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Once a month, The Edge of the Forest talks to a group
of kids about their favorite books.
This month Amy Simbe talks to fifth- and sixth-grade
students in Salt Lake City, Utah, about their favorite books and heading into the Reading Zone. Take it away, Amy!
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My fifth- and sixth-grade students in Salt Lake City have been finishing lots and lots of books this year. I've relied on
many of the ideas from Nancie Atwell's book The Reading Zone to talk about being swept away by stories and to
encourage students to become deeply involved in books.
Here's what some of my students have to say about their favorite books and about their journeys into the Reading Zone:
Miguel, 12 can't get enough action and adventure stories because they transport him right into the Reading Zone.
He strongly recommends the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series of mystery books. The Sea of Monsters
is his favorite book ever. He likes to imagine the part when Percy stabs the cyclops in the eye.
Ashley, 11 loved the book The Wedding Planner's Daughter, because it reminded her of many things in her
life. She also liked A Corner of the Universe because it put her in someone else's shoes.
Jared, 11 was fascinated by the "cheese touch" in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If anyone touches the rotten cheese on the
ground outside, it's like cooties, and you have to either cross your fingers of if your touched, you must pass it on to
someone else.
Jose, 12 likes Stephanie Meyer's vampire series. They are full of action and romance and he pictures himself as
Edward, a tough vampire who is ready to kill somebody if necessary. All three books, Twilight, New Moon,
and Eclipse have been awesome to read.
Blanca, 10 strongly relates to Bean, from Ivy & Bean. Blanca hates her big brother just like Bean hates her
big sister. She also enjoyed reading Charlotte's Web and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Maria, 11 has a hard time only recommending a few books. Some of her favorites are Gilda Joyce #1, #2, and
#3, Life as We Knew It, and the Twilight series. These books all have excellent descriptions which help
the people who read them get to the Reading Zone more easily.
Kelsey, 11 loves mysteries because you never know what's going to happen next. You make predictions and then keep
reading and you don't want to stop so you can find out what happens. Lately she's been reading lots of Sammy Keyes
mysteries. She also thinks many readers would enjoy the Gilda Joyce books.
Nick, 10 says the best books he's read this year are The Sea of Monsters, Here Be Monsters, and
Hugo Cabret. He's in the middle of The Titan's Curse. Action and adventure books make you get really
excited to know what's going to happen next.
Laura, 10 says the best books she's read are Ivy & Bean, The Higher Power of Lucky, Diary of a
Fairy Godmother, Hugo Cabret, and Stargirl. These books really caught her imagination and made her
think about what was going to happen next.
Ivan, 12 hopes that kids everywhere will feel inspired about not dropping out of books. He recommends
Harry Potter 7, Double Identity, Scorpia, and Ark Angel. These books all make
movies in your mind and fill you with excitement.
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The Edge of the Forest welcomes Kid Picks submissions. If you are
interested in submitting a Kid (or Teen) Picks column, please send an e-mail to
theedgeoftheforest@gmail.com.
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