Good heavens, have you read this book? It is the most wonderfully, beautifully written book about a horrific time in history. Set during World War II in Germany, this story is told from the perspective of death, focusing on one memorable young girl. I read it and absolutely loved it. But then Evan read it and said, “This is my new favorite book.” That’s right folks. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are OUT; the Book Thief is IN. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.
Disclosure: I link to the Amazon page for the Book Thief for your convenience, using my Amazon affiliate code. If you buy the book, I might make a few cents. However, my *actual recommendation would be to save your cash and rent it at the library. I’m a cheapskate that way.
With the holidays coming up, it seems like a great time to remind people that books – regardless of genre – are a great gift. Whether they’ve got kids in the family, Dad loves a good game of football, or Aunt Rosie is a wishful chef, there’s surely a book out there to suit every personality. If you’d like to participate:
1. Choose ONE book for each day, December 1 – 24. This could be a book of your own, one by a colleague, or a special book that you love.
2. Write a short plug for the book including a good link, and post it on your Facebook status or Twitter account. Bonus points (pretend ones, of course) if you add it to your blog.
3. If you post to Twitter, include the hashtag #santasbookbag. You can use that same note for a blog tag, too.
4. You’ll only post about one book each day, but perhaps other authors and book lovers will help us gain steam.
5. If you’d like to take it a step further, search the #santasbookbag hashtag on Twitter and re-tweet some books that you think your followers might appreciate. Or create a blog roundup.
6. Feel free to pass this along to others who might want to play.
7. If you think you’d like to participate, leave a comment so I don’t miss your suggestions!
The other night we went to a great event. Part of the ‘Ukulele and Slack Key Guitar Institute, the kani ka pila is a jam session that brings together the artists who will be teaching at the institute. The public is invited to watch the session. And players? Why they’re invited to come up on stage and play with these musicians. Of course, the professionals are plugged in, while the amateurs are not.
The lineup is a veritable who’s who of Hawai‘i’s musicians. This particular song was led by Jake Shimabukuro; you’ll see him in the center. And you’ll see him taking much time with the two young boys seated next to him. It was so wonderful to watch the way he helped those boys – and I’m sure it was a thrill for them. Jake is big here – and if you’re a Jimmy Buffet fan, you might even know of him, as he joins Jimmy in concert on occasion.
As I think I mentioned in my last post, we are staying with generous friends, in a little one bedroom ‘ohana. A little guest house all our own. These friends of ours homeschool. And they love books.
They are particularly fond of classics and an amazing thing is happening. Even though I’ve been nudging my kids to read some classics, they’ve hemmed and hawed and dragged their feet about it. “They’re boring!” they told me (well, mostly Evan told me – and he’s my most avid reader). Since we arrived, we’ve been lazy and tired and haven’t made our way to the library yet. And so, my kids, the ones who have complained about reading classics over and over…have voluntarily picked out some classics from these overflowing shelves.
Brad finished The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway the other day and didn’t hate it (“lots of pondering,” he said). Evan read War of the Worlds by HG Wells and is moving on to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – andenjoying them.
Moral of the story? If you want your kids to read classics, lock them in a room full of them with no other options!
…you missed it, Kathy Ceceri offers up her refrigerator pickle recipe in comments on an older post so I thought I’d add it here.
…you thought things we’re getting too dull around here, you will be happy to note that we are officially in the midst of relocating – back to the Big Island.
More (much more, I’d say!) to follow. For now, boxes to pack.
We’ve just finished the first disc of the John Adams HBO series and it is, let me tell you, fabulous. We are anxiously awaiting the next disc via our library.
Meanwhile, both of the boys have expressed an interest in reading more about this period in our nation’s history (because, you know – they can choose what they want to read!). Which brings me to you wonderful folks. Please recommend your favorite historical fiction novels set in the time leading up to and during the Revolutionary War. Young adult novels are good, and Brad might even be interested in adult titles.
I’m recommending that they pick up and read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. I read it several months ago and it’s GOOD. But beyond that, I’d love to hear YOUR ideas!
What, you ask? You can make money with your kids? That’s right – and no need to sign them up to be a child model, either. Of course, I’m talking tongue in cheek – a little. If you’ve always wondered about writing for parenting magazines – like I did before I started actually writing for them – here’s your chance to learn more.
Two great reasons to read this book: 1) In addition to covering the basics on how to get started as a freelance parenting writer, we include 16 of our actual proposals to big-name magazines–the real queries we sent to actual editors. We tell you why the story proposal was a hit and what we got paid (anywhere from $300 to $3,600). You can learn to write your own queries by reading and analyzing ours. 2) We share email formats for many of the major parenting publications–info you won’t have unless you’re already an established freelance writer.If you’ve ever wanted to try writing for parenting publications, this is a great time. People don’t stop having kids during a recession, and they sure don’t stop reading articles about potty training, discipline and playdate etiquette. That means there’s always a market for freelancers who can write about these issues.
[Hey! Look! An actual post. About homeschooling, even!]
Yeah, well. Kind of. But mostly it’s going to be a link over to another post that I think some of you may find useful. Miranda addresses the issue of teaching kids to read – or not – over at Nurtured by Love.
My eldest was very much like her kids in the reading department. Always with a book. Reading avidly and always, from the time he was around four. It just happened.
My youngest? He was slow to read. He like to listen to stories, but reading and putting the letters together to form words was hard for him. Something about the visuals (for math, too!) just made him freeze up. And yet, now? Always with a book. Reading avidly and always. It just took him until about the age of eight or nine to get there.
If you’re concerned at all about your child’s reading skills, go read what Miranda has to say!
Well, they were. Way back at the beginning of January. Yes, I’m a little behind the times on this one! In any case, it looks like a great list of books, as you might expect. Head on over to check out the finalists. The winners will be announced in just a few short weeks.
In comments, tell me who you are (are you a teacher? team leader?) and give me a creative answer to this:
Name things that are shallow
Comment here before the end of the month with both, and I’ll put your name in a hat to win a copy of Team Challenges. I’ll post the winner on the blog on (or close to) Feb. 1.
As an eclectic home educator and book author living on the Big Island of Hawaii I'll ramble here about homeschooling, book publishing and island life. Pull up a beach chair, grab an umbrella drink and stay awhile.
.
NEED CONTENT??
In addition to exploring Paradise and homeschooling my boys, I write. Click here if you need a freelancer for your publication or website!
