Reading Rampage: Tearing Through Literature with Ms. Sloan

  The Chicken of the Family By Mary Amato In our world you often hear, "be an individual". Everyone wants to be their own person and be unique. However, in childhood it can be common to be made fun of if you are different. "The Chicken in the Family" takes a look into these situations within a family. Henrietta is the youngest sister. Her oldest sister, Kim, is the instigator of the problems. She influenced the middle sister, Clare, to join her in teasing Henrietta. The teasing takes on a new level when the older sisters tell Henrietta she is a chicken, not a human. They go to the lengths of planting feathers and an egg in Henrietta's bed! Henrietta begins to wonder if she is a chicken. Her sisters don't seem to like her, she is different from them. Poor Henrietta decides to leave the house of the humans and find her real family. Henrietta travels to Barney's farm and joins the chickens there. She begins walking like the chickens, "ba...

I came across "Thank you, Mr. Falker" by Patricia Polacco on storylineonline.net. It is a very touching book about a young girl excited to learn to read, but who finds that reading is a struggle for her. She advances through the grades believing she is dumb and being teased by classmates.  Then she get Mr. Falker as her 5th grade teacher. Mr. Falker puts an end to the bullying and discovers the reading issues Trisha has been trying to hide. The book does not state that Trisha struggles with Dyslexia, but that would be my guess from the description of the issues. Mr. Falker works with Trisha and over several months is able to teach her to read.  I absolutely love this book because it deals with struggles and the work it takes to overcome them. The book also gives insight into the struggles of others. As kids, it can be the norm to pick on anyone who sticks out, this book highlights the effect that has on Trisha. My favorite part of the book is at the ve...

The Spy School by Stuart Gibbs is my favorite series! My daughter and I have read all of the books pictured above and are awaiting the next release October 6, 2020. I started by reading the first book to my daughter, who wasn't a great reader at the time. I was reading it for her...but it quickly became a book for myself as well. We have laughed so hard while reading these books. We have talked theories and discussed future possibilities. The books are very engaging! This is the summary of the first novel, Spy School, from stuartgibbs.com.  Can a normal kid be come a secret agent? Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: C.I.A. or bust. So he’s thrilled when he’s recruited to the C.I.A.’s top secret Academy of Espionage. Only, it turns out, Ben hasn’t been brought in because the C.I.A. expects him to succeed. Instead, he’s been brought in as bait to catch a dangerous enemy agent. Now, Ben needs to step up his game before he end...

WELCOME Welcome to my new blog! I am excited to share my love of reading with you. Reading opens the entire world to you, even as you sit at home awaiting the passing of our current pandemic. Reading can take you across seas, into space, or into the past. Reading can also take you beyond this world into the world of your imagination where anything is possible. Besides opening the world to you, reading is amazing because it can be so personal. No matter what your interests, there are books for you! Run with me as I help you learn to rampage through literature and grab hold of all the amazing knowledge and entertainment out there!