Mr. Kelsey
Thanks for checking into my section of the blog. The kids have all written introductions for themselves so I will do the same.
I am a fifth grade teacher at Manor Hill Elementary School in Liberty, Missouri. This is my eight year of teaching. I enjoy sports, as well as collecting autographs. My reading tends to be all over the place. I typically enjoy reading a lot of non fiction but there are times when a fiction title will catch my eye.
You may notice that my section has a lot of comments on it. As I was reconfiguring the blog to work with this years class, I started to delete my section and decided that I wanted to keep it. It really is a record of my reading over the last two years. I have read several books this summer including The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, Deception Point by Dan Brown, and Blogs of War.
The other thing about my reading is that I tend to read several books at one time. Currently I am reading 3 different books. Sometimes it gets confusing but they are usually so different that I can keep track of them. I think about it like watching different television shows and being able to keep track of them in your mind. I hope you enjoy reading my comments about the books I read.
52 Comments:
For my first post of the school year I thought I would do a couple of things. I am first going to update you on a few books that I read over the summer and then I will fill you in on what I am currently reading.
I actually got a lot of reading done during the summer. I started with the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown which I thought was really good. I am still waiting to see the movie. I also read Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall, Inside the CIA by Ronald Kessler, Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney. This book was really good. The television show “The Unit” is based on this book. I love the show and the book was even better. I read it on the airplane when I went to SanDiego this summer. I also read The Sky is Not the Limit by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I actually met him in Colorado last April at the National Space Symposium. He was very funny in person and his book was just the same. One of the books I am currently reading is also by him but it is much different, I will explain more about it below. I read My Prison Without Bars by Pete Rose and KidCast a book about podcasting in the classroom. Like I said earlier, I read a bunch this summer. I think there were even a couple more in there that I have forgotten.
Currently I am reading two different books. It always seems like I have more than one book going at a time. I have one book that I am reading at home and one at school. At home I am reading a book called River Horse by William Least Heat Moon. I read his first book which is about him driving across the country and the people that he meets. This book is about a trip that he took across the United States by boat. I have been working on it for a while, he has an interesting style of writing, almost like you are just talking to him and he is telling you a story. I also have his third book setting on my book shelf in my living room, PrairyErth. Another interesting thing about William Least Heat Moon is that he is from Kansas City. My brother has read a couple of his books and I hope that he does a talk or lecture around here because I know that we would both like to go.
The other book that I am currently reading at school is called Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. When he spoke at an awards ceremony I was at, I knew that I wanted to read his book. His biography was just like him, hilarious but you could definitely tell that he was very intelligent. So when I found another of his books at a discount book store I bought it. This book is way different from the first one I read. This is literally about how the universe began. It is a very technical book with lots of detailed scientific information. It is a very hard read. The only thing that is keeping me going with it is that Neil DeGrasse Tyson is funny and it comes through even with technical writing. I am a little more than halfway through the book but I am looking forward to finishing it so I can more on to something a little easier and fun to read.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
This week in class we practiced what a good post would look like. We will be doing more of these next week but the kids wanted me to post this one as an example of what a really good post would look like.
The book I just read was William’s Doll by Charlotte Zolotow. This is a picture book that is realistic fiction. It has 31 pages. This book is about a boy who wants a doll. His dad will not allow it because he is a boy, instead he buys him “boy gifts.” William’s brother and neighbor make fun of him for wanting a doll. William’s grandma comes to visit. To find out what happens next, read William’s Doll.
I liked this book because it was something different that I wouldn’t normally choose to read. I usually like action or sports books. I especially liked the part when grandma showed up. When William and his grandma went on a walk and William told her about wanting a doll, his grandma said, “Wonderful!” I liked this because it reminded me of how my grandma always makes things okay.
Mr. Kelsey
Friday, September 22, 2006
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
What’s your favorite part in Where the Red Fern Grows? My favorite part is when the boy buys the two puppies. I love animals and wish I could hold the puppies in the book. I think their names are really cute too. I can’t wait to read the book in class. I hope everyone else likes it.
I don’t how you can read more than one book at a time. I would get mixed up with the characters so I only read one book at a time.
