Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 67

Hispanic Heritage Month Book Review: Wonder

August Pullman is a normal kid. He’s very smart and funny. He’s kind and loves deeply. There’s just one problem, one thing hindering him in life—his face. At birth, he suffered from a rare condition that left his facial features rather deformed. People are always surprised when they see August for the first time. They either warm up to him or cannot get past the surface, which is a shame.

But life hasn’t been easy for August. After countless surgeries, hundreds of people freaking out at his face, and his best friend moving away, he is completely content to play at home with this sister Via and their dog Daisy. But like everyone else, August has to learn to face the rest of the world. What does this mean? School. Not home schooling, like he’s done for years with his mom, but real school with real, inconsiderate kids.

At first, August is completely against the idea. It’s horrifying, honestly, But as his parents argue more, after meets a few kids, and has a talk with the school’s dean, he grows more comfortable with the idea and is ready to start, to face all the challenges that come with…dun dun duhhhh…middle school. Middle school is horrible for any kid, let alone one who has something that makes him stand out, and not necessarily in a good way.

And just as expected middle school is hard for August. Kids are mean, and this time they’re intentional about it. It’s not the kind of mean that little kids commit without knowing what they’re doing. These pre-teens know what they’re doing when they are pretending that August has the plague, and if you touch him, you have to wash your hands immediately or you’ll catch it too. They call him names, and when his friend Jack sticks up for him, the rest of the guys avoid both of them, leaving mean notes in their lockers.

But August overcomes every challenge thrown at him with his head held high and the kindness of a thousand kids. His good heart ends up winning people over, and by the end of the year, school isn’t something that August dreads. It’s something to look forward to—to being kinder than is necessary.

Wonder really surprised me. We don’t hear about too many books written about middle school. And the ones that are don’t delve into the confusing, sad, dark parts of these transformative years. Middle school is hard for everyone—kids are trying to figure out who they are, who their friends are, what they like. Popularity is starting to be really important. And most importantly, how you look is crucial. So place this wonderful kid, who’s face frightens a lot of people, into this lion’s den, and it’s a recipe for disaster. But Palacio has created an amazing character that you can’t help but fall in love with. And the novel is so unique in its structure. We don’t just hear from August, but also from the kids that influence him: Via, Justin, Jack, and Miranda. We all see how they feel about him and how he has influenced them.

The message that Mr. Tushman, the principal, preached at the fifth grade graduation really touched me. He read this quote from J.M. Barrie’s The Little White Bird: “Shall we make a new rule of life…always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?” If half the people reading this abide by this new rule, the world will be a so much better place.

Wonder Book Extensions:

With Halloween coming up, let’s take a look at all of August’s costumes to give you all some ideas for this year:

A.     An astronaut (always a classic)

B.     Boba Fett (for you Star Wars fans out there)

C.     A Mummy (perfect for Halloween)

D.    The Scream (a classic painting fit into a terror-inducing costume)

*What’s your favorite costume?

Chocolate Milk:

This is one of August’s favorite dishes. But rather than just buying chocolate milk from the store, why not try your hand at homemade? Here’s what you’ll need:

1.     Milk, of course!

2.     Cocoa Powder

3.     Powdered sugar

4.     Vanilla

Mix all these ingredients and serve it up. To make it even more like August’s whip it around with a whisk to make it a little frothy then add a grilled cheese, and you’re good to go!

Being Kind

The idea of being kind is a constant motif throughout Wonder. Summer is truly the only character who is, right from the beginning, kind to August without question. We understand that being kind to people who look different from you or who act different can be nerve wracking and off putting. But being kind is the one thing that makes this world a great place. Here are some ideas to get you started.

a.     Say hello to someone who’s looking a little blue or a little lonely.

b.     Sit by someone new at lunch

c.      Give someone you don’t normally speak to a compliment.

d.     Smile more often

Check our my Kindness Booklist here for more ideas on being Kind.

The Truth about Bullying:

Bullying is a real problem in our schools, whether we choose to accept this or not. Schools say they are taking preventative measures, but there are always kids who slip through the cracks. This article provides the facts about bullying. Please take a look and educate yourself.

The Truth About Bullying at School

And this is what you can do if you or someone you know is a victim of bullying. Don’t just be bystanders. And don’t be silent if this is happening to you.

Bullying-What to Do

Check out my long list of anti-bullying booklists broken down by grade:

**some of these links are affiliate links.

ENDS 9/30!!! Don’t forget to enter to WIN our ginormous Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

GO HERE to enter to WIN!

The post Hispanic Heritage Month Book Review: Wonder appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Weekend Links: A Great Week of Lunar Eclipse-Themed Booklists

Welcome to Weekend Links! This week was the official final day of summer and fall is starting off with bang with the occurance of a Lunar Eclipse or “Blood Moon.” Basically when the Earth casts its shadow on a Full Moon and eclipses it, the Moon may get a red glow causing many to refer to it as a blood moon. Rumor has it that tonight will be the night to view it so our household is buzzing with anticipation!

The moon, solar system and stars are always a great source for learning opportunities for kids so in honor of list weekend’s lunar eclipse, here are some great booklists and resources that are “outer space” themed. Enjoy!

Astronomy for Kids: Great Books and Marshmallow Constellations from KC Edventures.

Stories from a Summer Night Sky: Learning about Constellations and Legends

Stargazing & Astronomy Booklist for the whole family

30+ fabulous books to read for a space theme from The Measured Mom

It’s almost OVER! Don’t forget to enter to WIN our ginormous Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

GO HERE to enter to WIN!

The post Weekend Links: A Great Week of Lunar Eclipse-Themed Booklists appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

A Day of Fun and Reading With the Penderwicks

We’ve spent a lot of time lately at the Blount County Library in Maryville, Tennessee. When asked which book I should review, all of the kids gave a resounding answer; The Penderwicks.

The Penderwicks: A summer Tale of Four Sisters,Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall is filled with adventure, mystery, suspense, friendships, and villains–all of these ingredients mixed together make the best summer ever for the Penderwick sisters Rosalind, Jane, Skye, and Batty. Rosalind, the oldest, assumes the responsibility of taking care of her younger sisters. Jane just wants to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Skye wants to finish her novel. And Batty…wants to be a butterfly. When they arrive at Arundel Hall for the summer with their Botanist father and their dog, Hound, the girls had no clue what was awaiting them behind the high walls of the Arundel house.

During their stay at Arundel, they make lasting friendships that make the summer worthwhile. When Mrs. Tifton’s son Jeffrey gets pulled into the Penderwick family, problems run rampant. To Mrs. Tifton, the Penderwick’s just aren’t the right kind of people. When they learn that Jeffrey’s mother is planning to ship him off to military school, the summer takes a turn for the worse. Now they have to save Jeffrey from this most undesirable fate and still manage to enjoy their summer.

