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#MustReadin2016 Update

Posted on: April 11th, 2016 by lschwartz 4 Comments

I took a leap and joined Carrie Gelson’s challenge #MustReadin2016. It is hard not to get drawn in by Carrie’s enthusiasm and love for books. When I read her blog, her words make me want to run out and by every book. I am proud of what I have read so far. I have read many of the books on my list and I even ventured off the list. I have already read 10/15 books and it is only April.

Here is what I have read so far, in the order that I read them:

The Thing about Jellyfish- Ali Benjamin

Paper Things- Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Written in the Stars- Aisha Saeed

All the Bright Places- Jennifer Niven

Roller Girl- Victoria Jamieson

Count Me in – Sara Leach (not on my original list, but read it for a literature circle project)

The Last Time We Say Goodbye- Cynthia Hand

Small as an Elephant- Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Touching Spirit Bear – Ben Mikaelsen (not on my original list)

Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon

I enjoyed all of the books that I have read so far this year. Many of them had me weeping in parts. The two books that have really stayed with me long after I finished them:

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Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon. I read this book on my flight home from Florida and couldn’t stop reading, couldn’t put it down and was finished it well before the flight was over. Madeline is a character that you will think about well after you turn the final page. She has the “Bubble baby disease” and can’t leave her house. At seventeen, she is like Rapunzel trapped in her tower. Madeline sees the world outside and can only imagine what it feels like to feel rain on her face or sunshine. This is the story of what happens when a boy her age moves next door and their ongoing relationship from afar.

Written in the Stars- Naila is in love with a boy that her parents have not chosen for her. They are furious at her and bring her back to Pakistan to explore her roots. But the vacation is changed and what follows is Naila’s story of an arranged marriage and her new life in Pakistan.

I look forward to adding to my list and reading many more books in 2016.

My Story: #MustReadin2016 Challenge

Posted on: January 8th, 2016 by lschwartz 2 Comments

This year I am joining Carrie Gelson and a host of other book lovers for the #MustReadin2016 on Twitter. I am very excited and inspired to read my list of books.

Last Summer, I re-discovered my love of reading when I joined another reading challenge on Twitter. Donalyn Miller’s #bookaday hashtag had me turning pages late into the night many times last summer. It was invigorating to read and enjoy so many books and connect with others on Twitter.

Here is my list of #MustReadin2016 books:

51WLo5tAs3L._SX354_BO1,204,203,200_ The Thing About Jelly Fish by Ali Benjamin- Completed Jan 3, 2016

51UnPzofEWL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_ Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

How to Build a Girl- Caitlin Moran

Written in the Stars- Aisha Saeed

Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon

Crenshaw- Katherine Applegate

Paper Things- Jennifer Richard Jacobson

The Truth About Twinkie Pie- Kate Yeh

Hope is a Ferris Wheel- Robin Herra

The Teacher You Want to Be- Alfie Kohn, Matt Glover et al.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

All The Small Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

What are you reading this year?

My Story: Nurturing my Love of Reading

Posted on: October 14th, 2015 by lschwartz 3 Comments

For the past few summers, I have started my holiday with a stack of books and a determination to read them all. Like a New Year’s resolution, I relish in the feeling that I am going to accomplish something. Two summers ago, I tweeted out my book stack with hopes of it keeping me accountable. But each summer unfolded the same. I looked at that stack of books and gave myself reasons and deadlines to put off reading them. In the blink of an eye, it would be the middle of August and I haden’t finished a single professional resource.

I realized I had lost my love of reading. Growing up I was a ferocious reader. I read anything I could get my hands on. I often stayed up late into the night turning pages to a story that I couldn’t put down. But in the last few years, I had lost that love of reading. Reading started to feel like a job, not a joy.

In June, I came across a blog post by Donalyn Miller about her Book a Day challenge on twitter. Essentially read a book a day throughout the summer and tweet about it with the hashtag #bookaday. This was my opportunity to celebrate reading, connect with a community who loved reading and reclaim the joy I had lost.

It was a beautiful summer of reading. I read YA books and picture books, graphic novels and beginning chapter books and even one professional resource. There were many nights that I stayed up long after the house was quiet engrossed in a good book.

I spent the summer nurturing reading in myself and in doing so I realized the importance of nurturing reading in our students. While we can not discount the importance of our students having time in their day to read books at a level that they can read independently to build fluency. We also must nurture a love and excitement of reading in our classrooms.

A Reader is Someone Who….

Posted on: November 13th, 2013 by lschwartz No Comments

I was blown away by this grade 2/3 class that created this anchor chart.

This anchor chart made my heart sing.