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The Taming by Eric Walters and Teresa Toten
The Taming by Teresa Toten My rating: 3 of 5 stars I expect high things from anything that Eric Walters puts his name on. After the Ontario Library Association nominated this as one of the best Canadian young adult fiction of the year, I expected even more. Until halfway through I thought I had found…
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American Gods by Neil Gaiman
American Gods by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book doesn’t really fit into a genre … it takes place in present day in America. Our protagonist, Shadow, and the dysfunctional relationship with his wife certainly seem realistic. Enter the gods … and suddenly magic is happening everywhere in subtle ways. American…
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Is it possible to grow readers who are also digitally savvy?
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Penny Kittle speak about reading and how complex it is for intermediate/senior teachers to teach. Kittle estimates that in 1st year college/university that the average pages a student reads is 500. She proposed that the #1 reason that students drop out after first year…
authentic audience, books, children’s literature, critical thinking, definition of literacy, digital literacy, Don Tapscott, education, Grown Up Digital, Heather Durnin, inquiry-based learning, literacy promotion, Literature Circles, Penny Kittle, reading, struggling reader, student-centred learning, Vygotzky, young adult fiction -
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory My rating: 4 of 5 stars I used my first free credit at audible.com to download the audiobook of The Lady of the Rivers. I absolutely love the myths of the French royal families who descended from merpeople and the story of Melusina is evident throughout this…
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Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eragon by Christopher Paolini My rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s a solid first novel …. lots of world-building and the dragons are introduced well. Paolini’s writing style is juvenile …. self-indulgent in terms of cryptic vocabulary use, and the plot is predictable. The best part about this book is …the dragon. View all my…