The Tale of the Young Witch By Author Joseph Minart

.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: I own a copy

 

I used to say that I didn’t read a lot of fantasy books. When  I got ready to pack up my classroom I realized that most of the books I had read and purchased for my classroom were actually fantasy books.

The author has created a very unique world. In this world magic has been stopped to protect the world by the Jewel of Celestria. But, it seems that the Jewel hasn’t stopped it all. Amelia Twigg discovers one day that she has some magic ability. She doesn’t understand why or how. Her mother walked out on her and her father when she was a young child. Her father, a blacksmith, has raised her.

One day Amelia and her best friend Jack find themselves watching their village under attack. Amelia finds her father dead. She grabs the sword he had made her and prepares to leave. Suddenly she finds things being destroyed by a man who can throw magical fire from his very hands. He has come for Amelia.  Jack and Amelia are rescued by another man who has the ability to freeze the first wizard in place. This gives them enough time to escape.  The man who rescues her explains that she is a witch and there are other powerful witches looking for her. They believe she is the key to finding the Jewel of Celestria. He explains that the jewel keeps all magic a bay.  There was a time when everyone could use magic and it had horrible consequences. Three powerful witches create a jewel to solve this problem. Amelia and Jack find themselves on the run. Amelia has been told she must learn to use her magic if she is to survive and avoid those who would do her harm. 

The world building mixes steampunk and magic in a very unique way. We have people who live in the most primitive way contrasted with those who live in a city that is the most modern of all.  The book is full of twists and turns. I found that even the most evil were not prepared for what they learned. Betrayal lurks around every corner.  The book ends in a satisfying manner and yet it is set up that I believe a sequel could happen. 

The author has created an index to help the reader with unfamiliar words, and the world that he created.  I can’t wait to recommend this to my students. It is a very long book, but it well worth the time to read it. I look forward to reading more by this
author in the future.

Daily Guided Gratitude Journal with Creative Prompts by MamTalk

 

Genre: Children's Journal

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

A wonderful book for children ages Kindergarten to fourth grade.  If you want you child to write more then start with this book. This is a beginner journal. Parents can sit with their young child and read it to them and then have them draw pictures or tell the parent what to write. The older child can write and color. What a great way to get children interested in writing and help create a life-long love of writing. I love books by MamTalk.

This book is full of cute pictures.  Each page starts with an example, a place to write the date, then a page for students to fill in with their own personal information. This is a wonderful way to show kids that they can write every day about things that are important to them.There are pictures to color which makes this a fun activity. I only wish that more parents would spend time daily with their children teaching them to journal like this, showing them that writing can be fun. It is a great way to teach children the importance of gratitude

Honeybee Rescue by Loree Griffen Burns: a review and personal connection

 

Genre:  Nonfiction, all ages

Source:  I purchased a copy

Review:

This is a wonderful book about rescuing bees.  The man who found bees in his garage was a beekeeper. He noticed the bees and realized that one of his hives had split. That means when a hive gets to big to support all of the bees, the queen and half of the bees leave and find a new home.  The man called in someone who specializes in bee rescues.  Being a beekeeper doesn’t mean if you find a swarm somewhere that you know what to do to capture them and put them in a box. Most beekeepers do not rescue bees. If you would like to know more about bee rescues then read this book. If you would like to learn more about bees, then read this book and check out the references in the back of the book.  This is a nonfiction picture book that people of all ages will enjoy.

Personal Connection:

I found out about this book through Kate Messner's introduction of guest authors for Teachers Write. Since she doesn’t charge anything for the three weeks of writing lessons, she asks that we consider supporting  the authors by purchasing their books.  I try to do this every year. I usually purchase books for middle grades and young adults since I teach eighth graders.  When I saw this beautiful picture book I knew I had to have it. 

 You see, about seven or eight years ago my husband started keeping bees. It started with being invited to a bee club meeting to learn about bees. Then he bought his first hive of bees.  From there it escalated.  Not only does my husband keep bees, he rescues bees like Mr. Nelson in the book. Some of the best honey we have ever gotten has come from hives he has rescued.

The house I grew up in had honey bees living in one of the walls. Every year we would have someone come out and smoke the bees out, and every year they were back. I now know why that happened.  When we sold the house to move to Florida the living room wall bowed outward. Honey was seeping through the wallpaper.  I was afraid of those bees, because every time I mowed I would be attacked.

When my husband started keeping bees in the backyard I wanted nothing to do with them. I would sit in our yard swing and watch him. He started telling me what he was observing. I started going closer and closer to the hives until one day he mentioned that I didn’t seem to be afraid of the bees. He was correct. I had lost most of my fear. I soon learned how much I enjoyed them when I was sitting in our yard swing reading, while he trimmed a bush. When he tossed a branch away a group of bees flew out. He quickly got a box, put a couple of waxed frames in it. He tried to find the queen. I walked over with my camera capturing it on video. He suddenly pointed out that the hand I was capturing in the video was my own. I had stuck my fingers gently into the midst of those bees and was moving them aside trying to help him find the queen. He found her and put her in a queen clip, and put the clip inside the box.  I stood amazed as I watched the bees walking right into the box because they could smell her pheromones. I have not participated in any bee rescues. I have on occasion gone with him and watched him remove a swarm with his bee vacuum. I am constantly asking him questions, buying him books and even talking to my student about bees. This is a great way to teach anyone about bee rescues.