Archive | May 2008

Betsy-Bee’s Fourth Grade Summer Reading List: 2008

May6

I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I will take each child who reads ten of the books on his list out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Betsy-Bee, age 9, who just finished third grade.

Bulla, Clyde Robert. The Sword in the Tree. This King Arthur story was one of my older daughters’ favorite story in the whole world when she was about Betsy-Bee’s age, and we’re studying the Middle Ages next year for history. (Adventure story category for the Summer Book Blast)

Cleary, Beverly. Emily’s Runaway Imagination. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Clements, Andrew. Frindle. I’ve never read this one, but I know it’s a very popular book about a fifth grader who tries to invent a new word. I’ll probably read it along with Betsy-Bee. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Cole Joanna. One Magic School Bus book that you haven’t already read.

Enright, Elizabeth. The Saturdays. Four siblings pool their allowances each month and take turns going on a Saturday adventure all by themselves.

Haywood, Carolyn. Betsy’s Busy Summer. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Best Friends. Poems about friends.

Kurlansky, Mark. The Story of Salt.

Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

Peterson, John. The Littles. The Little family, who all measure less than six inches high, have lots of adventures in the land of the Biggs. (Adventure stories category for Summer Book Blast)

Sidney, Margaret. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. (Classics category for Summer Book Blast)

Stanley, Diane. Joan of Arc. A biography of the famous saint/warrior. (Christian biographies category for Summer Book Blast)

Thomas, Mack. What Would Jesus Do? This “retelling” of the classic by Charles Sheldon isn’t really a retelling at all, but rather a new story for kids based on the premise of the the original: what would happen if a group of people, children in this story, decided to ask themselves the question “what would Jesus do” before they acted? It’s an interesting question, even if it did get trivialized back in the 1990’s. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

Whaley, Richie. Samuel: Prophet and Judge. Part of the BIbLearn series published by the Southern Baptist in-house press, this is an easy-to-read biography of the man we’re reading about in our family Bible reading time. (Christian Biographies category for the Summer Book Blast)

I’m also asking them to memorize and present to the family two poems. Here are Betsy-Bee’s poems:

The Creation by Cecil Frances Alexander.

Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards.

Karate Kid’s Sixth Grade Summer Reading List: 2008

May5

I am asking my children to read at least ten of the books on their individualized list before August 18, 2008. I also want each of them to memorize two poems this summer and present them for the family. I will take each child who does so out to eat to the restaurant of his choice, and I will also buy a book for each child who finishes the challenge. This list is for Karate Kid, age 11, who just finished fifth grade.

Andrew, Brother. God’s Smuggler. The true story of a Dutch man who smuggled Bibles and other Christian literature into countries behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War years. (Christian Biographies category for the Summer Book Blast)


Batson, Thomas Wayne. Isle of Swords. Treasure, a mysterious island, shark-infested waters, a treasure map, flogging, cutlasses, swords, guns, the British navy in pursuit, and explosions and swash-buckling battles galore: what more could a boy ask for? (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast) Complete Semicolon review here.

The Bible. Romans. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

The Bible. I Samuel. (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)

Clements, Andrew. Frindle. Nick, a fifth-grade boy, invents a new word for pen: “frindle.” Soon, the whole country is using it. But Nick’s language arts teacher, Mrs. Granger, isn’t so happy with his creative endeavor. (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Dingle, Adrian. The Periodic Table: Elements with Style. For sixty-four of the elements, each has its own “home-page” in this introduction to the periodic table.

Feldman, Jodi. The Gollywhopper Games. Reviewed by Becky here.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. A collection of poems about science.

Jacques, Brian. Redwall. The Abbey of Redwall is home to a variety of animals who have adventures in this fantasy world. (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

Katz, Linda. Gee Wiz. Subtitle: How to Mix Art and Science or the Art of Thinking Scientifically.

Kendall, Carolyn. The Gammage Cup. The story of five non-conformist Minnipins who become unlikely heroes probably hit a nerve in the non-conformist sixties, but it’s still a great story.(Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

McCaffrey, Anne. Black Horses for the King. A Roman Celtic youth, Galwyn, helps the future king of Britain, Lord Artos, acquire the legendary Black Horses of his legions. (Adventures category for the Summer Book Blast)

McCloskey, Robert. Homer Price. Homer lives in Centerburg where he tries to win a doughnut-eating contest and keeps a pet skunk, among other adventures. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

O’Brien, Robert. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. A widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby, who seeks the aid of a group of former laboratory rats in rescuing her home from destruction by a farmer’s plow. (Classics category for the Summer Book Blast)

Robertson, Keith. Henry Reed, Inc. A great old-fashioned book about a boy who spends the summer in a small town with his uncle and aunt. Exciting things happen whenever Henry is around! (Fiction category for the Summer Book Blast)

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith for Kids. “Using kid-friendly language, Lee Strobel shares true examples of how people throughout the world demonstrate their faith in God while answering questions about the nature of God.” (Faith Builders category for the Summer Book Blast)


Wilson, N.D. 100 Cupboards. “Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning . . .” (Mysteries category for the Summer Book Blast)

Poems to memorize:

The Destruction of Sennacherib by George Gordon Byron.

