A Single Shard

A long long time ago in a potters’ village in Korea there lived an orphan named Tree-ear. He lived under a bridge with Crain-man, who had taken him in as a toddler. Together they foraged for food, told stories, and kept each other company. Thirteen-year-old Tree-ear loved to watch an older potter at the wheel and to see the pieces he made. One day while examining a ceramic box in the potter’s workshop Tree-ear is startled and drops it. The potter, Min, is furious and begins berating Tree-ear. The piece is very valuable and Tree-ear agrees to work off the debt by working for Min until it is paid off.  The work is hard, harder than Tree-ear ever imagined, but it is also satisfying. Tree-ear wants more than anything to learn to use the wheel and create his own pieces. But Min will not teach Tree-ear the craft, as it is passed down from  father to son, and Tree-ear is only an orphan. News comes that the royal court is coming to look at the village potters’ pieces and will maybe pick one of the men and put his pieces on commission. Min hopes he is selected, but is another potter working on a new technique?  What will become of Tree-ear if Min is selected? Will Tree-ear ever learn to use the wheel?

I didn’t know much about A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. What a treat it turned out to be. I loved the way the story flowed and I felt like I was being told an elaborate bedtime story every time I picked it up. The relationship between Crain-man and Tree-ear was so special that it tugged at my heart. I was impressed by how hard Tree-ear worked and how driven he was to learn the ways of the potter.Tree-ear is very respectful of others and I liked the way he thought of others and their feelings. There are a couple of scenes that broke my heart, but I truly loved the way the story unfolded. I would recommend this book to people in grades 4 and up who like historical fiction and stories with amazing characters. You will be rooting for Tree-ear, just like I did.

Has anyone else read A Single Shard? Or have you read another book by Linda Sue Park? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

The Dot

Topic: Making Your Mark/ Dot Day  

Read Aloud Title: The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Summary: Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says. 

That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us. ~Amazon

Library Project:  We used dots as our inspiration today and students will be continuing to use dots in Art next week. We also talked about how we can make our mark. There are some things we can’t do yet, but there are some things we can teach others. We are each unique! Talk with your child about what kinds of things they might be able to teach you! J I will post some examples of student work here soon!

When you stop in to MES look for the dots each student created in the display area across from the office. So many different ways to be creative and make our mark!  

The War That Saved My Life

Ada has never been out of her small apartment because her mother is too embarrassed of her. Instead she watches all the other children, including her younger brother, from her spot by the window. Living in a dirty apartment with a mother who is angry all the time is a sad way for a little girl to grow up. Ada realizes she needs to try to walk even though it isn't easy because of her disfigured foot, but her mother has forbidden her from doing it. World War II has begun and now it's reaching England. When bombs are threatening London and children are being sent out to the country, Ada hatches a plan to leave first thing in the morning with her brother. No one wants them when they get out to the country, but they finally go live with a woman named Susan Smith. She cleans them up, gives them a place to live, and treats them with respect. Susan sees no reason why Ada shouldn't be able to do everything everyone else is doing. For the first time in her life Ada is spending time outside. She even meets her beloved Butter, the horse who resides on the Smith property. The freedom Ada feels is amazing. There are hard days too, and Ada’s mom cannot be reached to approve a surgery for her club foot. Are things too good to last? What will happen when the war is over? Will Ada ever get her surgery so she can wear regular shoes? You will not be able to put this book down!

I first heard about The War That Saved My Life on The Children’s War blog. I am so happy I had a chance to read it. The characters in the book really come to life. I loved some of them and hated others. My heart went out to Ada because of her struggles with her foot and I winced at the way her mother treated her. She was an amazing older sister though! I thought it was also interesting how something as terrible as a war could end up saving someone's life in a different way. I recommend this to kids in fourth grade and up who like historical fiction and easy to relate to characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

Has anyone else read The War That Saved My Life? Or have you read another book by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L

Auggie and Me- Three Wonder Stories

I read Wonder back in 2012 and loved it (read myreview).  In it we learn about what 5th grade at Beecher Prep is like for August Pullman, a boy who has undergone countless surgeries due to his birth defects. I have reread it twice, and it has touched me each time. Auggie's voice captivated me, and it was fascinating reading what his year was like for a few other important characters.


