VERSE NOVELS: A Little Known Genre You'll Love

Verse Novels

Poetry on a Whole New Level

What? You mean there are novels written completely in poetry? 

Yes, and they're amazing! 

If you were to ask people if they enjoy poetry, I think you wouldn't get very many to say yes. Poetry has gotten a bad rap. Maybe for some of us it's because when we were in school we remember squirming in our seats hoping we wouldn't be called on to identify the elusive meaning of some ancient verse. I've since learned that the "meaning" of a poem can be different things to different people depending on our life experiences or world views. That's the beauty of poetry and it's important that we try to expose kids to that free enjoyment of the emotions in poetry.

Novels in verse are a great choice for even reluctant readers. The pages fly by and the rhythm of the verses carry them on a wave and keep them reading. They feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish a chapter or find themselves deep into a novel when they may normally struggle to get into one. They have plots, themes, characters, and settings just like traditional literature but they are written completely in verse. It boggles my mind the creativity an author must have to be able to do that. 

There are so many to choose from right now and more are being published all the time. Please take the time to try a novel in verse. Maybe read one with your child so you can discover this amazing genre together. I know once you've tried one, you'll be hooked!

Here are some of my recent favorites:

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

This is a beautiful coming of age story with outdoor adventure reminiscent of Hatchet or Stone Fox. One amazingly cool thing about this book is that the text on each page is in the shape of a diamond AND there is an additional "secret" found poem in bold font on each page. 

How cool is that?! 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This story will hook both boys and girls but it's especially appealing to middle grade boys. The basketball theme is strong but not overpowering and the themes of family, responsibility, growing up, and young love are perfect. 

Little Dog Lost and Little Cat's Luck by Marion Dane Bauer

If you're an animal lover, these are the stories for you. They couldn't be more sweet and satisfying. They would be great parent/child read alouds.

Kick off the holiday break by trying this amazing genre. I know you'll be pleasantly surprised and the next time someone asks you if you like poetry you can respond with a hearty YES! and tell them all about verse novels.

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wagner

Why Graphic Novels are Great

Graphic Novels! Why?

Graphic novels have been around for years and their popularity continues to surge but, if you're like me, you haven't always seen the draw (pun intended!) While I'm a reading fanatic and enjoy pretty much every genre, I haven't always been a fan of graphic novels. As a teacher I tolerated my students' interest but was always intent on encouraging them to read something else. Then in library school, I was forced to read a few and, guess what? I loved them! Since then I've researched the advantages as well as talked to kids about why they like them. Here's what I've learned.

  Graphic novels are not comics. They have complex plots, characters, themes, and literary devices just like traditional novels. Comics tend to tell one story over several issues while graphic novels follow the plot arc and are told in one book or through a series of stories like traditional literature.

Reading graphic novels is real reading and it is not cheating. Graphic novels are not easier in terms of story complexity. In fact, reading graphic novels can actually deepen comprehension. Instead of skimming past blocks of text, readers tend to slow down and examine the graphics which helps them comprehend the deeper parts of the plot more fully. The graphics in a graphic novel do not replace the text, rather the the story is told through BOTH words and pictures.

Graphic novels make struggling readers feel accomplished. The physical book itself is the same size as other traditional novels but the pictures help the reader decode the story more quickly which can boost their confidence. Being able to decode both pictures and text helps readers who struggle with vocabulary. Readers tend to be more willing to reread graphic novels which helps them internalize more and more complex layers of the plot with each successive read.


If you still have doubts, read a a graphic novel or two! I know you'll be a convert just like me. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Great Pet Escape by Victoria Jamieson

This adorable story is clever and funny!

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

This novel is great for addressing friendship issues and learning to be true to yourself.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series by Nathan Hale

This series takes real stories from history and makes them unputdownable (pretty sure I just made that word up!)

Check out these articles if you'd like additional information on the benefits of graphic novels.

5 Great Reasons to Read Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels as a Tool to Improve Literacy: 5 Facts

The Benefits of Graphic Novels

Until next time, keep reading!

Mrs. Wagner

Is Browsing a Lost Art?

