YA Lit Book Recommendations for Your Readers Plus New Years Math Centers

I'm slightly addicted to young adult lit. It's pretty much all I read, mostly so I can recommend it and share it with my community of fifth grade readers.  

I know I need to grow up one of these days, but hey they say 'thirty something is the new twenty' right - and twenty is a young adult, so there. 

Who am I kidding? I'll still be reading YA when I'm eighty - I hope.  :)  In the meantime, here are my most recent YA reads. 

 

             

 

I'm always inspired by the #bookaday challenge on Twitter, and Christmas break is the perfect time for me to read to my little heart's desire.

I actually started the Divergent series around Thanksgiving time and finished up all three within the month.  I'm a sucker for a good science fiction dystopian society story where character meets super powerful, controlling government and character wins.  Think Hunger Games, Giver series, Among the Hidden series, Uglies series........   Divergent was equally as suspenseful.  The first book in the series was clearly the best, but I have to read every book in a series once I get hooked - great literature or not.  Note:  Divergent is recommended for true young adult readers - too sophisticated for my fifth graders.  But I can't wait until they're ready in a few years.

The Book Thief was a recommendation from my high school English teacher husband.  It took me awhile to get immersed, it's actually more of an adult read in my opinion than young adult.  But I did enjoy traveling back to World War 2 ridden Germany and living through the war from a German perspective - or should I say death's perspective?  Great discussions about point of view could abound from this novel.  And the figurative language is amazing!  The book is also riddled with flashbacks, flash forwards and foreshadowing.  It's an English teacher's dream.

Someone on Twitter compared Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I agree.  I'm not usually a fan of fantasy, I'm always thinking 'ya right' when I read about things that couldn't really happen.  But Mr. Lemoncello's Library is actually quite realistic and my similar love of board games sucked me in. Also, who doesn't love a good mystery?  I can't ever put a book down until I can figure out 'who done it.'

Lastly, I just started Zebra Forest.  Those of you who know my obsession with zebra print will understand how this book ended up in my Amazon shopping cart.  Now that I've looked beyond the cover, I've realized it's actually just my type of book.  Struggling foster child meets challenge after challenge, yet never gives up.  Perseverance at it's best.  Also, surprisingly this book is full of suspense and intrigue.  I'm actually heading to finish it right now, with my electric blanket (Christmas present from the English teacher hubby) in tow and a mug of Ghirdelli white hot chocolate (Christmas present from a student).  Life doesn't get much better than this.....

Hope you're enjoying your Christmas break as much as I am.  Seven glorious days left!

Side note:  If you're on the prowl for some 'no fuss' math centers for the first week back from Christmas Break - look no further.  

I've just finished my New Years Decimal Math Centers. Centers include task cards, independent work, two math games, and a problem solving activity.  Skills include rounding decimals, placing decimals on number lines, adding decimals, ordering decimals, and multiplying decimals - all through the thousandths place.  Enjoy!