Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Which Do You Prefer?

As summer break comes to an end (already?!?), so does our 3rd Grade Summer Book Club!  I finished Soar a couple of days ago, and WOW!  It was such a good book!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was not expecting much from a book about baseball.  It turned out to be about way more than JUST baseball, and had so much depth!  By that, I mean that the author did such a good job of writing the characters in a likable way.  I learned a lot from Jeremiah and the whole team.  Also, she wrote the story in a way that made me want to keep reading...I couldn't put it down!!  I won't spoil anything for those of you still reading, but I have to say that I liked this book better than The Great Shelby Holmes.  What do you think?  Which of the two do you prefer?  Why?

This is my last post of the summer, so I wanted to also say THANK YOU to everyone who joined in our conversation!  I have already read more books this year than I did last year from the Bluebonnet list-- a goal of mine this year is to read enough to participate in the voting events this year, so I'm well on my way!  I hope you got something out of it, and are looking forward to continuing our reading journey in class in just a few short weeks. :)

Love,

Mrs. Raney

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Power of an Introduction

Something my mom always taught me growing up was that I should always have a book that I'm reading on my nightstand.  So, I have felt a little lost the last week or so as I finished my previous book and have been waiting on Soar to be ready for me from the library.  Today, the eBook became available and I jumped right in!

I was really interested in how this book started.  The first paragraph does a great job of hooking readers-- I'm all in!  What a unique situation Jeremiah is in, and the author could have said something like, "Once there was a boy named Jeremiah.  He was left as a baby and adopted by a nice man.  He loved baseball and had a heart condition." (How boring is that?!)  But, instead of explaining everything to us, Joan Bauer drops a big bomb of information on us from the first sentence of the book, leaving readers wondering questions.  Over the next pages, she slowly gives more information and clues about the characters and situation and we can piece it all together, like a puzzle.  What smart writing!  This is something I plan to try in my writing...how about you?

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Jeremiah in Soar

I've just read the first 10 chapters of Soar, and am enjoying it much more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge baseball fan, so this is probably not a book I would have chosen to read on my own. But that is what I love about the Bluebonnet book list...it makes me try something new! I hope many of you are doing the same.

This story is about so much more than baseball so far. The author does such a great job describing Jeremiah's character, from his abandonment as a baby, to his medical issues, to his intelligence and passion for baseball. What do you think about the character Jeremiah? Are there any funny quotes or events that stuck in your mind as you were reading? I can't wait to hear what you all think. Happy reading!

Thursday, July 6, 2017

July Book Announced!

We hope all of you enjoyed June's book club choice! For July, we will be reading Soar by Joan Bauer.


It is for sale on Amazon for only about $7. I just ordered my copy and can't wait to start reading!

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Final Thoughts on The Great Shelby Holmes

You may not want to read this post or the comments if you have not finished the book! Spoilers ahead!!

I'm curious how many of you were able to solve the mystery yourself? Personally, I thought it was the dog trainer, so I was really surprised when it turned out to be Zane. But once Shelby explained how she figured it out, it all made perfect sense! What do you all think about what Zane did to his sister? 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading other Shelby Holmes mysteries. What did you think about it? We can't wait to hear your opinions, and we will be announcing our second summer book soon!

-Mrs. Lipe

Monday, June 12, 2017

John

When I first started reading this book, I had assumed it would be all about Shelby. And while she is definitely one of the main characters, I have enjoyed reading about John too. I felt a little sad for him in the beginning because he has had to move around so much, and his parents are getting divorced, but he seems like the kind of kid who makes friends easily. I don't know that I could have done that when I was his age, because I was really shy. What do you guys think about John? Have you ever been in a situation like him where you didn't know anybody? I have a feeling he and Shelby will become friends, I can't wait to read the rest of the book to see if I'm right!

- Mrs. Lipe

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Shelby

I started reading The Great Shelby Holmes a few days ago, and am really enjoying it!  I am only a few chapters in, so NO SPOILERS in the comments, please, but I wanted to pose this question to everyone: what do you think of Shelby?

I can infer that Shelby maybe gets teased at school because she is "different" than most kids.  Is being different a bad thing?  Can you relate to anything about Shelby?  I admire her willingness to be different, if that's what it takes to follow her passion of solving crimes!  She is obviously passionate about it!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts about Shelby!

--Mrs. Raney