Anthony S.

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Wish Lists

Happy Holidays! In this section of the blog you will find the wish lists of the students of Room 42. These aren't traditional, "what I want for Christmas lists," these are lists of the books the students want to read in the upcoming year. Feel free to submit your wish list as well.

The Big Read - A Farewell to Arms

I read an article in the newspaper a few months ago saying that Kansas City was participating in a program called the "Big Read". Basically this is a program that encourages people in communities all across the country to read the same book. I have put the link below to the Big Read web site. I am planning on participating and I thought this would be a great forum for anyone that is interested. The book for the Kansas City area is A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemmingway. I just bought two copies of the book, one for me and one for my brother. As I read the book I will be posting my thoughts in the comments sections. I encourage anyone that is looking for a good book to read to pick up a copy of A Farewell to Arms. I won't be doing anything with this in class because it doesn't fit our curriculum but I encourage other adults to participate.

http://www.neabigread.org/books/farewelltoarms/

Parents

Parents, this is the section for you. Please participate in our Blog by adding books that you are reading. Don't worry if you are not reading a kids book, it is important for the kids to see that adults read, no matter what they read. Take a look at my section of the blog to see how I put in the non kid books that I read. I know the kids will be excited to see what you have to say about the books you are reading. Also, don't forget that you can comment on any of the students blogs to let them know what you think about what they are reading. We look forward to hearing from you!

Other Adults

In this section, any other adults may post about a book they are reading, or have read. It doesn't have to be a kids book. Take a look at the Mr. Kelsey section of the blog for an idea of what to say about other books you are reading. Anyone may post, former students, teachers, anyone who reads this blog. This is the section for you to tell us what you are reading. If you would like to comment on what the students are reading, feel free to do so. They love to hear what adults have to say. Don't forget that all comments that are submitted are moderated by me and it may take a day to get them up. Happy Reading!

Other Students

This section of the Room 42 Reading Blog is just for students. If you consider yourself a “student,” this is the section for you to share information with us about books that you are reading. Don’t worry if you are not a fifth grader, that is okay. Go ahead and share with us what books you are reading and what you think about them.

Madison C.

Who likes to read? I know I do. I’m Madison and as a reader, I LOVE TO READ! Some of my favorite books are scary, mystery stories. I really like GooseBumps. I think reading should be about letting the reader get into something he / her might enjoy. Lots of people like fiction. Well, I’m one of them. Some people like non-fiction. These types of books are use for homework or having fun with true facts!

Do you have a favorite book? Cause I have some favorites! It’s the first GooseBumps story I read. It’s called, Say Cheese and Die! It’s a good book about four kids who sneak into an old house, and find a mysteries camera that takes some bad pictures! If you want to know more about it just go visit a library and see if they have any. If they do, remember to tell me!

Do you have any reading goals you have made for yourself? I do! I’m hoping to read at least 30 GooseBumps! In fact I have read so many it feels like I have already done 100! So, how do you feel about reading?

David D.

Hi, my name is David. My favorite types of books are books that put you on the edge of your seat, like mysteries. I also like to read funny fiction books, for example, Captain Underpants is a funny book that is fiction. I dislike books that are hard to get started on. I also dislike books that are really, really long. I am not a fan of Harry Potter books either.

My favorite book of all time is Abduction by Peg Kheret. This my favorite book because it puts you on the edge of your seat, (more like throws you off of your seat), and you can’t stop reading it. It is a big adventure.

My goals as a reader this year are finishing books, reading books on the Mark Twain list, and picking books that interest me. I am also looking forward to getting into reading challenge. Thanks, for reading this and I hope you liked it, bye!

Chasity F.

My name is Chasity and I like reading because it is fun to express my feelings. As a reader it is fun to learn to read. My favorite book is mystery books because I like to find out what the mystery is about it.

My favorite book is The Old Willis Place because it is sort of a mystery book not really but it has ghost in it in it so it is kind of a mystery book.

What my goals are as a reader is I want to become a better reader and I want to read all of the Mark Twin books or more. I want this probably in the future.

Justin G.

Hi, my name is Justin and I would like to talk to you about my favorite kind of books. My favorite kind of books are action books, I like action books because they leave you completely at the edge of your seat. The kind of books I don’t like are love stories, I do not like reading love stories because they leave you right in the middle of your seat because there boring.

My favorite book of all time is Abduction. That’s my favorite book because there is like non-stop action in there. I also like this book because there is a boy and he doesn’t know he is being abducted, and the and the boys sister is looking for him.

