Monday, August 8, 2011

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Connect)

This summer I read the Fablehaven series - the whole series.  I couldn't put them down!  Several of my students last year were reading the series and recommended them to me.  I loved it.  The way that the kids, Seth and Kendra have to work together to save their grandparents reminded me of the way that the characters in Harry Potter had to work together to save the world.  Without collaborating, the characters would not have been able to achieve the success that they did.    In fact, Fablehaven and Harry Potter have common themes of cooperation, loyalty and the supernatural.  Loyalty is important in Fablehaven.  Seth and Kendra are loyal to each other even when they are bickering and fighting as brothers and sisters do. The same is true with Harry, Hermione and Ron in Harry Potter.  The friendship shown by Harry, Hermione and Ron is obvious with their loyalty to each other.   In Fablehaven, the supernatural elements are magical creatures such as fairies and demons.  In Harry Potter, the supernatural elements are the magical powers that Harry and his friends and enemies possess.

Reading is Fun!

Reading is one of my passions and by the end of this school year, it will be one of yours too!  Well, I hope it will be.  Students in my class are expected to read independently for 3 hours each week, to log that time, and to prepare a written response to their reading.  At least once each quarter, you (my students) are required to post your written response to this blog.  At least once every two weeks, you are required to comment on a post made by myself or one of your peers. 

Your blog must include the title and author of the book as well as a written response to one of the six techniques good readers use:  Question, Predict, Infer, Connect, Feel or Evaluate.   Your post must be at least 150 words long and be free of spelling and grammatical errors.  If necessary, ask myself or a peer to proofread your post before uploading it. 

Comments must be constructive and be at least 50 words long.  Is this a book you have read before or would like to read? Why?