A Thanksgiving for Reading

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, please share your gratitude for someone who helped you become a reader.  Did this person make reading an exciting part of the school day or your home?  Did he or she introduce you to wonderful books?  Were you a struggling reader, and this person opened your eyes to the world of reading? 

My dad was an excellent storyteller.  He would read books to my sister and me almost every night.  I remember one particular night when he grabbed a stuffed animal.  He gave it a silly voice to accompany a character, and he jabbed it into our faces to make us giggle.  It really made the book come alive, and we asked for that stuffed animal to be apart of our nightly reading for many, many nights to come.  I perceived reading as a fun way to spend my time, and I embraced reading all sorts of books as I grew.  Thank you, Dad, for nurturing my love for reading!

Book Mission

You have a mission this month!  Ask an adult in your family about his/her favorite book.  What made the book so special?  profound?  Take the time to share your favorite book with that person as well, and report back to the blog. 

New Book Needed?

It's hard to believe 1 month of school has passed!  I recommended reading 2 books each month to manage the reading expectation of 25 books this year.  How's that going? 

Many of you are looking for a new book to read.  Bilal recommended The Westing Game, and Christa has since reserved a copy at the library.  Ria is racing through The Hunger Games after hearing the rest of us go on and on and on about it!  Zyare has suggested Regan join the GSS Quiz Bowl team.  Isn't that fantastic?  

So, what book(s) would you recommend?  Please include a brief summary of the plot, the genre, and if possible, the Lexile score. 

Cast the Characters in Your Current Book

My friends and I share books, and we chat about them over dinner, through email, etc.  Often, we'll hope a particular book becomes a movie.  We'll discuss which actors and actresses should play the characters as we've envisioned them.  We argue (nicely) over our choices based on what the text says about the characters, as well as what it doesn't say.  This is a great way to visualize a text, which is this month's reading strategy.

So, cast your current book!  I can't wait to read the comments and discussions because people are loyal to their books and the characters in them. 

Let's Get This Thing Started

I want to hear about your books as often as you're willing and able to share.  Yes, I know I see you five days a week, but our schedule is so full. It leaves little time to chat about the good, the bad, and everything in between when it comes to our books. 

So, tell me about your book.  Do you admire a particular character, or do you find him/her to be slightly annoying?  Are you reading until 2:00 a.m. because you have to make sure things end well for your beloved character(s), or is the book a snoozefest?  You're welcome to comment on another student's post as well.  In fact, nothing would make me happier as a teacher than to see my students having real conversations about their books.  Whatever you want to share about reading on this blog, just do so with your GSS character traits (be honest, responsible, and caring).

Happy reading and blogging to us in the 2012-2013 school year!