Book Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

With short, concise chapters weaving past with the present, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, quickly hooks its readers with its ability to seamlessly entwine magic and fantasy. Reluctant readers and YA fans both will love this book. Our first encounter with our protagonist, Tea, is her resurrecting her brother from his freshly dug grave.  Tea's ability to resurrect the dead shocks her community who haven't seen a Bone Witch, or dark Asha, in someone so young. Tea is equally horrified and enthralled with her new found magic; she is curious, but cautious as to what this means for her future.

Along with the constant companionship of her newly alive brother, Tea moves into an Asha house where she can be trained and taught to respect her new found abilities. As with any young, powerful and ambitious witch, there are those who are jealous and will do anything to destroy young Tea. It is with the help of three other Asha's Tea will soon discover who she is destined to become.

Tea challenges the dark within her. She knows she must keep it hidden and under control. She aspires to use her powers to help win the war amongst her people, but in doing so, she creates turmoil with those in charge. We know Tea is raising the demons to help wage war, but readers are left not knowing why or for whom she is doing this. A true cliffhanger, but one in which all of us will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

In the Classroom:

This is one of those books where a lesson plan doesn't come to mind. It was a wonderful book, and as stated above, one which reads quickly. I liked the mix of characters--both boy/girl, evil/good. It is one to put in the hands of students who enjoy fantasy, magic and historical information. Tea lives in the house of the Asha and at many times the comparison to the Geisha played forefront in my mind. Their costumes, customs and ability to entertain where spot on to the life of a Geisha. Rin Chupeco added in the elements most YA fans adore: magic and fantasy!

Coffee Crossing Visit on a Friday night!

When will I learn to not challenge ObeWan to a game of anything and then have the AUDACITY to tell him I am the reigning champ of a game? These words are merely an abrupt challenge for my child to kick my ass in a game. He watched me beat him once and left me crying for the following five games. I was never so glad to have to go pick J-Bird up from soccer practice. (Yes, the kid is on two soccer teams right now!) We ended up playing Scrabble after I lost my Heine to the kid at Connect Four. It was a fun night and got ObeWan away from the computer for awhile! 

Feet needed for Futsal!

My Mom keeps asking me WHAT IS FUTSAL? It is indoor soccer for the layman. This includes me as I really don't know the difference other than one is outdoors and one is indoors. I also know these are 22 minute halves verse the 30 minutes for outdoors. It is super fast paced and intense. The Futsal is a smaller, weighted ball. It hurts. The kids have to keep it on the ground and head hits are highly discouraged! J-Bird loves this game. It may help that he is a U10 player who has been allowed to play up to U12!!! It is super exciting for him to share the love of the game with 6th graders! It has given him a boost in confidence and he is well-liked among his team members! 

Those three points were made by J-Bird!!!

See his fancy foot work? That girl was coming to take him out....she missed!

Winter Futsal has helped him out tremendously! 

The pass was made and another score was added to the board!

My 'boreds" at school....

So, we are having a #JagslovePets contest at school for Pet Month. I was tasked with creating a pet contest with selfies! It was a blast. I am given a theme and then I run with it. I have another Mama friend who comes up with the themes and helps me create these masterpieces. I am going to take this pet one down and take it to the elementary school to do a library board with "Pawstiviely a good read!" 

We're also celebrating Kindness Month! These were the two I created for this theme. I am finding my ideas on Pinterest, then I tweak them to make them work for my world. It helps to use my Cameo Silhouette. I am not thrilled with the new one I received for Christmas, but am learning I will just adjust the blade myself and not have to worry about it! 

Book Review: Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell, Shadra Strickland

Historical events are often lost on our youth because they are unconcerned with our pasts, but only worried about their social media status and the last selfie they posted on Instagram. It is a challenge to teach the past without merely assigning pages to be read from a text and giving a lecture. Patricia Hurby Powell and Shadra Strickland have created a Documentary of the Landmark Civil Rights Case of Loving vs. Virginia in a new and fresh way; the story is told in poetic form while incorporating text from Newspapers, quotes from Civil Rights leaders and illustrations of what life was like in the 1950s. Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case also changes perspectives from Mildred (Millie) Jeter and Richard Loving throughout the nine years of their relationship. This black woman and white man fell in love, had children, but could not live together in the state of Virginia. When they chose to do this, they were convicted, sentenced and fined. Forced from their home in Virginia to live in Washington D.C. were they were free from persecution.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation passed more than 100 years prior to Loving vs. Virginia,  desegregation was still a problem in the United States and a marriage of the Lovings' was scandalous. As a public we know of the freedom riders, the sit-ins and the March on Washington, but the case of Loving vs. Virginia did not get as much news time. Marriage should be for those who fall in love and want to share in a union with one another; marriage is not to be determined by the states as was argued in this particular case. Each chapter brought a new date and changed perspective offering its audience a perspective of the hurt, embarrassment and anguish these two endured all for love.

In the Classroom:                                                                    

In the Social Studies/History classroom: Give several days worth of classroom lectures over a time period Unit. Once you have let several days pass, and have several lectures complete, have your students create an acrostic poem using one of the events which happened during the time period. They must use specific examples including dates, places and people. This is a simple poem, and depending on your English teacher, you could co-teach this unit together assigning multiple poems each with a different type of poetry used.

Little boy learns to ski at Paoli Peaks in Indiana

 

 Thanks to an amazing Christmas gift from Mimi & Papa J-Bird has learned to ski! We have gone four times in seven days! He took ski lessons and went this route despite his buddies telling him he should snowboard. He took to it instantly. He was even brave enough to go by himself down some of the intermediate slopes. This Mamabear was getting a bit worried when he would disappear from view, but about 10 minutes later I would see his orange helmet on the Ski Lift just swinging his skies and looking at peace with the world.

Blowing snow on the mountain

The first two times it was J-Bird by himself. The third time he went with his two buddies from class and they had fun! One of them had been skiing multiple times in the past and was a 'snowboarder'---but when he saw J-Bird on skies, he changed and joined him admitting to his mother (later and not in front of J-Bird) skiing was WAY easier than snowboarding and he was super glad he did it! The other friend wanted to snowboard as he claimed "it would be just like standing up on his sled while going down a hill." Both J-Bird and his buddy snickered outloud. I couldn't help but cackle....evilly. Yep, kiddo, just like standing up on your sled. After our bit of cackling humiliation, he decided to ski as well. I was the adult in charge, so I was glad they all went that route and stuck together. It was the first time I actually stayed inside the lodge and read. 

I broke down and purchased the boys goggles. Thursday (last) when we went they were making snow. The temperature was 30 and perfect weather to blow the white stuff everywhere. It was cold, miserable and didn't stop those boys ONE bit from skiing. I admire their tenacity!