Can the Penderwick’s save Jeffrey? Will Batty ever have the courage to stand up to Mrs. Tifton? And will Skye finish her novel? Join the Penderwick sisters, learn the family oath, and save Jeffrey during this wonderful, adventurous summer!

We absolutely adored this story. It has a good old fashion storytelling feel  to it. There is such solidarity in their family life.

We especially liked the way the sisters formed different configurations to have secret meetings, complete with oath taking.The girls have MOPS (Meeting of Penderwick Sisters) and MOOPS (Meeting of Older Penderwick Sisters). I love how Ms. Birdsall made each of the girls so realistic for their age. They are all very relatable for all age groups.

Another aspect we liked in the book is the idea of family honor. Penderwick Family Honor! Whenever a situation arises in which the girls have to make a judgement call – and plenty do – they always revert back to Penderwick Family Honor. I love this because honor is clearly a value that’s been stressed as an integral part of the identity of this family. This is a family that values bravery, loyalty, integrity, imagination, learning, all things I’ve instilled in my own children. Mr. Penderwick has his hands full with his four creatively active daughters. He has taught his daughters values and trusts them to live accordingly. The Penderwick Family Honor is the code they live by.

The one thing you have to know about this great read is that it’s just lovely–mystery, adventure, and fun all wrapped into one. Mr. Dupree is the best villain and Churchie the best cook. I don’t see how you can’t fall in love with the Penderwicks and their new friends.

I just shared this last bit of news with my children, it’s a series! There’s so much more fun to be had with the Penderwicks and we’re so happy about that.

Add Something To Make

Mr Harry’s Tomatoes

Mr. Harry plays a fun role in the story. I asked the kids, “What are all the things we can do with Harry’s Tomatoes ?” After thinking of everything from tomato sauce, to eating tomatoes raw, the kids wanted to know if it’s possible to make ketchup or do we “have” to buy it in a bottle ? So there it was, we made a batch of homemade ketchup and I think this is the way we’re going to eat ketchup from now on.

Ketchup Recipe

This turned out so well and was so easy to make. We found it on Allrecipes.

 INGREDIENTS:

2 (28 ounce) cans peeled ground tomatoes
1/2 cup water, divided
2/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 whole clove

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour ground tomatoes into slow cooker. Swirl 1/4 cup water in each emptied can and pour into slow cooker. Add sugar, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, celery salt, mustard powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and whole clove; whisk to combine.

2. Cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half and very thick, 10 to 12 hours. Stir every hour or so.

3. Smooth the texture of the ketchup using an immersion blender, about 20 seconds.

4. Ladle the ketchup into a fine strainer and press mixture with the back of a ladle to strain out any skins and seeds.

5. Transfer the strained ketchup to a bowl. Cool completely before tasting to adjust salt, black pepper, or cayenne pepper.

Take a Quick Quiz

Which Penderwick Sister are You ? Or are you one at all ?

Each sister in the story is distinctly different. Each with their own personality, likes and dislikes, plus they had a variety of adventures.

Which Penderwick sister are you ? Or are you Jeffery ?

Here’s a quick review:

Rosalind is the oldest and very sensible. She is also very responsible and takes care of her younger sisters very well.

Skye is the beautiful blonde of the family who also happens to be a tomboy. She is very logical and adventurous.

Jane is a writer and very outspoken. She is a good athlete and very caring when she is saying something she shouldn’t be.

Batty is the youngest and very shy. She loves animals and considers them to be her best friends.

Jeffery is the son of a rich woman who lives in upper crust society. Jeffery loves having the Penderwick sisters as friends. He loves to play soccer and is a very good pianist.

Let’s Solve a Puzzle

Civil War Word Search

Cagney the teenage gardener loves anything having to do with the Civil War. Test your wits and see how many of these Civil War words you can find.

 

Now Answer This!

Family Oath

The Penderwick family has a family oath which defends their family honor. What values are important to your family? What would your Family Oath Be? Create a family oath and then come back and share it here.

**Some of these links are affiliate links. I was give a copy of this book for review. Opinions expressed are purely my own.

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The post A Day of Fun and Reading With the Penderwicks appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

I have to say that several generations of this family have been greatly inspired by Albert Einstein. On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky is a brilliant work of art and incredible simple, clean and concise storytelling leaving the reader inspired and ready to embrace their own questions to discover the awe and wonder that lay behind them.

{click to tweet} “Suddenly he knew there were mysteries in the world-hidden and silent, unknown and unseen.”

From the very beginning Albert was unique. He couldn’t talk until he was 4 years old. When he did start talking he couldn’t stop asking questions. His father gave him a magnet and he wondered why and how it always pointed north. He became fascinated with light and sound, heat, gravity, but most of all numbers. Albert loved number. They were like a secret language for him.

He asked tons of questions and even with all of those questions he kept wondering, so he kept reading and learning to find answers to those questions.

After Albert graduated from college he wanted to teach all of the subjects that fascinated him.  But he couldn’t find a job as a teacher so he worked in a government office instead. Still even as an adult, Albert kept asking questions. Whether watching a lump of sugar dissolving into tea or smoke from his pipe swirl and disappear. Albert kept asking “how does that happen?”

As he continued to think and ask, Albert thought about the idea that every single thing is made of teeny, tiny bits of stuff called atoms.

He continued to think about atoms which led to him thinking about motion and the idea that everything is always moving. All of these thoughts about movement led him to incredible ideas and thought about time and space.

Albert sent his new found ideas to magazines which would publish and print anything Albert wrote. Soon he was asked to teach. Now, finally everyone thought Albert was a genius. He could spend his days imagining, wondering, figuring, and thinking.

He loved to think in his sailboat. He loved to play violin. He said it helped him think even better.

Did you know that Albert even chose his clothes for thinking ? He even word his shoes without socks. He said now that he was a grown up, no one could tell him he had to wear socks. He loved to walk and wander around, often times while eating an ice cream cone.

While doing all the things he loved, he tried to figure out the secrets of the universe and that beam of light he rode on a long time ago as a child.

Albert figured out that NOTHING could move faster than a beam of light.

Until his very last breath “Albert asked questions never asked before. Found answers never found before. And dreamed up ideas never dreamt before.”

His wondering, thinking and imagining helped us understand our universe like no one else has.

This book is a must have for the family library. It’s an incredible biography told in a very artistic and captivating way.

Something to Do

Magnets: Make your own Compass

To always keep yourself pointing north, make your very own compass. Here’s a great one from Steve Spangler.

Nearly everything you wanted to know about Magnets

Here are some really fun and entertaining activities to do with magnets, as well as an overview into the world of magnets.

Scavenger Hunt

Don’t forget to do a magnet scavenger hunt around the house. Give your children a magnet and have them search all over the house for things the magnet sticks to. Have write or bring those things back to “home base” to see what magnetic items are laying around your house.