Kate
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Mr.Kelsey,
I haven't read "The Davinci Code" or seen the movie, but after reading your post on it, it seems like a good book. I think you should read "Toes." It has 169 pages and it is Fantasy. It is about a cat that has 7 toes, that means 28 toes wow!
Breauna
Friday, September 29, 2006
I haven’t posted for a while and I wanted to let everyone know that I am still reading. I am actually working on several books. At school I am still working on Origins. It is a very slow read. There was a section in the middle of the book that was very hard to read and I didn’t understand all of it. I’m not into a part that is easier to read and understand and more interesting. At home I am reading Moneyball by Michael Lewis. It is about the Oakland A’s baseball team and how they became so good and didn’t spend a whole lot of money like the New York Yankees. The part that really got me into the book was when the mentioned Mark Teahen. Teahen now plays for the Royals (and I’ve met him) but he was drafted by the A’s. They also mention a lot of players that are still playing and even mention Royals pitcher Zach Greinke. What really has me into the book is that the A’s are in the playoffs this year and I really want to finish the book to see if it has any insight into why they did good this year also. I’m about halfway through.
I am also still working on Riverhorse. It is a slow read but I am getting toward the end of the book. It is about a guy who traveled all across the United States on water. I only read a couple of pages a day because it is setting on my kitchen table so I read it while I eat breakfast.
I was at my parents’ house yesterday. My dad has a HUGE bookshelf. Literally there are hundreds of books on it. Occasionally I will grab a book off of there. The funny thing is that my dad reads a lot of fiction, which I don’t usually read. But last night two books caught my eye. The first was The White House Connection by Jack Higgins. I read a couple of pages and it was pretty interesting so I brought it to my house and it is on my list of books to read. I also picked up another one that is way different from what I usually read. It is called The Smoke Jumper. It is by Nicholas Evans. The title is what caught my eye. A smoke jumper is a fire fighter that jumps out of airplanes into forest fires and put them out. That sounds really interesting to me. The part that I’m not sure about is that Nicholas Evans also wrote the book The Horse Whisperer. I saw the movie and didn’t like it a whole lot so I’m not sure if that book will be one that I like or not but I thought I would give it a try.
I also wanted to let everyone know that I am super excited about all of the comments that are being posted. You guys are doing a great job. Keep up the good work.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Okay, I was thinking about the post that I wrote earlier today and I have had several kids ask me how I am able to read several books at the same time. I hadn’t ever really thought about it too much until today. What I came up with was an analogy. Are you able to watch more than one TV show at one time. I don’t mean by flipping through the channels at once but are you able to keep track of the events from multiple series at once? I watch several TV shows that have ongoing plots like 24 and Prison Break and I am able to keep track of what is going on in each of those shows from week to week. When I read a book, I try to make such a mental picture that it is really like I am watching a TV show but the show is going in my head. Hopefully this helps to explain how I am able to read more than one book at one time. I’m off to read more of Moneyball, I want to try to finish a big chunk of it before the playoffs start later this week.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
I want to tell you about a book that I read a long time ago. It is called I Was Right on Time by Buck O’Neil. It is an autobiography. It tells all about this amazing mans life. He passed away yesterday. I am very sad about that but I am happy that I got the opportunity to meet him several times. I never walked away from him without a smile. Check out the Dear Mr. Kelsey Blog to see a letter he sent me and a picture of me with him. He will be missed.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
One of the interesting things about reading more than one book at a time is that amazingly, I usually finish multiple books around the same time. I just finished two books. The first is Moneyball. It was great. One of the very fun parts about it is that many of the people in the book are still playing baseball, as a matter of fact, the Oakland A’s who are in the playoffs (I’m watching the game right now and the A’s are winning).
The second book that I just finished was called Origins by Neil deGrasse Tyson. The beginning of the book was pretty good. Then I got the middle of the book and it got really confusing. Here is one line from the middle of the book. “We can restate this question in terms of the two that we use to measure the density of matter and the density equivalent of dark energy: Why do M and A roughly equal one another, rather than one being enormously bigger than the other.” Quite honestly, I skimmed over this section and got on to another section. The end of the book ended up being pretty good because it talked about the search for life in the Universe and what the odds are of their being more life in the universe. Pretty interesting stuff.
Tomorrow I think I will begin to read The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans. I might also re-read Buck O’Neils book, I Was Right on Time.