My reading goal is to at least one year read every single Mark Twain award book. Another one is to them as fast as possible like in a week or something.

Nick H.

Hi my name is Nicholas I like to read adventure books because I like to picture myself traveling where the book is. I also like to read mystery books because I like to get the feeling that something weird is going to happen. I don’t like to read joke books because they are too short for me to read. I’ll read some poetry. I like to read fiction books because I like to read made up things, I’ll read some non-fiction but I would rather read fiction. I also like to read history because I like to feel like I am in the olden days.

My favorite book of all time would be Monsters of Morley Manor. I like this book because it is part mystery, part fantasy, and part adventure. The story is about 5 people that get shrunk into monsters and frozen by Gaspers (brother) My favorite character would be Gasper because he is a scientist. I also like Bob because he is one of the funniest characters in the book because he can not do anything since he’s a dog.

My reading goals are that I want to read faster than I am right now. I also want to read huge books that are really big. I hope that I can read at least 40 books this year that are pretty good size chapter books for someone my size. Also, when I am reading out loud I need to read slower because no one can understand me I read so fast. So those are my reading goals for this year.
Nicholas Hearrold

Hope H.

My name is Hope, the types of books I like are fiction and mystery books. Why I like mystery so much is because they actually let you be a detective for a moment. Why I like fiction so much is because I like made up things.

My favorite book is baby mouse beach babe. Why I love it so much is because it is about a mouse and it is going to the beach to go on her summer vacation. The setting of the book Is a place were I would like to go, it is at the beach.

My goals as a reader are always have a book with me even if I am on the bus, trip, school especially, at home, and in the car. Another one of my goals as a reader is to always have a book never just sit there at dear time. The other goal is to always try to read at least four Mark Twain books a year or when ever I can. Well you have heard all of my goals as a reader.

Rafael H.

My name is Rafael. As a reader my favorite types of books are funny, action, and sports. I like these books because I like to laugh, and I like sports plus action is just fun to read. And that’s why I like these books. These kinds of books are real good, and I recommend these. I don’t like old books because I think they are different and have a different style.

My favorite books are the series of Ready Freddy books vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I like these books because they are funny and they make my laugh and adventures. I like those themes. They are a grate series of books when you have nothing to read. I like these books and want to read vol. 5

This year my goal is to read more books, find more interesting book read at lest 4 Mark Twain books. There are different books out there I probably want to read. I want to read more history books so I can learner more about the past, and those are my goals.

Brittany H.

Hi, I’m Brittany. I like to read mystery books and action books. I mostly read fiction, although I do read nonfiction, like the Guinness Book of World Records. I also read Mark Twain nominees. Well, these are the kinds of books I like to read!

My favorite book of all time is Abduction! By Peg Kehret. It was a Mark Twain nominee and actually won for the Mark Twain book award! It has lots of action in it if that’s what you like. I love Abduction!

This year I would like to read all 20 Mark Twain nominees like I did last year. I at least am going to read 10 so I can get into Challenge. I would also like to read a little more of harder books. I read every night at home, so I should be able to read enough. I hope I can accomplish these goals!

Keevan H.

Here is what I have been reading!

Amanda N.

Hi my name is Amanda. I love to read. I repeat, I love to read. When I get home I go straight to the books not the TV. My most very very very favorite type of book is (suspensing music here) Mystery’s! I like them because they keep you thinking. Sometimes I start thinking about a book I’m reading and I don’t even know it. Mysteries are fun to figure out.

The last mystery I solved was in a series called The Land of Eylon Series. Book 1: T he Dark Hills Divide. The second book is Beyond The Valley of Thorns. The third book is The Tenth City. I was so sad when I finished reading the last book. I tried to email the author and tell him to write more and fast. The squirrel Murphy was hyper like Hamie the squirrel, Yipes the short guy, Worvald the city’s wise man, Alexa the main character. They keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. When an important character in the book dies I almost cried it is funny, scary, sad, and most of all happy. Alexa the girl in the book wanted a way outside the wall. When she found one she ventured out and found out she was glad to have the great walls of Bridwell around her.. She sets out on a dangerous journey but will she make it home safely. Find out for yourself. Follow Alexa through the dangerous journey in first The Dark Hills Divide THEN The Valley Of Thorns LAST BUT NOT LEAST The Tenth City.

