Percy Jackson fans: check these out!

Mythology mania has been hitting the bookshelves and movie screens lately, especially with such popular (and well written) books as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.

I want you to know about a great series by Mary Pope Osborne (of The Magic Tree House fame).

Tales from the Odyssey offers several volumes of mythologican adventure for middle readers. These books are excellent for the 2nd-4th grade reader that love mythology. They would also be good reads for struggling readers (or readers that are catching up) in 5th and 6th grade.

The series consists of these titles:

Volume #1: The One-Eyed Giant       

          

 Volume #2: The Land of the Dead

Volume #3: Sirens and Sea Monsters

Volume #4: The Gray-Eyed Goddess

Volume #5: Return to Ithaca

Volume #6: The Final Battle

 These books are available to GDS families in the Lower School Library.

Wondering what to read today?

Check out The Wonder Book by Amy Krause Rosenthal, with cheerful and cheeky illustrations by Paul Schmid.

What will you find in The Wonder Book? 
Wonderful poetry!
Wonderful jokes!
Wonderful mental meanderings and silly stuff in general.
You'll also find a few thoughtful moments, pondered in verse and accompanied with simple drawings to assist in your own wondering, mental meandering, and maybe even writing and drawing.

I recommend this book to any and all.

This book is available to GDS families from the Lower School library.

Differentiated Lessons in Ms. Plum's classroom

The Magical Ms. Plum, by Bonny Becker, is a quick little read full of big lessons.  Ms. Plum, with the help of a curriculum of acceptance, nurturing, and a magical closet, teaches third graders how to better themselves.  The reading level of the book is listed at 5.0 (beginning of fifth grade) but I believe an industrious second or third grader could tackle it and triumph. If the reader is interested but not quite at that reading level yet, it is an excellent candidate for a classroom read-a-loud and an even better candidate for shared reading before bedtime with a family member.

This book is available to GDS families from the Lower School Library.