Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Feb 5, 2012, 8:28 am
Whenever your back is aching from moving all those books, when the stacks seem to overwhelm your space, when your TBR pile is stressing you out.... take a look at this amazing Academy Award nominated short film and remember why you are a bibliophile:
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmor... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Dec 31, 2011, 7:00 am
Publisher's Blurb: Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, I... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Oct 8, 2011, 11:58 pm
Synopsis from the publisher: "Luchi Ann only knows a few things about herself: she was born in a prison in Thailand. Her American mother was an inmate there. And now that her mother has died, Luchi must leave the only place she's ever known and set out into the world. Neither at home as ... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Oct 1, 2011, 4:29 pm
I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited back to the CYBILS party!
Here's why the CYBILS rocks the Newbery:
The books are ones that kids WANT to read. Not to say that the Newbery Committee hasn't gotten it right a few times (The Giver, The Graveyard Book, Ho... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 25, 2011, 10:00 pm
Synopsis from the publisher's website:
“There's been a terrible mix-up in the royal nursery. Priscilla the princess has accidentally switched places with Pigmella, the farmer's new piglet. The kindly farmer and his wife believe it's the work of a good witch, while the ill-tempered... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 19, 2011, 12:40 am
I must have been living under a rock to miss all the hype surrounding The Guardians of Childhood series. With thirteen scheduled books, in a mix of both picture and chapter formats, and a DreamWorks movie, starring Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, and Jude Law, how could anyone overlook it? Y... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 15, 2011, 6:23 am
I always have a hard time effusing over nonfiction books. This is why I have never joined the Kidlitosphere's popular Nonfiction Monday. I like nonfiction well enough, but that 'you must go read this now' element is just not there in my writing. So when I tell you about Every Day On Ea... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 11, 2011, 9:17 am
I wasn't going to do a 9-11 post. There would be too many, "here's a list of 9-11 books" posts; I was sure. A post detailing my, "where were you" moment (teaching a 6th grade class) would hold little attention when compared to what others were doing (loading bombs onto fighter jets - like my husband... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 10, 2011, 6:00 am
Haven't been good with the Serendipity Saturday thing this year. I am here to rectify that! In case you are a newbie to Reading Rumpus, Serendipity Saturday is where I rant about bookish (and sometimes personal) things.....
Here are some books that I have, but need to read:
A... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 3, 2011, 6:26 pm
I am so glad to see the CYBILS getting good press all over the place. While the Newbery is that pretty gold seal that fancies up a children's book, it is many times a better pick for teachers and librarians than for 'kids.' That is what I really enjoyed about judging... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Aug 31, 2011, 4:21 am
Khosi is a fourteen year old South African girl living under
the shadow of AIDS. Everywhere she turns there are signs, warnings and people
dying from the disease. Some superstitious people believe that it is a curse. Everyday
men make disgusting comments to Khosi and a ‘... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Aug 30, 2011, 9:25 pm
I very rarely buy class sets of books for students without first having read them, but I bought a class set of Runner by Carl Deuker on a whim with some spare cash left from last year’s budget. I read it over the summer and was a bit worried because the conclusion is sad (and a bit che... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Aug 27, 2011, 3:00 am
Ever since I read Thirteen Reasons Why, I have been obsessed with it. I recommend it to everyone and wrote extensively about it HERE. Well, author Jay Asher finally has a new book coming out. Here's the scoop on School Library Journal: Check out the interview here
______________... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Feb 14, 2011, 8:46 pm
The CYBILS winners have been announced and I can finally talk about Origami Yoda! I really thought it would be the winner, only threatened by Kneebone Boy. I wanted to say, "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is going to win" in my last CYBILS post, but that wouldn't have been fair! I'm re-reading... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Jan 28, 2011, 12:15 am
Last summer, I got the bright idea that I was going to start these happy little book clubs all over the school where children could read for pleasure and talk about books. There wouldn't be worksheets; there wouldn't be projects; no mention of standardized test skills would leave our lips. With my p... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Jan 16, 2011, 9:04 am
Magical Realism. My favorite. The ability to see the real world through a glimmering eye. I should have known this would be one of my favorite reads of 2010, just from that cover!
Look at the three Hardscrabble siblings. There's Otto. He's is the oldest and has not uttered a word since he was ... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Jan 1, 2011, 11:17 am
I have been waiting sooooooo patiently, barely able to control myself. Wanting to tell you.
Head over to the CYBILS website to see all the nominees.
It was so much fun, a lot of work to try to get through all the titles (like 150!), but really great fun. I got to meet some fantastic peop... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Dec 20, 2010, 7:00 am
Joey Fly and his sidekick, Sammy Stingrear – er… Stingtail, are back again with another crime to solve! In this case, Harry Spyderson, tarantula director of the Scarab Beetle Theatre, has asked Joey to find his leading lady, Greta Divawing. It seems Greta has gone missing and Harry can’t sta... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 9, 2010, 6:04 am
Here I go again…. Another title that would have lounged on a library shelf never to cross my mind had it not been for the Cybils:
Blessing's Bead is a mix of historical fiction brought into the modern day through a familial connection across the years and miles of Alaska. The first section of the ... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 8, 2010, 5:56 am
Even with all the buzz surrounding One Crazy Summer, I didn’t really expect to like it and I certainly wouldn’t have ever picked it off the shelf as a fun read. I thought I’d quietly read the 50 pages (like I promised my Cybils pals) and move on to the next one. Of course I always read the las... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 7, 2010, 3:04 pm
They told me I only had to read the first fifty pages. That's like telling a shark he can only nibble the big toe. So, I'm finding that I end up reading them all the way through, no nibbling for me. Alas, trying to get a review on here becomes even more strenuous as I want to talk about them all, wa... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 5, 2010, 6:58 am
Publisher's Synopsis: "Sometimes your life just needs a little jolt.
