Reading is such a huge part of my life. I know it sounds cheesy, but reading really does open the door to new worlds and ideas. When I am reading a good book, I am completely transported out of my own world and into another. This means I have a really hard time putting books down. I read like a maniac over the summer. Now that school has started, I will have a lot less time to read, but I still try to read as much as I can. Today I checked out and read The Amazing Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick from the library. (I had been waiting for awhile to see it on the shelves and was excited to find it.) I am about to start reading Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. Yes, both of these fall in the range of children's/young adult literature. While I certainly enjoy some adult literature (I reread Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte this summer as well), I find children's and young adult literature, frankly, often to be better written, with a better grasp of literary elements and style, as well as plots in which every element is purposeful. So, I am going to include a list of some of my favorite works in the children's/young adult literature realm. This list is by no means all-inclusive; however, I think it is a good starting place for anyone looking for something good to read, no matter what your age. (These books are not necessarily in any order, either. I have a hard time picking favorites when it comes to book.)
1) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (If you know me, this was an obvious choice.)
2) A Wrinkle in Time (and the rest of the Time Quartet) by Madeline L'Engle
3) The Lightning Thief (and the rest of the series) by Rick Riordan
4) The Kane Chronicles trilogy by Rick Riordan
5) The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan (book 3 in the series come out in October)
6) Peter and the Starcatchers (and the rest of the series) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
7) The Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson
8) The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
9) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10) Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
11) Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
12) Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
13) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
14) The Giver by Lois Lowry
15) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
16) The Little Maid books by Alice Turner Curtis
17) Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach
18) Holes by Lois Sachar
19) Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliiett
20) My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
21) Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
22) Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
23) Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
24) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
25) Speak by Larie Halse Anderson
26) Ballet Shoes (and the rest of the "Shoe" books) by Noel Streatfeild
27) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
28) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
29) Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
30) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
There are many, many, many more books that I love, but I figured that I should limit the list to 30. If I listed one book by an author, I probably love lots of other books by that author as well. So, if you give one of these books a shot for the first time, let me know! I hope I have opened up some new worlds to you. (Also, if you have other children/young adult books to add to the list, feel free to comment on those as well.)
Happy Reading!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Seek First
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
Today was the first day of school. Matthew 6:33 is our theme verse for the year. I think it is a timely and important one. As a teacher, I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to win accolades from parents and fellow teachers. After all, I want what I do to make a difference, and I admit that I sometimes want people to acknowledge that I am doing a good job. No, not a good job - a great job. Sometimes I have to stop and think if I am making teaching decisions based on what is truly best for my students or based on what other people will think about the decisions. However, Jesus says to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." He doesn't tell me to seek approval of others. As I go throughout the school year, I need to be constantly reminded of this. After all, teaching is part of my vocation, and is meant to serve God.
Today was the first day of school. Matthew 6:33 is our theme verse for the year. I think it is a timely and important one. As a teacher, I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to win accolades from parents and fellow teachers. After all, I want what I do to make a difference, and I admit that I sometimes want people to acknowledge that I am doing a good job. No, not a good job - a great job. Sometimes I have to stop and think if I am making teaching decisions based on what is truly best for my students or based on what other people will think about the decisions. However, Jesus says to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." He doesn't tell me to seek approval of others. As I go throughout the school year, I need to be constantly reminded of this. After all, teaching is part of my vocation, and is meant to serve God.
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