LitWorld Reading

November 30, 2011

Time To Read NOAHZARC!

Published by Walking Stick Books

In this amazing space-age story, we are introduced to Noah Zarc, a twelve-year-old boy living in the future-- and the past. Noah and his family travel through the ages, bringing pairs of animals from the past to their specialized spaceship in preparation for re-inhabiting a post-apocalyptic Earth.  

 It doesn’t take long for the reader to put 1 and 1 together and compare the story to Noah and his family collecting animals 2 by 2 from the Bible.

Noah doesn’t stray away from adventure and excitement and finds himself looking into the face of danger more than once. Noah is a paraplegic but has the futuristic advancements making it possible for him to be a fantastic spaceship pilot and animal handler. We learn quickly that Noah’s disability will not deter him from his duties. His family doesn’t give him a chance to dwell on his disability- it is his abilities that are needed to save the animals and his parents when they are kidnapped, putting the animal mission at risk.

With his mom trapped in thirty-first century Mars and Dad trapped in the Ice Age, Noah and his siblings go into warp speed to save the future (and the past) of Earth. Noah finds an unexpected ally from the Ice Age- a girl that uses her primitive knowledge to track down the kidnapper and win over Noah’s heart.

Noah Zarc is a story that can be read over and over again! The sci-fi aspects will thrill even the most reluctant readers by introducing futuristic adventures that one can only dream about now. Destroying attack robots and testing thermal space suits during solo time travel while being a part of the ARC (Animal Rescue Cruiser) project puts this adventure story at the top of many “to be read” piles in my classroom.  The paradoxes of time travel theory are sidestepped, as the spaceship simply jumps from time period to time period. The pull to read this futuristic story is as powerful as gravity on Earth.

The environmental issues discussed are concerns students face today. The extinction of animals and the destruction of Earth will register as a future possibility by the way humans are choosing to live presently. Animal lovers and earth-wise readers will connect immediately to the ARC mission.

Action, adventure, suspense, mischief and love makes this 
a must read for all ages and interests. 
This is a book I need to buy 2 by 2: I can’t keep the single copy on my shelf! 
 VIEW THIS TRAILER TO GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT  NOAHZARC
OMS Students: Submit an original book trailer on this book for your book study assignment 
and earn a free personal copy!

November 8, 2011

Junonia by Kevin Henkes


"A junonia shell is a rare and exceptional find- and this novel for young middle grade readers delivers an equally exquisite thrill of discovery."


 Alice Rice is looking forward to her annual family vacation on Sanibel Island, Florida - it will be her 10th birthday and her 10th trip to this beach full of memories. Her first double digit birthday promises to be filled with family, friends and sunshine. That is until her friends, family and even the sunshine leave her feeling alone and sad on her birthday. Change can be both good and bad? Will these unexpected adventures bring the luck that Alice has been wishing for and put the rare junonia shell in her hand?
The beautiful island setting and the waves of a young girl's emotions makes this a must read.
 Kevin shares Junonia in this video

November 1, 2011

NaNoWriMo Means What?


NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. This will be the first year I have OMS 6th graders participate. I plan on giving the students every opportunity to create a story that they can be proud to share with others. This means that during the WHOLE month of November,  ALL that we will be doing during English class will be writing and sharing about writing. We will have a few published authors Skype in and talk about their writing process and of course, continue learning new words through our spelling/vocabulary study. If you have ever experienced NaNoWriMo please let me know about your writing. If you are one of my students this year, blog about your experience- if you can find the time…