This is what Evie's new friend Francesca tells her, and soon enough, Evie's life has had something more like an earthquake. Francesca thinks life is dull unless you go after everything you want and say everything on your mind all t... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 1, 2010, 6:40 am
Author’s Synopsis: "What secret is Uncle Silas hiding?
Adele, Milo and Isabella Winterbottom haven’t heard from Uncle Silas in years – unless you count the occasional insult. So curious eyebrows are raised when the cousins receive a mysterious invitation from their disagreeable relative.... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Oct 31, 2010, 2:29 pm
Music. The memories it conjures, the feelings it evokes, the tear, the smile – the emotion contained in a single note cannot be measured nor described. This universal language is the hook that will catch readers and hold them until the end in Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson.
For... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 22, 2010, 8:15 pm
There's some old saying that goes something like...."If you want something done, give it to the busiest person." Last year, as I sat contemplating an empty nest, toyed with moving to a new city, dreamed of cool career moves I could make (notice the verbs: sat, toyed, dreamed), I applied to be a Cybi... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 22, 2010, 10:19 am
Kyle’s family is going through big changes. His grandmother has recently died and his father has left the family, but Kyle can still look forward to spending the summer fishing at his family’s summer cottage. Then, his mother explains that she’s going to have to sell the cottage. Kyle spends t... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 20, 2010, 9:24 am
The Secret to Lying has an interesting premise about a young man with poor self esteem (usually reserved for the girls of YA Lit.) and his attempts at reinventing himself when he gets into a boarding school for intellectually gifted math and science students. Unfortunately, his attempts at reinventi... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 18, 2010, 11:32 am
I haven't done a Serendipity post in AGES, so today is the day!
There's a fantastic list of Caldecott Medal Winners over on Squidoo titled: The Best Children's Picture Books Are the Caldecott Medal Winners (found via Elizabeth O. Dulemba)
Yet another reason I MUST get an iPad (once it ge... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 13, 2010, 8:34 am
I have long been a follower of the Guys Read website, a literacy initiative to light a literacy fire by matching boys to the right books and by providing positive male reader examples. It was started by guy author extraordinaire: Mr. Jon Scieszka. Author of .............. well, I was going to list a... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Sep 12, 2010, 7:23 am
Last Night I Sang to the Monster opens with eighteen-year-old Zach Gonzalez in a mental health facility uncertain as to how he landed there. Alcohol and trauma have left him there and we heal along with him as he comes to realize the monsters in his path. Though Zach is reluctant to examine the fact... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Aug 22, 2010, 7:55 pm
Publisher’s Synopsis: To ten-year-old Keeper, this moon is her chance to fix all that has gone wrong…and so much has gone wrong. But she knows who can make things right again: Meggie Marie, her mermaid mother who swam away when Keeper was just three. A blue moon calls the mermaids to gather at t... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Aug 1, 2010, 1:41 am
An explanation is in order. Poor little Reading Rumpus has been way too quiet. I'm still getting awesome books from fantastic publishers, agents and authors (and, I've read 37 of them this summer alone) but I have to explain:
You see..... I took this little job called "reading coach" at a ver... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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May 6, 2010, 12:07 am
I first applauded Patrick Carman for his unique concept book Skeleton Creek, where he tied 21st Century literacy to good old-fashioned storytelling. I am excited to say that Mr. Carman has done it again with Trackers, a cyber-mystery with gaming and internet components to complement the story of fou... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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May 5, 2010, 9:43 pm
Have you heard about this new one?
I can't wait to get my hands on it!
But, until then....
On Thursday, May 6th at 7:30pm PST (10:30pm ET) two-time National Book award finalist Adele Griffin and co-writer Lisa Brown (best selling author/illustrator) will be hosting a virtual book launch ... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Many A Quaint And Curious Volume
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Apr 3, 2010, 3:48 pm
John Irving has been, a long as I can remember, one of my two favorite living authors. With the death of his fellow Iowa Writer's Workshop buddy Kurt Vonnegut in 2007, he became my favorite living author. That is why this review is going to be so difficult to write.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked La... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
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Mar 12, 2010, 8:35 pm
I had the great fortune of hearing Mr. Edward Bloor read the first chapter of London Calling to my middle school students. A deep booming voice and broad smile made Mr. Bloor an excellent narrator who, after reading the first chapter, held the students rapt and led our desire to continue reading mor... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Many A Quaint And Curious Volume
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Mar 3, 2010, 8:55 pm
Amy Bloom is a great writer and also a psychotherapist. You will see plenty of reviews speculating that her training in the latter has given her a magic pen. This is a fallacy. A great writer has a gift; there are many who can make clear the foibles of human nature as Ms. Bloom so keenly does. They ... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 27, 2009, 5:22 am
I’m going to say straight out that I am not a fan of hi-lo books. As a reading specialist, I GET the need for them, understand the struggling reader – Shoot, I live and breathe the struggling reader, but I’m a book lover and a firm believer in students rising to a challenge.
I’ve read... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 25, 2009, 1:17 pm
The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination is an amazing and beautiful poetry anthology supporting both science and language arts curriculum standards, as well as opportunities for critical thinking. But, I suspect, any time you attach the word “evolution” to som... Comment - Like
Cheryl Tasses posted an article on
Reading Rumpus
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Nov 21, 2009, 5:22 am
Yesterday I told you all about a great new graphic novel, Joey Fly, Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime, and today I have an excellent classroom addition written by author Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Neil Numberman explaining the whole process of how a graphic novel gets made. Without furthe... Comment - Like
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