Mock Newbery 2014 Club Summer #1 Meeting

Mock Newbery 2014 Club Summer #1 Meeting

Thursday, June 27, 2013

First Summer Mock Newbery 2014 Club Meeting


Our first summer Mock Newbery 2014 Club meeting was so fun!  I loved that we had a great turnout on this cloudy June day.  We caught up with each other's summers so far.  We all agreed that it is going too fast!  Some kids have gone on great vacations, so we shared stories of those trips.  I loved that everyone brought the books they were reading and have read, and many shared.  Here are some books we talked about:

Doll Bones
 
Lindsay and I LOVED this book and both gave it 5 stars!
 
Twerp
 
Adam has this in his stack of library books.  We are both looking forward to reading it!
 
Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked
 
Tyler read this one and said it was really funny.  He gave us a summary on it, but no spoilers! :-)
 
Pi in the Sky
 
Since I'm in the middle of this one, I shared it and made Ava really mad that I wouldn't give it to her yet. I knew she'd be excited about a new Wendy Mass book!
 
 
Quinn is reading this one.  I was excited she was reading it because I wanted to hear if it has "kid appeal."  I loved it, but I'm not sure if kids will.  She'll let us know her final thoughts next month, I hope!  Speaking of "kid appeal," Stephen suggested kid readers should be on the Newbery Committee.  I agree!
 
 
This is another book I loved, but didn't know if kids would.  Stephen is in the middle of it, gave a summary of it so far, and said he really liked it.  He thought it might not appeal to all kids, but to kids who love reading, it would. 
Maggie was excited about Clare Vanderpool because she's reading:
 
Moon Over Manifest
 
One of things we're doing is reading former Newbery Award winners and honors so we can determine what characteristics we think the Newbery committee is looking for.  Maggie is enjoying this one. 
Another former Newbery winner several kids have been reading and enjoying is:
 
 
The Wednesday Wars
 
I always recommend Okay For Now after kids get done with this one.  It's a companion novel, and I like it even more than Wednesday Wars!  That's saying a lot because I LOVED Wednesday Wars!
 
Other former Newbery books kids were reading or have read this summer include:
 
 
 
Island Of The Blue Dolphins
 
Lauren said she emotionally connected to the characters in this book!
 
 
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
 
Kaleigh is reading this one.  This was one of my favorites when I was in fifth or sixth grade!
 
Here are some more 2013 books we discussed:
 
 
Genie Wishes
 
Calynn told us about this one, and I think it sounds great!  The reviews are terrific.
 
33 Minutes
 
We liked the title of this one!

 
 
Destiny, Rewritten Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
 
Cassandra brought along these two - Lauren read Rump, too.
 
Paperboy
 
Jackson read this one, and Emma is reading it.  It's about a boy who stutters.  I'm looking forward to reading it.
 
Wake Up Missing
 
At the very end, I shared this one - it hasn't come out yet (September), but I got it from Kate Messner, and it's signed to our class!!  I really liked it - it's science fiction, creepy, and exciting! 
 
Every Day After
 
I finished this one on vacation and LOVED it.  I want all of you to read it!
 
 
We talked about some other books that aren't 2013 OR Newbery books, but that's ok.  Whenever we get together, we can talk about ANY books!  Abby F. is rereading Harry Potter.  It's one of those masterpieces that never won the Newbery, but we all love it anyway, right?  I've always wanted to reread the whole series.  Maybe one day...
 
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
 
Abby M. told us about:
 
Just Grace
 
Sorry if I missed talking about a book or one of you.  If I did, comment below and remind me!  It was so much fun to talk to all of you!  I can't wait until July!  Keep reading!  I will e-mail you soon about a July date.  Keep writing reviews in your booklets.  You don't want to forget about the books you read.
 
Happy reading and thanks so much for coming today!  Thank you, parents, for bringing your kids!  I know it's such a busy time.  We missed all of you who couldn't make it, but we hope to see you in July. :-)
 
 
 

10 comments:

  1. Caleb I miss you so much.July 1, 2013 at 4:47 PM

    I am so sorry I wasn't there my mom and sister left for Detroit that day so I wasn't able to make it.I look forward to the next one!I miss you so much!

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    1. I'm really bummed you won't be there in July either. :-( I hope the August one will work for you. Not sure when that will be, though. Let me know what you're reading!

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  2. I enjoyed reading about your Mock Newbery 2014 Book Club meeting. It's nice to see what your students are reading. I hope it's okay for me to include a link to this post on my Sweet Summer Reads blog. I'm always looking for ways to encourage my students to read during the summer break.

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    1. It's a fun way to connect with the kids over the summer. You're welcome to include a link. :-)

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  3. So nice to see the photo of all your smiling readers at the last Book Club meeting! Jack was sorry to miss it, we were all about Cub Scout camp that week. Still, he has been reading up a storm AND practicing his math skills. Jack is very excited to attend his new school and is SO happy that you will be one of his teachers.

    He's been a voracious reader since I can't remember when, but once he began attending your class the scope of his reading, and therefore his world, changed dramatically. Thrilling to see. But I digress!

    MOON OVER MANIFEST: Jack always finishes a book, but wanted to put this one down near the end. I encouraged him to finish and he did, but didn't have much to say afterward. Then I fed him NAVIGATING EARLY: LOVED IT! Jack says its the best book ever (which will last until his next favorite, of course)! I read it after him. I understand why you might be concerned whether kids would enjoy it, there are some more mature emotional issues which are central to the story that younger students may not grasp. I think as long as you consider the student you will be fine. I thought it was brilliantly written.

    Regretfully, we can't make the next meeting either. We are visiting the National Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia! I am sure Jack will have a couple of books with him to read in tent at night, though! Have a great meeting!

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  4. I was sorry to miss Jack, too. Thank you for your kind words! I'm thrilled that he loved Navigating Early! I'm sorry Jack won't be able to attend the July meeting. I'm going to try to have one more in August. Maybe he'll make that one. In the mean time, keep posting! :-)

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  5. I didn't find the video.

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  6. Bobby, Go back up to today's blog post and click on the "Aaron Becker's Video" link. It should come right up!

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  7. I think that it was very kind of Aaron Becker to take the time to answer some of our questions! I felt so cool watching that video.

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  8. WOW you love to read!!!!!!

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