Until next time, happy reading!
Mr. Kelsey
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Hi Mr. Kelsey, this is Cory and I thought it was funny that we both read multiple books at the same time. Right now I’m reading the books Wintering Well and Night of the Living Dummy. To find out about those books read my last two blogs. But I want to talk about the book Moneyball. How many pages does it have and is it a quick read? The reason I am asking these questions is I haven’t read a sports book sense the whole Mark Twain thing so I forgot what they’re like. Well I hope you get this comment.
From, Cory
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Hi Mr. Kelsey, this is Cory and I thought it was funny that we both read multiple books at the same time. Right now I’m reading the books Wintering Well and Night of the Living Dummy. To find out about those books read my last two blogs. But I want to talk about the book Moneyball. How many pages does it have and is it a quick read? The reason I am asking these questions is I haven’t read a sports book sense the whole Mark Twain thing so I forgot what they’re like. Well I hope you get this comment. From, Cory
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
I just finished reading Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston. This is a realistic fiction book. I was at Wal-Mart the other day and the cover of this book caught my eye. I opened it up at the store to read the first couple pages and see if it was interesting. The first two pages were about the Apollo moon landings. I wondered how the author could tie the moon landings to dinosaurs. I found out. The book involves a dinosaur prospector who found a very important fossilized T-Rex. The prospector is murdered by a guy trying to steal his find. This is what a lot of the book is about. You don’t find out about the moon landings until the end of the book. I don’t want to give too much away but it has to do with a fossilized virus.
This book really had me hooked from the time I first saw the cover. It was really interesting to see how space and dinosaurs were tied together. The author did it in a very real, believable way. I was worried that it would be unbelievable but it was pretty good. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the last couple of chapters. Everything got wrapped up very quickly. Part of that was because when I got down to the last couple of chapters I couldn’t put the book down so it seemed like it went faster. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. What was unusual for me was that I was into it enough that it caused me to buy three more fiction books even though I usually enjoy non fiction. One is by Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park, and the other is by Dan Brown, the author of the DaVinci Code. I’m not sure which one to read next. Any suggestions?
Sunday, October 29, 2006
I just finished reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. This is the same author as the DaVinci Code. I really enjoyed the DaVinci Code (even though I still haven’t seen the movie) so when I saw this book at a book store recently, I bought it. It was really amazing how similar they were at the beginning. I am really glad that I didn’t read them back to back, I don’t think they would have been as good. I actually just bought another book by Dan Brown but I am waiting to read it for a while.
The plot set up was almost identical but the plot itself was very different. The middle part of the book was my favorite because it was very action packed. The end was odd, though. Toward the beginning of the end I started to have my doubts about liking it. One of the main good guys turned out to be a bad guy. I didn’t like it at all but then there was a HUGE plot twist right at the very end that made me okay with it.
I just pulled my next book to read off of my bookshelf in my living room. It is State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I am on a fiction kick right now. Usually I don’t read so much fiction but lately I have enjoyed it. I wonder if I will like State of Fear?
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Mr. Kelsey
I love sports to I love to read. If you r any mark Twain books did you like them.
From Your friend Kayla
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Hey Mr. Kelsey,
I heard you talking about the DaVinchi Code. I heard about the movie and I was wondering how it was because I heard a few of adults talking about it. The book you were talking about on Thursday, November 16, 2006 called River Fall or something I couldn’t remember but you had a good little summary on it and I thought the book was kind of interesting. You were also talking about a book with some forest fire in it and that sounded very interesting. Oh yeah, can you please comment me. I also like the Broncos to.
From,
Brandyn
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
I like that you read books at breakfast, school, and at night. I am really into mystery books. The book that you are reading to us in class today, I love that book because it is kind of like a mystery book. State of Fear sounds really good. I think I will start reading your blog more often to see what books you are reading.
From, Christen
Friday, November 17, 2006
I am a reading teacher. I am just amazed at your on-target comments and the amount of reading you are doing. Keep it up. And try reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is hilarious!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Mrs. O’Halloran, thank you so much for your post. It is really exciting to know that others are reading our blog. I’m sure the kids would love to see what you are reading or some of your other favorites from when you taught. Feel free to post anything you would like in the “other adults” section. Thanks again and we look forward to hearing from you.
