Troubles

Bait by Alex Sanchez is a very emotional and transforming book. This is a story of a troubled teenager. He has a difficult past and it's making an impact on his present. It's the most realistic book I've read for this challenge so it was very different. Through the book we gather a lot of information about our main character, Diego. He has a few secrets that I won't reveal in case anyone decides they want to read it. Basically, the story goes through the path that he takes in order to get over his past and move on. He goes on probation because of the trouble he gets into and eventually, through therapy, begins to change his ways. I think it's very important, as a teacher, to read stories of all kinds. I think this story really helped me dive into the mind of a troubled kid and will hopefully become useful one day. The one thing I loved about this book is how Diego found people in his life that never gave up on him. It made me think about how much of an impact we can make on other people. I want to be someone that kids feel they can trust and ask for help when needed. I know that I will probably see kids that have similar issues as Diego so I want to be as prepared for them as possible. The author writes this story from Diego's perspective so it's interesting to see where Diego's mind goes to during difficult situations or conversations. It was also great to see him grow into a person he could be proud of. Sorry if that ruined the ending but I think it's important to mention that it is a positive story, even when it really doesn't seem like it.

Favorite!!!

Oh my goodness. I don't know how to even start. This book is AMAZING! It quickly turned into my favorite book so far during this challenge. It has so much going on. This book is set in a world where some people have developed a mutation that changed the color of their blood and also gave them strange abilities. The book follows a girl who was not one of those people and was born into a very poor family. The reader soon finds out that she is actually very special and not what everyone thinks. She moves into the castle and somehow becomes engaged to one of the king's sons. It all happens very fast and very unexpectedly.
If I could use this as a mentor text, I would do so with upper elementary. We could use it to focus on vocabulary and how to write words that we don't commonly use into our texts so that it sounds more interesting. Aveyard uses words like bitterly, muster, and disdain. These are words that aren't exactly familiar to small children so this would be a great opportunity or all of us.
The author writes every detail of this story so well. It just keeps the reader's attention so well. I have to admit it was hard to put the book down. There are so many amazing plot twists and entire chapters that make it so emotional. I actually cried at the end of the book because the author delivers yet another unexpected twist in the last few pages. I can not stress how good this book is. I don't want to give too much away because it really is worth reading. I'm so glad my nephew suggested I read it because now I can't wait to buy the two books left in the series so that I can find out what happens next. Victoria Aveyard delivers a fantastic, dramatic, action packed story in Red Queen. It is a story that put me on an emotional roller coaster with all of the high stakes. I hope you guys like it if you get a chance to read it!

A Princess and a Captain

 This last week I read two books. They were two very different books from each other so it was quite a wild trip. I enjoyed reading the Princess in Disguise book because I'm still a little girl at heart and I love everything to do with princesses. This book was really good especially for young kids because it uses repetition a lot. It also explains a lot of things so if you haven't read the other books before this one (it's part of a series), you will still understand what's going on. This book made me feel like a little girl again. It's based in a fantastical land with witches, fairies, and lots of magic. It's sure to bring out a little smile on everyone's faces.

I've never read any of the Captain Underpants books until this one. My 5 year old niece begged me to buy it for her so I decided to read it since she left it at my house. This book is full of jokes and ridiculous scenarios. I really liked how it is really easy to read and understand. I bought it for a five year old after all. This book is great for readers that don't like seriousness and love adventure. It's a great way to get small children involved if they aren't that into reading long books with little or no pictures at all. I think that it's important to have all kinds of topics and reading styles available for our kids so this one fits right in on my book shelves!

These two books encourage me to read out of my comfort zone and explore. I hope that some of you take the time to get out of your comfort zones and try something new!