I was excited to see Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio.  I knew I had to read it and find out what was going on with some of the other characters I hadn't heard from yet. In Wonder we see his classmates through Auggie's eyes, and now we get to hear from the bully, Julian, his old best friend, Christopher, and Charlotte, who he met when he toured the school. Each story fills in gaps and shows us that there really are two sides to every story. We start with Julian, and it's no surprise that we get some insight behind his mean treatment of Auggie. We also get to see shortly past the end of their 5th grade year. Christopher has know Auggie since birth, and we find out what it was like being friends with someone who needed to have so many surgeries and how their friendship changed over the years.  Lastly, Charlotte sheds light on other drama and social occurrences that were happening throughout the year that we didn't know about from Auggie.

Auggie and Me is perfect for readers who enjoyed Wonderand wanted more. It's an interesting addition to Auggie's story because we don't learn much more about his life after 5th grade, except for the summer months, which Julian tells us about. Instead we learn that there is often more going on than what we see on the surface. In any situation we may think we have all the facts, but someone else may show us information that makes us think differently. I can't say reading this book made me think Julian is an awesome boy, because I still think he's mean. I do understand him better, and I do have hope that he will be different in the future. There is something very special about diving back into a favorite story, and I recommend this journey for anyone who wants to have a little more time with Auggie and friends. This is an excellent book for kids and adults who want to see what a story is like from another point of view. I would recommend this book to readers in third grade and up.  You will finish the book feeling like you have more pieces of the puzzle. Definitely read Wonder first if you haven't already!

Back when we reviewed Wonder we were lucky enough to interview R.J. Palacio. To find out more about the story behind the story check out what she had to say.

Has anyone else read Wonder or Auggie and Me? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

Pre-Order Promotion

We're sending out a big thank you to our amazing readers with a pre-order giveaway contest. We love those charming bookshops where stories creep off the shelves and into our hearts, so we're giving away a $100 gift card to an independent bookstore of the winner's choice to celebrate the release of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow on December 1st.

Send us a copy of your receipt, and you’re entered. If you've already purchased a copy, thank you! Please enter the contest, because you could win! And, what is more fun than spending $100 at your local book nook? Good Luck to all!

Email: haightjess@gmail.com

Contest runs until November 30^th 

 Click here to pre-order the book

You can also sign up for our blog tour to join the celebration in December. We hope to see you hanging around the book block. ;) 

Click here to hop on the tour 

Click here to see who we'll be visiting 

The gift of a story never stops giving!

To request a review copy of THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW please contact Samuel Terris: sterris@penguinrandomhouse.com 

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Why Would a Baseball be Muddy?

Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball  by David A. Kelly. 

This is the true story of how a special mud became the standard by which professional baseballs got prepared for games. Lena Blackburne wanted to play professional baseball and make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But, his baseball skills weren’t good enough for his dreams to come true. 

He still loved the sport and stayed part of it in any way that he could. One problem was the soggy baseballs that batters couldn’t hit very far. The baseballs needed the shine to be taken off of them, and most people used dirty water to do this (or other even more disgusting methods). When Lena discovers a mud that can do the job, he changes the way baseballs are prepared for play. His mud was a miracle, not only to him, but to all the baseball players who have used it over the past seventy five years. I was so stunned when I read this book! I was amazed by the fact that professional baseballs need to get “dirtied” before they can be used to play. I immediately started looking up facts and was shocked by what I learned. I also enjoyed the pictures which are done in a way that your eyes focuses on parts of the illustrations that tie into the text. The pictures made me ready to go to a baseball game and enjoy some time in the sunshine.

Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball is a great book for baseball fans, those who like to learn the story behind interesting facts, or people who like to get dirty. A short picture book that is sure to be a hit during baseball season. With the facts at the end, I bet you will learn something new too!

Happy reading! ~ Mrs. Robinson 

The Journey of a Story...

COVER REVEAL FOR
THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW 

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow hits bookstores everywhere in December 2015, and it's been quite an adventure! We could never have imagined the twists and turns on the journey to publication. 

Today, Stephanie Robinson and Jessica Haight are here to give you the inside scoop on the story behind the story!

“How did you write a book together?” A question often asked of authors who decide to collaborate on writing a story. The underlying truth of what they are really asking is, “How did you manage to not end up hating each other during the process?” The answer to this is simple, it’s not about the ego; it’s about the book. We decided this first.

