What's New?
For review:
If I'm so smart, why aren't the answers easy? by Robert A. Schultz, PhD & James R. Delisle, PhD. 190 p. Prufrock Press, October, 2012. 9781593639600.
Publisher Synopsis: Based on surveys with more than 5,000 gifted adolescents and young adults, "If I'm So Smart, Why Aren't the Answers Easy?" sheds light on the day-to-day experiences and stories of those growing up gifted. In their own enlightening words, teens share their experiences with giftedness, including aspects like friendships and fitting in with peers, school struggles and successes, worries about the future, and their family lives. By allowing teens to share their real-life stories firsthand, the book gives readers a self-study guide to the successes and pitfalls of being gifted teens in a world not always open to their unique and diverse needs. While reading, teens will be able to reflect on their own experiences through the engaging journaling and thought experiments included throughout the book, and their parents and teachers will enjoy hearing directly from other students about the topics their gifted teens face daily.
Purchased: bad week for the budget!
Show me a story! Why picture books matter compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus. 309 p. Candlewick Press, May, 2012. 9780763635060.
Publisher Synopsis: In compelling interviews by the acclaimed Leonard S. Marcus, twenty-one top authors and illustrators reveal their inside stories on the art of creating picture books.
Max and Mickey; Miss Nelson; Pack, Quack, and Mrs. Mallard; Pigeon; Sylvester; John Henry; and a very hungry caterpillar - these are just a few of the beloved picture book characters discussed in Show Me a Story. Renowned children’s literature authority Leonard S. Marcus speaks with their creators and others - twenty-one of the world’s most celebrated authors and illustrators
- and asks about their childhood, their inspiration, their determination, their mentors, their creative choices, and more. Amplifying these richly entertaining and thought-provoking conversations are eighty-eight full-color plates revealing each illustrator’s artistic process from sketch to near-final artwork in fascinating, behind-the-scenes detail. Why do children love and need picture books so much?
Rethinking teacher supervision and evaluation by Kim Marshall. 256 p. Wiley and Sons, 2009. 9780470449967.
Because our district adopted his rubric for evaluation from here on out.
Love and other perishable items by Laura Buzo. 243 p. Random House Children's Books, December 10, 2012. 9780375870002.
Publisher Synopsis: Love is awkward, Amelia should know.
From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia is 15.
Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris-at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?
Through a year of befuddling firsts-first love, first job, first party, and first hangover-debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up.
Reached by Ally Condie. Unabridged audiobook on 11 compact discs, 13 hours. Read by Kate Simses, Jack Riccobono and Matt Burns. 9781611761023.
Publisher Synopsis: Cassia’s journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect façade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter.
The wait is over.
One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matters most-family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.
With exquisite prose, the emotionally gripping conclusion to the international-bestselling Matched trilogy returns Cassia, Ky, and Xander to the Society to save the one thing they have been denied for so long, the power to choose.
Etched in clay: the life of Dave, enslaved potter and poet by Andrea Cheng. 143 p. Lee & Low Books, January, 2012. 9781699694515.
I followed a link in a tweet by Lee & Low Books to this page and learned about this book as well as a ton about close reading. Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill and gorgeously illustrated by Bryan Collier is one of my all-time favorites. I'm also a fan of Andrea Cheng and have enjoyed verse novels. Win-win-win.
That's what's new with me. What's new with you? Happy reading!
If I'm so smart, why aren't the answers easy? by Robert A. Schultz, PhD & James R. Delisle, PhD. 190 p. Prufrock Press, October, 2012. 9781593639600.
Publisher Synopsis: Based on surveys with more than 5,000 gifted adolescents and young adults, "If I'm So Smart, Why Aren't the Answers Easy?" sheds light on the day-to-day experiences and stories of those growing up gifted. In their own enlightening words, teens share their experiences with giftedness, including aspects like friendships and fitting in with peers, school struggles and successes, worries about the future, and their family lives. By allowing teens to share their real-life stories firsthand, the book gives readers a self-study guide to the successes and pitfalls of being gifted teens in a world not always open to their unique and diverse needs. While reading, teens will be able to reflect on their own experiences through the engaging journaling and thought experiments included throughout the book, and their parents and teachers will enjoy hearing directly from other students about the topics their gifted teens face daily.
Purchased: bad week for the budget!
Show me a story! Why picture books matter compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus. 309 p. Candlewick Press, May, 2012. 9780763635060.
Publisher Synopsis: In compelling interviews by the acclaimed Leonard S. Marcus, twenty-one top authors and illustrators reveal their inside stories on the art of creating picture books.
Max and Mickey; Miss Nelson; Pack, Quack, and Mrs. Mallard; Pigeon; Sylvester; John Henry; and a very hungry caterpillar - these are just a few of the beloved picture book characters discussed in Show Me a Story. Renowned children’s literature authority Leonard S. Marcus speaks with their creators and others - twenty-one of the world’s most celebrated authors and illustrators
- and asks about their childhood, their inspiration, their determination, their mentors, their creative choices, and more. Amplifying these richly entertaining and thought-provoking conversations are eighty-eight full-color plates revealing each illustrator’s artistic process from sketch to near-final artwork in fascinating, behind-the-scenes detail. Why do children love and need picture books so much?
Rethinking teacher supervision and evaluation by Kim Marshall. 256 p. Wiley and Sons, 2009. 9780470449967.
Because our district adopted his rubric for evaluation from here on out.
Love and other perishable items by Laura Buzo. 243 p. Random House Children's Books, December 10, 2012. 9780375870002.
Publisher Synopsis: Love is awkward, Amelia should know.
From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia is 15.
Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris-at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?
Through a year of befuddling firsts-first love, first job, first party, and first hangover-debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up.
Reached by Ally Condie. Unabridged audiobook on 11 compact discs, 13 hours. Read by Kate Simses, Jack Riccobono and Matt Burns. 9781611761023.
Publisher Synopsis: Cassia’s journey began with an error, a momentary glitch in the otherwise perfect façade of the Society. After crossing canyons to break free, she waits, silk and paper smuggled against her skin, ready for the final chapter.
The wait is over.
One young woman has raged against those who threaten to keep away what matters most-family, love, choice. Her quiet revolution is about to explode into full-scale rebellion.
With exquisite prose, the emotionally gripping conclusion to the international-bestselling Matched trilogy returns Cassia, Ky, and Xander to the Society to save the one thing they have been denied for so long, the power to choose.
Etched in clay: the life of Dave, enslaved potter and poet by Andrea Cheng. 143 p. Lee & Low Books, January, 2012. 9781699694515.
I followed a link in a tweet by Lee & Low Books to this page and learned about this book as well as a ton about close reading. Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill and gorgeously illustrated by Bryan Collier is one of my all-time favorites. I'm also a fan of Andrea Cheng and have enjoyed verse novels. Win-win-win.
That's what's new with me. What's new with you? Happy reading!