Book Review-The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen

Title:  The Shadow Throne
Author:  Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date:  February 25, 2014
Source of Book:  Netgalley

The Shadow Throne is the third book in The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  War has come to Carthya. When Imogen is kidnapped, King Jaron makes a plan to rescue her.  Of course, nothing is ever easy for the Ascendant King, but don't discount Jaron just yet--he always has a plan.

I thought this book was the perfect conclusion to the trilogy.  At this point, Jaron knows who he can trust and who his real enemies are.  Though young, he never loses sight of saving his kingdom and the people of Carthya.  Nielsen gives a conclusion to all characters in this book, leaving the reader satisfied.  This is probably my favorite children's series since Harry Potter.  You can't help but to love and root for Jaron.

I am still at a loss in which genre to classify this book.  It is definitely Middle Grade/YA.  I prefer to classify it as Middle Grade, but when shopping for the books at Barnes & Noble, I had to look in the YA section.  As far as genre, though, I have mostly seen it listed as fantasy.  My only issue with this is that I believe fantasy involves magic and this book does not.  I prefer to think of the genre as a cross between fantasy and historical fiction.  The kingdom is a made-up place (fantasy), but takes place in the past (historical), though there are no historical facts in this book, which is a key component of historical fiction.  I never know how to describe the books in this trilogy, except that they are all excellent!

Rating:  4/5 stars.

Book Talk Thursday-The False Prince

If you have not read this book yet, RUN, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and pick it up.  I say bookstore because it's so good I imagine there will be a LONNGG wait list at the library.  Would you believe me if I say this is more than likely the best fantasy book I have read since The Hunger Games?  I know, The Hunger Games isn't technically fantasy...but I think you get the idea.  It is really, really, really good!

Ok...on to the synopsis.

Sage is an orphan in the kingdom of Avenia.  You can tell right away that he gets into a lot of trouble, but it always seems like it is for the greater good.  A wealthy man buys Sage from the orphanage and Sage quickly realizes this man has a purpose.  There are three other boys with him that were also orphans and they all somewhat look alike.  The man tells the boys right off the bat that he is looking for a boy that will replace the prince of Carthya, who was thought dead four years ago when his ship was overtaken by pirates.  He wants the prince to become king so that he will be able to rule Carthya from the background.  Sage and the other boys are taken to the man's home in Farthenwood to train and become The False Prince.

Right away, you will fall in love with Sage.  He is feisty, but you can tell has a good heart.  I like his spunk and his attitude.  The character development in this book is amazing.  You will also find some twists and turns in this book.  I predict a lot when I'm reading, and I'm often right, which sometimes ruins the book for me.  I did not predict a few plot twists, which made me love the book that much more!

The chapters in this book are also very short, which I think makes the book great for a read-aloud.  After I gushed and gushed about this book for a few days, my husband very quietly snuck it into his carry-on so he could take it on his next business trip to read!

And guess what?  This book is the first in a TRILOGY!  Yay!  The Runaway King is already out (and I am currently reading it!) and the third book, The Shadow Throne is due out March 1, 2014.  Also, I was checking out Jennifer Nielsen's website and it looks like The False Prince has been optioned by Paramount Pictures!!  Go read this book RIGHT NOW!

Books to Celebrate Earth Day! (& Linky Party!)

As you all know, Earth Day is Sunday, April 22.  I am preparing a pinterest-inspired bulletin board through this week.  It was mostly inspired by this from the Suesstastic blog.  More to come on that later.  This blog post is dedicated to books that I will be sharing with my students this week in celebration of Earth Day.  

The Lorax is my all time favorite Dr. Seuss book.  It is also perfect for discussing plot, theme, setting (and change of setting), point-of-view, etc.  It is also the perfect book to talk about why we should take care of our environment.  

P.S., Yes, I have seen the movie and I loved it!

I pulled The Giving Tree off of my personal at-home bookshelf this year to share with my students.  I don't know why I've never thought to bring it in to school before.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with the story, but it is about a tree who gives and gives and gives to the same boy-turned-man throughout the story, until it can give no more.  The love the tree has for this boy is endless, regardless of the fact that the boy gives nothing in return.  

The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs was introduced to me at the Dublin Literacy Conference by Donalyn Miller, the Book Whisperer herself!  It is an informative book, but also a real-life mystery that your students will enjoy.  The golden frog, a national symbol in Panama are mysteriously dying at a very rapid pace.  Scientists race to discover what is causing the frogs to die and make an attempt to save them before they become extinct.  If nothing else, check this book out for the pictures alone!  

 This book is new to me.  I've had it on my Good Reads list for some time, and I finally decided to check it out for Earth week.  It is amazing!  Can We Save the Tiger tells the story of various animals that are on the brink of extinction.  It's not all depressing though, it also tells about animals that were once on the brink but were brought back and are now thriving.  A lot of connections can be made between Can We Save the Tiger and The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs.  The vanishing frogs were even featured in this book!  This is also a great book for teaching the questioning strategy.  

Who says alphabet books are for preschoolers?  This is middle-grade ABC book combines poetry, informational text, and awesome illustrations to explain the many wonders of our wonderful Earth.  

