Book Talk Thursday: The Twits

Ages: 7+

Description: The Twits is a wonderfully constructed book about Mr. and Mrs. Twit- the worst type of people, who do nothing but catch innocent Muggle-Wump birds and play mean tricks on one another. Until the Muggle-Wumps decide to take a stand...

Quote: "The hair on Mr. Twit's Face didn't grow smooth and matted as it does on most hairy-faced men. It grew in spikes that stuck out straight like the bristles of a nailbrush". 

Application: Rohl Dahl is one of the masters of fun and quirky children's writing. Besides being a fun and engaging read for students, the most notable thing about the dreadful, smelly, terrible Twits is the descriptive language that surrounds them, making this the perfect mentor text with which to discuss colourful word choice and how students can paint a picture with words. The book is rich with funny illustrations, and students will be equally grossed out and amused by the antics of the dreadful Twits and the revenge of the Muggle-Wumps. 

If you are discussing descriptive language in your class you might also be interested in my product 'Expanding Sentences'. These sentence activities are a fun way for students to develop their descriptive writing skills. Students are given a sentence which they rewrite. They are given a word bank of words for each sentence that they might find helpful when they do this, however they can also use works that they personally know and use. 


******************************************************************************************

I would love to hear about one of your favourite books to use in the classroom.

How To Link Up

1. Add a link to your blog post in the Inlinkz at the bottom of this post. 

2. Place the Book Talk Thursday button (below) somewhere in your post linking back to this one. 

3. Explore! Come back to this post to see what other bloggers have shared. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Book Talk Thursday: The City Of Ember

The book I'm featuring this Book Talk Thursday is The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I hope you will link up with me at the end of this post to share one of your favourite books. 

Summary: The City Of Ember tells the story of a city in darkness. The power is failing more regularly and Lina and Don are determined to find a way to save the people of Ember, even if it means venturing into the Pipeworks…

Themes: fear, determination, hope, light/dark, dystopia/utopia. 

Ages: 9+ 

Quote: "There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside, it's inside us, too. Everyone has some darkness inside. It's like a hungry creature. It wants and wants and wants with a terrible power. And the more you give it, the bigger and hungrier it gets."

This is one of my favourite books, and it has so many uses in the classroom. Written in vivid detail the adventure will pull in even reluctant readers. This is a great book to look at themes such as lightness and darkness and how they are represented through symbolism in the text. Its richly textured description and dialogue paints a picture of a fanciful yet sinister town cast in darkness, yet the adventure moves at a fast enough rate that the description does not weigh the reader down. Lina and Doon's friendship is one that students can relate to as they use teamwork and rely on one another to solve the mysteries of Ember. 

The descriptive writing in The City Of Ember is also perfect to look at similes and metaphors. I have a hanging graphic organizer that you might like to use if you do a book study of The City Of Ember with your students. It has a light bulb theme that ties in to the book perfectly, though it can also be used for other studies. You can get it here. 

************************************************************************************************************

What are your favourite books to use in the classroom? That's the question Book Talk Thursday is all about. I'd love for you to link up and share one of your favourite books.

How To Link Up

1. Add a link to your blog post in the Inlinkz at the bottom of this post. 

2. Place the Book Talk Thursday button (below) somewhere in your post linking back to this one. 
3. You can grab the link up code from the Inlinkz tool at the bottom and share on your blog if you wish. 

4. Explore! Come back to this post to see what other bloggers have shared. 

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code

Book Talk Thursday:

Welcome to another Book Talk Thursday! I hope you'll link up with me at the end of this post.



Book: The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Ages: 13-16
Quote: "Do you understand how amazing it is to hear that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody? It's one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they're the four hugest words in the world when they're put together. -You can do it."

This book is ideal for a grade 8 book study. It deals with some difficult and emotional subject matter, and there is some swearing. For those who have read the 'Outsiders' I find the maturity levels are comparable. Issues discussed: alcohol, family troubles, abuse, loss.

The images used in this book work to illustrate the emotion of the main character and engage students with the text. Written in the voice of a boy named Junior, as he makes the controversial decision to attend a high school off reservation. As issues of alcohol abuse, family troubles, abuse, and loss are presented Junior maintains a positive outlook as he overcomes these challenges and reflects on what they mean for his community, his family, and himself. It presents the struggle of balancing one's identity when it seems they are being pulled in opposite directions. There is also an overarching discussion of friendship, and belonging. It looks at the need for cultural understanding, and the idea that people should not be defined by their ethnicity, beliefs, or socioeconomic status.

Despite the heavy subject matter this book deals with it sill has a place in the classroom. With the proper supervision to facilitate critical discussion about this book, students benefit from a character who shows that the family, community, or economic status you were born into does not have to define your life.

****************************************************************************************************

What are your favourite books to use in the classroom? That's the question Book Talk Thursday is all about. I'd love for you to link up and share one of your favourite books.

How To Link Up

1. Add a link to your blog post in the Inlinkz at the bottom of this post. 

2. Place the Book Talk Thursday button (below) somewhere in your post linking back to this one. 
3. You can grab the link up code from the Inlinkz tool at the bottom and share on your blog if you wish. 

3. Explore! Come back to this post to see what other bloggers have shared. 

get the InLinkz code

An InLinkz Link-up

Book Talk Thursday: Stella Star Of The Sea

 

Book: Stella Star Of The Sea by Marie-Louise Gay 

Ages: 4-8 (though I'll admit to reading as an adult)

Genre: Fiction

Quote: "Where do starfish come from?" asked Sam. "From the sky," answered Stella. "Starfish are shooting stars that fell in love with the sea." "weren't the stars afraid of drowning?" asked Sam. "No", said Stella. "They all learned how to swim." 

Stella Star Of The Sea is one of my all-time favourite books. It explores the relationship of a brother (Sam) and sister (Stella) as they explore the seaside. Sam asks all sorts of questions as he delays getting into the water, while Stella has a creative answer for them all as she encourages her brother. It highlights the curiosity of children and the need to imagine and explore. 

You could use this book as a read-outloud prior to an ocean or sea-creature unit. Many ocean creatures are mentioned, and students can try to find them in the illustrations. It can also be used to have a discussion about how trying new things can sometimes feel scary, but eventually when we're brave enough to try them they can be wonderful. 

All in all this book will give you the warm fuzzies as you meet Stella and fall in love with her sunny character. 

Book Talk Thursday

Books are an instrumental part of teaching. Wether you are a classroom teacher, homeschool, or are a parent, books are part of every educator's life. Of course we aren't all librarians and it can be difficult to find that perfect book that will be just right for your students. What can we do?

Introducing book talk Thursday. My goal is that each Thursday I will share one of my favourite books and why I love it. I welcome other bloggers to link up and do the same.

If you link up…

1. Add a link to your blog post in the Inlinkz at the bottom of this post.

2. Place the Book Talk Thursday button somewhere in your post linking back to this post.

3. Explore! Come back to this post to see what other bloggers have shared.

An InLinkz Link-up