The Tiger by William Blake.

Reading Lists

May5

I’m going to be posting my children’s reading lists for the summer this week. I thought a disclaimer might be in order. I don’t give them summer reading lists in order to control their reading or to make them read books that they don’t want to read. They often ask me for suggestions of books to read, so I’m trying to include on their summer reading lists books that they would enjoy but that they haven’t remembered to try or I haven’t remembered to suggest.

I even have reading lists for the older urchins, ages 18, 20, and 22 and for Engineer Husband. Some of the books on these lists ARE books that I want them to read because I think it would help them in some of their current life decisions. Others are just for fun and geared to their interests. So on to the books. I hope you enjoy this week of booklists for all ages.

Books Read in April 2008

May3

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. I’ll review this one soon. Short version: I liked this story of brokenness and restoration by a first time author, published in 2004, and I’ll look for more from Ms. Kallos. Recommended by Carrie at Mommy Brain and by Literary Feline.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley. Semicolon review here. Great dystopian fiction with a Little Orphan Annie sort of atmosphere.

Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Semicolon review here. Brown Bear Daughter read this one, too, and liked it so much that she went looking at the library for more books by Shusterman. I don’t know how she liked those yet.

Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Newbery award winner, and it was good enough to win.

Walking From East to West by Ravi Zacharias. Thoughts on this Biblically Literate Book Club selection for April.

Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America’s Ideals by Michael J. Gerson. Good ideas. A little dated, and I hate to say it, but I felt like a cynic in comparison to this White House speechwriter. If you want to know what “compassionate conservatism” is really about from one its proponents, read this book.

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman. Interesting nonfiction set in Warsaw during World War II, but I didn’t really like the people involved very much, even if they were hiding Jews and fighting the Nazis.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad. Semicolon review here. Fascinating view of family life in Afghanistan, but I didn’t like very many of the people in this book either. I don’t think I was supposed to like them, but was I supposed to feel antipathy for author, too? Recommended at Bookfest.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. My first book by this very popular author. It was pretty good, but she could have left out a few too detailed descriptions.

Ironman by Chris Crutcher. Also my first book by this popular YA author. I see why guys especially would like Crutcher’s books, but I could have done without the gay-is-great propaganda.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Semicolon review here. Good historical fiction by a solid YA author. Recommended at The Reading Zone.

Home by Witold Rybczinski. A history of the idea of “home” and “comfort in the home.” It was sometimes a bit too slow and academic for me with more details on interior design and homemaking in seventeenth century Holland than i ever knew existed, but I did find myself thinking about some of the ideas in the book a week or two after I finished it. Recommended by Carol at Magistramater.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

May2

Recommended at The Reading Zone.

The Triangle Fire was a history-making event in America, and Margaret Peterson Haddix’s historical fiction novel, Uprising gives a good picture of the epoch and the culture that made the tragedy possible and made it influential as a precursor to change.

Wikipedia:

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the largest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York, causing the death of 146 garment workers who either died from the fire or jumped to their deaths. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York City until September 11th, 2001. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers in that industry.

Ms. Haddix gives the story a human face by making it the story of three girls: Bella, an immigrant from Southern Italy, Yetta, a Russian Jewish immigrant worker, and Jane, a poor little rich girl who becomes involved in the lives of the shirtwaist factory workers in spite of her rarified existence as a society girl. Of the three, Jane is the least believable as a character. She runs away from her rich father because she is appalled at his indifference to the working conditions of the poor. Instead of moving heaven and earth to find her, Jane’s father lies and says she’s gone away for a visit and assumes she’ll come back to papa in due time. Rich people, even cold, heartless rich people, don’t act that way, do they? If nothing else it would be socially unacceptable to misplace one’s daughter, wouldn’t it?

Nevertheless, it’s a good book with a bit of a mystery and a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. If you guess who’s telling the story within the first few chapters, you’re doing better than I did. Good solid historical fiction.

Poetry and Fine Art Friday

May1

Here are a couple of the poems we put in our May baskets yesterday, along with the wildflowers we picked in the vacant lots behind the mall. Who says you can’t get close to nature in Major Suburbia?

A delicate fabric of bird song 

Floats in the air, 

The smell of wet wild earth

 Is everywhere. 

Red small leaves of the maple
Are clenched like a hand,
Like girls at their first communion
The pear trees stand.
Oh I must pass nothing by 

Without loving it much, 

The raindrop try with my lips,
The grass with my touch; 

For how can I be sure

 I shall see again 

The world on the first of May 

Shining after the rain?
- Sara Teasdale, May Day

Now the bright morning-star, Day’s harbinger,

Comes dancing from the East, and leads withher

The flowery May, who from her green lap throws

The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.

Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire

Mirth, and youth, and warm desire!

Woods and groves are of thy dressing;

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.

