children’s literature
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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 -
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…
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Under My Skin by Charles de Lint
Under My Skin by Charles de Lint My rating: 3 of 5 stars This Young Adult fantasy begins in Santa Feliz, California in present day. The story unfolds through two voices, Josh and Marina, who are best friends. In this school year, each character has become a Wildling, a shapeshifter from human to animal form.…
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Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto
Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto My rating: 5 of 5 stars This Young Adult fantasy is a sequel to Goto’s Half World, which was nominated for numerous awards in young adult fantasy. Half World is a kind of purgatory where people go who haven’t resolved events in their lives. The first book introduced one such…
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My rating: 5 of 5 stars The most unique aspects of this book are the narrator (the voice of Death) and the protagonist (Lisel). The interplay between the constant but playful voice of Death as he studies and admires Lisel, makes them an unlikely pair. Of course the historical…
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Divergent by Veronica Roth
Book title: Divergent Author: Veronica Roth Bibliographic entry Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. Harper Collins. Description On Choosing Day, Triss chooses to leave her faction and join another where she is faced with challenges of physical and mental limits to be ranked amongst her peers. Her training is immediately put to use after graduation, as a conspiracy…
threadbare beauty 