No More Dead Dogs

Hi Everyone, My latest reading adventure was No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman. What a great story! It's about a boy named Wallace Wallace and the trouble he gets into when he refuses to write a positive book review about his English teacher's favorite story...he points out that in every book with a dog in the title, you can be sure the dog is going to die in the end. I laughed because I've read almost all the books he mentioned - Old Yeller, Sounder, Where the Red Fern Grows - and it's true!! They are so sad!! More importantly, though, the book is about Wallace's need to always tell the truth, even when it gets him into trouble. Other themes are friendship and loyalty. It's a funny and clever book - and even though some of the events in the story seem a little far-fetched, it's somehow believable - and it leaves you rooting for Wallace in the end. See you all soon! Mrs. Mayhew

Won Ton

Hi Everyone, Hope you are all enjoying these last warm summer days! My new favorite book is Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw and Eugene Yelchin. It's a pretty short picture book, but I read it over and over again to really get the humor! Each page has a haiku about some aspect of the cat's life with his boy...and if you are someone who has a pet cat, you will really be able to relate to the story!! I laugh out loud every time I read it - I'd give it 5 stars!! Looking forward to seeing you all soon and hearing about your summer reading experiences! Mrs. Mayhew

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes

I just got back from vacation and am so happy to see so many students posting to the blog.  Great job everyone! 
Well, I grabbed this book because it looked like a good book to read at the beach.  I absolutely loved it.  It was funny in some parts, and sad in others.  But what I liked most was how Izzy finds amazing ways to tell her story, all while learning about her father she never knew, and making special friends along the way.  I couldn't put it down.  Tortilla Sun was a magical adventure of a book.

Burrillville Students are Reading Non-fiction!

Our students have been reading A LOT of fiction books and chapter books, but summer is also a wonderful time to learn some new facts about topics that interest you.  Here are a few great responses we've gotten from students reading non-fiction books:


Ethan, Grade 3, WLC read Bears: Life in the Wild by Monica Kulling.

He writes: I read BEARS, Life in the Wild. It was a non-fiction book about bears. My favorite part of this book was reading that bears sleep in dens and they don't have to drink because they make their own water while they sleep through the winter. This was my favorite part because it was a new fact that I didn't know and I think that is cool that they can do that. My least favorite part of the book was reading about how father bears try to eat cubs. I didn't like this part because it was a sad fact and I feel bad for the cubs.





Daniel, Grade 3, SFE read Spacebusters: Race to the Moon by Phillip Wilkinson

He writes: I liked learning what the astronauts wear on the moon. The helmet gives oxygen to the astronaut. The gloves help them grip the ladder on the shuttle and help protect hands. Their special shoes help them walk on the moon.

There was no part of the book that I did not like. The whole book had a lot of facts about space that I learned. This book was about three important people in USA history.




Reid, Grade 4, SFE read Ocean Animals by Toppers

He writes:  This is a non-fiction book with facts about ocean animals. There are four types of animal groups in the ocean. A shark is a fish, a squid is a mollusk, a seal is a mammal, and a crab is a crustacean. My favorite animal in the book is a cuttlefish because it stands out to me. He has THREE HEARTS!!! Its blood is not red, it is BLUE-GREEN!!! It is a mollusk and he's the color of sand, has eight legs, and eats crabs and fish.

{Ms. Baffoni would like to add that I went to the New England Aquarium this summer and the cuttlefish was one of the coolest animals I have ever seen!)

Timothy, Grade 5, WLC read Who Was Babe Ruth? by Joan Holub

He writes: My favorite parts were when Babe Ruth hit his first homerun and when he hit his farthest homerun ever. In 1915, Babe Ruth hit his first homerun in the majors for the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees. He cracked his bat that is how hard he hit the ball. His biggest homerun was a grand slam out of the park.Those were my favorite part because I want to be like him.  My least favorite part is when Babe Ruth's dad took him away somewhere and when Babe Ruth would gamble, drink and stay up really late. There is no reason to get drunk or stay up late when you have practice or games. These are coaches' rules you should obey, even when you are Babe Ruth. A parent should tell their children where they are taken to. It is just mean to take a child to a refom school and just leave them there. I felt sorry for Babe. These were my least favorite parts.

Ms. Baffoni, Teacher, SFE read Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

 My favorite thing about the book Just My Type is that I have learned interested facts about something I use in my everyday life but did not really know much about.  This book has taught me all about the history of how fonts changed from the early days of printing to the computer age.  The book explains how fonts are designed, what they are used for and even all about the people who created them.  My least favorite thing about this book is that it's written for adults, so it isn't really a good choice for students.  Still, I am saving up all the cool font-facts I have learned so I can share them with my technology classes in the fall!

Here be dragons!

If there is one thing I love (and have loved ever since I was a little kid) it is dragons.

Another thing I love?  Tacos.  Yummy, am I right?

Well, today I stumbled upon a picture book in the bookstore called Dragons Love Tacos.  I would recommend it to anyone, even adults because it was funny and the illustrations were great!

Who doesn't love tacos?

This book got me thinking about other great books- chapter books in particular- with dragons.  Here are just a few of my favorites for kids who love dragons:

•  A Friend For Dragon (and other Dragon Tales) by Dav Pilkey are silly and fun easy readers. 
•  Good Night, Good Knight (and the other Good Knight books) by Shelley Moore Thomas are also easy readers featuring three very cute dragons and one very good knight.
• Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett is a classic series, great for kids just starting to read longer chapter books

• Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville is a book I read when I was a kid and absolutely loved.  
• Kenny and the Dragon by Tony D'Iterlizzi is a chapter book from the RICBA list two years ago, with a surprising dragon named Grahame and excellent illustrations
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has one of the most famous dragons in the history of dragons.  It's quite a challenging book, but try to read it before the movie comes out in December!

Hi Everyone, Hope you are all enjoying these first few days of vacation! I have been sitting out on my deck in the sunshine every moment I can - and reading A Series of Unfortunate Events! These books - there are 13 in the series - have been around for a while, and I have to admit that I wasn't too interested in them at first. It took me a long time to give them a try - but now I can't stop reading them!! I am already on book 9, The Hostile Hospital and looking forward to finding out what happens to the poor, unfortunate Baudelaire orphans and their friends, the Quagmire triplets! I'll keep you posted! Mrs. Mayhew

My Summer Reading Plan!

I have been working with all my classes from 1st grade to 4th to make summer reading plans this week, and I thought it would be a nice idea to make one for myself!  Here are my answers:

• My reading goal is to read two books a week: one book written for adults and one written for kids.  I hope to read about 20 books.

• One series I want to start is the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan because I really loved the Percy Jackson Books.  Fantasy books are my favorite, so any recommendations for great fantasy books are always welcome!

• I read every day for at least 15 minutes, especially in the summer.  I sit in the sun in my lawn chair in the morning and read until I'm too hot; then I go in my pool. If I like a book, I'll often read until I finish it, which is usually way longer than 15 minutes!

I am going to try to stick hard to my plan.  I saw a lot of good plans going home this week, so hopefully you all will use yours too!

Has anyone read this?  Is it good?

Fill out this form to tell us what you're reading this summer.