This year I really want to make the 20 book deadline for the Mark Twain Books. I did it last year. It was so fun. I loved it. All the books were so good. If I don’t make the deadline I will still read the whole list and take the quizzes. All the books look fun to read and I am itching to read them all. I am so going to read them all. Last year I would read all night long just to figure out the end of a book. I do that pretty often. I turned down seeing Pirates Of The Caribbean because I was reading a Mark Twain book. I finally got to see it. So I am pumped about Mark Twain books.

Kaide K.

Hi my name is Kaide, I like to read. Some of favorite types of books are Goosebumps and comic books. I also like the Mark Twain books to and a lot of other books to. I also like to read fiction and non-fiction and maybe even biographies. I also like Harry Potter books especially the deathly hallows.

My favorite book of all time is yu-gi-oh duelist graphic novels volume 13 by Kazuki Takahashi. That’s my favorite book because Yugi faces Marik, well sort of. Also because it shows Slifer the sky dragon, which is my favorite god card. This is also my favorite book because it is awesome!

My goal this year is to read all of Kazuki Takahshi’s books. Also to read all 20 Mark Twain books and read all the Goosebumps books and maybe all the Harry Potter books. I’ll try my BEST!

Monse N.

Hi my name is Monse , and I like to read Mark Twain books the most. The “A to Z mystery” books were my favorite when I was in 3rd grade. In 2nd grade I was really into the “Goosebumps” books. I really like the picture books because sometimes they have incredible things in them. I don’t like books that don’t have that much excitement because they some times get boring, and if it gets boring you want to quit reading the book, I also don’t like the books that don’t have pictures because you have to imagine what happens although sometimes it gets fun because you can create what you want.

My favorite books of all time have been the Mark Twain books. My favorite Mark Twain book so far has been “The Old Willis Place” that book will always be in my mind. I love Mark Twain books because when you read them and forget about every thing and really focus on what the characters are doing than you can really picture what is going on. Every time that I read a Mark Twain book I feel like I am really there, living what the characters are living, I felt like this the most with “The Old Willis Place book. I got so into that book, I really want to read that book again.

As a reader my goal that I want to reach through out the whole school year is to try to read about 12-13 Mark Twain books or more through out the whole year. I also want to be able to understand and pronounce long words because it is very important, that could help you understand the book that you are reading. The books that I really want to read are: “Do You Know the Monkey Man, Deadly Drive, First boy, and Each Little Bird That Sings.” Write now I am not reading a Mark Twain book because they are all gone, but instead I am reading a Goosebumps book called “Welcome to Horror land, Where Night mares come to live!” Well that’s me, by! -Monse

Michael P.

Hi I’m Michael I like to read chapter books my favorite book is x-men. I don’t like nonfiction because it tells fact’s that are true I would read a comic book than read fact’s. I think that comic book’s are the best book’s ever made. Book’s that give you facts are deferent I don’t like facts.

My favorite book of all times is yu-gi-oh duelist it is my favorite book because it has dueling in it. It’s got volumes in it. It has 10 volumes in it. It got yu-gi-oh cards. That is why this is my favorite book.

I like to read because it is southing that lets me relax. I love to site down and read a go comic book. It helps me clear my mind that is why I like to read. Comic books are my favorite books because they show pitchers and it tells what they are saying. I liked the port were yu-gi has to faces marek in a duel. You will have to read the book to find out what’s next.

Jake R.

Hi my name is Jake and my favorite book to read is nonfiction. I don’t like fiction because I rather sit and read some thing like a fairy tail then read about some animal I rather read Harry Potter or something .

My favorite thing to read is Spy Cat by Peg Kehret and The Stranger Next Door by Peg Kehert spy cat and stranger next door was really good I’m not quite done with both of them but I think you should get up and start looking for them.

My goals this year are to be able to find a lot of peg kehret books and read them. Because they are pretty good maybe you should to.

Logan R.

Hi, my name is Logan. My favorite types of books are books with cars and different kinds of vehicles. Also I like adventure books. Another kind is books with dirt bikes and monster trucks in them. So non fiction and sometimes fiction are my favorite type of book.

My favorite book of all is The Dirt Bike Racer. Its favorite my because its really good and is about dirt bikes. Also, because dirt bike racing is my favorite sport.
Last, it’s also my favorite because I like books with adventures.

My goals as a reader are to read a little faster. Also read bigger words. I would like to read bigger books and even have more time to read to. My last goal as a reader is to read harder books.

Creyana R.

Hi my name is Creyana and I love to read books. Sometimes I love books so much that I read them over again. When I was three she read the same book to me every night. She still remembers the words by heart. My favorite kind of book is adventure because sometimes it will lead to mysteries.

