What I'm Reading Wednesday

I'm linking up with Juice Boxes and Crayolas for this week's What I'm Reading Wednesday!

When You Reach Me Summary:

"Twelve-year-old Miranda has enough to worry about: her best friend, who suddenly refuses to hang out together; a boy she might kind of like; the homeless guy on the corner near her New York City apartment; and her single mom, an aspiring game show contestant. But now Miranda is getting creepy hidden notes that tell her to write down the story of what happens to her -- but not inform anyone. It will take a tragedy to show Miranda that neither the notes nor her friendships are quite what she imagined."

My Thoughts- I just started this book today but did a little researching beforehand. I was recommended this book by a professor when I was in college. It is definitely for the older kids. I think that it's perfect for sixth graders, but could be appreciated by some mature fourth and fifth graders. What attracted me to the book was the setting and the fact that Rebecca Stead, the author, touches on racism. I teach about the Civil Rights Movement and the racism, discrimination and segregation that occurred during that time. It sparks a lot of brilliant conversations between my students and I. Because of that, I think that this book would be interesting to my students since race is such a discussed topic in my classroom during that unit. I'll have to keep you updated on how this book turns out to be!

I am also reading the "Divergent" Series by Veronica Roth. I'm currently on the second book, "Insurgent" and loving it. I'm not reading this from teacher's perspective. I'm reading it for pure enjoyment, but I think that this book would be very enjoyable to a older middle schooler, especially since they're making a movie out of the book!

I am so excited to see the movie! The book reminds me a lot of the Hunger Games, which is one of my favorite series. However, it is different enough from the Hunger Games. I would definitely suggest this as a read for adults, but definitely not for our elementary school kiddos because there's some iffy language and even scenes with drinking involved.

Divergent Summary (in the Author's words):

"In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her."