Mr. Kelsey
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Okay, I know that this is going to be a long post because I just finished reading two books and I am almost done reading a third.
The first book that I finished was River Horse by William Least Heat Moon. It is the true story of the author’s trip across the United States by river. It took me a long time to read but it was a good book. Kind of a relaxing book to read. There were funny parts and a few parts with some action. I was a little disappointed in the ending. He had traveled all across the country and when he finally got to the Pacific Ocean, the book just kind of ends. It didn’t talk about his celebration, or what happened after that, it just said that he turned the boat around and headed for home. I have read another book by William Least Heat Moon called Blue Highways. It is all about his trip around the United States in his van using nothing but back roads. I actually liked it more than this one. He has another book called PrairyErth. It is about him walking through every part of a county in Kansas. I don’t know if I will read it or not. My brother read it and said that it was a pretty slow read. I think I have a copy of it at home but I don’t know if or when I will read it.
The next book I finished was the one I was reading at school during silent reading time. It was called The Smoke Jumper. It was by the same author as the Bridges of Madison County, Nicholas Evans. This book started out with a lot of action which actually culminated in the middle of the book. The rest of the book ended up being a love story with a little bit of action. I liked this book a lot, even though I didn’t know if I would when I started it. What I liked the most was that there never was a part that I could easily predict what was going to happen next. A couple characters die in the story in really unexpected ways. I also thought it was interesting that a story about smoke jumpers in Montana ended up in the middle of a war in Africa. Another thing I noticed was that the author used the word “smart” a lot. This is a really little thing but I did notice it. He described people as dressing “smart” or that the book was “smart”. It got a little annoying after a while. Overall, I really liked this book.
Right now I am reading a book at home about Jackie Robinson’s body guard. It is pretty good but totally fiction. The other I am reading is called The White House Connection. This is one that I saw on my dad’s book shelf and thought it looked interested. I’m not very far into it so far. I will post more later.
Mr. Kelsey
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Hay is river horse a good book? It sounds really good. When did you start river horse? What is it about ? how did you feel about the book.
By Austin B
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Hi Mr. Kelsey. I am inspired how you read books all the time. When you eat breakfast, and how you read books at your desk at school and how you even read books in your bedroom. Also when I heard what River Horse was about I wanted to see more about it. Then when you told the class how the book ended I was also disappointed. Hopefully the next book you read you will enjoy the book better as in having a better ending. In the text you said, “The other one that I am reading is called White House Connection. This is one I saw on my dad’s book shelf and thought it looked interested, I’m not very far into it so far. I will post more later.” I would enjoy hearing about the, White House Connection. My grandma has been and she says that it’s amazing so I wonder if the book you are starting to read is really about the White House itself. By: Kaitlyn
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Mr. Kelsey the post on river horse was vary good. It was so good that I might tell my mom to read it. My mom wants to know how much you liked angels and demeans. So comment on mine and tell me how much you liked it. I am tying to get my mom to post on one of the books she is reading.
From
destiny
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Mr. Kelsey,
You don’t know how many times I have tried to read 2 books at the same time. Last time I tried I ended up thinking that what was happening in one book was happening in the other book. I got so frustrated. You really have to have some skill to do it. I am reading The Young Man And The Sea. I is very interesting so far. See what happens is there is a boy who is small for his age. His mom is dead and his dad sits around on the couch and drinks beer. Their boat the Mary Rose has sunk. The boy is able to raise it out from the water. Now the boy is trying to fix the boat. This sounds so wacky! The boat is very important to the boy so it does make some sense. Anyway I think that you should read that book even though it is a kids book. It also is a Mark Twain. It is my 15th Mark Twain I think. It’s pretty close to it. Happy reading.
Your Friend and student,
Johnna
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
I know that I just posted yesterday about the two books I finished but I finished another one last night. I ended up staying up later than I wanted to but I was only a few pages from the end. This book was Double Play by Robert B. Parker. It is the story of Burke, who is a body guard for Jackie Robinson during his first season in the Major Leagues when he was the first black player in the majors. It was kind of a mob story. There was a lot of action which was cool. The body guard had to shoot a guy that was trying to shoot Jackie Robinson. The ending was okay, basically the season ended and Jackie didn’t need the body guard any more. This was a really quick read, just because of the way it was written. A lot of the book was written as conversations.
