Happy 238th Birthday Jane Austen!

Jane Austen, English novelist, was born on December 16, 1775 died on July 18, 1817.

1811-Sense and  Sensibility
1813 Pride and  Prejudice
1814 Mansfield Park
1815 Emma
1811 Persuasion (published after Jane's death)
1811 Northanger Abbey (published after Jane's death)
1817 Sanditon (unfinished work at the time of Jane's death)

Classic Jane Austen books

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

 

 

 

‘tis the season to be jolly! What a wonderful story to revisit during the Christmas season. The story is one of realizing how living a good life will provide us with the happiness we all seek. Many versions of this movie show over the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day. The version I love is the 1938 version with Reginald Owen, usually shown on Turner Classic Movies channel. The technology in 1938 of course was minimal when it came to magical and ghostly beings appearing in a scene, but this early movie technology adds to the charm of the presentation. Each year I watch this movie I tell myself I need to read the classic story. I have a copy of The Oxford Illustrated Dickens Christmas Books with Original Illustrations on my bookshelf. I attempt each holiday season to take the book off the shelf and enjoy a good read by my fireplace. Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of the season, I never have finished the book. The book contains not only A Christmas Carol but other stories written by Charles Dickens (The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man).  

 

It is amazing to me that A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. When I sit back and consider the messages that resonate throughout the story, such as to treat your fellow man with respect, the importance of family, and the difference a charitable heart can make in another’s life, I realize that this story is truly timeless. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all made it a point to be kind to one another and help those in need throughout the year, not just during the holidays?

 

Once again, I am going to try to make the time to sit down and read this classic literature. I love the idea of reading words from over a century ago, and applying the message to present day. The final paragraph of A Christmas Carol reads, “He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us every one!”

 

 Classic Charles Dicken's books

Books That Are Soon To Become Movies

Today I read an online article about 14 best selling books that will soon be on the big screen. After reading the article, I thought it was worth posting on my blog to share with all of you. The link below will bring you to the article on Buzz Feed:

<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/books-to-read-before-they-hit-the-big-screen?sub=2331123_1304302">this</a>

I am currently reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, one of the books mentioned in the article and set to be in movie theaters in January, 2014. This book was one of our town library's choices last summer and was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. The book is set in 1939, Nazi Germany during World War II. The main character is a girl named Liesel Meminger, who is "The Book Thief". Very early in the story, Liesel faces many traumatic events beginning with her brothers death, being abandoned by her mother, and, finally, being placed in foster care. Feeling like so much has been taken from her, Liesel feels justified in stealing books. Death has made itself known and continues to take control of the story as the first book Liesel steals is from the cemetery where her brother is buried, The Grave Digger's Handbook. Combined with the time period, having Death as the narrator of the story is very intriguing.

At this point, I don't want to say too much more until I've finished reading the book.  I will say that it is a page turner and the writing is magnificent! Below you will find a link with purchase information for The Book Thief. If you are currently reading or have read this book, let me know your thoughts!


http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209

Finding Treasures In Your Personal Library

Oh the joys of finding treasures in my personal library! The last time I blogged, I wrote about coming across a past summer read, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse. Well, today I decided to go through and organize more shelves in my bookcase. To my great delight, I found an old set of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on The Prairie series. The set was given to me by my mother-in-law several years ago and is from the early '70's. I felt like a kid as I lifted the book box from the back of my shelf and began to take out the first book in the series, Little House in The Big Woods.

I teach fifth grade, and I am always looking for "new", old books to share with my class. What is really neat about this series is that I remember as a kid watching the Little House on The Prairie television series and reading a few of the books in the series. I loved the story of the Ingalls family, and the setting of the 1800's. I especially liked the one room school house and thinking how fun it would be to be a teacher. I think it is important to share my personal reading history with my class. It helps the students to get some insight to what I like as a reader, as well as how books can really play an important role in our lives.

Today I decided to read through the series again, looking for story elements, and reliving life with the Ingalls. I think sharing books from a simpler time is essential for today's children. I'll blog as I read each book!

