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?