Poor Emily just wants a phone for her birthday; she isn't
even asking for a certain kind or data plan, but since her sister has to go to
Physical Therapy for texting fingers, it is a lost cause for her. As she
wanders angrily away from her family birthday party at the beach, she ambles
along muttering to herself notions of destroying her family, when she discovers
a rock....
In Emily and the
Spellstone by Michael Rubens we are given a character who is suffering from
the angst of not fitting in or feeling normal. She wants normal, but even her
parents forget her true age on her birthday! She thinks all of her woes will
become rainbows if she could just have a phone. Emily can relate to most preteen
kids and they will commiserate with her immediately. Emily's unique hobby, or more of a habit at
this point in her life, of collecting rocks becomes her demise as she finds an
Iphone looking rock on the beach. She picks it up declaring to herself this is
as good as life is going to get. She puts it haphazardly on her window seal later
in the evening, not realizing the moon was the charger it needed to power on.
With the phone comes a demon protector who must do as Emily
bids, but the minute he is released he will eat her. It is quite comical and
the puns do not stop. Emily feels life cannot get any worse with a crazy rock
phone that comes with a free demon protector, when life does. She learns she is
the spellstone master and must learn the 'apps' in order to save her brother
who has been kidnapped by the ultimate evil family in another dimension.
Written by a former producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Michael Ruben's wit and comical situations allow for any
Middle Grade reader to enjoy this book. Unlike others, it is a book which has
no mature content and is written at a higher reading level; a perfect read for
those seven and eight year olds who can read at a higher level, but content
usually dictates they cannot. It is difficult to find a book where the maturity
level isn't questionable for a younger child with a high reading level. This is
a start of a series, so it is perfect to introduce to your 2nd and 3rd graders
who can keep reading it into 6th grade.
In the classroom:
Kids love 'electronic' days. They love the days where the
teacher pulls in the C.O.W. (Computers On Wheels) Cart or whatever acronym your
school may use to transport electronic devices. An 'electronic day' means a day
where they can touch, handle and become one with an electronic device. The
youth today are tech savvy and know their way around the Internet, how to use
apps and take selfies. As seen from page one it is abundantly clear Emily must
have a device. Emily's struggle is real. A child without a device feels left
out, neglected and not normal.
Use electronics in the classroom--if your school has them,
supply them for a class period, let them bring in their own, or take turns on a
computer. There are amazing tools to use in your classroom that are free. One
of my favorite ones to use is Prezi.com. It has a multitude of Powerpoints
already created for you to use in your classroom OR you can use their software
for free for your students to create a report. Super easy to use and navigate.
You can make them fancy and show off your techy skills, or you can make them
simple and to the point.
Another favorite classroom tool is Khan Academy. It is
wonderful for Science and Math. It allows your students to create accounts and
invite a teacher (or parent) to be their coach. The Internet is a wealth of
free information--good and bad---and our students today are using it.
My last tech tool which is a lifesaver is Remind.com. This
tool allows you to mass text or email your parents to stay in communication
with them. They also cannot email you back through this service, so they are
forced to email you or talk with their child about your text/email. This is a
great tool to allow your parents to know about upcoming events and no one can
say, "We didn't know...."
Emily and the Spellstone is a great read aloud as well! Some
kids do not have phones, but I pretty much guarantee their parents do. Use
these tools to your advantage.