Question for you: What was your favorite book as a child?

http://www.littlehousebooks.com/books/bookdetail.cfm?ISBN13=9780061958274

Summer Reading

It has been a while since I blogged about books. This school year has flown by and I can't believe I am already embarking upon summer reading! In my search for great summer reads, I have come across books that I'd enjoyed in the past. Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse is a book that I could read several times and still gain new insight with each read.

Karen Hesse's novel, Letters From Rifka,  is a children's historical novel  published by Holt in 1992. It features a Jewish family's emigration from Russia in 1919, to Belgium and ultimately to the U.S., from the perspective of daughter Rifka, based on the personal account by Hesse's great-aunt Lucille Avrutin. Hesse and Letters From Rifka  won the 2012 Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association, recognizing the best children's book published twenty years earlier that did not win a major award. In addition, Letters From Rifka won the 1993 National Jewish Book Award in the category of Children's Literature.The protagonist's name, Rifka, is the East European Jewish version of Rebecca. This book works nicely into a study of immigration, and the fear many families faced as they came to America in search of a better life. Rifka's family fled from their homeland of Russia during the Russian Civil War. to avoid persecution. She tells her story in a series of letters to a cousin who remains behind in Russia, written in the blank spaces of an edition of Pushkin's poetry. Rifka, her parents, and her brothers Nathan and Saul, escape Russia, hoping to join the three older sons who have been living in America for years. Along the way, they face cruel officials, typhus, hunger, theft, ringworm, and a separation that threatens to keep Rifka from ever rejoining her family. She is constantly reminded she must be clever and brave, but her true salvation can only come when she learns compassion. While she is stranded at Ellis Island, she finds she has a talent for nursing and for literature. I highly recommend this book to children in the intermediate/middle school grades, as well as adults.

What will you be reading this summer?

 

LuAnne Rice

What Matters Most

 

I always know that when I pick up a book written by Luanne Rice, I will be drawn into a wonderfully woven story. Last week I picked up a copy of What Matters Most, and I have once again found myself snuggled up with another fantastic book. The main character, Sister Bernadette Ignatius,  has returned to Ireland with her caretaker/friend Tom Kelly to search for the son they gave up many years ago.  Bernadette and Tom have a past filled with young love and desire, that came to a hault when Bernadette felt a calling to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. Her decision to give up their son and life as she knew it, also affected Tom. He wound up giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, so that he could remain close to his beloved Bernie, knowing he could no longer have  herbut whom he never stopped loving. Bernie's calling may have changed the path of both of their lives, however, their journey together is far from over.

In Dublin, Ireland a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also dealing with finding his life's path and dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and took her home to America. Years later, in a Newport mansion, Kathleen, now a grown woman, works as a maid and waits with a strong faith, for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.

Miracles are in store for those who are brave enough to hope for what matters most...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-matters-most-luanne-rice/1100259870

http://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Most-Luanne-Rice/dp/0553589709

Reading about the real "Downton Abbey"

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

The Countess of Carnarvon

Mud City by Deborah Ellis

Did Shauzia make it to Paris?

I have recently finished reading Parvana's Journey, the second book in The Breadwinner trilogy, to my fifth grade class. On Monday, I will begin to share the third book, Mud City.  I have shared this trilogy for the past six years and found that each time I do, my class becomes totally captivated with the story. What I really like about this series is the way the author, Deborah Ellis, provides both current and historical events with the a realistic story of family and friendship. Unfortunately, families and friendships have been ripped apart by the Taliban and their rule. At the conclusion of the first book, The Breadwinner, the reader was left wondering what would happen to Parvana, her father, and if Shauzia made it to France. Parvana and Shauzia made a pact to meet at the Eiffel Tower one day, which kept my students on edge wondering about the whereabouts of Shauzia. The second book, Parvana's Journey, followed Parvana on her journey to reunite her family. Throughout the second book, Parvana wrote journal entries to Shauzia and kept referring to the purple fields of France, hoping Shauzia reached her destination. The entries helped keep Shauzia a part of the story.

Mud City  continues the story of Shauzia. As the book opens, it becomes apparent that Shauzia has not made it to France. My students can't wait for me to begin reading this book to them, and they been making predictions ever since we finished reading Parvana's Journey.

