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  Last summer I read many of the 2007 Nutmeg books. 

This summer I expect to read many of the 2008 Nutmeg books.

These are just some of the books I read last summer.

     Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan   

The Boy Who Played Baseball by John H. Ritter       

Brainboy and the Deathmaster by Tor Seidler

Granny  Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

Half and Half by Lensey Namioka

Kensuke 's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

Macaroni  Boy by Katherine Ayres

Thunder from the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow

  The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac

 Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

I don't know which of the books I listed was the best.  I do know I enjoyed them all, each for a different reason.  Hope you find the time to read some of them or even some I didn't try.  To check them out go to:  http://www.NutmegAward.org and find the 2007 list.  You can also check out the books that were nominated last year.  Don't forget that many, if not all,of the Nutmeg books are currently available in the school library.

This upcoming summer I have another long list of Nutmeg nominees to read as I relax and try to stay cool. 

I have already read Hatching Magic by Ann Dower and LOVED it as it has to do with dragons - a favorite topic of mine.  I have read many dragon books and am always on the lookout for new ones.  If you have a suggestion for a book on dragons, come see me or email me with the title.

These are the 2008 Nutmeg books I plan to start with:

            A B ear Named Trouble        by Marion Dane Bauer                 

            Jonathan, a ten year old with a passion for animals, is devastated when a brown bear kills his favorite animal at the zoo in    

           Anchorage, Alaska. He vows to get even with the bear, and then finds revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be.

              I like the sound of this book as I have been to Anchorage twice although I didn't get to the zoo.  I did get to an aquarium and saw some adorable puffins.  I don't remember any large animals at the aquarium and I only saw bears from a great distance as we traveled around the huge state of Alaska.  As I read I will try to picture the places that are being written about and see if they were places I have been to.  If you ever want to see some of my pictures from Alaska just come ask me. 

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      Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs

While their parents are volunteering overseas, Shannon and Cody spend the summer in Seattle with their uncle, a wild life rescuer. Unusual and dangerous rescues and new friendships provide an unexpectedly action-packed summer.

Since I love books by Will Hobbs I think I will enjoy this adventure story set on the opposite side of the United States.  I will let you know what I think when I am done reading it.

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This next book sounds like a fantasy but it also has some mythological basis and so caught my attention.  I don't know the author so I don't know if he has written anything similar to this before.  But I do think I will enjoy The Lightning Thief.  Stealing lightning seems very dangerous to me and just from the title I want to know how anyone could even think about doing something like this.

  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

21st century kid Percy Jackson discovers he is the secret son of one of the mythical Greek gods of Mount Olympus. After this discovery, Percy is sent to a summer camp for children of the gods, where he learns to fight monsters and survive against unnatural odds, handy skills for his first quest.

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     P roject Mulberry by Linda Sue Park

Julia and her best friend Patrick decide to conduct a silkworm project for a school club. Along the way they learn as much about patience, tolerance, and friendship as they do about silkworms.

    Well when I read this title, Project Mulberry, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it, but I do like other books by Linda Sue Park so I read on.  When I realized it was about silkworms I got more interested.  So now I want to know what kind of school project these two kids will have.  It sounds like it more than just a homework assignment so now I need to know more. I also want to know what school club has to do with silkworms. Guess I will have to read to find out exactly what happens and if these two are successful. 

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Now this book cover and title made me think of poetry and Edgar Allen Poe as he wrote about a raven.  But now I need to know what a ravenmaster is.  Perhaps he is the person who takes care of the raven.  But aren't ravens wild birds?  And then this book has to do with the Tower of London (which was a prison).  I guess I will have to read to find out what a Scottish prisoner did to land in prison; what the ravenmaster's secret is; and even to find out WHO the ravenmaster is?  I wonder if the ravenmaster caused the Scottish person to be put in prison.  Once again I have a lot of questions and hopefully by reading this book I will get most if not all of my questions answered.

   T he Ravenmaster's Secret by Elvira Woodruff

It’s 1735. If you had the chance to help rescue a young Scottish prisoner, would you? When two friends risk their lives to free Maddy from the Tower of London, adventure and intrigue are sure to follow.

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Shredderman Secret Identity by Wendelin van Draanen

What’s the best way to get even with a bully? Nolan – alias Shredderman—comes up with a hilarious plan to teach Bubba Bixby a lesson he won’t soon forget.

Okay, so the picture reminds me of Superman and Clark Kent and has gotten me intrigued enough to put this book on my "to read" list but what exactly will Nolan be shredding?  Homework?  And what funny lesson will he be teaching Bubba?

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 The Seven Professors of the Far North by John Fardell

How would you go about rescuing your uncle and five other professors who have been kidnapped by an evil scientist? You will need to find the secret underground tunnel that will lead you there!