Jess & Stephanie signing contracts with Delacorte Press 

When we sat down to write The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, we committed to this concept and made a pact with each other that we would set our feelings to the side in order to produce the best story that we could. After we agreed to this, the words flowed easily and the story began to take shape. As it moved along, the writing came naturally. It shifted, bent, dissolved, exploded, and then mushroomed into something spectacular. 

Why did you decide to co-author this work?

Stephanie and Jess circa 1999

Jess: I have always enjoyed talking about books with Stephanie. We have been friends for a long time, so when I wanted to turn my children’s poem into a middle grade book, it seemed natural to ask her if she wanted to write it with me. 

Stephanie: I have always loved writing and have written many short stories and poems. When Jess asked me to co-author a book with her, I decided it was the perfect chance to begin working on one of my dreams.

Stephanie and Jess presenting at Flanders Elementary School in Southington, CT

One amazing realization about co-author collaboration is that you have a whole other brain working towards the same goal. Both of us have our strengths and weaknesses. What one lacks, the other makes up for. Sometimes, one of us would be working on a chapter and have a vision of what it should be, but just not getting it out right. The other would read it and see it in a different light, change the words, and restructure the sentence or chapter. In a way, this was very satisfying, like fitting the right piece into a puzzle.

Stephanie reading an excerpt of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow to students 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing your book?

Jessica: I learned a lot about myself and about discipline in writing. I am sort of a free-form writer, and it's absolutely essential to keep everything in tune and orderly to progress. Stephanie is the master of organization, so I am very lucky to have her as my co-author. Most of the time, instructions and lists sound to me like the adults in Charlie Brown, whoh, whoh, whoh. However, after working on this with my awesome writing partner, I embrace the list. : )

Stephanie:  I have been surprised by the amount of time Jessica and I spend discussing Fairday and her friends and coming up with ideas. Most of our conversations now center around our writing and blog. I never knew how much fun it would be to write a book with someone else who shares my same vision and makes work fun. Also, I have been pleasantly surprised to find support for my book in places I never expected. Thanks to all of our supporters. 

There were times when we threw away whole chapters and started over. This was somewhat painful, but we both knew it had to be done and accepted it. We wanted it to be right; we wanted it to be what we knew in our hearts it could be. And so, swallowing our pride became a common occurrence, which was easier and easier to digest as the story progressed. Now when we receive criticism from ourselves or other readers, we both embrace it and think of it as an opportunity to improve our story.

Our writing process wouldn’t have been as smooth without Google Docs. Using this online format allowed us to post a chapter or two at a time that we could work on together. What an amazing tool! Being able to make changes to our book from any location opened up our world of writing and our story was written in Poland, Yellowstone, from our town libraries, and the comforts of our own homes. We entered contests, kept up with local writers' conferences, and attended book fairs, keeping an eye on the latest book buzz and honing our craft. We've met some amazing authors and illustrators, and made great connections with the people all over the world. 

Unicorn Writers' Conference 2011 

What inspired you to pursue a writing career?

Little Jess

Jessica: For as long as I can remember, I have always loved stories. I have a certain taste for rhyme, and I enjoy word play. After recovering from the devastation that I was probably not going to be an astronaut (terrible at math), it felt natural to want to pursue writing. I also love to draw, and my inspiration comes from illustrators like Edward Gorey and Barbara McClintock. 

Little Stephanie

Stephanie: Since I was a little, I have loved reading and creating stories. When I was younger, I thought I would be a teacher during the year and spend the summer writing books (yes, that is plural). I obviously didn’t understand how much time teaching and writing would actually take. Ever since Jess asked me to co-author The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, I have been actively pursuing my dreams of being a writer.

Is co-authoring for everyone? Probably not, but for those who do embark on this wondrous journey, remember to set a common goal, work with someone you can be honest with, and keep your eye on the prize- a well-written book!  

From Left: Rachael Dugas (Agent/ Talcott Notch Literary), Jessica Haight, Stephanie Robinson, Krista Vitola (Editor/ Delacorte/ Random House)

To add a little more mystery, we've put together a puzzle that will unveil another illustration, along with a few secrets over this upcoming year, so stay tuned!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and be the first to find out when the next piece of the puzzle will be revealed. 

Preview newsletter

"I loved the opening chapters of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, and was immediately captivated by the characters. The writing is great and very accessible. I'm sure children and young adults will love it." Jenny Nimmo, Author of Midnight for Charlie Bone

Click here to read the story synopsis