Kate Messner's Blog, page 37

OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon Draper

Yesterday afternoon went something like this:

Sit on dock.
Read.
Get too hot to read.
Jump in lake.
Dry off for five minutes to avoid dripping on library book.
Read.
Repeat.

Eventually, I finished this book...



...and then I sighed and just held onto it for a few minutes. (Don't worry, library people...I was dry by then.)  Sharon Draper's OUT OF MY MIND is definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year.

The narrator of this middle grade novel is Melody, a fifth grader who is smart, spirite...

Friday Five: The Fourth of July Edition

1. Today is putting-in-the-dock day at our house.  I am fortifying myself with coffee and thinking strong, don't-slip-on-the-rocks thoughts.

2. We've had a project going on downstairs for the past few weeks, finishing off a storage area in back of the house to turn it into (are you ready for this? It makes me squeal every time I say it...)  a WRITING room.  It will be separate from the house, quiet, and bright with bookshelves, and it'll be done by early next week, which is good because it is ...

ALA 2010 Part 4: Everything Else...

The American Library Association itself is so awesome that it's easy to forget that there was a whole amazing city outside that convention center.  Thankfully, my kids reminded me, and so in between bookish things, we found time to tour the White House.



The East Room was my favorite, especially the painting of Washington that Dolly Madison smuggled out just before the British burned the White House in 1814.



We had dinner at Malaysia Kopitiam, which was inexpensive and incredibly tasty.



Before ou...

ALA 2010 Part 3: The Newbery-Caldecott Banquet

Sunday night at ALA was the Newbery-Caldecott banquet, which I've heard referred to as the Oscars of children's literature. (Personally, I think it's way better.)  I was at Table #97 (it is a BIG room!) with the wonderful Walker/Bloomsbury folks and some terrific Texas librarians, including Marianne Bell, shown here with me and her Nancy Pearl action figure, who joined us for dinner.



The place setting with this year's official program was so gorgeous it took my breath away.





Marianne's Nancy Pea...

ALA 2010 Part 2: The Scholastic Literary Brunch

Sunday morning at ALA, I attended the Scholastic Literary Brunch, a lovely event where a handful of authors read from their books on the upcoming list. I was especially excited to go because Cindy Lord was reading from TOUCH BLUE, her second novel with Scholastic, about an island community in Maine that takes in foster children to try and save their school.  Like RULES, it's full of real kids that you fall in love with -- equal parts humor and heart and truth. It's just wonderful, and Cindy i...

ALA 2010 - Books and Authors Galore

I'm just back from a whirlwind three days at the American Library Association Conference, which was just amazing. This is my third ALA Convention, and I've come away from each one energized by the passion and enthusiasm of librarians. As someone who grew up on weekly trips to the library, I know that these people are truly shaping the future with the books they put in kids' hands.  And once again, I left the convention feeling like our future is in very good hands, indeed.

After an early fligh...

The Books They Loved Most

My 7th graders wrapped up their final week of English by making a list of their Top Ten Books read this school year. It was no easy task, since many of them have read more than fifty great books since September.  But they flipped through their reading letters and literature circles logs, negotiated with me ("How about if I list the whole series and that counts as one spot on the list, okay?"), and came up with a top ten.  I promised them I'd use those lists to come up with a Team Top Books Ex...

A Letter to Next Year

The last assignment I ask my 7th graders to write in June is a letter to next year's team.  "Write to the students who will be sitting in your seat in September," I tell them.  "Let them know what to expect in this class.  Tell them how they can have a successful year in 7th grade, how they can be happy and productive and have fun.  Tell them what to look forward to, and what you wish you had figured out sooner. And whatever else you want to tell them, too."

And so for 20 minutes, they write, ...

Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER, talks revision!

Remember that confession I made earlier this week?  About being downright addicted to revision?  Well, that applies not only to revising myself but also to hearing about other people's processes. And today, I have a guest on the blog!  The talented Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER, shares her revision story, with a special offer for those of us who teach writing to kids.




DRESSING YOUR BOOK by Saundra Mitchell

I think it's safe to say that most of us don't get up in the morning, throw...

Thankful Thursday: Summer Vacation, Books, and #ALA10

1. Today is the last day of regular classes before final exam week begins at my school.  My students will get their huge list of everyone's Top Ten books read this school year (I'll share it here later on, too!) and use it to make their own summer reading plans.

2. Look what came in the mail from the fantastic eluper   yesterday!



Eric was kind enough to grab me a galley of Laurie Halse Anderson's FORGE at BEA after I did just the tiniest bit of online whining.  My 7th graders read CHAINS togethe...