A strange phenomenon is happening with my students. Reading “Ms Chen’s Special Books” has become so popular that entire classes of third graders are jumping through hurdles to earn the rights. They’ll check out their two library books quickly, then spend twice as long choosing from my review titles. They make teachers wait and still [...]

I love the end of one year and the beginning of another. Especially the countdowns of the top 10′s and top 100′s. Whether it’s music, TV episodes, or books, these countdowns help us recall our favorites and gain a sense of our entertainment history. Some classrooms keep track of every book title they read aloud. [...]