Light and Sound

Enjoy learning about light and sound on this incredible experiment page. This will create hours of fun for you and your family.

Gravity

There is something for everyone on Gravity Day. This page has overviews and activities for all age groups.

Numbers

Wanting to know more about numbers? Want to improve or learn some math? From the very beginning I have always been so impressed with Khan Academy. It started with Sal Khan sending his niece math tutoring  help over youtube videos. Then everyone started watching them and working their way towards math comprehension. Now Khan Academy is being used all over the world not only as math tutoring but math instruction. They have other courses as well in science and language. Little by little I’ve been bringing back my own math skills by following their learning map. It’s an incredible program and it’s absolutely FREE. Want to wonder about numbers just like Albert Einstein? Head on over to Khan Academy.

 

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Don’t forget our ginormous Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

GO HERE to enter to WIN!

The post On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Weekend Links: National Hispanic Heritage Month Booklists

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month and my travels across the interwebs this week has turn up soooo many amazing links, posts and resources for parents, teachers and young readers. Enjoy!

33 Latino Middle Grade Chapter Books You Should Know  @JumpIntoABook

Top 10: Best Latino American Children’s Books (ages 2-16)  @PragmaticMom

Best Books for Latino Heritage Children at Walking by the Way

Why We Need Hispanic Heritage Month-via @MulticulturKids

Bring Hispanic Heritage Month to Life: A Collection of Resources | Scholastic.com

Favorite children books about Ecuador culture in Spanish @HispanicMama

Children’s Books about Costa Rica via @alldonemonkey

Don’t forget our ginormous Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

GO HERE to enter to WIN!

The post Weekend Links: National Hispanic Heritage Month Booklists appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

33 Latino Middle Grade Chapter Books You Should Know

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.As I was looking through past lists both here and on the Multicultural Children’s Book website I realized that though we have many great recommendations to learn about the actual countries of Latin America we didn’t have many recommendations about the people from those places and the lives and stories they live whether in Hispanic and South American countries or as immigrants, both documented and undocumented, here in the US. Read more HERE.

In celebration of Hispanic American Month I’ve created a list of 33 Latino Middle Grade Chapter Books. I hope they inspire you. Happy Reading!!!

 

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells with Secundino Fernandez, Illustrated by Peter Ferguson

A young Cuban immigrant eases his homesickness by re-creating the city of Havana in a poignant tale that will resonate with readers today.

Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes

Gr 5-8–When Gaby Ramirez Howard’s mother is deported back to Honduras, the sixth-grader’s life is anything but stable. Her father often forgets to purchase food, but worse, neglects his daughter emotionally. She is an outcast at St. Ann’s where classmates tease her about her family life. With everything falling apart, the protagonist finds strength and self-confidence in the class service project at their local animal shelter. She showcases her writing skills, creating individual profiles for each animal. Although her life parallels many of the abandoned pets, Gaby takes on the role of protector and defender. Her profiles and hard work help many animals find a new home and a true family, something that Gaby is lacking. The plot and tone are spiced with Spanish words along with tidbits of Honduran culture. The author humanizes the controversial issue of illegal immigration and paints an emotionally compelling story. ( School Library Journal)

Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi

In this inventive, fast-paced novel, New York Times bestselling and Printz Award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi takes on hard-hitting themes–from food safety to racism and immigration–and creates a zany, grand-slam adventure that will get kids thinking about where their food comes from.

The zombie apocalypse begins on the day Rabi, Miguel, and Joe are practicing baseball near their town’s local meatpacking plant and nearly get knocked out by a really big stink. Little do they know the plant’s toxic cattle feed is turning cows into flesh-craving monsters! The boys decide to launch a stealth investigation into the plant’s dangerous practices, unknowingly discovering a greedy corporation’s plot to look the other way as tainted meat is sold to thousands all over the country. With no grownups left they can trust, Rabi and his friends will have to grab their bats to protect themselves (and a few of their enemies) if they want to stay alive…and maybe even save the world.

Under the Mambo Moon by Julia Durango

On summer nights Marisol helps out in Papi’s music store. As customers come and go, they share memories of the Latin music and dance of their various homelands, expressed in a dazzling array of poetry. The diversity of Latin American music is brought to life in poems that swivel, sway, and sizzle with the rhythms of merengue, vallenatos, salsa, and samba.

Back matter includes a map, author’s note, and further information about the musical heritage of Latin America.

Pickle: The Formerly Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Middle School by Kim Baker and Tim Probert

Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling homeroom with ball-pit balls.

Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle-making club, could receive funding from the PTA.

Oliver: Who once convinced half of the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to live in a submarine.

Bean: Who wasn’t exactly invited, but her parents own a costume shop, which comes in handy if you want to dress up like a giant squirrel and try to scare people at the zoo.

TOGETHER, they are an unstoppable prank-pulling force, and Fountain Point Middle School will never be the same.

Whisker Tales and Wings: Animal Folktales from Mexico by Judy Goldman

Judy Goldman retells animal folktales from five indigenous groups in Mexico–the Tarahumara, Seri, Huichol, Triqui, and Tseltal. Each story is followed by information about the featured culture, enriching readers’ understanding of the diverse people who make up Mexico.Fabricio VandenBroeck’s lush art portrays the richness of the many people, animals, and places that make up Mexico.Includes a map of Mexico, showing the location of each indigenous group. Back matter includes a glossary and sources, as well as an index and a bibliography.

Yes We are Latinos by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Illustrated by David Diaz

Juanita lives in New York and is Mexican. Felipe lives in Chicago and is Panamanian, Venezuelan, and black. Michiko lives in Los Angeles and is Peruvian and Japanese. Each of them is also Latino.

Thirteen young Latinos and Latinas living in America are introduced in this book celebrating the rich diversity of the Latino and Latina experience in the United States. Free-verse fictional narratives from the perspective of each youth provide specific stories and circumstances for the reader to better understand the Latino people’s quest for identity. Each profile is followed by nonfiction prose that further clarifies the character’s background and history, touching upon important events in the history of the Latino American people, such as the Spanish Civil War, immigration to the US, and the internment of Latinos with Japanese ancestry during World War II.

The Ugly One by Leann Statland Ellis

Twelve-year-old Micay walks around her fifteenth-century Incan village shielding the scarred side of her face that inspired the cruel name Millay, or “Ugly One.” She escapes to her huaca rock, avoiding the villagers who shun her. Her world shifts dramatically when a stranger gives her a sorry-looking baby macaw. The bird becomes her dear companion on a journey that ultimately leads her to a new role as shaman in Machu Picchu’s Sacred Sun City. Told in an engaging storyteller’s voice, this is a stirring tale of a girl who finds her own strength.

Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel by Diana Lopez

It’s summer before eighth grade, and Erica “Chia” Montenegro is feeling so many things that she needs a mood ring to keep track of her emotions. She’s happy when she hangs out with her best friends, the Robins. She’s jealous that her genius little sister skipped two grades. And she’s passionate about the crushes on her Boyfriend Wish list. And when Erica’s mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, she feels worried and doesn’t know what she can do to help.

When her family visits a cuarto de milagros, a miracle room in a famous church, Erica decides to make a promesa to God in exchange for her mom’s health. As her mom gets sicker, Erica quickly learns that juggling family, friends, school, and fulfilling a promesa is stressful, but with a little bit of hope and a lot of love, she just might be able to figure it out.

Secret Saturdays by Torrey Maldondo

Justin and Sean, both 12, live in the Red Hook projects, are half Puerto Rican and half African-American, and have absentee fathers. They became friends when Sean stuck up for Justin, but now Sean is straying further from their friendship, avoiding their scheduled sleepovers, lying, and not doing as well in school. He’s been getting into more and more fights when he used to advocate dissing instead of fists. Where is Sean going on Saturdays? Why isn’t he telling his friends Justin, Kyle, and Vanessa? Justin heads up the squad to find out why, but with more drama than action, and readers may not care. Justin worries, on more than one occasion, that because he’s so concerned about Sean people are going to think he’s gay. There’s also the possibility that Sean’s dad is gay—Justin’s reasoning is that he sends Sean shiny trinkets from Puerto Rico. He also inaccurately portrays his cousin as gay because he dresses up in women’s clothes and wants to be called Vicky. While these fallacies go unaddressed, Maldonado does explore what it means to be a friend, the nature of privacy, and how difficult it is for boys to talk with one another. With so few books out for urban middle school boys of color besides the “Bluford” series (Townsend), this book, with all its flaws, may still be a draw for some readers. The cover, type size, and format, with cool font and a photo at the head of each chapter, will attract reluctant readers, but the content may not sustain them. ( School Library Journal)

How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over by Julia Alvarez

Welcome to Tía Lola’s bed and breakfast! With the help of her niece and nephew and the three Sword Sisters, Tía Lola is opening the doors of Colonel Charlebois’ grand old Vermont house to visitors from all over. But Tía Lola and the children soon realize that running a B & B isn’t as easy they had initially thought—especially when it appears that someone is out to sabotage them! Will Tía Lola and the kids discover who’s behind the plot to make their B & B fail? And will Tía Lola’s family and friends be able to plan her a surprise birthday party in her own B & B without her finding out?

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

The Wild Book By Margarita Engle

Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them?

But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. “Think of it as a garden,” she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky at first, then growing stronger and surer with each new day. And when her family is threatened, it is what Fefa has learned from her wild book that saves them.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she’d always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico–she’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances–Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it.

In our summer reading program we created many fun Extension Activities you can find them here.

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes

When twelve-year-old Izzy spends the summer in her Nana’s remote New Mexico village, she discovers long-buried secrets that come alive in an enchanted landscape of majestic mountains, whispering winds, and tortilla suns. Infused with the flavor of the southwest and sprinkled with just a pinch of magic, readers are sure to find this heartfelt story as rich and satisfying as Nana’s homemade enchiladas.

El Lector by William Durbin

This heart-warming story is about Bella, a 13-year-old girl in Tampa, Florida, in the 1930s. Her grandfather is a lector at a cigar factory, which means he reads fiction, newspapers, and union news to the workers as they roll cigars. Being a lector is an important role in their Cuban American immigrant community. But the hard times of the Depression mean that Bella must go to work in the factory. Her hope of getting the education a lector needs seems impossible.

Call Me Maria: A Novel in Letters, Poems,and Prose by Judith Ortiz Cofer

A new novel from the award-winning author of AN ISLAND LIKE YOU, winner of the Pura Belpre Award.Maria is a girl caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and New York, where she now lives in a basement apartment in the barrio. While her mother remains on the island, Maria lives with her father, the super of their building. As she struggles to lose her island accent, Maria does her best to find her place within the unfamiliar culture of the barrio. Finally, with the Spanglish of the barrio people ringing in her ears, she finds the poet within herself.In lush prose and spare, evocative poetry, Cofer weaves a powerful novel, bursting with life and hope.

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan

By far one of our favorite books. Please look to see our extension activities here.

Winner of the 2011 Pure Belpre Award for fiction.

From the time he is a young boy, Neftali hears the call of a mysterious voice. He knows he must follow it–even when the neighborhood children taunted him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself. It leads him under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, until finally, he discovers its source.

Combining elements of magical realism with biography, poetry, literary fiction, and sensorial, transporting illustrations, Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís take readers on a rare journey of the heart and imagination.

Tequilla Worm by Viola Canales

Sofia comes from a family of storytellers. Here are her tales of growing up in the barrio, full of the magic and mystery of family traditions: making Easter cascarones, celebrating el Dia de los Muertos, preparing for quincea–era, rejoicing in the Christmas nacimiento, and curing homesickness by eating the tequila worm. When Sofia is singled out to receive a scholarship to an elite boarding school, she longs to explore life beyond the barrio, even though it means leaving her family to navigate a strange world of rich, privileged kids. It’s a different mundo, but one where Sofia’s traditions take on new meaning and illuminate her path.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

After Tyler’s father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico.

Maximillian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller by Xavier Garza

Margarito acts like any other eleven-year-old aficionado of lucha libre. He worships all the players. But in the summer just before sixth grade, he tumbles over the railing at a match in San Antonio and makes a connection to the world of Mexican wrestling that will ultimately connect him—maybe by blood!—to the greatest hero of all time: the Guardian Angel.

The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph

Twelve-year-old Ana Rosa is a blossoming writer growing up in the Dominican Republic, a country where words are feared. Yet there is so much inspiration all around her — watching her brother search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be part of a community — that Ana Rosa must write it all down. As she struggles to find her own voice and a way to make it heard, Ana Rosa realizes the power of her words to transform the world around her — and to transcend the most unthinkable of tragedies.

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez’s debut novel for tweens garnered lots of praise. Recommended by the Chicago Public Library as the Best of the Best in 2008, it’s a bittersweet story about death, family, and the resilient emotional strength of the human heart. When Chela Gonzalez’s father has a stroke, her grandmother comes to help. The house fills up with the smell of her old lady perfume, a smell that carries with it sorrow and loss.

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle

Daniel has escaped Nazi Germany with nothing but a desperate dream that he might one day find his parents again. But that golden land called New York has turned away his ship full of refugees, and Daniel finds himself in Cuba.

As the tropical island begins to work its magic on him, the young refugee befriends a local girl with some painful secrets of her own. Yet even in Cuba, the Nazi darkness is never far away . . .

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle

The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.

In this quietly powerful new book, award-winning poet Margarita Engle paints a portrait of early women’s rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This is a classic! Esperanza Cordero, a girl coming of age in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago, uses poems and stories to express thoughts and emotions about her oppressive environment.