This morning as I got ready to eat breakfast I didn’t have a book to read so I grabbed Digital Fortress off of the book shelf. This is another book by Dan Brown who also wrote The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. There is a different main character but the book starts the exact same way as the other two, with an emergency phone call in the middle of the night.
Until Next Time, Happy Reading!
Mr. Kelsey
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
This isn’t a normal post for me. I didn’t finish any books so I’m not going to talk about that. What I did do was some Christmas shopping over the long weekend and I went to the book store. I saw a ton of books that I want to read. I didn’t get any of them yet but they are definitely on my “to read” list. I just thought I would share some of the interesting titles with you.
1. The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara. I really want this one and after Christmas I am going to order it from the authors web site signed. I have all of his other books autographed so I want to add this on to my collection. This is a historical fiction book about the World War II. I really like the style of this author and have really enjoyed all of his other books. I can’t wait to get this one.
2. The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. This is a book that I have been hearing a lot about. It talks about the digital revolution and how communication is becoming so much easier all over the world. I think this blog is a great example of this.
3. Stealing the General by Russel S. Bond. This is a true Civil War story. It is about a train that was stolen. I have told this story for several years when I teach the Civil War. The only resource I had was an article I pulled from a magazine. I can’t wait to read the entire account.
4. 1776 by David McCullough. This is a book about the Revolutionary War. I actually met the author but have never read anything by him. My brother had the book he wrote about Harry S. Truman and I got it signed for him. He was very interesting to listen to and I was reminded of this book this weekend.
5. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. Mr. Obama will be making a run for president in the next election and I would like to read his book to see what he has to say. He also has a biography out that looked pretty interesting but this book would be first of the two I would want to read.
6. Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper. I really like Anderson Cooper. He was a news anchor on Channel 1, an old TV show they used to show when I was in high school. Then he went on to host a reality show that I really liked called The Mole. Now he is a news anchor on CNN.
7. American Soldier by Tommy Franks. I have his autograph and I know a guy that worked with him so now I would like to read his biography. I have always liked biographies and this one looks good.
8. Honeymoon with my Brother by Franz Wisner. This is a goofy sounding title but someone recommended the book to me over the summer and I forgot about it then saw it over the weekend. It sounds like it might be a cool story.
9. Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter. I again, want a signed copy of this or his new book which is called Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Jimmy Carter is an amazing man. Every time I read something of his, or see him speak I am impressed. I missed an opportunity last year to meet him and I still regret it. He was doing a book signing here in town and I had to take a day off of school to go so I didn’t. I should have gone. He is an incredibly smart man and his books blend his down home wisdom with his great intellect. The last book I read by him was about his childhood. Not normally a book I would really like but it turned out to be really good.
So if I get all of these books, I have a little bit of reading to do but they all look like good books. I hope that everyone’s reading lists are filled this holiday season.
Mr. Kelsey
Monday, December 04, 2006
dear mr.kelsey
i engeyed reading your blog.
the devenchy code sounds good. ithink i will start reading it.
margaret
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
I finished a book a week ago and I keep forgetting to post about it. I finished Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. This is the same author as The DaVinci Code (I finally saw the movie and I liked the book better). This book was about a super computer owned by the government that broke encrypted codes. The whole book was really good with lots of action and a few plot twists. The book ended up being more of a weird love story than anything. I thought that was odd but overall I liked the book. Dan Brown has one other book that I haven’t read yet. I want to read it but I’m going to wait, hopefully I will get some great books over the break to read. At school I am reading a book called the White House Connection. It started out okay but after reading about 80 pages, I’m not that into it. This is one of those books I grabbed off of my dad’s book shelf. It has stared to be a lot about Ireland and criminals over there, not something that interests me very much. I am thinking about scrapping it and starting something new. I think I want a really quick read for a change at school. I’m thinking about reading one of the Mark Twain award books or one for next year. I also saw the other day that there is a sequel to Holes. I would really like to read that one. At home I am reading a book that was recommended to me by Mrs. Huebner. (She also loaned me a copy of the book, thanks Mrs. Huebner!). It is called History Lessons by Dana Lindaman and Klye Ward. It looks at American history and how it is taught in history books around the world. I have only read a little bit of the first chapter but I think it is really interesting to see what other countries and cultures think about our history. This will probably be the one that I focus on over the break.