I thought it would be fun to see what everyone is doing to celebrate Earth Day in their classrooms.  Grab my button and link back here!  Don't forget to connect the actual link of your Earth Day post, not just your blog url.   

Book Talk Thursday!

This is another new-to-me book, but I'm sure not new to some of you.  My friend/co-worker brought And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss into me this morning when she saw that I was going to be launching Work on Writing today for Daily 5.  Always looking for a new read aloud, I peeked at it and used it immediately!  This is a book about a boy whose father always asks him what he saw on his way to and from school.  The boy is quite the storyteller, who comes up with some outlandish tales.  The boy was determined to find something true to tell his father about, but just couldn't help letting his imagination run away from him.  What he really saw on Mulberry Street was a horse pulling a wagon, which he thought was too boring.  He changed it to a zebra pulling a wagon.  Then the wagon becomes a chariot.  Throughout the story, the boy changes the story of what he saw in order to make his story more interesting.  This is a great book for introducing Work on Writing, or when discussing the ideas trait.  It can also be used when you're teaching how to add more descriptive details to stories.  I hope that some of you are able to use this book in your classrooms as well!

Book Talk Thursday-The Witches

For this week's Book Talk Thursday, I have decided to spotlight a book that is new to me.  The Witches by Roald Dahl is another entertaining fantasy in true Roald Dahl-fashion.  A young boy is sent to live with his grandmother, who tells him the story of witches.  They are not ordinary witches-they look human and they hate children.  Away on holiday, the boy finds himself stuck in a room full of witches at their annual meeting.  While the witches, led by the Grand High Witch, plot to rid England of all the children, the boy and his grandmother have decided to turn the tables on them and plot to rid England of all the witches.  


While the characters are likeable, and the story is entertaining, the fact remains that the story revolves around witches.  You would definitely want to know your students before reading or recommending this book.  It was #22 on ALA's Most Challenged list of the '90s.  I enjoyed this book very much, and it will remain in my classroom library.  


Happy Reading!

Book Talk Thursday-Noah Barleywater Runs Away

Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne is the story of an eight year old boy who has decided to run away from home.  On his journey, he meets some interesting people, including the owner of an extraordinary toy shop.  He becomes friends with this man, who tells Noah the story of his life.  Noah has learned from this old man's experiences and ultimately returns home.  A surprising twist at the end makes this story even more enjoyable.  
Boyne has channeled Roald Dahl through his writing.  This story is both light-hearted and dark.  The lessons learned by Noah Barleywater are lessons many children can take with them as well.  


Happy Reading!

Book Talk Thursday-The Hunger Games

Ok.  If you're like me and have been living under a rock the last few years and you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, you need to get the book NOW.  I'll wait while you reserve it at your library (good luck!), buy it from Amazon, or download it on your Kindle.  


Ready?  


The Hunger Games is actually the first book in a trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  So you're actually getting a three-fer this week with my Book Talk Thursday.  I have read all three books in less than a week.  The second book is Catching Fire and the third Mockingjay.  I am not kidding you when I say these are the best books I have read in a LONG time-maybe ever.  I loved me some Twilight-but Bella and Edward have nothing on Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.  This review should mean even more to you when I say I am not a Science Fiction fan-at all.  I lost that desire long ago when I was forced to read A Wrinkle in Time in seventh grade.  Don't shoot me-I probably would enjoy it now, I think it was more being forced to suffer through a book I wasn't interested in.  


Anyways...


The Hunger Games takes place at some point in the future.  The United States has been destroyed and a country called Panem has risen in it's wake.  The Capitol controls each of the country's 12 districts.  An uprising in the former District 13 caused the Capitol to start the Hunger Games as punishment to the other districts and to distract the citizens from another rebellion.  One boy and one girl from each district, called tributes, are chosen to fight to the death in an arena with many man-made obstacles.  The last person standing is the victor.  


There are so many twists and turns, ups and downs, in this book that you will not want to put it down.  I have not been this excited about a book in a very long time.  I want everyone I know to read these books so that I can talk about it with them.  I have even convinced my husband (who is not a reader) to read this book and he has been reading it non-stop ever since.  This book will turn nonreaders into readers.  Catching Fire and Mockingjay are just as good as the first book.  I don't want to say more, so I don't give anything away.  


And, as a nice little sidenote, The Hunger Games movie is coming out March 2012.  Liam Hemsworth plays the role of Katniss' best friend Gale.  Although not a major role in the first book, he will be very nice to look at!  


Happy Reading!  

Book Talk Thursday-Weslandia

I've decided to start a new theme-Book Talk Thursdays.  Inspired by The Book Whisperer, when Donalyn Miller suggests reading more books for children, I've decided to do just that.  Every Thursday, I will review a children or young adult book that I am currently enjoying.  

I just discovered the book Weslandia by Paul Fleischman and I am in love!  Wesley is an odd boy.  He has no friends, and he just doesn't fit in.  Sparked by what he learned in school about civilizations, he decides to create a summer project-his own civilization complete with it's own staple food crop, clothing, counting system, games, and alphabet.  This is such a great book about creativity, differences, and even civilizations and the possibilities of using this book in the classroom are endless!  I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!