Thus we salute thee with our early song,

And welcome thee, and wish thee long.
-
John Milton, Song on a May Morning, 1660

May is Get Caught Reading Month:

Tete d'une Femme Lisant




Tete d’une Femme Lisant

Art Print

Picasso, Pablo


Buy at AllPosters.com

I asked the urchins what this picture was, and they had multiple answers: two people kissing, weird, colored body parts . . . I had one of the French-speaking urchins translate the title: “Head of a Girl Reading.”

Resources and Contests in May and Into the Summer

May1

Here’s a big long page of May Celebrations, Links, Birthdays and Resources compiled by ME for your use and enjoyment. Great for homeschoolers, teachers and anyone else looking for a little May fun and education. If you find this page helpful and/or entertaining, please leave a comment to this post so that I will know whether to continue doing this for other months.

May is Get Caught Reading Month:
TwoLittleMisses(Jan)

To celebrate two new creative coloring books by Taro Gomi, Squiggles and Doodle All Year, Chronicle Books invites doodlers everywhere to send in their best scribbles. Five Grand Prize winners will be awarded a deluxe set of art materials, the Taro Gomi creativity collection of books, and a limited edition print autographed by the artist.
DEADLINE: May 31, 2008
To Enter: Start doodling at www.chroniclebooks.com/doodles.

Do you have what it takes to be America’s Top Young Scientist? Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge is the premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8. The Young Scientist Challenge is designed to encourage the exploration of science among America’s youth and to promote the importance of science communication. Create a one- to two-minute video about a science concept that’s listed in the contest rules, and you can win a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the YSC finals.
DEADLINE: June 15, 2008
To enter: Register now at Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge.

Brain Food Summer Reading Fun: The kids have worked hard all year and made great strides in their reading skills. Keep the “summer slide” from setting in by boosting summer reading. Kids who read at least five books between June 13-August 15, 2008 will have a chance to win some fantastic prizes and will be on track with reading when school starts.
DEADLINE: August 15, 2008
To enter: Print out the Brain Food Flyer and get ready, set, to start reading June 13th.

Veritas Press reading Contest Rules.
Veritas Press Summer Reading Contest Entry Form
Free printable summer reading coupon book from Veritas Press.

Focus on the Family Summer Book Blast Read 2500 pages from books in six categories over the summer, and win a cool prize.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

May1


The Bookseller of Kabul–Seierstad. Recommended at Bookfest.

The Bookseller of Kabul is a nonfiction account of the lives of a real family in Kabul, Afghanistan. Journalist Asne Seierstad lived with the family for four months as a guest, welcomed by the patriarch of the family, a man she calls “Khan” in her story. Unfortunately, her first impression of Khan as a liberal, forward-thinking Afghan intellectual changed as she came to know his family and his family interactions. In particular, it becomes quite clear, although Ms. Seierstad does not include herself as a player or even an observer in the book, that she was appalled by the treatment of women in Khan’s family and in Afghan society as a whole. She describes how Khan takes a sixteen year old second wife and exiles his first wife to Pakistan to take care of his business affairs there. She also shows the way the other women in the family, especially Khan’s sister Leila, are trapped and limited by the circumstances and assumptions that are taken for granted in Afghan family life, at least in this particular Afghan family.

Khan, whose real name Shah Mohammed Rais was rather obvious to anyone who actually lived in Kabul, read the book after it was published and immediately screamed bloody murder. From a New York Times article December 21, 2003:

Seierstad lived with the family for four months, and then wrote a detailed account of the experience — in which she portrayed the bookseller as a liberal intellectual in public but a tyrant to his family. This summer, Rais received a copy of the book in English. And then the trouble began. Furious at what he viewed as Seierstad’s misrepresentations and betrayal of his hospitality, he vowed to sue her for libel in a Norwegian court. He wants damages and a cut of the profits from ”The Bookseller of Kabul,” which became an international best seller (and the most successful nonfiction book in Norway’s history).

I don’t know what Mr. Rais expected Ms. Seierstad to write. Perhaps she flattered him and lied to him and implied that she approved of his polygamous lifestyle and autocratic family governance. At any rate, according to Wikipedia as of 2005, Rais has “declared he was seeking asylum in either Norway or Sweden, as a political refugee. Things revealed about him in Seierstad’s book had made life for him and his family unsafe in Afghanistan.”

This Salon article calls Ms. Seierstad “The Hypocrite of Kabul” and accuses her of cultural insensitivity. However, the same author Anne Marlow, writes approvingly of Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. I guess she hadn’t had a chance to read Mr. Hosseini’s second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns in which he directly engages with the tradition and practice of Afghan subjugation and mistreatment of women.

Did Asne Seierstad betray the hospitality offered to her by writing frankly and disparagingly of the family with whom she shared a home for four months? Probably. I wouldn’t have written a book about such a family without at least spending a lot more time and energy disguising the main characters.

Are the women of the Rais family mistreated by my (Western) standards? Absolutely. And I would defend cultural standards that allow women to leave the house without covering their faces and to receive an education and to be more than household slaves, as standards that should prevail in both the East and the West, human standards.

The slave owners in the South didn’t like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book messing with their “way of life” either. On the other hand, she wrote fiction, not a poorly disguised invasion of privacy.

Insightful and illuminating but voyeuristic.