This will probably be my last post this year. I want to thank all of the kids for their constant work on this project. Without their hard work and pushing each other to do a great job and striving themselves to write thoughtful comments, this project would not work. Thanks to all of the friends, cousins, and other students who have posted and given us a perspective from those kids outside our classroom. Thanks to all of the parents and adults that have posted. Showing the power of reading at all levels and of all different kinds of text is so important to the kids and adds a great deal to the blog.
Hope that everyone has read some great books this year and looks forward to many more amazing books in the new year.
Mr. Kelsey
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
That is bad that you forgot to post, but that is good that you finished the book Digitl Fortress. I think that you should tell the class the book you just finished and the book you have started because your post glued my feet to the floor. From, Christen
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Hey Mr. Kelsey, this is Demi. You have some really long posts. One that caught my interest was that you had commented on a children's book. It was also a Mark Twain award for this year. It was The Young Man and the Sea. I started that and didn't like it too much but after you said that it sounds like a really good book. To be honest I hardly ever look at your blog. (More like never!) But I should start coming a little more often. You do have alot of adult books but who knows you may occasionally have a book of my interests like The Young Man and the Sea. Well, I am just getting over a week and a half long cold right at the moment,but half of my family has it and I should probably go see if they need anythhing. See you Monday. (I hope!)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Hey guys, it has been a while since I have posted. I kind of talked about this in class the other day but I wanted to go ahead and post. The truth is I haven’t finished any books lately. I was reading a book called History Lessons. This book was about how American history is taught in different countries. I read about half of it and while it was interesting it was a pretty boring read. I just couldn’t get really into it. The parts that were about subjects that I teach were much more interesting than those that I don’t. I read past the Civil War section and then I really couldn’t get into it. So I have stopped reading it.
At school I am still reading 1776 by David McCoullough. It is a good book but a slow read and one that I have to concentrate on while I read. This is definitely a book that am enjoying but not one that you can watch TV while you are reading. I am going to continue to read it but It seems like I only get through a couple of pages each day.
The library at school just got a new book that I checked out. It is called “Blogs, WIKIS, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. It is by Will Richardson who is one of the big education gurus right now about using technology in the classroom. He is someone that I would really like to hear speak sometime. I actually think he is at the technology conference at the end of February in St. Louis. This is going to become my next book I read at breakfast, or at night before I go to bed.
Now on to what has been taking a lot of my time for reading lately. I am going to Disney World for my honeymoon in June. I checked out about 10 books from Mid Continent Public Library that are Disney touring books. Most of the books are very similar in that they tell about each of the rides and different things to see. Most of them I have just skimmed through them. There were a couple of them that I read more in depth. One of them was the Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World. ALthought a lot of the things they list are out of my price range, it had some interesting information that wasn’t in some of the other books. What has been the most interesting are some of the little know things to see and do. For example, did you know that if the giant geodesic ball at Epcot Center were a golf ball, the golfer would be over a mile tall. I’m not going to list all of these books because the list continues to grow. There are a couple of books that we are going to buy before we go, including the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and the Imagineers guide to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There is also a Queue Line Survival Guide that sounds really interesting.
That is all that I have for now, if you have a favorite Disney book I would love to hear about it. Until next time, happy reading!
Mr. Kelsey
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Mr. Kelsey have you read that book I gave you. The book is black water. I was wondering.
p.s. post back
Austin b
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
I just wanted to do a quick post. I am still reading but my reading time has been pulled in many different directions lately. I just finished Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts. It was awesome. I already knew a lot of the information but I learned new stuff and got ideas on new ways to use these things in the classroom. I am still working on 1776 and I am reading The Land by Mildred Taylor. It is good, I just haven’t had time lately to get too into it.
A while back I was at the book store and saw several more titles that I want to read. They include Deception Point by Dan Brown, the same author as the DaVinci Code. There was another that caught my eye called Silver Tower by Dale Brown. It is about the space shuttle, it is fiction but it looks good. Another nonfiction book that looked good was Miracle in the Andes about an airplane crash.
