Have you ever wondered how teachers spend their snow days? Do we lament the lost day of learning? Do we plan for what we need to do when the schedule gets back to normal? Do we take naps, or perhaps teach our dogs new tricks? The answer to all of these questions on this snow day for this teacher, is yes. But, I also spent some time working on book two in The Maisy Files, and I spent some time reading a new series that I'm loving. The Maze Runner series by James Dashner is definitely not something that readers of The Maisy Files should be reading. But, it's incredibly addictive. The narrator is the main character, Thomas, who has woken up in a new place with no memories. The Glade is home to a bunch of boys and some deadly creatures who live in the mysterious maze. We soon learn that the lives of the boys are centered around solving the maze that the "creators" have plopped them into. They hope that solving it will be the key to their release from it. With no knowledge about their past lives, the boys have created their own community in the Glade. Each boy has a job and Thomas wants to be a runner in the maze. Each day, the runners map the maze and compare it to the previous days' maps, because the walls move and it changes each night. Things seems to be rather routine in the Glade. Every day, each boy does his job, the runners run the maze, and meals are eaten. Until, one day, a new, unexpected person arrives, and everything changes. Follow Thomas on his journey. You will not be disappointed. The book ends on quite a cliff hanger, though many questions are answered by then. Luckily, book two can be in your hands immediately! Personally, I'm enjoying listening to the audio book versions. If you're a fan of audio books, you should give them a try. The narrator does a great job! ***Update*** I've completed the entire series and I thought the conclusion to the series was written very well. The series consists of The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure. There is a prequel, but I have not read that one. The series takes the reader on such a twisting and winding journey that ensures everyone will be surprised multiple times. Personally, I liked being surprised by multiple events in the story. If you liked books like Divergent or The Hunger Games, you should give these a try!
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If you've been wanting to get your copy of Maisy and the Missing Mice for Kindle, now is the best time! It is currently in a Kindle Count Down Deal on Amazon! The price starts at 99 cents today and will increase later this week until it is back to full price. You can read Kindle books on any Kindle, but also on other devices with Kindle apps! Praise for Maisy and the Missing Mice "I enjoyed the way the author describes how Maisy works a case. For example, whenever Maisy is focused on solving a mystery, she no longer sees the world in color. Instead, Maisy imagines everything in black and white, as if she's in one of those mystery movies from long ago, giving the book a film noir feeling. She even uses a typewriter when typing up her notes because it helps her focus on the case." -Innovative Librarianship Blog Maisy and the Missing Mice is going to be featured in several blogs during the next month as I take part in a blog tour! If you're interested, please check out the links for each stop on the tour. Some include giveaways! There will be book reviews, interviews, and guest blog posts. Check out each link on the day I'm going to be featured! Monday, January 6 Interview at Examiner Tuesday, January 7 Interview & Book Giveaway at PUYB Virtual Book Club Wednesday, January 8 Interview at Mayra’s Secret Bookcase Friday, January 10 Book Review at Optimistic Mommy Monday, January 13 Guest Blogging at Little Library Muse Tuesday, January 14 Interview & Audiobook Giveaway at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer Thursday, January 16 Book Review at Mom Loves 2 Read Monday, January 20 Book Review at 4 the Love of Books Tuesday, January 21 Guest Blogging at Chatty Mums Wednesday, January 22 Book Review at Musings by Maureen Friday, January 24 Book Review at Not Everyone’s Mama Monday, January 27 Book Review at The Owl Skull Tuesday, January 28 Book Review at Taking Time for Mommy Thursday, January 30 Book Review at The Children’s & Teens Book Connection Friday, January 31 Book Review at Children’s Classic Books Maisy and the Missing Mice got a great review from The Children's Book Review! Maisy and the Missing Mice: The Maisy Files, Volume 1 By Elizabeth Woodrum Paperback: 72 pages Age Range: 8 and up Publisher: CreateSpace (October 14, 2013) ISBN: 978-‐1492922056 What to expect: Mystery, Problem-‐Solving, Mice, Lollipops Educator Elizabeth Woodrum’s first foray into writing children’s books is a fun mystery with an imaginative and assertive fourth-‐grade girl protagonist, Maisy Sawyer. Well liked and known by the students and teachers at her school as a problem-‐ solving detective that closes every case, Maisy takes on the task of finding out who stole the school mice—she hopes to have them returned safely to their home where they can maintain their school mascot status in the science lab. The case turns into a trifecta when Maisy’s plastic bag full of her beloved cherry flavored lollipops go missing from her locker and her best friend’s little brother’s tooth that fell out at school also disappears. As the plot thickens and it appears that this may be one case too big to solve, Maisy begins to unravel the case by using a clue from a fifth grade witness that saw a black boot disappear around a corner at the scene of the crime, some mysterious notes from a devious student that goes by the name of Black Boot and claims to be the thief, and the frequent smell of pepperoni pizza. Woodrum certainly knows her target audience and does a very nice job with the character development of Maisy. In lieu of illustrations, her descriptions of Maisy’s love of old black-‐and-‐white mystery movies really help to set the stage and create a visual experience that shows how Maisy’s imagination—along with her natural drive—is the key to her strategic thinking. “When she was on a case, her world seemed to fade to the black and white of one of those mystery movies. Shades of gray colored everything. She even imagined her bedroom at home to be her detective agency office.” This is an incredibly kid-‐friendly story that makes a great introduction to the genre of mystery for newly independent readers. It’s a quick page-‐turning read that encourages kids to think outside of the box. —The Children’s Book Review I was intrigued by the premise of this book, which is why I chose it. I'd never heard of it before browsing online. Angelfall begins after much of the world has been destroyed by angels. No one knows why the angels have come or what exactly they want. But, the