Is Browsing For a Book a Lost Art?

One of my favorite things to do is browse a bookstore for a new book. Very rarely do I go with a title in mind. It is way more enjoyable for me to let the colors and the titles guide my interest. Even now thinking about that simple pleasure makes me smile!

Since becoming an elementary school librarian, I have noticed that most children do not look for books this way. As early as first grade, my scholars come to the library with a specific title or series in mind. While there is certainly nothing wrong with knowing what you like and want, it becomes a detriment when nothing else will do. If that particular book is checked out they seem lost and almost refuse to try any other book. This makes me so sad! To be honest, it took me a while to even figure out that was the problem. Students would say "I can't find anything" or "There's nothing good here." My first reaction was "What!" "No Way!" Now I see that we have lost the art of browsing and, like many things, we need to explicitly teach the skill.

Talk with your kids about what it means to them to browse for a book. Try guiding them through the process and maybe they'll rediscover the thrill of noticing a beautiful cover or laughing at a particularly clever first line.

1. Go into the library with an open mind. Be open to trying different genres or styles. 
2. Walk slowly past the shelves. Stop and look at books that catch your eye. Is the spine colorful? Is the cover design interesting? Is the title awesome?
3. pick 2 or 3 up that catch your eye and take them to a comfortable spot to look at them more closely.
4. Pile your mini stack nearby. Pick one up and read the back or the inside front flap and read the first page. I can always tell if I like the author's style right from the first page!
5. Out of that stack, surely one is worth checking out! Check it out, read it, and then share what you learned with a friend.

Reading new things that you would not normally check out is how you grow your reading brain! 

For the love of books and kids try to restore the art of browsing!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wagner

Who Doesn't Love a Great Book List?

Who Doesn't LOVE a Great Book List?

There really is nothing I love more than a stack of new books just waiting to be read which is probably why I love book lists so much. I love the idea of challenging myself to read all the mysteries from one year, or all the classics, or the 200 greatest Sci Fi novels! You name it, I'll try to read it. 

Two of the lists we share with elementary students are the Texas Bluebonnet list and the Texas 2X2 list. 

Both lists are selected by teachers, librarians, and other educators from across the state. They are chosen for their variety so that children are exposed to multiple genres, subjects, and formats. The 2X2 list is designed with grades kindergarten through second grade students in mind while the Bluebonnet list is geared toward third through sixth graders. 

If you have a difficult time enticing your child to read, challenging them with a list is a great idea. Make it fun! Read them with your child or make it a race to see who can read the most. Kids love to compete with their parents! Provide little incentives for reading books from the list and maybe have a bigger reward for reading all or most of them. 

If you're interested in either of these lists, check out the links below to learn more. 

Texas Library Association 2X2 Reading List

Texas Bluebonnet Award Reading List

If you have any questions about the lists or need more help choosing books for your child, email me at kristi.wagner@gcisd.net

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wagner

New School Year = New GCISD Reads Challenge!!

Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year

It's Time for a New GCISD Reads Challenge!

This is my favorite time of year! I absolutely love starting fresh and making new lists of books I want to read. Whether you and your child decide to keep track of pages, books, or genres it's time to honor every bit of reading kids do! 

Part of what burns kids out on reading logs and challenges is when well-meaning adults put all kinds of restrictions on them. Let's face it; no one likes to be told their efforts don't count! If a student reads five pages for a science assignment, it counts. If they read an article in a sports magazine, it counts. If they research  on a website, it counts! For this reason, the page challenge is my favorite. It allows kids to count the reading they do that's a page here and a few pages there. 

This is also a great time for kids to practice reasonable estimates. If they read a book and then turn it in before they've added it to their reading log, help them estimate about how many pages it was. It's not fair to estimate that a slim Junie B. Jones novel is a hefty Harry Potter 700 pages but a reasonable estimate of 125 is just fine!

