Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop!

This Giveaway Hop is being hosted by Mary at BookHounds and Kathy at I Am a Reader.

Thanks ladies for all that you do!

What is Banned Books Week? 

 Banned Books Week, is an annual celebration of the freedom to read since 1982, and is observed the last week of September. Each year, librarians, booksellers, teachers and countless others take this opportunity to highlight the importance of intellectual freedom and remind us not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

 I have a list of Banned Books that you will be able to choose from

if you are the winner here at my blog. These books are some of my favorite controversial books that have been banned before.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret. . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town. . .

. . .and what he discovers changes his life forever.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper

 

 Your choice of any Harry Potter book: One of the most banned books of all time! 

AND............

If my GFC followers get to 2000, I will choose a 2nd winner too. That's only 34 new followers to my blog! So send your friends my way to boost me up to 2000! Then I can choose two winners instead of one.

Rafflecopter entry form is down below. Make sure to visit the other blogs participating in the hop! 
AND the 2 winners are...
Darcus and Nikki!
Thanks for boosting me up over the 2000 followers mark!
Enjoy your books!  

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What This Years Group of 2nd Graders Are Reading In My Class

As most people know, I teach 2nd grade. Every year I like to blog about what my current group of 2nd graders are reading. Their reading levels range from Kindergarten-5th grade. Not only is this interesting to my author/writer friends, but also to parents and grandparents wanting to buy presents for kids around the age of 7-9 years old. Keep in mind, many of these books are not new books just published, but many have been out for awhile. So here you go...

 

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

by Dav Pilkey


Now granted it's mainly the 7-8 years old boys in my class that check these out of the library every week. It's fits well with their 2nd grade humor.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 1-28 Paperback – Box set

by Mary Pope Osborne (Author) , Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)

The Magic Tree House books are very popular with this age group. They are set right in the reading level that many 2nd graders are currently on. It also is a great way to get this age group into reading about history in a fun way. I would say I've seen 3/4 of my class reading these books and trying to get through as many volumes as possible. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1)

by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)

Yes, Harry Potter. This first book in the series has been showing it's face around my classroom. It may be that I have told them how much me and my own children love this series. They were also impressed when I showed them Deathly Hallows in the library a few weeks back. I told them I read the almost 800 page book in 11 hours and 15 minutes. This seemed to spur many of them on to reading this wonderful series. 

Case File 13: Zombie Kid (Case File 13 #1)

by J. Scott Savage

This new series is fresh on my students mind because the author came to our school last year. He made a fun impression on them and the fever is spreading about this series. There is a lot to be said for those authors who make school visits and also do them for free. I can tell you that the author and his/her books become a big thing in their minds. They talk about you and your books for a long time. Kids all over school are still talking about J.Scott Savage and his Zombie Rap that he did during the assembly. They can't wait to read the 2nd book in the series.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

by Rick Riordan

This familiar series keeps moving along through the classroom. One thing I noticed lately is that more of the girls were reading this than the boys. Not sure why, but just an interesting thing. I love reading fantasy books and have shared that with my students. Maybe the movies has also increased the children's interest, but I'm happy to see them reading the Percy Jackson books.

The Lorax

by Dr. Seuss

For those students not yet ready for the bigger chapter books are still loving anything Dr. Seuss. They are drifting towards the longer Dr. Seuss books like The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who etc. Again, maybe the interest here is from the movies made based on these books. They are moving away from Cat in The Hat and towards the books with longer and more meaningful stories.  

Though this was only a sampling of what I see my students reading, it can show you what kind of books this age group is liking. They also seem to like to read non-fiction books about animals: girls like books about kittens and dogs, and the boys like reading about Great White Sharks, Dinosaurs and Snakes. Nothing new in this observation right? 

The main thing I hope by posting this, is to give you some great ideas to keep your kids reading. They don't have to read these books (Even though they are great!), but make sure they are reading. Turn off the TV, give everyone a book/Kindle/Nook and a quiet spot to read. Let the fun begin! Our children will be smarter, and more imaginative if we make reading a priority in our lives. 

Today is the Day I Finally Get to See It: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

I have been anxiously awaiting the day when I would finally see the last installment of the Harry Potter movies. I have been watching the trailer's every time one would come out. I gathered my kids around the computer as we watched them over and over again. We have had our Harry Potter Movie Marathon...several times!!

I am experiencing the same feelings that I had when the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out. I was so excited to read the book, but also sad knowing that it was the last book. The good thing back then was that there were a few more Harry Potter movies to come out. Now this will really be the end. I hope I love it as much as I have built it up in my mind. Here are the official movie posters that were released from Warner brothers Studio. I have been looking at them a lot since they first came out. Enjoy!!

"H" is for Harry Potter: What else?

"H" was a very easy letter to choose my topic, Harry Potter! I am a huge fan of the books and movies. My kids and I are Harry Potter trivia junkies. We love to play Harry Potter Scene-It, Harry Potter computer/Wii games, and we have Harry Potter movies marathons quite often.




Why has Harry Potter become such a huge phenomenon? According to Tanaqui at Leaky Cauldron.org this is what she has to say...

"Harry Potter has truly influenced the literate world by bringing people of all ages back to reading. He has garnered much attention by expanding people’s imaginations in print and film, bringing a world to life. JKR also tells a good story using a variety of elements to capture a wide range of interests. Publishers, teachers and even authors have capitalized on the teen wizard, to encourage increasing literacy and enjoyment of reading, whether in the classroom or through literature circles, in bookstores with the variety of new books available or when creating new stories, regardless of the genre. Harry Potter is a phenomenon to education and reading."

I know that not everyone loves Harry Potter. I do know that Jo Rowling has changed the world of literature in a positive way. As a teacher, I saw personally how children who never wanted to read before couldn't get enough of the Harry Potter books. Yes it has become a big marketing tool, but at the same time it is something that has pulled the generations together. I know many parents and children that enjoy reading the books and watching the movies together.

Whether you like the books or movies you have to admit, Jo Rowling and Harry Potter has changed our world. To me, I feel that this change has been for the good. Long live Harry Potter!

P.S. We are saving our money so we can go to Florida to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter