The Wednesday Wars (Audio Book)

A Newberry Honor Book!

My English teacher hates me. From the first day she saw me she rolled her eyes. Maybe she got an eyelash in them, I reasoned. Yeah right! Now, it’s inevitable. I’m stuck with her every Wednesday after school…just me and her. All because I’m Presbyterian! She’s trying to kill me. I just know it!

Look, I can take a lot of things.

Cleaning rat cages…

Chalky cream puffs...

but...

Shakespeare?

This means war!





It’s good as a book…but even better on tape. You’d never think one person’s voice and tone could bring such depth to a story, but Joel Johnstone manages to do it. Your class will be in both stitches and tears. A must read for any English teacher who takes their job…and their students…way too seriously!

The Dark is Rising

Meet Will.

He's eleven.

And, he just found out
he's the last of a race of immortal warriors
destined to rid the world of
the Dark forces.

Now he must team up with three children
(and their Great Uncle Merry)
to find six magical signs that will
aid him in his destiny.

I don't want to give away everything,
so here's the trailer for the movie that just came out.
If you're thinking about reading the whole series,
this movie will give you a really good overview!
But don't think it covers everything!

Trust me when I say:
the books are SO much better!

The Dark is Rising series is a powerful tale based on Arthurian myths and legends. Susan Cooper is a fabulous writer and weaves her tale of mystery and suspense with masterful beauty. When it comes to epic battles between good and evil, she ranks right up there with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She happens to have quite a large following of devoted readers. I myself am one them. Perhaps you've never heard of her before this, but let me be the first to recommend her. You won't find a more uniquely imaginative author.

The Dark is Rising Sequence:

Over Sea, Under Stone



The Dark is Rising



Greenwitch



The Grey King



A Newberry Award Winning Book

Silver on the Tree



Cooper, S. (1973). The Dark is Rising. New York: Atheneum

Dogsong

A Newberry Honor Book!

Want to read about an fourteen year old Eskimo who sled races across Alaska?
Russell Susskit is the boy you’re looking for! Of course, he’ll have to break in the dogs, brave the elements, and pray he doesn’t starve to death or get killed by caribou. To win this race, he’ll have to draw from the strength of his people to become a true leader….a pack leader. If for no other reason than to save the girl that fate has put onto his sled.

Gary Paulson’s done it again! His tale of bravery in the face of nature will awe any young mind. Especially your male students. There’s no better way to introduce them to literature than to get their adrenaline pumping with this story of survival!

Paulson, G. (1985). Dogsong. New York: Atheneum Books For Young Readers.

Facing the Lion

My dream is to kill a lion. Then I will be the strongest warrior in my tribe. My people are nomads, meaning we make our home where the cattle graze. When the land dries up, we move with them. We belong to the Ariaal, a subgroup of the Masaai Tribe in Kenya. Come with me on my journey and I will tell you about how I become a Harvard graduate and come face to face with my first lion. In the end, you will find me bringing education to my people and educating people (such as yourself) about my culture.

This book gives the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child.” a whole new meaning. Read on to learn about the customs and traditions of a native African. Struggle with him as he tries to reconcile Western teachings with his own. Laugh as he scares the tar out of some American tourists with his own brand of tribal humor. This is the story of Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton, tribesman, teacher, human rights activist, and the most recent addition to the Parliament of Kenya. What a great book for that
7th grade geography unit on Africa!

Lekuton, J. L. (2003). Facing The lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savannah. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Criss Cross

Debbie wishes
something would
happen to her.
Anything to make
her life more
interesting...




Hector feels unfinished,
“still in process.”
He keeps waiting for that
transformation.
That change...



Venture with them as their paths criss cross in a series of mutual friends and shared moments. Will they find a place with each other or discover that growing up is more complicated than it looks?


A Caldecott Award Winning Book!

This is a coming of age story for middle schoolers that addresses character development. Perfect for use in the classroom, or as a safe way to address difficult teenage issues.

Perkins, Lynn Rae. (2005). Criss Cross. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Hoops

"Hoops. The game. Feel it."


" The skittery cat-footed
dance along the baseline."



"The weight of you hanging from fine
invisible threads."

" The eyes."

Experience poetry come alive on the basketball court. Let your eyes roam over the energy of the words captured in the heart pounding illustrations.

Still not convinced? How about introducing imagery with a subject that most middle schoolers can’t keep their hands off of? Just imagine....loads of sensory details, similes, metaphors, and personification packed into a three minute countdown! Give your students something to write about by getting their heads in the game.

Burleigh, R. (1997). Hoops. New York: Silver Whistle.

Sabriel

Abhorson, a powerful mage of the Old Kingdom has disappeared. It's up to his daughter Sabriel to find him. If only it were that simple. You see, Sabriel, like her father, is a necromancer. One who lays the dead to rest and binds evil spirits before they can cross over to the living world. Until now, she has been free of the Old Kingdom where magic reigns supreme and the dead are free to roam. Now she must journey back to the place where she will come face to face with death itself and discover her destiny.


Ever since Harry Potter, fantasy books have become the rage. Even in our own schools! If your students crave this genre, introduce them to Garth Nix. He is truly a master of fantasy and has appeared on numerous best seller lists including The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, and The Book Seller.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, he also happens to be my favorite author in this genre and comes highly recommended from this very satisfied reader.

Nix, G. (1995). Sabriel. New York: Harper Collins

The Pendragon Series

"I hope you're reading this Mark. Heck, I hope anybody's reading this because the only thing that's keeping me from going off my nut right now is getting this all down on paper so that someday when it's all over, it'll help prove that I'm not a total whack job."

I, Bobby Pendrake, just got ripped out of my earthly existance to travel to this place called Denduron. All so I can save a society of people that I don't even know. Now my house is gone. The house I grew up in for 15 years of my life. isAnd the only family I have left my Uncle Press...the one who started this whole mess in the first place. But I can't really blame him since we were chased to Denduron by his archnemesis, Saint Dane. Besides, I've met a lot of cool people along the way. People like Loor, a powerful female warrior whose around my age. She taught me to believe in myself and my abilities. I could never have stood up to Saint Dane if it weren't for her.

But that's not important now. The important thing is that I'm a traveler. Jumping between worlds. The only people who know are my best friend Mark and Courtney Chetwine. THE Courtney Chetwine who kissed me for the first time on the same day this whole thing started. They read my journals whenever I can send them through the porthole.

I want you to read my journals too. Spread them around to as many people as you can. Let people know that there are other worlds out there. Worlds outside of the small box that most people stuff themselves in!

MacHale, D.J. (2002). New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.