Blink

     Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is an incredible book.  I learned something new on nearly every page I read.
     This book is about the snap judgments we make in the blink of an eye.  Sometimes our instant decisions protect us and help us make great decisions, even though we don't know why we feel that way.  Other times our snap decisions are completely wrong and can cause harm for others, like in a police chase.  
     Malcolm Gladwell provides insightful stories and examples to show you how our snap decisions work and how we can use this ability to help us.
    I couldn't stop talking about or thinking about this book.  This is truly a book that has changed my thinking.  It is a must read.

Kill You Last

      Kill You Last by Todd Strasser is an awesome book!  I was hooked from chapter one.  
     Shelby's dad makes a ton of money taking photos of girls who want to be models.  Life is perfect until three girls in different towns disappear mysteriously.  The only thing police can find the girls have in common is they all had pictures taken by Shelby's dad.  Shelby is desperate to clear her dad's name, but is he as innocent as she hopes?  What about these scary text messages that Shelby keeps getting that threaten to kill her?  Will she be the murderer's next victim? 
      The book has a lot of suspense.  It is an easy read with short chapters.  There are a few kissing scenes that make it more appropriate for older teens.  

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

     Marcy Lewis hates everything in her life.  She is shy, scared, and embarrassed about her weight.  Ms. Finney changes all that.  Ms. Finney is an amazing English teacher who teaches Marcy to trust herself, her voice, and the other people in her life.  When Ms. Finney is fired for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance, Marcy is devastated.  She risks everything to try and get Ms. Finney back.  
     The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danzinger is an awesome book for struggling teenage readers.  It is easy to read, but deals with teenage issues, so struggling readers don't feel they are reading a kid's book.  It is funny and poignant at the same time.  Most teens can relate to some part of the book - being embarrassed about changing for gym, weight, fighting with their parents, dealing with younger siblings, struggling to fit in with other teens, or standing up for what they believe in when it goes against the values of other people.  My students love this book.

Neverwhere

    While on the way to a restaurant, Richard sees a young girl lying injured on the street.  His fiancee leaves him because he helps the girl.  Richard takes the girl home and nurses her back to health.  By helping her, Richard disappears from the real world.  He tries to live his normal life, but no one sees him or hears him.  He goes into the underworld of London to find the strange girl and get his life back.  
     It is definitely one of the weirdest books I have ever read.  It is based on a T.V. show that Neil Gaiman produced in London.  I did not know that when I started reading it, so a lot of it did not make sense. 
     The London Underworld is very strange with lots of blood, gore, death, betrayals, angels, demons, assassins, and other strange characters.  

Seven Simple Secrets: What the BEST Teachers Know and Do

     I just read an awesome book for teachers called Seven Simple Secrets by Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker.  This book has seven simple secrets to help you in your classroom.  A chapter is devoted to each of the seven secrets.  The authors give examples from classrooms and then give specific ways to implement that secret in your classroom.  The secrets include: planning, classroom management, instruction, attitude, professionalism, discipline, and motivation/inspiration.  
     This book has a lot of great strategies that I plan to use in my classroom this fall.  It is a great book for teachers of all ages - from preschool to college.  It is a quick read.  You can read all of it or specific sections that you want to fine tune in your classroom.  It has lots of tips that you can use immediately.  I highly recommend it for teachers.

Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School

     Everyone thinks Ike is a bad dog, so Mrs. LaRue puts him in obedience school.  Ike hates obedience school and starts writing Mrs. LaRue letters to convince her to get him out.  

     This picture book is a great book for introducing inferences.  Students can use the pictures to infer what obedience school is really like compared to how Ike describes it.  The pictures show what Ike is imagining, but also what is really happening, so students have lots of support to make inferences.  Then they can use the text to support their inferences to see if they were correct.  

     It is a cute book with great pictures.  The advanced words will also help build kids' vocabularies.  

Good to Great

      Some companies make the leap from Good to Great, while other good companies do not.  Although Jim Collins looks at the results from companies, the results apply to any organization.  He chose to look at businesses because they had a clear standard of success that could be applied to all companies.  
     Jim Collins and his research team found seven characteristics that ALL the good to great companies had in common.  Each characteristic is developed in an individual chapter.  Jim explains the characteristic, offers examples and non-examples, shows why it is important, and explains how an organization can implement the characteristic.  
      One of the most interesting characteristics to me was Level 5 Leadership.  There are so many people working in politics and businesses that do not have Level 5 Leadership.  Although their leaders are flashy or the newest and greatest in the business world, their companies will suffer from their leadership.  
     Although I am not in business, I learned a great deal about how to lead my school to becoming a great school.  This is an easy to read book with lots of applicable information.  .