"Airman" by Eoin Colfer

Airman by Eoin Colfer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though it took me forever to read this book, I really enjoyed it! Colfer has a gift for description, point of view, and creating sympathy for his characters. I think the greatest weakness of this novel was the villain. He was so purely, predictably evil that it seems unlikely that he gains any trust at all. That was the greatest weakness, but it was easy to overlook because the main character, Conor, was so engaging.

This novel did include violence and some language. It's more appropriate for 6th grade and up.

Fun, good read!

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Looking forward

In January, we'll be starting out the year with some curriculum. We'll be discussing the Dewey Decimal System with grades 2-5. (Hopefully our 6th graders already have this figured out!)

The second week in January, we'll be working on the PTA Meet the Author program, including works by Mo Willems, Judy Blume, and Gordon Korman. Here's a review of one of the Mo Willems books we will be looking at.

My Friend is Sad: An Elephant and Piggie Book by Mo Willems


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just love Mo Willems! His sense of humor always makes me happy! I love reading his books aloud because they are almost like plays--they beg to be performed!

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Have a great holiday! We'll have a great start to 2010!

Holiday Reading

We've been reading holiday stories during these last few days of school before our winter break. For our younger grades, we've been reading Snowmen at Christmas by Carolyn and Mark Beuhner. The illustrations are great, and have an "I Spy" element. The author listed a few items that are hidden in each painting. The items were hard to find when the illustrations were projected on our screen, but they're much easier to find when you are able to look at the actual pages.

Our middle grades heard a story from one of our many Christmas Treasury books. The story was called "Christmas Cobwebs", and is about the beginnings of tinsel.

When Paul Genesse came to our school, he talked about his "Revenge of the Little Match Girl" from "Terribly Twisted Tales." As a result, we had so many requests for "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen, that I found an online copy of it to read to our students. After reading this version, we watched the animated Disney/Pixar version of the story.

Next week, we'll be reading "A Wish for Wings that Work: an Opus Christmas Story." It's a delightful story about being grateful for who you are and the abilities you have.

Meet the Author

This week, we're participating in the PTA's Meet the Author program. We've got different authors for different groups of grades. Check them all out!

For grades K-2, we're learning about Leo Lionni. Today, we read A Color of His Own to our Kindergartners. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun book about one chameleon's desire to have a color of his own. He finds that change isn't so bad when you have a friend to share it with. Great for ages 4-7

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This week, we will read another selection by Leo Lionni called Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse. Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse: by Leo Lionni


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This sweet story tells about a mouse who spends lonely nights wishing he was a toy instead of a real mouse. Then, he would be loved and cuddled like the toy mouse in the house--Willy. When Willy's owner gets some new toys, Willy is placed in a box and he prepares to be thrown away. Alexander changes his mind about what he would wish for, and sees his life as pretty good after all. Read the book to find out how Alexander finds happiness for himself and for Willy.

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For our 3rd and 4th graders, we'll be studying the classics by E.B. White. A master of writing style, White enchants his readers with a new way of seeing the world. We'll be reading excerpts from "Trumpet of the Swan", "Stuart Little", and "Charlotte's Web".

Our 5th and 6th graders will be hearing the first chapter of Katherine Paterson's "Bridge to Terabithia". Mrs. Wadsworth couldn't help but slip into a southern accent while reading this chapter--which says a lot for Mrs. Paterson's ability to create a voice!

Paul Genesse

Last month, we had a meet the author assembly with Paul Genesse! It was great to hear about his recent book tour, and exciting to hear that he ended the tour by visiting our school. "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien was his favorite novel while he was growing up. Mr. Genesse mentioned how important it is to enjoy reading.


"The Golden Cord" is the first book in his Iron Dragon series. It was wonderful to hear him read the first chapter! If you're interested in reading the first chapters, or hearing them read via podcast, check out Mr. Genesse's website: PaulGenesse.com










Mr. Genesse had the kids anxious to read his "Terribly Twisted Tales", as he gave a particularly memorable twist to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl."

A word of wisdom from Mr. Genesse: The secret of success is who you know. If you're shy and have a hard time meeting people, stretch yourself and learn how to make friends. When you work on being published, you need to know people--from people who can strengthen your writing to people who know how to market your published book. When people know you, they are more likely to give you an opportunity that you wouldn't otherwise have. So, be friendly!

Following our assembly, Mr. Genesse taught a writer's workshop. They created a character, tortured that character--in other words, gave the character very difficult problems to face--and gave the story a twist. He also taught about ending the story with a hook, or a cool closing line that makes the reader remember your story.

Thanks for visiting us, Mr. Genesse!