Tag: reccomendations

Defining Greatness

The Greatest Kid in the World by John David Anderson

We hear the word “great” all of the time. For some of us teachers, it’s the generic word that comes out of our mouthes as we respond to a story, or we write it on the top of graded work. Other times it might sarcastically roll off a tongue as a far from excited response. And yet other times it might be that one word adjective to describe a truly amazing experience. With that said, how does one define if their own kid is great? Are they helpful? Good at chores? Do they commit to never arguing with their siblings?

You may have a vision in your head of who, or what, you would argue as a “great kid”, and most like, main character Zeke Stalhs would not make the cut. So when the letter came in the mail that he was one of the five finalists in a contest for the World’s Greatest Kid, you can imagine his surprise…and the surprise of everyone else who knows Zeke. He’s known as a trouble maker and a prankster, so it was a big surprise to him and his family when he was nominated. But despite his flaws, you root for him. You root for the kid who lost his dad, you root for the kid whose mom works all the time to make ends meet, you root for the kid who can’t seem to catch a break. But does that make him the Greatest Kid in the World? Even Zeke doesn’t understand, or know, who would nominate him, but the prize money would help his family out a lot, and he decides to enter the contest. Throughout the book he wonders what really does make someone great? And who gets to decide?

As with all of the John David Anderson novels I have read, this one is also going to be a hit. My students will be able to relate to the characters lives and are sure to find a little bit of themselves in Zeke or his siblings, as well.

Educator’s Guide

Thinking about reading The Greatest Kid in the World with your class? Checkout the educators guide here!

From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahls—a thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World’s Greatest Kid.

Zeke Stahls is not the best kid in the world. Some days he struggles just to be good. He’d rather be pulling pranks than doing extra credit, and he’s too busy performing experiments on his little brother, Nate, or tormenting his older sister, Jackie, to volunteer for charity.

    Which is why Zeke and his entire family are shocked when they receive word that he has been selected as a contestant in an online competition to find the World’s Greatest Kid.

    Zeke has no idea how he was chosen for this, and he knows that measuring up to the other nominees–a saintly lineup of selfless, charming and talented do-gooders with photogenic smiles and hearts of gold–is hopeless. Still, with a $10,000 cash prize on the line, and Zeke’s mom struggling to hold the family together on her single-parent salary, he decides to give it his best shot.

    As Zeke concocts various plots to show the world just how “great” he is, however, he finds himself wondering what that word even means, and who gets to decide. And what kind of kid he wants–and needs–to be.

About the author

John David Anderson is the author of many highly acclaimed books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Posted, Granted, One Last Shot, and Stowaway. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wonderful wife, two frawesome kids, and clumsy cat, Smudge, in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.

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Spi-ku: A clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs

Leslie Bulion does it again with her newest poetry book about creepy crawly spiders, Spi-ku! It’s filled with amazing facts and information about the different types of spiders, how and what they eat, how they catch their prey and so much more! We loved reading the informational parts of the text along with her creative poems. My three boys especially love the back and forth poems about the trickster spiders! The way illustrator, Robert Meganck, integrates the spiders and their webs is beautiful and engaging! We loved picking out the different spiders and searching for them on the pages. This book is wonderful to learn about nonfiction text and poetry, looking at different types of poetry, learning about spiders, inspiring a spider nature walk; there are just so many ways to learn while reading Spi-ku!

Looking at an artificial spider while reading about the different kinds of spiders and how they move.

I was familiar with Leslie’s work because she writes such wonderful and informative poems. Last year my third graders and I did an author visit with her on World Read Aloud Day about her book, Superlative Birds. It was so wonderful to hear about how she comes up with poems that are interesting, factual and yet fun to read! We loved speaking with her and hearing about her process! We were just getting ready to write nonfiction pieces ourselves and it was a wonderful segue to show how information text can be gathered and written; not just in paragraph format but also in other ways like the beauty that is poetry! See below for some bonus insider information from our interview with Leslie! Thank you Leslie for taking the time to answer our questions and being a part of our celebration of poetry this month!

Taking a look at the big and hairy Goliath Bird-Eating Spider while we were watching for birds!

Thank you Peachtree Publishing for a copy to review. All opinions are our own.

Interview with Leslie

About her books:
  1. What are your memories about learning poetry?

When introducing poetry to our class, my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Brownworth, asked us to memorize and recite a poem. I memorized “Sneezles” by A.A. Milne from his collection NOW WE ARE SIX. I loved the rhyme, the rollicking rhythm, the made-up words, the sly silliness, and the last line, a loving and gentle zinger. Those are still favorite elements I use in my own poetry. We wrote lots of poems that year, and my first was “The Grass is Green.” It’s about…leaf litter critters! How’s that for story circularity?

  1. What advice would you give to a child who sees poetry as “boring”? 

Let’s share poetry love with readers the same way we help readers who may not have found their spark book/genre…yet:

Explore together! Maybe funny poetry, like A HATFUL OF DRAGONS, will open the door for one reader. Verse novels may grab another. They’re written at all levels and genres from LOVE THAT DOG and INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN to THE CROSSOVER and THE POET X. Try a poetry collection about a particular interest (spiders, anyone??), or a particular poetic form such as the concrete poems in A POKE IN THE I. Spoken word poetry is having an amazing moment thanks to the remarkable work of Amanda Gorman, and spoken word events are exciting! By the way, reading all poetry aloud—hearing the rhythms and speaking the words—brings its music to life. Explore lyrics to a reader’s favorite song—that’s poetry, too! 

  1. How do you know so much about spiders? 

I chose the topic because I wanted to learn! I read (and reread) widely, then more specifically. I visit museums, contact scientists, and follow their science communications online. I always do my own hands-on, boots-on explorations. For SPI-KU (and still!) I don my headlamp for nighttime spider hunts. I take photos and post some on insect enthusiast groups for help since spiders are tricky to identify!

About Leslie:
  1. If you weren’t a writer, what would you want to do and why?

I love taking field ecology classes, going on nature adventures, and sharing what I learn with others. I’ve had wonderful adventures visiting our national parks—they are such treasures—so  I think I should be a US National Park ranger in my next life.

  1. What is one book that has stuck with you since you’ve read it? 

There are so many books I carry with me that I can’t possibly pick one, or even ten! So I’ll reach back to the cusp of my own coming of age for an answer. I was a voracious independent reader from third grade on, and mostly chose books with an element of fantasy or magic. THE PIGMAN, an assigned book for our sixth grade English class, broke my heart open with its portrayal of realistic teens, questionable choices, and consequences.

  1. What is one item in your fridge that tells us about you?

Pickles! Especially salty, garlicky, spicy, surprising ones—so fun! I can still taste the long-gone “ginger hots” I found at a farmer’s market while traveling two years ago…let me know if you find any!