New Book Tuesdays: Week 15

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a happy Fall break and got to spend some much-needed time away from work and visiting with family and friends! It's hard to believe that we only have three weeks of school (less than that now) before Winter break! This week, I wanted to add some more highly requested books to the library. Here they are...

New Picture Book

Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel. I was actually surprised we didn't have this one already. The students in 1st and 2nd grade love Bad Kitty. There is so much talk about the presidential election coming up, this one will probably not be on the shelves much.

Check out Bad Kitty's Official Campaign video below...

"The votes are in--it's a Bad Kitty landslide!

It's time to elect a new president of the Neighborhood Cat Coalition! Who will win the election? The candidate chosen by the kitties on the right side of the street or the candidate chosen by the kitties on the left side of the street? When election time rolls around, one candidate (guess who?) will discover that she never bothered to register to vote and the entire election will be decided by a surprise, last minute absentee ballot sent by Old Kitty." -Images and blurb from Macmillan.com

New Chapter Book

Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I've been wanting to get this one for a while. We had it at the Book Fair, but I spent so much money there! Finally, it's here! This is a wonderful book. It would be great to read aloud to your class and have some really meaningful discussions about the topics brought up in the book.

There's some more information about the book and the characters as well as a discussion guide for teachers and background information on how the author came to write this book on the authors website.

Also, check out the Choose Kind Tumblr page for more information on the Certified Kind Classroom Challenge and the Daily Wonder App.

Check out the book trailer below...

"August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?" -Image and blurb from RJPalacio.com

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews: "After being homeschooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle-school life when he looks so different from everyone else?Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder."

New Nonfiction Books

What if You Had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle. This was a Book Fair book as well, but I didn't buy it at the Book Fair! I bought it later. I did think that this book would be great to get students asking inquiry-based questions. It would be a very good starting place for research, and the kids just think it's so hilarious to think about having animal teeth and see the illustrations with all the different types of teeth.

"If you could have any animal's front teeth, whose would you choose? If you chose an elephant's, you could dig holes and pull up tree roots. If you had a beaver's, you'd have orange teeth! And if you had a naked mole rat's set of teeth, you could move each one separately, like chopsticks! The animal kingdom has lots of cool teeth, but yours are pretty awesome, too!" -Image and blurb from GoodReads.com

#NewBookTuesdays #BadKitty #Wonder #BookTrailer #Inquiry