Hoagies Gifted Education Page
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/reading_lists.htm

I love this resource! So often all our attention goes to struggling readers who are not the only kids out there. Especially now with so many educational cuts, special program for gifted children have become nonexistent. This a a great site. It has an awesome compilation of links to extensive reading lists.
Some of them are:
International Reading Association Teacher Choices Book List
101 Great Books recommended for College Bound Readers
New York Times Children's Bestsellers List
101 Out-Of-This-World Books For Kids Ages 8-13
Best Loved Books: A Unique Reading List for Gifted Students in Grades 6-12
Good Books for Good Readers
Books for Children Featuring Gifted Children
*****Plus about 40 others******

Hoagie's Gifted Education Page home has many other resources and information about gifted education as well with tabs for parents, educators, kids, what's new, gifted information, community, conferences, and shopping.

This is the first book in a phenomial series or actually series of series, written to appeal to middle school population although accessible to older and younger readers alike. These books captivated my daughter's imagination.She kept talking about about them and begging me to read them until I finally gave in and then I too was hooked. The author or actually authors are actually four women working together under the pen name Erin Hunter. The series is a memorizing tale of 4 clans of cats, Thunderclan, Shadow Clan, River Clan and Wind Clan, who live in the wild. It chronicles their lives and adventures. The cats have their own code of behavior and caste system and mystical religious base. At the beginning of all the books is a detailed accounting of each clan and its leaders, deputies, medicine cats, warriors, apprentices, queens and Elders. the This book establishes the main characters and intoduces the readers to the lives of these very human animals. They mirror the good and bad in all of us and warm your heart while keeping you on the edge of your seat, staying up all night as my daughter sometimes does to find out what happens next. This first book introduces the chartacters that set the stage for many books to come. It starts with Rusty, a kitty pet who leaves the comfort of his human cared for existance to become a clan warrior and finally a great leader. both you and your students will enjoy these books and they definitely lend themselves to discussion of the deeper subjects in life. Be sure to check out the website www.warriorcats.com for more information.

Polaris--Library search engine

My public library uses Polaris so that when I am searching for a book, I can find related books and information on a more global scale. It helps to have additional information than just what books are contained within our library walls. I didn't know all of the options and resources that it could provide until I played around with it one day while doing a class assignment. It is amazing the connections that can be made for you as you are doing a project. The website for Polaris is www.polarislibrary.com. It seems that new libraries are joining all the time. I have found this to be a wonderful resource that I will use at my public library. Look for Polaris the next time you go to your library!

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

This is a popular book right now, given that the movie is in the theaters. However, from personal experience, the movie and book differ greatly. In this blog, the book by Rick Riordan is the focus.

Percy, the main character, begins as a boy that is about to be kicked out of a boarding school. He seems to get into trouble wherever he goes. He has changed schools often. What he soon begins to learn is that he is a bit different and his mom has always known this fact. He had never known his dad and come to find out, he is a greek God. Not just any greek God, but Poseidon.

Percy is sent on a quest to find out who stole Zeus' lightning bolt. He is the suspect, but Percy knows that he has to prove his innocence. Along the way, he meets Medusa, Hades, and other mythical creatures. The story does include violent scenes as well as dark subjects such as death.

Kids who love adventure stories will be enthralled by this tale. It is mediocre in its storytelling, but captivating anyway. Greek mythology would be an excellent tie in and informative if the reader continues reading the series. (This is the first in a series of four books.) Well worth your time to explore this series (and the movie!).