I would really love to know if anyone else has shared this trilogy with their class. I will add a link to Barnes and Noble where you may order Mud City, as well as the other books from the Breadwinner trilogy.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mud-city-deborah-ellis/1102212817

Downton Abbey: You'll be hooked!

Have you heard about Downton Abbey?  

I always knew I enjoyed reading authors such as Jane Austen and Emily Bronte because of their traditional language and the charm of the English lifestyle of years gone by. A few weeks ago, I heard talk of a PBS series, Downton Abbey and became intrigued. While it is not a book, the show is well written. I've spent this past weekend watching the DVD's of seasons one and two so that I can enjoy the current season three.  Downton Abbey is actually the name of the house, which is an Edwardian mansion and park set in the North Yorkshire landscape. The story is set around the family of the Earl of Grantham and his family which includes his American wife and three daughters. His mother, the Dowager Countess of Grantham is the matriarch of the family and the resident know-it-all.

The setting is the early 1900's and begins with the sinking of the ship, the Titanic. This is an important element of the story because the Earl of Grantham is fearful that Downton Abbey will one day fall into the hands of a cousin he has never met due to a hierarchy. This cousin is said to have been a passenger on the Titanic and has drowned. The time period lends itself to high adventure, family drama, mystery, and romance.

The characters are intriguing and give insight to the sign of the times. The daughters, Mary, Edith, and Cybil, represent the different situations and problems that women found themselves in during the turn of the twentieth century. Women did not have the same rights as men, especially when it came to voting and position in society. The character of Mary is very risque as she has a moment in time with a Turkish male guest, who later winds up dying in a very inappropriate place. Edith is the daughter who is the "plain Jane" in the looks department. She longs to find the love of a man, and helps out in ways that only men usually would. Cybil is an original rebel for women's rights. The situations are thought provoking and make one want to learn more about the time period.

Period costumes, settings, issues, and family drama are just a few of the elements that make for such a captivating story. If you are a fan of English writers, or just love a rich, historical, family drama, check out Downton Abbey on your local PBS station.It is shown as a part of the Masterpiece Theater offerings (many times during the winter months Jane Austen's books are adapted for the screen on Masterpiece Theater).  I'd love to hear what others think about this continuing saga.

http://www.pbs.org

 http://www.itv.com/downtonabbey/

For Downton Abbey viewers, who is your favorite character or what is your favorite storyline?


For Jane Austen fans, What is your favorite Jane Austen novel and why?

 

Classroom pick: The Breadwinner  by Deborah Ellis

I recently began to read The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis to my fifth grade class. Each year I share this book, and the other books in the trilogy, with my class. When I consider the subject matter, I realize that the book deals with many difficult concepts. The unfair treatment of women and girls, as well as the severe treatment of the Taliban toward the people is written in a very realistic manner. I hope the following book review is helpful  I'd love to hear what others think of this book.

Review:

 

Author: Ellis, Deborah

The Breadwinner.

Illus. by Michael Solomon, c.2000, 170p

Description/Genre:

Chapter Book/Realistic/Young Adult Fiction

Summary: Twelve-year-old Parvana enjoyed going to school, living in a nice, loving home, and being a kid. That is until the Taliban--an extreme militia group that rules Afghanistan--took over the city of Kabul. Girls were forbidden to go to school and women from going to work. Women and girls are not even allowed out of the homes unless they are accompanied by a man. These days, Parvana only leaves her family's one room apartment to help her injured father get to the market, where she earns a small amount of money reading for those who cannot. When the Taliban bursts into their apartment one evening, Parvana's father is arrested. The family is unsure of how they will live without a man to earn money and go to the market with to get food. Then, they come up with an idea –now their survival depends on whether Parvana can convince the outside world that she is a boy.

Review:

I have been reading this book to my class for several years. The Breadwinner is a worthwhile, thought-provoking story that will inspire empathy for children like Parvana, who have grown up in the middle of a war. I am always amazed at the children’s reaction when I first introduce the book. They don’t seem too interested, and then after the first two chapters, the students don’t want me to stop reading. This book offers a great opportunity to write family stories, memories, and it also lends itself to a wonderful discussion about how lucky we are in to live in America.

Audience

- Intermediate grades