This week was another crazy week for me and I was only able to read one book this week. I chose to skip around on my list and read; The Hobbit by J. R.R. Tolkein. I chose to read this books because I have seen all of The Lord of the Ring movies as well as this movie. I throughly enjoyed the movies and thought it would be nice to read the book as well.

This book is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He goes on a journey with Gandalf The Gray, and twelve dwarves. They are on a journey to steal Thorin’s treasure at Misty Mountain. They only really brought Bilbo with them because Gandalf only had 13 people without him and he thought that was bad luck. This story also talks about how the first ring (referring to The Lord of the Rings) get into Bilbo’s possession.

I really liked this book and I think watching the movie before hand really helped me understand this books better. I would have to say I would recommend this book to the older level. Possibly 5th to 7th grade. It can be confusing at points and so having an older reading level read it would make it easier. I would recommend this book to others if they really like that sci-fi type of books. Things that can just take their minds to another world.

Flashback Friday. Here we are again with another Friday going by. I decided that this week I wanted to do it a little different. I usually post only small books for children in the lower elementary level but this week I wanted to share a book that is for more of the older level. I’d say maybe 4th, 5th, or 6th grade. This week I am choosing the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

I was looking through some lists of the best children’s books when this book popped up and I knew that this was the book I wanted to do. I read this book when I was in maybe 5th grade. I remember it being such a tear jerker for me. This book is about a young girl and her father moving to a small town in Florida. The girls name is Opal and she ends up finding this stray dog. Well little did she know then but that dog would soon become her best friend. She names the dog Winn-Dixie and they become the best of friends. She soon learns that Winn-Dixie can’t be left alone so they end up doing everything together.

Opal and Winn-Dixie spend most of their time in the towns library listening to stories from Ms. Franny. Winn-Dixie brings many new friends into Opal and her fathers life. Things take a turn for the worst when Opal decides to throw a party with everyone in town. The same night of the party Winn-Dixie disappears and Opal and her father decide to go out and search for him. This was such a great book and I would really recommend reading it just for yourself.

A few weeks back we made reading challenges for ourselves and I had chosen to try and get through as many books on the The Top 100 Children’s Novels Poll (#1-100). So far I am loving this challenge. I want to teach the upper elementary level. Such as 4th, 5th or 6th grade. With me wanting to teach this age level this challenge is perfect for me.

It’s helping me build my personal library knowledge in my head. I want to try and get through as much of this list as possible during the remainder of the semester so I can really have a good knowledge of what my children should read. There have been someone books that haven’t been my favorite so far but overall I have really enjoyed this list of books.

I haven’t made as much headway as i thought I would but I’m hoping that now that things are calming down and I won’t be in the process of moving I can really get cracking on this list. I think the biggest challenges i’ve had with this goal lately is just being incredibly busy. Its not the challenge itself it’s just how busy I am. With me being in the middle of moving and having life happen my reading has been slacking.

I am hoping that now that everything is settled I will have much more time for reading and much more time to really look through the list and maybe pick a few books that I want to read for sure.

This past week has been crazy for me. I am currently moving and so i’m trying to get everything set up for the new place as well as keep on top of my school work so this week I was only able to read one book. I read The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is the first book in this series and I have to say it was a little difficult for me to get into it in the beginning but once I did I really enjoyed it. I wish I would have been able to just sit down and read it in bigger sections but I had to just read in small little sections here and there.

This book is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a society that is free of any type of crime, basically it’s suppose to be perfect world. In this world everything is picked for people. By the time they are 12 they already are told what their job will be. This book really is very interesting and would be perfect for say 6th or 7th grade. I would highly recommend this book.

This weeks flashback Friday is obviously a little late. It has been such a crazy weekend for me! I chose to do my meme on Alligator baby by Robert Munsch. This is a book that I don’t think many people know about but it is really such a fun book to read. My teacher read it to us once and it just kind of stuck with me after that. Its a fun book for a younger age group. Something that would really interact with their minds to keep school fun. 

Once again it’s time to reflect on what i’ve read this past week. This week was fall break so I will admit my reading slacked from it. I did get two pretty good books in though! I read; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

 I actually didn’t realize this was the name of this book. I had always known it as Narnia so when I realized this was the same book I was actually shocked! I love this book and movie. It really gives the mind a break from reality as it takes you through this completely imaginary world. This book follows 4 siblings; Lucy, Susan, Peter, and Edmund. They find themselves in a magical land where fantasy comes to life. This is such great book for 4th or 5th grade. Something that would be really fun for the kids to just use their imagination.

The second book I chose to read this week was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. When I first saw this book I was skeptical if I would enjoy it or not. I decided though that I was going to read it anyway and see if I actually liked it. This is a book about a girl names Claudia who decides to run away and brings her brother Jamie. She decided that there is no better place to run away than to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This book is a really good book for kids to learn some life lessons and just a good story. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.

Here we are again for another Flashback Friday! Crazy to think we are half way through this semester which means we are halfway through with this class! Crazy how time flies when you’re reading. With that being said our Flashback Friday is dedicated to “Drum Roll”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This book will forever and always be one of my favorites. I grew up reading this and having my grandma read this to me. I would always go to the shelf and pick this book out. I don’t know if it was because I was obsessed with caterpillars or because I love food just as much as this guy but it was my favorite. This book will always be on the top of my list to read to my own class. Definitely worth a read if you haven’t read it yet.

This week I’m still working towards my goal of the top 100 list of children’s novels. I moved onto book number 3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series has always been one of my favorites. I remember watching these movies with my family as a kid. We would rent the movie and then all sit down and watch it together.

This is the first book in the Harry Potter series. This book is such an important book because it really gives us all the background information that we need for the rest of the series. In this book we get to meet Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione. We get to see their friendship grow as well as get the background into Harry’s life. In this book Harry goes through his first trial. He goes into the school and has for face Voldemort for the first time. This is a very good book for an older age devision. I would say 6th grade or so. Definitely one to keep the kids entertained.

This weeks Flashback Friday is dedicated to If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff. This is such a great book and I remember reading this book over and over as a kid. It was one of those books I knew I could read and never be bored of. My teachers read it to me throughout the years and I really hope to read it to my class as I go through my teaching career.

This past week I set a new reading goal for the rest of the semester. I have decided to try and read as many books as possible on the top 100 children’s novels list. This week I chose to read Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and A Wrinkle in Time by  Madeleine L’Engle.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

This book is such a classic, just about every one has either read the book or seen the movie. Obviously this book is about a pig names Wilbur who makes friends with a spider names Charlotte. This is such a great book for any age really. Whether a teacher reads it to younger kids or at maybe 4th grade the kids read it themselves.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

What a great book that keeps you on your toes and really gives into your imagination. I really enjoyed this book. It lets your mind have an adventure while teaching you about friendship. It’s all centered around Meg, Calvin and Charles. They are on a race to find Meg’s father.