My favorite book is probably Cabin on Trouble Creek .It’s about two boys fighting nature while trying to finish the log cabin for there mother, father, sisters , and brothers.

My goal as a reader are to read all the Mark Twain books. I also want to go to the voting party. I really want to find books that I can’t put down.

Marressa S.

Hey, my name is Marressa. I love to read mystery books. As I am reading mystery books, I try to solve the mystery. It makes reading have more fun to it. There really fun to try to solve. That is why I love mystery books so much. I do not like history books at all, for example history for government, and presidents. I just do not like those books, because to me there are boring.

My favorite book of all times is There’s a Boy in the Girls Bathroom. It is my favorite, because it is about a boy that has a lot of problems, and is really confused. Sometimes that happens to me, and I understand how he feels. So the reason why I really like this book is it tells some things about me. I like that, because I know what he is going through, so I can understand the story much, much, much better.

The goal this year that I would like to accomplish is to read more. The only time I read is when it is D.E.A.R. time, and that is at school. I would like to read more so that I can check out a lot more books to read. So I can read more and more great books. I really do love to read. I have a lot of friends to play with, and I’m trying to read more so bad.

Brandin S.

Hi my name is Brandin. As a reader I like to read fiction and biography books. The kinds of books that I like to read that go along with fiction and biography are mystery and true telling stories. I like mystery books because I like to solve things and they are easy to read. I like true telling stories because I like to learn what happened in the past.

My favorite book of all time is Harry Potter the Half-Blooded Prince. That’s my favorite book because it’s a mystery and I love books are like this. The best things I like in this book are the characters. My most favorite characters are Harry Potter; He Who must not be Named, Serious Black, Weesly, and Dumbledore, Fudge, Prime Minister, Snape, and The Dark Lord.

My goals as becoming a better reader in fifth grade are getting better at reading bigger and harder books. That way it will get me lost in the book quicker. I also will understand what I am reading at every part of the book. I also want to read books that are like this and read it for the rest of the year. Thank you for reading my Reading Blog.

Hadei W.

Hi my name is Hadei. My most favorite type of books are fiction chapter books. I don’t like non-fiction chapter books. I like fiction chapter books because most of them have a good story in it that at the end you want to read more.

My favorite book of all time is called The Tale Of Despereaux. It is a fiction chapter book. What’s cool about it is that there are different stories in the book. And at the end they all come together. The story is about a mouse who falls in love with a princess and because of that he was sent to the Dungun by the other mice.

I have one goal as a reader. That goal is to read all 20 mark twain books by may. I have that goal because if I a complete it I get rewards like going to challenge and going on a field trip. And that is my goal as a reader.

Allie W.

My name is Allie and I love fiction. I love fiction because its fantasy it just makes me feel like anything can happen. I also love Biography because I like to learn about people who help make earth a home. I don’t like nonfiction because it is boring.

My favorite book of all time is “Old Wills Place”. This is why because it’s a ghost story. I love ghost stories. My mom likes ghost stories too that’s why I love them. The charters are Diana, Gorgie, Lissa, and Miss Lillian.

My goal as a reader is to read all the mark twain books. I also would like to read a whole series of books by May of this year.

Charlie B.

My name is Charlie and my favorite books are nonfiction books because when you read them you know if they are real or not. They lead you on fun journey and you can never put them down. I also like fiction because they are really funny, even though there fake

My favorite book of all time is Mark Twains book The Lighting Thief because you can easily get lost in the book and you can never put it down.

My goal is to read every single one of the Mark Twain books because they are such a journey into fun and there really cool books.

Mr. Kelsey

Thanks for checking into my section of the blog. The kids have all written introductions for themselves so I will do the same.

I am a fifth grade teacher at Manor Hill Elementary School in Liberty, Missouri. This is my eight year of teaching. I enjoy sports, as well as collecting autographs. My reading tends to be all over the place. I typically enjoy reading a lot of non fiction but there are times when a fiction title will catch my eye.

You may notice that my section has a lot of comments on it. As I was reconfiguring the blog to work with this years class, I started to delete my section and decided that I wanted to keep it. It really is a record of my reading over the last two years. I have read several books this summer including The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, Deception Point by Dan Brown, and Blogs of War.

The other thing about my reading is that I tend to read several books at one time. Currently I am reading 3 different books. Sometimes it gets confusing but they are usually so different that I can keep track of them. I think about it like watching different television shows and being able to keep track of them in your mind. I hope you enjoy reading my comments about the books I read.