It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

First, I must say I have been reading blogs all morning and discovering new blogs devoted to reading books. These aren't children's books, just books for grown-ups to read for fun - Ha Ha!  I also found out some ideas for my book club that I can't wait to share with my group.  You can find these idea at: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com.

Before I tell you what I am reading today and the rest of the week, I want to share last weeks reads.

One of my goals for next year is to get rid of the basal and use mentor texts for lessons and reading.  I found several resources for this purpose.  They are:

1.  Better Than Book Reports by Christine Boardman Moen
2.  Using Picture Books to Teach 8 Essential Literary Elements by Susan Van Zile, Mary Napoli & Emily Ritholz  - This one is for Grades 4-8, but I will use some of these idea for my higher level students.
3.  Reading Response for Fiction by Jennifer Jacobson
4.  Reading Response for Nonfiction by Jennifer Jacobson
5.  Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper and Other Zany Fractured Fairy Tale Plays by J.M.Wolf

We are starting with a dragon theme next year so I read The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.

For myself, I read The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe.  I just discovered this author and look forward to reading more of her books.  I ordered The Beach House and Beach House Memories from the library.  Can't wait!  I also read Restore, Recycle, Repurpose by Randy Florke.  This was a fun book to look at and to get some ideas for my home.

Wow, this is getting long but, here is my list of books for today and the rest of the week.

1.  Essential Strategies for Word Study by Timothy Rasinski & Jerry Zutell
2.  The Fluent Reader by Timothy Rasinski
3.  I am re-reading, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  I consider this book to be a classic.  I can remember my teacher reading it aloud and I read it by myself, I don't know how many times.  I love this book.  
4.  I am also re-reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  I think there are a lot of similarities to My Side of the Mountain.  I read this to my fifth graders every year and we would follow up with a class novel - Brian's Winter.  Gary Paulsen has several books with the character of Brian.  Again, a book I love.
5.  Lulu and the Brontosaurus  by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith.  I ordered this book from Scholastic at the end of the year.  It looks interesting and has alternate endings.
6.The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White is another classic, but I may use it at the beginning of the year to discuss friendship.
7.  Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a story using prose.  Hesse is an award winning author.
8.  For me, Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs.  This is a scrapbooking mystery.  I scrapbook, so this is interesting to me.  I have read a few of her books and enjoy them.

I better start reading NOW!

Ta ta for now,

Kathy