world is, understandably, in chaos. Penryn, the main character and our narrator, explains the ways of the new world, including street gangs who try to collect angel parts to sell on the black market. Along with Penryn, we are introduced to her schizophrenic mother and her disabled little sister, Paige. Shortly after the story begins, Penryn witnesses angels fighting each other. The audience, and Penryn, are then introduced to Raffe, one of the angels involved in the fight. After the other angels kidnap her wheelchair-bound sister, Penryn abducts the injured Raffe with the hope of getting information about finding Paige. It's hard to describe why this story works so well. The author develops her characters and their relationships subtly. At one point near the end of the book, I realized the dramatic change that had occurred in the relationship between two of the main characters. I hadn't been beaten over the head with it. It was an organically developed relationship, which was refreshing. The story had several surprising twists that I had not expected. I won't go into them here in order to avoid spoiling it for anyone. But, the story is well crafted and anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre will enjoy this story. Penryn is a seventeen year old girl, so the story is likely intended to be a YA novel. It did hold my interest, and I am thirty-three. While I can see it being a YA novel, there are some aspects that are rather disturbing. They do align with the world created in Angelfall, and I wouldn't describe them as being overly graphic. They do serve a purpose in forwarding the plot. However, it's something you should be aware of if you are of the squeamish variety. They were not things I expected in the book. But, if you were a fan of books like The Hunger Games or the Divergent series, then you will probably not be put off by those few incidents. Overall, I'd say the book is excellent. I began the second one right away! Maisy and the Missing Mice has been reviewed on the iHeart Reading blog! It got four stars! I've pasted the full review below, but you can check it out on the iHeart Reading blog by clicking the logo at the end of this post!
Maisy and the Missing Mice was a short, but enjoyable read. It’ll be ideal for lower graders who enjoy a pleasant mystery. It’s not scary at all, and our detective and main character, Maisy Sawyer, will be very relatable for little kids. She loves cherry lollips, her dog Reesie, and hanging out with her best friend, Veronica. At times, she’s completely random – like any regular kid – but she does have an intelligent head on her shoulders, and she loves solving puzzles and mysteries. Like a junior Sherlock Holmes, Maisy tries to solve the mystery involving the Black Boot, the thief who stole the school’s mascots and later on, her lollipops, threatening her he’d crush all her lollipops if she got involved. As Maisy gathers clues, she also has to deal with Veronica’s upcoming birthday party. The book is a light-hearted, fun read. The plot moves fast, but not so fast kids won’t understand it. The main character is easily relatbale, she’s funny, and entertaining. The mystery itself wasn’t overly complicated to understand, but it wasn’t blatantly obvious either. A great mystery read for its target audience, and enjoyable even by an older audience. It reminded me of the mystery books I read when I was younger, and seems to have that tough of magic some children’s mysteries lack. Definitely worth reading, and ideal for kids. Every avid reader has a certain book, or type of book, that she finds too addicting to put down. I've been a big reader since I learned to read. I remember being an early reader and driving my kindergarten teacher crazy by always asking when I was going to get to go out of the room with some of the other kids to do more reading. As a kid, I couldn't get enough of Ramona Quimby or The Babysitters Club. I even had a Ramona Quimby diary when I was in elementary school.
Now, the books I can't put down tend to be of the fantasy genre, and more often than not, are categorized as being for young adults. But, they also tend to be thought provoking and I just can't help myself. So, I thought I'd share a list of some of the books I found quite addicting. Some of them I quite literally could not put down. I even recall falling asleep with a book (or ereader) in hand, and waking up and picking up right where I left off. I admit that some of these books probably count as guilty pleasures, but this post is about books that I found addicting. And what is likely to be more addicting than our guilty pleasures? The list isn't in a particular order. It would be far too difficult to actually rank them. Feel free to share yours in the comments! Books recommended for teenage and adult readers. 1. The Divergent Trilogy 2. The Hunger Games Trilogy 3. The Trylle Trilogy 4. The Mortal Instruments 5. The Infernal Devices (Mortal Instruments prequel series) 6. Twilight Saga 7. A Walk to Remember (and pretty much anything else by Nicholas Sparks) Books recommended for middle grade readers (fifth grade and up). 8. Harry Potter series 9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians 10. Heroes of Olympus The website http://freediscountedbooks.com/ is currently featuring Maisy and the Missing Mice on the front page of their website! They have a ton of great books for you to discover! Check out the website and find a new book!
Enter to win one of three copies of Maisy and the Missing Mice in my Goodreads Book Giveaway! Check it out below! Goodreads Book GiveawayMaisy and the Missing Miceby Elizabeth WoodrumGiveaway ends January 09, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. I am now on my second snow day of the school year.I feel like Christmas has come early! I have no doubt that my fourth graders are enjoying their day, and I intend to do the same! I started writing the first chapter of the second book in The Maisy Files series yesterday. So, now I'm snuggled up on the couch with this little pup (the inspiration for Maisy's dog in the book), and I'm typing away at the new book! I hope some of you have the luxury of enjoying the snowy day the way I am! Maisy and the Missing Mice will be going on a blog tour in January! I'm glad to be working with Pump Up Your Book for my tour! Be sure to check it out. There will be audiobook giveaways, book reviews, interviews, and guest posts! Check out the information below and check back for daily posts about where to find the book on tour!
Pump up Your Book Blog Tour |
Elizabeth Woodrum's Blog
Author of AboutElizabeth Woodrum is the author of the children's book series, The Maisy Files. She is also a full-time teacher and creator of teaching materials that can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers. This blog is a mix of teaching and author topics. Categories |