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin

Celeste Marconi is a dreamer. She lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile—until one day when warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates start disappearing from class without a word. Celeste doesn’t quite know what is happening, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not anymore.

The country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protestors, and anyone who helps the needy to be considered “subversive” and dangerous to Chile’s future. So Celeste’s parents—her educated, generous, kind parents—must go into hiding before they, too, “disappear.” Before they do, however, they send Celeste to America to protect her.

As Celeste adapts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile. But even after democracy is restored to her home country, questions remain: Will her parents reemerge from hiding? Will she ever be truly safe again?

Accented with interior artwork, steeped in the history of Pinochet’s catastrophic takeover of Chile, and based on many true events, this multicultural ode to the power of revolution, words, and love is both indelibly brave and heart-wrenchingly graceful.

Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

This Newbery Award Winner is a lovely story.The novel is the story of Cusi. He is an Inca boy who has been raised in a remote valley of the Andes mountain range by an old man, Chuto. Cusi is of royal Inca blood, but this is four hundred years after the Spanish conquest. Cusi has been raised in the traditional Inca manner. The plot of the novel concerns Cusi’s search for himself. He has been raised without a “family” (at least in the traditional sense), and he is sent from the valley, with the companionship of his pet llama, to find his path in the world, a task that he sees as finding himself a family. The world Cusi goes into is one which is very different from the one he has been raised in because the Spanish culture has become predominant. Then, Cusi is forced to come to terms with his own way of life and with what his concept of “family” should be.

Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle

One hundred years ago, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which connected the world’s two largest oceans and signaled America’s emergence as a global superpower. It was a miracle, this path of water where a mountain had stood—and creating a miracle is no easy thing. Thousands lost their lives, and those who survived worked under the harshest conditions for only a few silver coins a day.

From the young “silver people” whose back-breaking labor built the Canal to the denizens of the endangered rainforest itself, this is the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, as only Newbery Honor-winning author Margarita Engle could tell it.

Island Treasure by Alma Flor Alda

These true autobiographical tales from renowned Hispanic author and educator Alma Flor Ada are filled with family love and traditions, secrets and deep friendships, and a gorgeous, moving picture of the island of Cuba, where Alma Flor grew up. Told through the eyes of a child, a whole world comes to life in these pages: the blind great-grandmother who never went to school but whose wisdom and generosity overflowed to those around her; the hired hand Samoné, whose love for music overcame all difficulties; the beloved dance teacher who helped sustain young Alma Flor through a miserable year in school; her dear and daring Uncle Medardo, who bravely flew airplanes; and more.

Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff

Newbery Honor–winning author Patricia Reilly Giff tells a vivid, contemporary story about a remarkable boy who risks everything for his family and a bold girl who helps him. At home in Mexico, Mateo knows where he belongs: with Mami, Abuelita, little brother Lucas, and big brother Julian. When Julian leaves to work in el Norte, the United States, Mateo misses him. And when the family stops hearing from Julian, Mateo knows he has to find his beloved brother.

With only his old notebook and a backpack, Mateo heads for the border, where dangers await: robbers, and the border police, who will send him back home or perhaps even put him in prison. On his journey, Mateo meets Angel, a smart, mysterious girl who can guide his crossing. Angel is tough; so is Mateo, and his memories of his loving family sustain him. Because no matter what happens, he can’t go home until he finds Julian.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord

This powerful middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES explores a friendship between a small-town girl and the daughter of migrant workers.

When Lily’s blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it’s Salma Santiago who manages to catch him. Salma, the daughter of migrant workers, is in the small town with her family for the blueberry-picking season.

After their initial chance meeting, Salma and Lily bond over painting bee boxes for Lily’s grandfather, and Salma’s friendship transforms Lily’s summer. But when Salma decides to run in the upcoming Blueberry Queen pageant, they’ll have to face some tough truths about friendship and belonging. Should an outsider like Salma really participate in the pageant-and possibly win?

Set amongst the blueberry barrens and by the sea, this is a gorgeous new novel by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord that tackles themes of prejudice and friendship, loss and love.

Who’s Ju by Dania Ramos

Justina (Ju) loves mystery movies and books and is the head of a special club called the Seventh Grade Sleuths, involved in solving small mysteries at school. When Justina and her crew are hired to find out who has been vandalizing the sets of the school play, Ju never expects that she would wind up steeped in a deeper and more important mystery concerning her own identity. At school, the seventh graders have been assigned a genetics project to research their family history. This project causes grief for her parents who do not want her to complete it. Determined not to get a bad grade, Justina continues her research only to discover that her parents have been hiding something about her past. Ramos has created an excellent, fully developed heroine. The tween does not look like any of her family members and is faced with questions about her own identity and where she fits in. She completes an interesting arc by the end of the story. This work answers the call for more diverse books for young readers. Fans of Nancy Drew or “39 Clues” (Scholastic) who are looking for something new will enjoy this multi-layered tale. (School Library Journal)

**some of these links are affiliate links

*****

Bookjumper Pinterest Board

Discover even MORE Jump Into A Book Booklists and their companion activities by visiting and following my Pinterest Board!

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The post 33 Latino Middle Grade Chapter Books You Should Know appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway!

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

Starting today, September 15th and through September 30th you can enter to win a curated bundle of multicultural books featuring StoryMakers guests and additional kid lit authors.

Watch this fun video, to see some of the kid lit your school library can win!

Books featured in the giveaway bundle include:

The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

Beauty and The Beast by Pat Cummings

The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh

Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

The Seeds of Friendship by Michael Foreman

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat

PLUS three more to be announced soon!

Current and former librarians share why they believe school libraries are essential:

Happiest is the school that provides its children with access to information in all its myriad forms and has a professional on hand to help direct them. — Betsy Bird

Collection Development Manager, Evanston Public Library

School Library Journal (Fuse8)

Every child should have access to a school library accessible throughout the school day and well-stocked with materials to engage, entertain, educate, and inspire. — Matthew Winner

Library Media Specialist

The Busy Librarian

Let’s Get Busy Podcast

As a retired school librarian, I certainly know the importance of school libraries. With more and more school librarians being eliminated it is of the utmost importance that we advocate and publicize the important role they play. — Rocco Staino

Contributing Editor, School Library Journal

Director, Empire State Center for the Book

Host, KidLit TV’s StoryMakers

Here’s how it works:

Enter to win via the Rafflecopter widget below.
Winners are chosen randomly. We’ll notify all winners via email.
You’ll give us the name of your librarian, and address of your school library.
We’ll send the books to your school library, in your name!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entrants must be at least 13 years old and reside in the United States

More than 60 education and library research studies have produced clear evidence that school library programs staffed by qualified school librarians have a positive impact on student academic achievement. Yet, many students are returning to school without a resource essential for success: a strong school library program lead by a certified school librarian. — I Love Libraries

We couldn’t have done this without wonderful publishers who’ve graciously donated books. Please give a round of applause to the publishers participating our giveaway!

