I have read Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie and liked it a lot. I also won Zen and the Art of Faking it. (I really spent A LOT!) :) So I'll read that next. (Or next next or next next next. You know how it is. Actually, I think I have Zen here at the house, so maybe I'll read that to avoid cleaning some this afternoon! :) Thanks for the info. I figured it would be okay since I'd read and enjoyed Dangerous Pie. But I just didn't know if I should put it to the front of my list to read, or if it was okay to leave it on the school shelf while I worked through my pile! Have a great weekend!

I was looking at your books and saw your comment on Jordan Sonnenblick. What'd you think of Notes of the Midnight Driver? I won an autographed copy at our Book Fair for spending the money (shocking I know!!) and since I'm only 15 books in on my 53 book reading now list I went ahead and put it out on the shelf for kids to read. I chose it because I liked the idea behind it - that even though the kid was an otherwise good kid that he still made a bad choice and had to suffer the consequences. I have so many kids I teach that can't grasp that concept. One of my 6th grade GT boys checked it out and yesterday he says to me, "This book is so awesome. It's really good." I'm thinking GREAT! Then he says, "My dad thought it was really inappropriate at first. (Teacher nightmare coming to life!!!) Because the kid gets drunk on Vodka and crashes his car and all." But I knew that and I knew the rest. But I didn't know how in detail the book went, but was trusting it because I got it from the Middle School Librarian. Anyway, dad apparently is okay now because of how great the lesson in the book is. (Whew). What do you think? How about it as a book for 6th graders? (I'm making it the first book I read when I get it back.)

Lol a student left his stuff in my room when he switched classes and that book was on top. I told him as a "baby-sitting fee" I got to take the book home for the night! :) His grandfather had given it to him. I brought it back the next day and the kids were like, "You read that already? NO WAY!!" But of course now I want it for my classroom so I'll have to buy it. I had just walked down to our librarian to recommend she look into getting it and she was actually filling out the order for it because scholastic had just sent her a free copy to check out so she would buy for the library! So our's doesn't have it yet, but will soon. At least your library has it!

Just finished the 39 Clues (Maze of Bones) I think you'll like it. It's worth picking up and reading. (Darn - another series we have to get in to!) :) But so far it's good. Don't know if I'll say it will equal Potter hype, but it's at definitely Lemony Snickett good and maybe Percy Jackson good.

Hey do you teach the continents to your class? I learned a fun song with the other day (so simple though) but my kids went crazy for it and we've been singing it every day. I just thought I'd ask!

Hey ~ a new series I read about to be on the look out for: The 39 Clues published by Scholastic. It's going to be a 10 book series, but each book will be written by a different children's book author. (www.the39clues.com) Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis. The controversy is that Scholastic is promoting it as the next "blockbuster" when blockbusters are supposed to happen, not be created or whatever. But apparently The Cahills are the most powerful family the world has ever known. 39 Clues hidden around the world guard the family's power, and it's up to YOU to find them. It's Cahill versus Cahill in a worldwide race to find the Clues . . . and beat the competition. Sounds kind of cool. The first one is out now. Have you heard of it?