I also read a short selection of Rise to Rebellion with some students a couple weeks ago and that reminded me how much I like the author Jeff Shaara. I am thinking that I am going to order his new book soon so that I can read it on the airplane over the summer when I go to Florida.
That is all for now. Hopefully next time will have more information about books that I have completed.
Happy Reading!
Mr. Kelsey
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mr. Kelsey have you read that book I gave you. The book is black water. I was wondering.
p.s. post back
Austin b
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Hey Mr. Kelsey,
I saw that you were still reading 1776. Is that a good book? I don’t think I would read those kind of books because I don’t like the Revolutionary War for some reason. I just think it’s kind of boring but I know it was a big turning point in America.
I think you should try reading some reading some Andrew Clements books because have some good mysteries in them and some school stuff, even though it will be a really easy read to you I think should read some.
I had a question for you, why don’t you ever read sports books at school? I really like sports so I read them all the time. Comment me back.
From,
Brandyn
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Dear Mr.Kelsey,
I think it is really special that the kids get to do book blogs.
Sincerly,
Taylor
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
My mom and dad just saw the divinci code my dad read the book. I saw th kid version called the National Treasure. I thought the movie was really good. I also just read the whole series of measles and the... dragoons, malest, and the creeproach. I will try to read all those books like inside the CIA or hope or maybe even The sky is not the limit.
sincerely,
Joey
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
What books are you reading? I’m reading Where the Red Fern Grows (of course!) and Heat. When I’m done with heat, I’m going to start reading The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli. It’s the book I got from the PTA. I can’t wait to start reading it. I think you should read all of the Mark Twains for next year because I’ve already read 9, and they’re all really good so far. I can’t wait to finish the rest of the Mark Twains!
-Kate
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mr. Kelsey,
Thank you for teaching our class about the book blog! It's been fun.
I hope the class you'll teach next year likes it to. I know I did.
By: Kaitlyn
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Dear Mr. Kelsey,
Its been long since I’ve written to you. Let me freshen up your memory, my number was #19 and I was part of the KMH team, yep that’s me Tiffany! This summer I haven’t read a lot of books, but I have thought about writing some books, about the amazing Vacations I’ve been on how does this sound “Me and Miami Together At Last” I just started today. Well it’s time for me to take of for another adventure, Bye!
Yours Truly,
Tiffany T. #19
P.S. Write back soon!
Friday, July 27, 2007
On Call in Iraq by Richard Jadick
I don’t know why but lately I have been on a spurt of reading books about Iraq and the war on Terror. One of the books that I read over the summer was called Blogs of War. It was good but this book was better. This is the true story of Dr. Richard Jadick and what he went through in Iraq and the battle of Fallujah. Parts of this book were very hard to read because the author very bluntly told about some of the stuff that he saw in Iraq. One of the things that reading this books makes me want to do is to write to soldiers that are stationed overseas. I did this when I was at the Jr. High (Desert Storm) and I made a life-long friend by doing that. It also made me really appreciate the military and pay much more attention to current events, especially what was going on in Iraq.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
I have read all of the Harry Potter books and I can honestly say this was by far the best. My other favorite was the third one. I don’t want to give too much away but I loved the way that JK Rowling worked in all of the characters that had been introduced in all the other books and they all had significant parts. She wrapped things up nicely and I felt like the entire book had a lot of action in it. Sometimes when you get a book that is over 700 pages it has some boring stretches, not this one. I really like the way that the book ended but I am also sad to see the series come to an end. Not only because I liked to read the books but also because I think they are a great bridge between kids and adults for reading. I have flown several times since the last book came out and I noticed a ton of people with the book but the really odd thing was that they were all adults. I didn’t see a single kid reading it. Part of that is because it probably isn’t appropriate for little kids, I just hope that those that started the series will also finish it because the ending is worth reading all the other books for.
Mr. Kelsey
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I think that Harry Potter books are cool too I wonder if this book is as good as you make it sound. I also think your paragraph was great!!
-Nicholas
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wow Mr. Kelsey, you gave a lot of description in those paragraphs. I really want to read the book since you gave me all those descriptions about that. I can’t wait to read it. I wish I could read it now but I can’t I am already reading Ghosts of Fear Street. What kind of books do you really like to read? I like to read Goose Bumps books and even sometimes the book may even give me goose bumps.
