Tagxedo

Today in my technology class, we were exploring new digital technologies that could be integrated into our classrooms, and I came across Tagxedo, a website that turns words into pictures. I just could not resist creating a rubber duck from this blog. The largest words are those that I use most frequently. How cool is this?

Olivia Kidney

I decided to read Olivia Kidney, Ellen Potter's first book in the popular series partly because I wanted to see what all the hype was about and partly because I am currently also reading and greatly enjoying Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook, co-authored by Ellen Potter. While the front cover of Olivia Kidney proclaimed, "breathtakingly original debut", I was not prepared for just how original the book would truly be. 

In this realistic fiction novel, Olivia Kidney, a twelve-year-old girl who moves frequently, finds herself locked out of her new apartment. Not knowing her neighbors yet and with her dad, the apartment's superintendent, off fixing something who-knows-where, Olivia thinks she is destined for an afternoon of boredom sitting in the hallway. Little does she know the adventures that await her. From an apartment made of all glass to a princepessa to a goat to an evil pirate to an apartment-turned-rainforest, her afternoon is far from boring. Not only does she meet many of her neighbors, she also discovers their strange pasts and the bizarre connections that they have with one another. And, in the process, Olivia discovers more about who she is as a growing young person.

To say the book was full of unexpected twists would be an understatement. When I neared the end of the book, I found myself frequently flipping backwards to see where these surprising revelations had come from because I was just so caught off guard by them. Much to my amazement, however, there were clues all along that pointed to these very things. So, dear readers, keep a sharp eye when reading this book! You just never know what might happen or what seemingly insignificant details may hold the key to a secret!

In the end, I really liked the book, but I have to admit that as I was reading it, I was frustrated by its apparent lack of reality. I think that I expected it to be much more like real life than it was. However, once I finished it, I realized that it was incredibly relatable, regardless of the fact that it was sometimes a bit unrealistic. I will say, though, that I was not a fan of the illustrations. I thought that they were too cartoonish at times, detracting from the story rather than adding to it. Other than that, though, I would highly recommend this book for older elementary and middle school students, especially those who are undergoing many changes in their lives. Olivia Kidney provides just enough realism to be able to help these students relate but also just enough fantasy to allow them to escape from their challenging circumstances.

She's All That: Poems about Girls

I have to admit that despite the fact that I already had an armful of poetry anthologies and was on my way to the check-out desk, I snatched this poetry book off the library shelf because it has a bright yellow cover with pink, sparkly letters, and a matching pink ribbon bookmark. I was a bit skeptical that it would be a good read for the exact same reasons that I chose it - the daisy-covered, sparkly-pink-lettered cover. Much to my surprise, however, this anthology was very well done.

The poems in this book, which include such noted poets as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Judith Viorst, and James Berry, were selected by Belinda Hollyer, a former teacher and librarian and current author. The book is divided into 9 sections, each containing poems related to the theme of that section: Always Me, Mirror Mirror, Full-o Zest, Best Friends, Sing Daughter Sing, Sweets for my Sweet, Causing a Stir, I Remember You, and Growing Up. 

I am not usually a poetry reader, but I read this poetry anthology from cover to cover. I loved the variety of types of poetry - there were free verse poems, couplets, narrative poems, lyric poems, poems for two voices, and more. I also appreciated that the overall message of the book was that girls should be true to themselves. All of the poems encouraged girls do what they like best, be it play the cymbals, juggle, run track, dance ballet, play basketball, or just do nothing! The poems were also multi-cultural, as there were poems about Indian girls, Vietnamese girls, and African-American girls, among others, and these poems also carried the message of being comfortable with yourself.

At the same time as the poems addressed such topics as being a good friend, growing up, and falling in love, they also unabashedly dealt with challenging topics head on. There were poems about prejudice, chauvinism, accepting others for who they are, death of loved ones, factory work, and racism. Because of these more challenging topics, I would recommend this book to older elementary or early middle school students. Younger students may not understand or appreciate some of the references made by these poems to earlier eras in American history or may not be mature enough for some of the topics. I do think that this anthology would be fantastic for a teacher to read aloud one at a time to his/her older class or to recommend to girls who may be struggling with some of the challenges that these poems address.