I know as parents and teachers we get frustrated when our kids get stuck reading a genre or series that we think is below their abilities. The worst thing we can do, however, is tell them they can't read it anymore. If you don't want to spend money on those books I totally understand but I wouldn't advise telling them to stop checking them out from the library. An alternative is to try to entice them to read something else, in addition to their favorite. Over time, they will move on and try new things but reading that's a little too easy is better, by far, than no reading at all!

I think my biggest message to you for the start of a new school year is RELAX! Encourage a love of reading by honoring all the reading kids do, helping them keep up with their log, and encouraging the exploration of their interests. 

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wagner

History Doesn't Have to be Boring!

As an adult, one of my favorites genres to read is historical non-fiction. I'm particularly fascinated with books about World War II and exploration, like the Shackleton Expedition or the conquering of Mt. Everest.

As a librarian, though, I have a really hard time getting kids to check out books about historical topics. Luckily, many authors are writing books about history that read more like narrative picture books. History is full of fascinating stories and I think these slightly disguised history books are the perfect way to hook kids. They would be especially good for parents and kids to read together. That way, you could have some conversations about the content. The conversations don't have to be heavy and serious even if the subject is. These stories could provide some background for our kids so that when they study the topics in school they're not starting from scratch. Maybe more conversations and a better historical understanding will help us stop repeating the mistakes of the past. It's worth a try, isn't it?

These great books are available in our Cannon library. Come check one out!

The inspiring story of regular people rescuing British servicemen at Dunkirk during World War II

The story of hard-working immigrant boy in New York at the turn of the century

A little boy and his father look for his grandfather's name on the Vietnam Memorial

A colonial boy is determined to sled on Boston Common even if the British troops are camped in the way

The story of young Booker T. Washington who wanted to learn to read more than anything else

A beautiful story of the flight of Apollo 11 and the first moon landing

Until next time, happy reading!

Mrs. Wagner

Got Projects?

Happy Fall!

Even though the weather still feels like summer, we've reached that time of year when school has been in session for several weeks and students are beginning to bring home assignments for projects. The goal of these projects is usually to showcase what has been learned on a particular topic or to allow students an opportunity to share their thinking in a creative way. When the projects arrive back at school, however, teachers can sometimes only see what the parents know about the topic!

As a mom of two college students, I can tell you that there were many times when I did more than my fair share of my kids' projects out of sheer exhaustion on my part and out of a nagging desire to make sure they did well. There was even one time when my daughter woke me at 1:00 in the morning in tears to tell me that she just remembered she had a big research project due the next day. Instead of telling her to go back to bed, we stayed up until 3:30 in the morning researching King Henry VIII! While I would say my daughter and I bonded on that long night as I soothed her type A fears, I'm not sure she learned much of anything about King Henry or responsibility.

There is a big difference, though, in letting your kids do their own thinking and leaving them to do things by themselves. You can still make sure projects get done and even bond with your kids without doing the work for them. Be present. Ask questions. Be a sounding board as your kids tell you what they know and come up with ideas to show it. Be prepared for some resistance at first. I remember my son telling me he didn't know anything about the subject of his project. He was trying to push my buttons and get me to do his thinking for him and he was persistent in his denial of any knowledge whatsoever!  If you keep asking questions, though, and coming at the topic from different angles they will start to think and you'll start to hear what they know. That's the synthesis the teachers are hoping for when they plan the assignments!

Try to avoid expensive trips to the craft store to complete projects. Some of the best thinking is done by coming up with creative ways to show what they know with what you have on hand. It's ok if your child's project doesn't look perfect. 

At Cannon, we have several optional projects coming up that will be perfect opportunities to practice the art of stretching your child's thinking! Hopefully your Cannon scholar will be excited to participate in the Global Cardboard Challenge and the Storybook Character Pumpkin Decorating coming in October.

I know that there will be times when just getting the assignment done is the most important thing for the sanity of everyone involved but hopefully those times will be the exception rather than the rule. If you find yourself side by side with your child at 3:00 in the morning creating a life sized Henry VIII, chalk it up to bonding and laugh about it the next day! There will be plenty of other opportunities to help your child be the skilled problem solver and creative thinker that they are destined to be.

Until next time, happy reading!

Mrs. Wagner