“You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.”
— James M. Barrie, novelist and playwright (1860-1937)
We’ve started the Oregon Battle of the Books at my school, and by “we” I mean our two incredible volunteers, Jenny and Joan. They are meeting weekly with the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students and everyone is enjoying the new selection of titles.
If you would like a list of this year’s books, printable bookmarks, Prezi presentations and more, here you are. At my house, we’re just finishing “Waiting for Normal,” by Leslie Connor. It’s from the middle school list and is one tremendous book. (Check here if you’re looking for next year’s OBOB lists, including confirmed selections.)
Happy reading!
— Ms. Nancy
PS — Here are the titles the 3rd-5th graders are reading — it’s a really good variety of books. “Rapunzel’s Revenge” is my favorite, so far.
“Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things,” by Lenore Look (Realistic Fiction)
“The Arrow Over the Door,” by Joseph Bruchac (Historical Fiction)
“Because of Winn-Dixie,” by Kate DiCamillo (Realistic Fiction)
“The City of Ember,” by Jeanne DuPrau (Science Fiction)
“Diamond Willow,” by Helen Frost (Fantasy)
“Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key,” by Jack Gantos (Realistic Fiction)
“Keeping Score,” by Linda Sue Park (Historical Fiction)
“Marco? Polo!,” by Jon Scieszka (Science Fiction)
“Masterpiece,” by Elise Broach (Fantasy)
“Paint the Wind,” by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Realistic Fiction)
“Poppy,” by Avi (Fantasy)
“Rapunzel’s Revenge,” by Shannon and Dean Hale (Fantasy — Graphic Novel)
“Secret Identity,” by Wendelin Van Draanen (Mystery)
“Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio,” by Peg Kehret (Nonfiction/Biography)
“Who was Ben Franklin?, by Dennis Brindell Fradin (Nonfiction/Biography)
“The Willoughbys,” by Lois Lowry (Realistic Fiction)
7 responses so far ↓
1 Jenny Martin // Jan 5, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Thank you, Nancy for starting our Blog space for Oregon Battle of the Books!!
Readers are going to start forming into teams of up to four readers. Then all they need to do is keep on reading from the list until late May when we will have our big battle.
Next week we are discussing Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things,” by Lenore Look (Realistic Fiction).
It is a very funny book and we hope lots of kids will come Wednesday at 12:30 for the discussion time!
JennyMartin
2 Ms. Nancy // Jan 18, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Thanks, Jenny! I just finished Shannon Hale’s book, “Rapunzel,” it was great. Lots of adventure and some comic moments, too. See you Wednesday…
3 Jenny Martin // Jan 25, 2011 at 5:10 am
We all liked Rapunzel’s Revenge. Did you know that there is a sequel about Jack?
This weeks’ book is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Ms. Lennox will be there to discuss this great read with Hayhurst kids.
I am working at Chapman Library for two weeks. I will miss our Book Groups. Have a great discussion and I will see you soon!
Jenny Martin
4 Ms. Nancy // Jan 25, 2011 at 5:35 am
Thanks, Jenny Martin! See you in a couple of weeks, we’ll miss you. I’ll be sure to order copies of the new book — it’s called “Calamity Jack” and looks great. Here’s a link to the author’s website, if anyone is interested.
http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_jack.html
5 Nancy R. // Jan 27, 2011 at 12:37 am
Next week’s book (for Feb. 2nd, 2011)…
“Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio,” by Peg Kehret (Nonfiction/Biography)
We have a few copies stashed in the library, please stop by!
6 Ms. Nancy // Jan 27, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Dear Jenny Martin and Mrs. Lennox, what is the book after “The Year I Got Polio”? Is it “Masterpiece”? And what is planned for the week after that? Inquiring minds want to know 😉 Thanks!
7 Ms. Nancy // Feb 11, 2011 at 6:45 pm
“Masterpiece” is the book we’re reading for Feb. 16th meeting; “The Arrow Over the Door” by Joseph Bruchac will be the pick for the week after!