Captain No Beard pt. 3

Title: Captain No Beard Series
Author: Carole P. Roman

This is my third part of the Captain No Beard series review. The series follows Alexander, who is Captain No Beard, and his imaginary crew on many adventures aboard the high seas with his crew of friends. Each books focuses on a different lesson that is taught throughout the books. Below are mini reviews of the three most recent books:

The Treasure of Snake Island
Grade: B
This particular Captain No Beard book focuses on the importance of reading in learning new information. When Polly the Parrot brings up a saying she read in a book the entire crew discusses how you can learn something new just by reading a book. I obviously love to read and have a mission each school year of planting the seed of the joy of reading in each of my students. I think that this book states that fact in a fun and unique way. I do have to say that this was not my most favorite book in the series because it did not have a lot of action by the pirate crew, but I do like that it relayed the importance of reading to the children reading the book.

The Crew Goes Coconuts
Grade: A
This addition to the series tackles the always important subject of bullying. When First Mate Hallie brings aboard her goat Matie, no one is very happy when Matie drinks all of the juice. Everyone starts to be mean to Matie and starts to call her names. When Captain No Beard discovers this, he teaches his crew a lesson on how everyone is unique. I think that bullying s a very prominent subject in society today. In most schools there is a big push on identifying bullying and how to prevent it. Explaining bullying to a preschooler is sometimes hard because they don't always understand what bullying is. Most of the time their version of bullying is saying unkind things about someone. I think that this books displays that type of bullying very well and why it really does hurt someones feelings. I think that this is the perfect book on bullying to read to a preschool class!

Around the World with Carole P. Roman

I recently received some more of the books in the If You were Me and You Lived in... series, by Carole P. Roman and am very excited to review them all most recent ones. I have the books for the countries Kenya, India,  Norway, Australia, and Russia.

Review
Like I said in my previous post, these books focus on different aspects of the country that apply to children. They leave out the facts such as the economy and politics that children would have no interest in. Instead they focus on things such as holidays, games, where you would live, and what you would call your family members. I love the different illustrations and how they depict exactly what the narrator is talking about on each page. My favorite part is the page where she describes what a child would call his mom or dad in each country (ex. In Kenya you would call your mom Mazzi and your dad Baba),  Roman gives just the right amount of information on each page that would hold a child's short attention span. I really love that Roman pays attention to the smallest detail on each page and the cover. She even phrases the information in a way that doesn't "dumb down" the info, but makes it applicable to a child reading the book. I think she has once again created a series that is much needed in the world of children's books and am excited to see the countries that she covers next! If you are a teacher I STRONGLY suggest that you check out this series and even get some of them for your own classroom library! You can read more about Carole P. Roman and her books on her website.

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

Review: Recess is my best Subject

Title: Recess is my best Subject
Author: Peggy Mastel
Grade: A+

Review
As a teacher, I always enjoy reading memoirs from other teachers. Peggy Mastel has written a book that is about her year as a substitute teacher in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After losing her son, Peggy dives into substitute teaching in various grade in the public school system. I have never subbed before, but I always wondered what it would be like to go into someone else's classroom and having to take over. Peggy had some very positive, fun times, but also some very rough times.  She experienced the struggles of working in some classroom where poverty had a huge effect on the students in the classroom.  Some of the classrooms didn't have enough pencils for all of the students. I was very impressed by the fact that she had never taught before, but she was able to take control and really make an impact on many of the students she taught. As a teacher it gave me some relief to know that there are struggles in all classroom. Peggy was able to work in a variety of classes, from kindergarten to fifth grade, from a combination classroom to a special education classroom. I really also liked the fact that Peggy was very honest about her feelings for the students and her experiences. I think that this book would be perfect for any teacher or anyone who wants to have the inside scoop to the teaching world.! I can see myself pulling the book off my bookshelf many times!

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

Review: Brood X

Title: Brood X
Author: Michael Phillip Cash
Grade: A

 Synopsis from the back cover
Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara just found out they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting the entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder. 

During an evening home watching television, the news reports that a swarm of cicada (Brood Ten) are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast. 

Brood Ten is vicious and ready to invade. 

During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and wreaks havoc with the electric grid, phone and cell service, wi-fi, food and water supply. Civilization as they know it is gone. 

Seth and Lara are thrown back to the stone age in their own home with trillions of cicada trying to deposit their eggs and breed. 

Fast paced and filled with tension, Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.

Review
I had mixed feelings about this book when I first read the back cover. I am not going to lie, it took me a very long time to finally pick the book up and read it. Once I did, I could not put it down and I finished the book in 1 day. It kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. Cash has done an amazing job making the reader feel as if they are really a part of the book. He describes the events of the cicadas so well and uses such descriptive language that I could feel them crawling on me and I could picture them outside of my window. It makes your skin crawl to think that an invasion of cicadas could actually happen. Cash even throws a curveball in at the end. Just when you think all hope is lost, he switches up the plot and leaves you turning the pages as fast as you can. I would be very interested in a squeal to the book! I recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick, edge of your seat, thriller. It is perfect for the warm (finally!!) season that is right around the corner!

Happy Reading!

Miss Bookaholic