-Hope
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Lee Carey, Janet, New York, Aladdin, 2004, Fiction.
Wenny Has Wings is about a seven year girl that dies, because a truck accidently runs her over her. Her brother, Will, is trying to get through the hard times without her. So he writes letters to her in a plain black book that has not been used yet. When he writes to her he hopes that sometimes she will come down from heaven, and reads them. Gallagher, Will’s new friend he met at the hospital, went online to see how to connect with spirits. He found how to, and Wenny came back, but she only came by for a minute. So she turned off the lights so they would not see her. After she dropped by Will turned on the lights, but she was already gone. Next thing they new they were going in the Tunnel of death. It is a tunnel no one has ever come out of once they go in. They say you can bring someone that has died come back alive. You will have to read the book to see if they find Wenny. It is my favorite book in the whole wide world.
Marressa
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Mr. Kelsey, hey it’s me again Monse! You did a very good job on those paragraphs. I think that the Harry Potter books are great! I would prefer to see the movies. The “Deadly Hollows” book that you just finished sounds great! I really want to read it after that way you described it. If you think that I don’t know what happens to Harry, Hermiony, and Ron then you’re wrong, well I heard that at the end Lord Voldimore kills them with his power, that’s what I heard.
-Monse
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Dear Mr.Kelsey,
I think Monse's right. I perfer to watch the movies but I read the books for free. I mean why spend $5 when you can read a good book for free?
Lizzie
P.S. Can you recamend any space factual books for me?
Lizzie
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Crashing Through by Robert Kurson
My brother gave me this book and said that I might like it. Boy was he right. This is the story of Mike May, a guy that had been blind since the age of three. Through some new technology and advances in the science of vision, there was a chance that he could get his vision back. This book is the story of his journey. It talks about him being blind and some of the amazing things that he did while blind (skiing, etc.) and then tells about him getting his vision back. It was a funny and heart warming story. Probably the most gut wrenching part of the book was after he got his vision, he struggled to understand it but once he really started to understand how to see, he got an infection and almost lost his new vision. The worst part was he had to get three shots into his eye! I can’t even imagine the pain.
I really enjoyed this book. The author did a good a job of telling the story of Mike May and his family with funny stories, and a great insight into what Mike was thinking. Robert Kurson has another book called Shadow Divers that after reading this book, I will probably look into.
I’m almost half way finished with Cold Mountain at home. It is pretty interesting and has some fun language that is kind of fun to read. I am getting ready to start reading A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway. He is a very famous author but I have never read any of his work. I am reading it as part of the Big Read here in Kansas City. I don’t know much about the book other than it is about World War I.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Crashing Through sounds like an awsome book! I might even think about reading it! Now I'm all worked up to know how he did all those things blind and how he got blind! Hey, Mr. Kelsey have you read any GooseBumps? There SO good there ratings are off the charts! I really want you to read them!
-Madison
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Mr. Kelsey- I may have to read Crashing Through. I read my mom’s books from school all the time, since she’s an English teacher. Have you read A Child Called It? I finished it the day I started it. It is really sad. Anyways, where did your brother get the book Crashing Through? It sounds really interesting. My mom and I usually read the same books. I’ll read a book, tell her that I finished it, and then she’ll read it. Or it is sometimes the other way around. It would be a good book for us to read together. Thank you! Brittany
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Brittany - thanks for commenting on my post about Crashing Through. My brother got the book because the publisher sent it to him to read and possibly write a review about. My brother is a the editor of the Kansas City Kansas newspaper. I don't know that I would recommend it to you to read now, maybe when you are a little older. There were some parts that might not be too good for a 5th grader to read. Keep it in mind for when you are in high school. Congrats also on making the Blog Hall of Fame!
Mr. Kelsey
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Hey, Mr. Kelsey it's Rafael Crashing Throgh sounds realy cool
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Hay Mr. Kelsey Crashing Through sounds like a awesome book to read and by your Judgment I might just have to read the book, speaking of books I think that you should read the series The Lightning Thief, it is a really great series to read!!
-Nick
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Hey Mr. Kelsey it’s me Chasity. Your Blog is AWESOME! Keep up the great work.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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