person that can invent “disgusterous”.
I’m sure it’s why my kids loved The BFG so much and to this day it’s a favourite word in our family. It’s right up there with gumption, rambunctious and a whole lot of other words whose syllables don’t begin to give an inkling of the impact of their punch.