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

HarperCollins

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Candlewick Press

Abrams Books

Dreamscape Media

Dial Books

Want to increase your library’s chances of winning? SHARE this post with other librarians, parents and educators in your area!

ABOUT

Pragmatic Mom

Pragmatic Mom was born of several circumstances; one child’s lackluster academic year, a mishap during a reading session, and realizing it was okay for a mom to love kid lit more than adult fiction. Mia Wenjen chronicles her family’s journey through education, parenting, and children’s literature via Pragmatic Mom. Mia is a leader in literacy and parenting. She is one of the co-founders of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Connect with Pragmatic Mom on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Jump into a Book

Jump into a Book (JIAB) is a site about the love of children’s books and how they can be incorporated into our everyday lives through play, crafting, cooking, movies, games, traveling and author visits. At JIAB, they strive to pull books off shelves and stories off pages to create reading experiences for families. Amazon and iTunes best-selling author and founder of Audrey Press, Valarie Budayr is a play and reading advocate, whose mission is to inspire children, families, and communities to experience and create a world together through books while having fun.

Connect with Jump into a Book on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Franticmommy

Rebecca Flansburg (a.k.a Franticmommy), is a freelance writer, blogger and virtual assistant. Franticmommy.com, is filled with laughter and love about the joys of parenthood. Rebecca is also committed to helping women realize their work-from-home dreams, enjoying life beyond the cubicle, and find clarity in the work/life/family balance.

Connect with Franticmommy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day’s (MCCBD) mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.Children’s reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom have teamed up to create an ambitious (and much needed) national event. On January 27th, 2014 Jump into a Book and Pragmatic Mom presented the very first Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a way of celebrating diversity in children’s books. The results and support overwhelming as authors, publishers, parents, teachers, bloggers and librarians joined forces to offer up an online event designed to shine the spotlight on diversity in children’s literature.

Connect with Multicultural Children’s Book Day on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

KidLit TV

KidLit TV is a community of authors, illustrators, educators, and parents all working together to bring great books to kids. We hope to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Click here for more.

Connect with KidLit TV on Facebook (page), Facebook (group) Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. Sign up for the newsletter too!

Like it? Pin it!

The post Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Roald Dahl Day Party Ideas, Recipes and Book Extensions!

….And Today’s the Day!

Roald Dahl Day takes place every September 13th, the celebrated birthday of one of the world’s favorite storytellers.

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There are celebrations happening all over the world and Jump into a Book is no different. So to prepare for your own Roald Dahl Day, go have a look at some of these very fun activities on the official Roald Dahl site including crazy-fun things like, “Which Roald Dahl Character are You” quizzes, ideas for your own Dahlicious Dress-up Day, and learn more about the man himself here.

Be sure and revisit some of JIAB’s past Roald Dahl book reviews, bookjumps and book extensions:

BFG

Witches-“This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches.” -The Witches by Roald Dahl

Looking for more #RoaldDahl inspired fun? Our wonderful friend and supporter Amy Ambroult from Elemental Design and her family created some pretty amazing “Fizzy Lifting Drinks.”

Kristen from CraftGossip.com and her kids opted for the fun Willy Wonka Luminary craft on her site. It turned out great too!

Wait! Before you get going on your Roald Dahl Day celebrations….how about some Wonka-inspired party snacks? Check out my Wonkalicious Chocolate Covered Pretzel Activity and recipe!



Get the full recipe details HERE.

If any of these recipes and creative learning activities look familiar…it’s because they can be found within the virtual pages of my award-winning enhanced digital e-book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

As many of you may already know, this ebook is the result of a labor of love, and this first-ever enhanced digital e-book inspired is by the classic tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It’s been several years since my Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory enhanced digital e-Book hit the virtual shelves of the iTunes iBookstore and what fun adventure it’s been! We have much to celebrate:

We’ve seen “Charlie” top the charts to #1 on the iTunes iBookstore no less than 7 times.
We won the coveted QED award for innovative design.
We won a Bronze medal in the E-Lit Book Awards.

What We Encountered Along The Way thanks to Charlie:

We won our own golden tickets by sheer wit.
We entered into the jungle to learn how chocolate and gum were made and even got to make some of our very own.
We met Oompa Loompas and even had a wardrobe exchange. We’ve never truly been right since then as they have very short legs.
We learned the true secrets of gobstoppers. We’d tell you but our mouths are full.
Willy Wonka’s factory is a masterwork of mazes. We had to utilize our skill at them to work our way through this enchanting chocolate factory, including but not limited to the ever famous scissor maze where we walked clean through a piece of paper. Of course we haven’t kept that info to ourselves but have happily shared it with all of you


Feature Box TitleThis book is MAGIC! Have you ever wanted to visit Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory? I know I did when I was little. I still do!

Jump into a Book’s Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  is a wonderful interactive book with so many goodies inside. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a favorite in my family, so it was great fun to explore in the world of Wonka. There are lots of activities to enjoy with kids, embedded videos where you get to learn a bit more about what goes into his factory, beautiful artwork throughout. It’s a sizable book, so good to read through a little at a time, and turn over to the kids to explore on their own. If you’re a Charlie fan, this is a must-have.- FSParent

What many teachers and parents don’t realized about the enhanced digital e-book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is that is contains many book extensions related to the classic tale by Roald Dahl; many of which meet the criteria for common core. It’s basically a collection of inventive and creative book extensions inspired by the classic tale, with the benefit of Common Core activities:

“Charlie” includes these Common Core Standards:

Math Skills
Social Sciences
Geography
Basic geometry
Biology
Mazes
Measuring
Hand/Eye Co-ordination

Other skills your young reader will be exposed to is basic cooking, map-reading, linear thinking and conservation.

Although The Ultimate Guide to Charlie is a beautifully illustrated interactive e-book, the entertainment comes from doing the crafts, recipes, and games once the book is shut. It’s good old fun ,21st century style. We loved creating a balance between the virtual world and the actual world. Magic comes from our inspirations and imagination. The Ultimate Guide to Charlie will lend itself to hours of fun again and again. Homeschooling families have also found this enhanced digital e-book helpful in their studies and this creativity-packed adventure is also available in PDF for homeschoolers as well.

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is only $3.99 at iTunes!! Grab your copy HERE.

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory PDF $9.95

Enjoy your Roald Dahl Day celebration on the 13th!!

**This book is not affiliated or associated with the author, publisher, or distributors of Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The post Roald Dahl Day Party Ideas, Recipes and Book Extensions! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie: Celebrating Roald Dahl Day

Roald Dahl Day takes place every September 13th, the celebrated birthday of one of the world’s favorite storytellers. There are celebrations happening all over the world and Jump into a Book is no different. So to prepare for your own Roald Dahl Day, go have a look at some of these very fun activities on the official Roald Dahl site and also have some fun jumping into a few of the most well-known Roald Dahl books of all time on JIAB like BFG and Witches.

