Summer Reads #6: Among the Hidden

Today I am introducing the first of a series that was once again recommended by my students. I ended up buying the entire series with Scholastic points at the end of the year, and I will eventually read the rest. This one was captivating!

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Among the Hidden is the first book in the Shadow Children series. Luke is a shadow child, meaning he isn't supposed to exist. Out of fear that they would run out of food, the government established a law that families could only have two children. Luke is the third. No one other than his immediate family knows about him, and he has never been away from home. When a neighborhood is built nearby, Luke cannot go outside anymore and, worse, has to spend all of his time in the attic.

But then he discovers there is another shadow child nearby. And he takes a risk to meet her.

Guys, I did this one as a book club, and I had a hard time stopping each week for the discussions. My first interaction with this book was the hook, and it is one of my favorites ever. I was completely into this all the way through and can't wait to read the rest!

Summer Reads #5: Ungifted

It's week five already, and I am fulfilling my promise with a fun, lighthearted book! This is the perfect one for that, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my students and I did.

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Ungifted is about a boy named Donovan who is a bit of a prankster and is always causing problems. Well, it's all fun and games until he accidentally rolls the globe right off an Atlas statue, through a full parking lot, and into the gym where his middle school team is playing a game. And then, to add to his luck, he is spotted by none other than the school's superintendent. Donovan is certain that his life is officially over, but through a crazy turn of events, his name is accidentally passed on for a school for gifted students.

Gifted he is not, but he figures it will be the perfect place to hide out until the whole mess blows over. Plus, his parents are proud of him for once. While there, he learns to accept and befriend the eclectic bunch of students in his class, and he's even able to help them out. Maybe he is gifted after all? You'll have to read and find out!

Summer Reads #4: The War That Saved My Life

Hey guys! I hope you're having as much fun with these as I am! The book I'm sharing with you today is the first one that I read after school let out, and I could have easily read it in one sitting (and almost did) if my family hadn't complained that they wanted to spend time with me. Oops!

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This book was on the Virginia Reader's Choice list for middle school, which I am slowly working my way through. I'm also reading from the elementary list, but not necessarily every book. Once again, I had a few students read this first and tell me it was amazing. I trust their judgement now and hope that my next set of kids have equally amazing taste. But I will stop bragging now...

You will want a tissue and/or to throw things when you read this book because Ada, the main character, really has a crappy life. She was born with a clubfoot that was never treated. Instead, her mother is ashamed of her and will not allow her to leave the house at all. She teaches herself to walk in secret and ends up running away with her younger brother when children are being evacuated from London at the beginning of World War II. They arrive in the countryside and are taken in by a single woman who doesn't really want them. However, she takes care of them well and gives them opportunities that they did not have.

The book is an emotional roller coaster, but I can't say much more without giving it away. Ada's hurt reaches far deeper than her foot, and it takes a lot for her to overcome it.

Next week, I'm going to choose a more upbeat book!

Summer Reads #3: Out of My Mind

Week three is here! Woohoo! I want to just show you what I mean when I say I have a lot to read this summer.

So these are the books I brought home to read this summer before I return them to my classroom library. I have a few more to bring home tomorrow #iteachtoo #iteachfifth #iteachela #teacherswhoread #ilovebooks @scholasticreadingclub

A post shared by Melissa (@dontlettheteacher) on Jun 15, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

It's a little crazy. And that actually doesn't account for all the books because I didn't have some and am checking them out on my kindle. Let me know if there's one you especially want to hear about, and I'll move it up further on my list. Or, of course, if you have any suggestions of books to add to my list. I currently finished The War that Saved My Life, Wolf Hollow, Space Case, Solo, and Fuzzy Mud. Reading The Thing About Jellyfish and have and A Night Divided on deck. So many books!

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This book was another recommendation from a student. She told me it was on of the best books ever and then bought it for me. I quickly added it to my ever-growing list and worked to move it up quickly so I could read it. Once again, it did not disappoint. My kids really do have impeccable taste in books! 

Out of my Mind is about a girl named Melody who is wheelchair bound and cannot speak or write. But she is brilliant! She just doesn't have any way of showing it (think Stephen Hawking). Her babysitter believes that she is smart, so she works tirelessly with Melody to add pictures and letters to her wheelchair so that Melody can "communicate" by pointing. By fifth grade, she finally has a teacher who decides Melody should spend some time working in the regular education rooms with a one-on-one aide. Like her babysitter, this aide knows what Melody is capable of and works to help her show it. The problem is that it's very difficult for her new classmates and teachers to accept it as well, and Melody struggles to find her place.