Catching Fire Climax

Happy New Year's Eve, 5th graders!  I set a goal for myself to finish Catching Fire by the end of our holiday.  It's going to require me to step it up.  I've been trying to read two books at one time, and that makes it difficult.  Has anybody had a similar experience?  When you read multiple books at the same time, it took a long time or you didn't understand it well.
Anyway, Catching Fire is definitely picking up.  The rising action is intensifying (getting more exciting), and I think I know what the climax will be.  Katniss is in the Hunger Games again...with Peeta (Yuck!).  There are some new characters that I kind of like though.
I hope you've all enjoyed your vacation!  Talk to you soon!

Part 2

I reached Part Two of "Catching Fire".  It was a big moment in the plot, so I'm getting into the book again.  It definitely helps that I'm on vacation and can read for some longer periods of time.  I put a few books on my Christmas wish list, so I'll have to keep you posted.  Is anyone reading over the break?  Do you get more time to read or less?  Santa bringing books?

Hi 5th Graders

So, I'm expecting that a lot of you 5th graders are reading this for the first time.  I hope you're able to make some interesting comments.
I'm going to make this an easy one for you.  Look at the books I've been reading.  Here are some suggestions about how you could comment:

• Have you read any of the same books?  Did you like them?
• Are you reading a similar/different book? Tell me about it?
• Do you like the books I've read or want to read one of them?  Why?
• Do you have any book recommendations for me? What are they?
• Anyone reading The Hobbit?  See the movie?
• Anything else that you want to add.

I'm really looking forward to hearing from you.

Mr. Milbrand

Directions for Commenting

I hope my 5th grade students or other readers will add their own comments.  Here's how to do it.

1. At the bottom of the post it will say “No Comments” (click it) or it will have a box to type in your comment.
2. After you’ve typed your comment, check for spelling.
3. Underneath your comment is a dropdown box that says, “Comment as:”.  Click this and select "Name/URL."
4. Type your first name and last initial in the "Name" box.  Leave "URL" blank.
5. Finally, click publish.

Thanks.

Bogged down

Catching Fire, part 2 of the Hunger Games series, is slow going for me.  The story is starting to get a little more interesting, but I'm not totally into it.  I know that part of the problem is that I'm reading another book, Clash of Kings, at the same time.  My students often get to a point like this in their books.  My advice is usually to start reading another book (Why waste time on a book you don't like?!).  However, I'd really like to be familiar with this series, so I'm going to set a goal to finish it over the holiday break.  Hopefully, it speeds up soon!

Back to Hunger Games...take 2

Time for a new book...
I've had some recommendations from students, and so I've decided to try out book two of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire.  I'm not totally sold on this, but the first book was good enough to get me started.  I'm only a few pages in, so I can't judge it yet.
I do have some questions though:

1. Will Katniss choose Gale or Peeta?
2. How does she get involved in the competition again?

I'm hoping that the plot gets into how terribly the Capitol treats the people, and maybe Katniss will confront them somehow.

I always form questions before I read a book, and I start to make predictions, too.  This book's interesting because you really don't know exactly where it's going to go after the ending of book 1.

Has anyone else read this book?  What did you think?

Daniel's Story Concluded

Thanks to Luke, I just read a great book that I'd never heard of before, Daniel's Story.  My power went out due to Hurricane Sandy, so I got a lot of extra reading time.  It's a holocaust story, so it's not a happy tale.  However, it's written in 1st-person, so it gives a perfect glimpse into a teenager's life during this crazy time.  The boy is Jewish and ends up being moved from place to place with his family.  It starts off in Germany, where their early treatment is cruel but bearable.  It only gets worse as they are moved to a ghetto and then work camp.  It's tough to imagine at times, but this book is definitely worth it if you're interested in Holocaust history or just like historical-fiction in general.  Give it a shot and thank Luke!  Now, I've got to pick a new book.  Any suggestions?

Finished Matilda

Well, I loved Matilda!  The story ended with a bit of a twist that was pretty cool.  Miss Honey is her kindergarten teacher, and Roald Dahl tells this teacher's story.  It's pretty sad really, but Matilda is so mature that she's able to make her teacher feel better.  In the end, Matilda got payback for all of the people that treated her so badly.
I'm excited because I'm able to start a new book now.  Luke lent me a book about World War II.  It's about a boy whose family is Jewish during the war.

Meet the Headmistress

At first, I thought the parents were the worst.  That was until Roald Dahl introduced Miss Trunchbull, the most horrible school principal ever!  She treats Matilda and the other children worse than if they were convicts in a prison.  I can't imagine treating people in such a mean way.  Some of kids finally start to revolt though, and now it seems like Matilda has some kind of magic power.  I'm not sure exactly where that's going.  Time to read on and find out...

Tricky Little Girl

Matilda's parents are awful!  She's a preschooler, but they call her stupid and don't want her to ever read.  Meanwhile, she's a child-genius.  She reads books that I've never read, and she goes to the library by herself!
Anyway, she gets annoyed with her parents and basically decides to pay them back every time they treat her poorly.  She starts pulling pranks on them and that's where it gets funny.
I can't imagine Ramona ever trying this stuff, but then again, I'd never treat her the way Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood treat Matilda.
What's everyone else reading right now?  5th graders click the Comments button below to write something.  Give it a shot!

Matilda

Roald Dahl is my favorite children's author.  I've read many of his books but never Matilda.  I started it this week, and I can already tell it's going to be another good one.  It starts with the author talking about how some parents treat their kids.  I found this really hilarious since I have thought similar things about Ramona (she is a genius after all!).  The girl is a huge reader, and I like her character already!  I'm excited to keep reading!

Hunger Games complete

I finished Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  The last few chapters weren't my favorite.  She introduced these animals to attack Katniss that seemed pretty lame and unbelievable. The book definitely makes you wonder if this could ever really happen in our world, though.  Overall, I'd recommend the book to anyone, but I think 5th graders should have their parents' ok before choosing it.

Hunger Games

The main character is now making it to the games.  The action is starting.  It's got some good suspense.

Vacation

So, I've been on vacation in North Carolina for four and a half days now.
The beach is fantastic and Ramona is having fun playing in the water.  The reading time, however, has been short.  Yesterday was my best chance to read a few chapters of "Hunger Games". I like the start so far.  The main character, Katniss, is just getting into trouble.  The baby's sleeping now, so I'm going to try to get back to the book now!

Beach read

I'm getting ready for a beach vacation, so the first adventure on my blog will be The Hunger Games.  My wife and friend, Jason, highly recommended it, so I'm excited to get going on it.  Check out the website:  Hunger Games on Scholastic.  I'm guessing that finding reading time with Ramona may be a challenge, but I'll find some reading time during nap and bed times.