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As many of my readers may already know, Mr. Roald Dahl holds a special place in my heart. His books, his life, his vision. I admire this man in many ways.

You can write about anything for children as long as you’ve got humour.-Roald Dahl

Many of you may also know that my award-winning enhanced digital e-book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory got it’s started as an idea from a note by Willy Wonka inside an old book at the yard sale.

The result was a labor of love, and my first-ever enhanced digital e-book inspired by the classic tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It’s been several years since my Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory enhanced digital e-Book hit the virtual shelves of the iTunes iBookstore and what fun adventure it’s been! We have much to celebrate:

We’ve seen “Charlie” top the charts to #1 on the iTunes iBookstore no less than 7 times.
We won the coveted QED award for innovative design.
We won a Bronze medal in the E-Lit Book Awards.

What We Encountered Along The Way thanks to Charlie:

We won our own golden tickets by sheer wit.
We entered into the jungle to learn how chocolate and gum were made and even got to make some of our very own.
We met Oompa Loompas and even had a wardrobe exchange. We’ve never truly been right since then as they have very short legs.
We learned the true secrets of gobstoppers. We’d tell you but our mouths are full.
Willy Wonka’s factory is a masterwork of mazes. We had to utilize our skill at them to work our way through this enchanting chocolate factory, including but not limited to the ever famous scissor maze where we walked clean through a piece of paper. Of course we haven’t kept that info to ourselves but have happily shared it with all of you


Feature Box TitleThis book is MAGIC! Have you ever wanted to visit Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory? I know I did when I was little. I still do!

Jump into a Book’s Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory allows families to do just that. This wonderful eBook is packed, not just with interesting facts about how chocolate and Gobstoppers are made, but also with clever games like “Gobstopper Dobblers” and “The Nut Room Squirrel Snatching Game”. And who doesn’t want to learn how to make their own “Fizzy Lifting Drinks” or “Square Candies Looking Round”? There are even step by step patterns so readers can create their own “Willy Wonka Top Hat” and “Mini Maze in a Box Game”. It made me wish I had a time machine so I could go back and give this delightful book to my eight-year-old self. The hands on activities and games will allow you to make delicious memories with your own children.- Thetoymaker

What many teachers and parents don’t realized about the enhanced digital e-book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is that is contains many book extensions related to the classic tale by Roald Dahl; many of which meet the criteria for common core. It’s basically a collection of inventive and creative book extensions inspired by the classic tale, with the benefit of Common Core activities:

“Charlie” includes these Common Core Standards:

Math Skills
Social Sciences
Geography
Basic geometry
Biology
Mazes
Measuring
Hand/Eye Co-ordination

Other skills your young reader will be exposed to is basic cooking, map-reading, linear thinking and conservation.

Although The Ultimate Guide to Charlie is a beautifully illustrated interactive e-book, the entertainment comes from doing the crafts, recipes, and games once the book is shut. It’s good old fun ,21st century style. We loved creating a balance between the virtual world and the actual world. Magic comes from our inspirations and imagination. The Ultimate Guide to Charlie will lend itself to hours of fun again and again. Homeschooling families have also found this enhanced digital e-book helpful in their studies and this creativity-packed adventure is also available in PDF for homeschoolers as well.

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is only $3.99 at iTunes!! Grab your copy HERE.

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory PDF $9.95

Enjoy your Roald Dahl Day celebration on the 13th!!

The post The Ultimate Guide to Charlie: Celebrating Roald Dahl Day appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Odd and the Frost Giants #BookReview- Plus A Visit to a Viking Village!

Today we go exploring in a completely “Viking” way!

Our first stop is inside the pages of a new favorite for us called Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman.

I think Neil Gaiman is one of the most inventive authors out there. His writing style is simple, he keeps us engaged with every page ,  every twist and turn, and those incredible scary moments that we know are coming but surprise us every single time. Every tale is unique unto itself regardless of genre. We read Neil Gaiman because we know that every story will be told masterfully.

Today’s story is no different. It is a heartfelt story of a young boy named Odd, which means point in the Norse languages, who has had some very bad luck. His father died during a Viking expedition. His mother is remarried to a man who looks at Odd as an unworthy misfit. Out in the woods a tree falls on Odds leg and shatters it, making him even more a misfit. The winters have come to a unending state and has made not only the people in house grumpy but the villagers at large. Odd, in his frustration decides to leave the house.

While in his father’s workshop cabin, he encounters a fox who persuades him to follow him. As Odd does so he discovers what the fox is wanting to show him, a bear and an Eagle. This motley crew has a very strange story to tell. Such as, they’re actually Norse Gods who have been kicked out of Asgard by the Frost Giants. Not only this but they have been turned into animals. Committed to his new found friends, Odd takes a journey he had never imagined. He is going to save Asgard and return the gods to their proper dwelling place. To restore the gods to Asgard and put an end to the long winter, Odd will have to use all his skills. To do this, he is going to have to outwit the frost giants. Is he clever enough, cheerful to the point of being infuriating enough ? You’ll have to see.

This is an endearing short tale that will have you on the edge of your seat routing for Odd! Grab your copy of Odd and the Frost Giants HERE.

**Some of these links are affiliate links

Field Trip

Today we are going on a field trip! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as a Viking ? Well wonder no more. My family is from Sweden from the island of Gotland. Every summer we go to bonafide Viking Camp. A few years ago my son had the most amazing experience. Here’s a look at his adventure back into the Viking Times.

Life in a Viking Village

By Valarie Budayr (as told by her son “O”)

We were just out walking, my mom and I, when we came across an old carved stone. There it was just standing out in the field. “Mom, do you know what this is for?” I asked.

“Well, it is a rune stone placed by a Viking to tell of the heroic deeds of one who died in battle or at sea. It is written in Viking symbols called runes or runic.”

“Can I touch it?” I asked.

“I don’t see why not,” she replied. “It’s been standing here for a thousand years or so and I don’t think you touching it will have any effect.”

It was amazing to feel this old stone. Parts of it were smooth while other parts were carved very deep. As I was tracing the designs of the stone I could smell smoke being blown on the breeze.  “Mom, do you smell smoke?”

But my mom wasn’t there. I started running through the field from the direction we came only now there stood a large wooden house. I didn’t remember seeing it before but I was sure my mom had to be in there. As I approached the door I could see blue smoke. What was that? It was very dark in there and all I could make out was a fire and some furniture. Entering the hall, I realized that this was a Viking long house, where the Viking chief and his clan would eat and celebrate. I had read about it in my Viking books.  I was the only one in there.  Where was my mom?

