We are in the middle of an all-school reading competition here at Meadowview Intermediate. Students and staff have been challenged to log as many minutes reading as they possibly can during the same time as the Winter Olympic Games. Classes have chosen team names and created their own mascots...some of which are very creative and artistic. Our original goal was to read 100,000 minutes, but we have already surpassed that and are working on going over 200,000! Individual readers will have a chance to medal in overall performance and best improvement; classes will win based on the average number of minutes read per student. It is certainly making for an interesting race, and our readers are definitely going for the gold!
Speaking of reading, I have been doing quite a bit of it myself as I try to help the staff team, the Mighty Muskies, remain competitive. We are struggling to stay in 5th place right now, so we need all the minutes we can get! Here, briefly, are some of the books I have read with a short review of each.
The Highway Cats by Janet Taylor Lisle is a nice little story about some mysterious kittens, some stray cats, and a road project that threatens their forest homw. It has some good characterization and a satisfactory, if mysterious, ending. While adults may find it charming, it will be of interest mostly to those young girls who love cats...and there are plenty of those!
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale was a delightful surprise. It has been on my to-read list ever since it was a Newbery Honor winner, and I enjoyed it. It is not really a book about princesses; it is more about belonging -- knowing who you are, where you belong, and what you were meant to do with your life. Of course, it does have a prince in search of a bride, a mean teacher, some mountain magic, and some very nasty bandits to move the story along. With just the right touch of romance, an unforgettable main character, and beautiful writing, it is worthy of the Newbery attention.
Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell would make an excellent read-aloud. This story provides an interesting look into the inner life of a former special needs student whose parent makes the decision to pull her out of the extra program and send her into the 5th grade classroom. Not everyone knows that Sahara has a dream and a goal for her life that she is keeping secret, but her new -- very unconventional -- teacher is determined to get to the heart of things with all of her students. Through journals and some very frank discussions, Miss Pointy and her students begin a journey of self-discovery and acceptance of each other. It is not all sunlight and roses, but there is light and there is hope and Sahara learns to -- well, you will just have to read it yourself to find out what Sahara learns.
I have a couple more to talk about, but I will save those for later. Meanwhile, the Reading Olympics continue. I can't wait to see who will earn their medal at these Winter Reading Games!