Well I already know this is a fantasy as I got some copies of it for Mrs. Noonan to use with her classes when she wanted to try literature circles, but I don't know much else about it.  I do know that the cover intrigues me with the boat on runners and with sails (when it is not a sailboat).  I think the boat needs to be on runners because it is on ice (the Far North gave me that clue) but why have the professors been kidnapped?  What do they know that the evil scientist doesn't know?   These professors must be smarter than the scientist in some area.  And how will I be finding a secret underground tunnel as I read?  More questions to get answered this summer.

Grades 7 - 8 Nutmeg Books

D own the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

Trying to avoid being implicated in a local murder, Ingrid attempts to investigate the mysterious death herself, disturbing her usual routine of soccer practice and drama rehearsals.

Now what does the title have to do with this story? 

The title reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.  But the blurb doesn't sound anything like that story. 

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I n Darkness, Death by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

  Seikei, apprentice to the powerful Shogun detective Judge Ooka, tracks down a mysterious samurai,                    uncovering the identity of a powerful lord’s killer.

The cover of this book intrigues me enough to try it.  I may have to pay more attention to the story as it deals with samurai and a different culture.  It will be interesting to see what new words I might uncover in this book.

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R evenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

The seventh son of a seventh son, possessing powers he doesn’t understand, Tom is apprenticed to the village “spook,” defeating witches, ghosts, goblins, and other creatures that walk in the darkness, but soon he is caught up in the plotting of the darkest witch around, and he alone must destroy her.

This sounds a little "scary" but I will give it a try and see why and how Tom has these special powers and how he is treated by those around him who don't have any special powers.

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T he River Between Us by Richard Peck

In April 1861,Tilly’s mama opens her home to two young ladies, Delphine and Calinda, after they are forced to flee New Orleans, and soon the family is caught up, not only in the mystery of these two young women, but also in the war when Tilly’s twin brother Noah runs away to join the fight.

I love historical fiction  or at least books with a historical side to them and I love books by Richard Peck so I guess I will love this book.

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T he Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

To free his younger sister from a shape-shifting troll, 11-year-old Jack takes a journey with Viking berserkers, encountering a variety of helpful and dangerous mythological creatures along the way.

This is a book that I looked at when getting some books for Mrs. Noonan's class.  I found it interesting then and so now I will take time to read it . I like books about trolls and books by Nancy Farmer so I am hoping to love this book, too.

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S hackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan

Perce Blackborow stows away on Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, hoping for an adventure. However, when the ship is crushed by ice, and the crew is forced to abandon her in Antarctica, survival becomes everyone’s main occupation.

 My first question when I saw this book is:  Is this true?  Shakleton did make a trip to Antarctica and there are several books in print regarding his trip, but I don't recall a stowaway mentioned before.  I would imagine being abandoned in Antarctica would be a death sentence.  But the main character can't die can they?

Happy Reading!

For parents:  Here is an article on summer reading "How to Keep Reluctant Readers Reading over the Summer" from Teacher Says by Evelyn Porreca Vuko (Penguin Group, Inc. 2004).  Ms. Vuko has some EXCELLENT suggestions and if you find the book she also has some titles listed by age level.  Another resource for summer reading is the school media specialist or town librarian.   

http://school.familyeducation.com/summer/reading/39287.html?page=1&for_printing=1

 A new resource that was just shared with me is part of the International Reading Association's website.

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/

This link will take you to a page where you first select the age group of interest. 

For Middle School students there are 8 links to then choose from.  I copied and pasted them below but you will need to go to the actually website to access them.

Summer Literacy Activities for Ages 11-14 Celebrate Heroes Encourage children to spend a little time thinking and writing about just what makes a hero and who their personal heroes might be. Comics and Graphic Novels After reading a book, help a child create a comic book or cartoon adaptation of major scenes from the story. Design a Travel Brochure After visiting some place new over the summer or learning about an interesting location, invite children to create a Travel Brochure—complete with pictures, photographs, maps, and details about what they see or learn.  Explore Summers Past and Present Have fun sharing favorite summer memories. In this activity, children think about their own memories and answer questions before asking the same questions of someone older. Make a Mystery Puzzle Have children explore the different parts of mystery writing by making a puzzle about a favorite book. They can then invent and write their own mysteries using the online Mystery Cube tool. Summer Blockbusters Before seeing the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, kids can learn about filmmaking and create their own scenes based on favorite moments from the novel. Write Letters to Friends & Family—or a Local Newspaper Summertime is the perfect time to write to others—letters to classmates, postcards from travels, or e-mail messages to family and friends.  Write Sports Trivia Look at different online baseball trivia questions to see how they are written. Then have children write their own questions and play a trivia game.   If you go to any of these areas you will find directions on things to do plus some other neat websites embedded within. There is place to make cartoons, a place to make a CD cover, a doodle area, an online printing press, and a mystery cube area.  You may be able to find even more great things here.  It seems to be worth an explore or two.  So go have fun!

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