As I turned to leave, I heard a woman yelling at me from outside.  “Boy, boy, come out of there and have something to eat before it’s time to go.” Bounding out of the long house, I asked,” Go where?”

“Well to games school of course,” the voice of the unseen woman answered. “Come and have some barley bread and honey.”

Suddenly, there she was; a very kind looking woman baking bread on a hot iron pan. She was dressed in clothes from a different time period. She wore big brass pins to hold up each side of her dress. On her head she wore a headscarf and turned her bread with wooden spoons.  It sure smelled good.  I decided to have some and afterwards I would look for my mom again.  As I was eating a loud horn was being blown and then loud shouting.

“Invader! An invader! We have a thief amongst us!”

As I turned around, I saw a man running out to the center of the field and someone was chasing him.  Soon swords were clashing and shields were being butted against each other and held up to stop the crashing blow from the flying swords. They too were dressed in clothes I had never seen before.  It didn’t take long for either one of them to be disarmed. Both were very good swordsmen. The fight wasn’t over, however. Once they were both free of swords and shields they started wrestling. They kept flipping each other until one of them could no longer get up. The men who had been fighting were now lending a helping hand to get up, hugging each other, and laughing. The young woman who had baked my bread was clapping and laughing as well.

I didn’t know what would happen next. It was all so odd.  Somehow between the barley bread and the sword fighting I realized that, though I was in the same place, I wasn’t in the same time. Could it be true that I had somehow ended up in a Viking village in Viking times?

The answers to these questions would soon be answered when one of the fighting men grabbed me firmly on the shoulder and asked, “What’s your weapon?”

“Bow” I said.

Laughing loudly, he said, “That will do you from a distance but if you should ever get close to your opponent, he will have the best of you.  I’ll see you in the field then young brother and we’ll see what other sports we can teach you.”

Following a group of boys and men, together we arrived at a Games Course. Inside were a variety of games, archery, axe throwing, tug of war and log tossing.  As I walked in, there were two people sitting on a log, hitting each other with pillows until one of them fell off. All of the boys around my age were brought into the center of the arena and the men who had been fighting were standing before us.

“Can anyone tell me what this is?” I asked.

“A spear!” came a shout from the back.

“Exactly. Though the spear is very long and many people like to throw it,” answered my companion. “Its real purpose is to be used to stop a horse and rider. Hold the spear against your foot like this. The horse will toss its rider and you will be able to face your opponent.”

Next up was the axe. A Viking always carries a bow, axe, shield and sword.

They even sleep with them near their bed because invaders especially like to come at night. I learned that there are two kinds of swords. The ones the Vikings make themselves, which are very much lighter, and the ones that they acquire on raids. These are heavier metals and have rounded hilts (handles). I also learned that shields are a swordsman’s best friend. There are a couple of ways to use a shield. One use is to join a friend’s shield with yours and hold them together.Another use is to bump into an opponent’s shield, knocking them off balance.

The lessons suddenly turned serious when we came to the topic of chainmail. Only the very rich could afford chainmail as body armor. One piece of chainmail costs about 200,000 dollars. Much of the metal needed is gathered on raids and then re-purposed for chain mail. It is extremely heavy but absolutely protects from a sideways blow of both axe and sword.

“Thank you young brothers,” shouted my companion. “Now it’s time to go off to your other courses. We will see you this afternoon for games practice.” Leaving the games course, we walked into a small wooden village where we were divided into small groups which would rotate through various daily tasks. First it was leather making. Everyone had to make their own shoes. Both men and women make shoes for children but once you are 10 years old, you are expected to make your own.

Each village and clan makes their own beads by melting sand into glass. You can tell where somebody comes from by the beads they are wearing. Bigger villages become trading centers for smaller villages to swap items they have for items they need. Many times beads are used in the exchange. This village has a large assortment of beads from all over the Viking world. I traded a leather purse I had made for the prettiest beads so I could make my mother a necklace.

Another daily task is gathering flax and wool to weave into rugs, blankets, and clothing. Using various flowers and herbs, we made our own dyes to color our newly spun wool. My favorite color is the yellow which comes from dyeing birch bark. An entire small wooden house was made for textiles and weaving.

Among the other houses for doing chores were blacksmithing and iron making, pottery with clay we gather from the sea, wood carving, and the board game house to teach strategy.  No matter how many tasks there are to be completed in a day it always comes back to one thing and that is be ready for an attack by raiders.Much time is spent in forging swords, making shields, and bending metal for chainmail. Ironically, I found this to be a peaceful task.

While I would bend the metal from one link to another, I could hear children playing, women talking, and the sound of birds and the breeze blowing in the grass. In the distance is the sound of the sea crashing against the shore. In the late afternoon, when the shadows are getting long, a horn blows in the distance. It’s time to suit up for the afternoon games. It’s a time for much “play” fighting, arrow shooting, axe throwing, wresting, log tossing, and shield butting.

Though our teachers make mock sword fighting look so easy, it is very difficult. At home I can really move my wooden sword around very fast. It’s another story when the sword and helmet are made out of metall. Add chainmail to that and I’m not going anywhere fast. In fact I can barely hold my head up and my shoulder aches to even hold my sword up for more than a couple of seconds.

As I was walking away from the game field, I heard my mother calling me from a distance.  “Omi, Omi, …….” I ran towards the end of the village and the sound of her voice.  Before getting to the entrance, a hand grabbed my arm. A man with long brown hair said, “Always know where all of the entrances into a village are. Invaders can raid at anytime and you need to be able to escape. Remember, the nearest exit may be behind you. Be well young brother.”

Wow, I didn’t know that was a Viking saying..

I ran through the gate and towards my mother’s voice. When I got through the gate, the village disappeared.

“ Omi, wake up. It’s time to go.”  I heard my mom say.

As I opened my eyes, my mother was folding up the picnic blankets next to the Viking stone we had found.

“Come on sleepy head,” she coaxed. “If you don’t wake up now you won’t sleep tonight.”

Walking back to the house I felt something in my pocket. I reached in to feel the beaded necklace I had made for my mom. Had it really been a dream or had it really happened?

P.S. A few summers ago my son and I spent our vacation on the island of Gotland , in Sweden. Everywhere you turn on the island you can find evidence of the Vikings. The largest Viking hordes have been found on Gotland, one in particular was found by a school group touring an old Viking village.  We would like to thank Annie and all of our friends at the Tofta Viking Village .  They run an incredible program of Viking camps, long house feasts,and sharing their love of the Viking world with us modern people.

**Would you like to enjoy this Visit to a Viking Village adventure in a PDF form? If so, email my Head Elf at Becky (at) AudreyPress (dot) com and she will be happy to get you a copy!

***Does your young reader love books involving Vikings and Norse Gods? If so, check out my “Books Like Percy Jackson” booklist HERE! Happy reading!

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