Books to Movies

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and most recently, Divergent, are all excellent movies.  I bet you knew that they were books first, but did you know that these movies also started out as books?

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Book published: 1973 by Little Brown

Movie released: 1997

Book authored by: Lois Duncan

Movie starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe

You should read it if you: like horror and suspense


The Princess Diaries

Book published: 2000 by HarperCollins

Movie released: 2001

Book authored by: Meg Cabot

Movie starring: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Mandy Moore

You should read it if you: have ever wondered what it would be like to find out you were royalty

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Book published: 2007 by Random House

Movie released: 2008

Book authored by: Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan

Movie starring: Kat Dennings, Michael Cera

You should read it if: you feel a little jaded by teenage life

The Fault in Our Stars

Book published: 2012 by Penguin

Movie released: 2014

Book authored by: John Green

Movie starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

You should read it if you: haven't read it already.  And let's be realistic: you've probably read it.  This entry is more excitement that the book is getting made into a movie! Whoo-hoo!

If you are a reluctant reader (or if you know one), books that have been turned into movies are a great place to start.  You can reward yourself for finishing a whole book by watching a movie, or you can get excited about the book by watching the movie first!
What is the best book-to-movie adaptation you've ever seen?  What's the worst?  What part of books always gets left out that you miss?

Awesome Author: Lisa See

I am fascinated by Asian culture, partly because we don't learn much about Asian and Asian culture in our schools.  I love reading about people's lives during Mao's reign, or about the expectations placed on women in the late 1900s.  I think all of the inventions that came out of Asia are amazing, and it's cool to lean about the ways Asian countries have changed over time.

If you're like me and you like to learn about Asian culture, or if the above paragraph has gotten you excited to learn about Asian culture, then I have the author for you:  Lisa See.

 Lisa See's family came from China, and all of her stories focus on China and/or Chinese characters.  One thing I love about her books is that, while they are about China, the themes and topics are universal.  Her fiction covers love stories, mysteries, family dynamics, art and literature.

One of my favorite books, and a great one for tweens and teens, is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  It's about a secret language for women, and how that secret language affects Snow Flower and her secret friend, Lily.  Young women will like this book because Snow Flower and Lily experience common feelings that all young women experience, plus there's the exciting factor of secret communication and hidden defiance.

If you're into a little darker read, then pick up See's mystery series, starting with Flower Net.  These stories happen in contemporary China, and they are fast-paced and emotional.  The series is probably best-suited for older teens and adults.

Don't like fiction?  See writes non-fiction, too!  Check out her memoir On Gold Mountain.  This is great because it gives the background about Lisa See's family, and it includes a bunch of history about China in general and her family's experience in particular.  This might be a great starting point, if you're interested in reading many of Lisa See's works.

If you want more information, check out Lisa See's website, lisasee.com.  (All of the pictures on this blog were downloaded from that website, too.)

Lisa See's books are published by Random House.

The Scholastic Book Fair at SPC!

This past week was our annual Scholastic Book Fair!  If you've never experienced one of these events, you are missing out!  For the organizers, it's a streamlined, cost-effective way to encourage reading and raise money for the school.  For the parents and students, it's an opportunity to get some of the newest, coolest books at low prices!  Here are some pictures from our successful week!

Third-grade students wait in line to purchase books!

Third-grade teacher Mrs. R. helped students find interesting books, and picked some up for herself!

One of the best things we do during the Book Fair is we allow our oldest students, the eighth-graders, to volunteer and get involved.  They have to apply for their positions, provide references, and adhere to a schedule, which helps prepare them for the responsibility of jobs.  It's also important for younger students to see that the "big kids" value reading and support literacy!  Here, eighth-grader Q asks first-graders K and L to point out their favorite parts of a book.

Eighth-grade student J reads a princess book to first-grader students S and L.

One of our biggest events was the "Brown Bag Book Fair Picnic!'  Parents, grandparents, and other guests could bring their students lunch and eat in a different building.  This event was a lot of fun!  The students loved getting "outside food" like Arby's and Applebee's, and they had chances to win cool prizes (like books!).  After lunch, the guests took their students up to the Book Fair!

The K Family enjoyed their lunch, especially because sixth-grader T won a book as a prize!

All three members of the A Family enjoyed their lunch!  The tables were decorated with some of the books that they could find at the Book Fair--third-grader C ended up buying one because he saw it on another table!

The Scholastic Book Fair is one of our most-anticipated and most fun events at St. Peter Claver.  I think it's one of our most important events, too, because it highlights the importance of READING.  The teachers at SPC already emphasize reading on a daily basis, but it is wonderful to have another chance for the families to show their children how much they value books, creativity, and learning.  We love the Scholastic Book Fair!

Perfect Pairing: Neighborhood Odes and The House on Mango Street

Chicano and Hispanic culture is one of the most colorful, diverse, and growing cultures in the United States.  At St. Peter Claver, we have a special relationship to Hispanic culture, through our relationship to those who attend Spanish Mass at the church.  I have loved finding out more about the Chicano and Hispanic culture from my Chicano and Hispanic students, and they and their parents have taught me a lot about the true meaning of diversity!

If you are interested in learning more about Chicano and Hispanic culture, then literature is a great place to look.  Two of my favorite collections, Neighborhood Odes by Gary Soto (published by Harcourt) and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (published by Vintage Books), are wonderful depictions of the Chicano and Hispanic culture from the viewpoints of children and young adults.

Gary Soto was born in California to Mexican-American parents.  He has written prolifically in many genres, but much of his writing is poetry.  His poetry, and especially the collection of poetry in Neighborhood Odes, reflects on life as a Mexican-American in the Chicano culture.  Neighborhood Odes talks about everyday life for children in a neighborhood--many of their experiences might be familiar to non-Hispanics (the sound of the ice cream truck), but some experiences are colored by the specific perspective of being Hispanic.  There are Spanish words throughout the poems, and uniquely Chicano phrases and dialogue.

Another great read is The House on Mango Street, a collection of short stories.  The author, Sandra Cisneros, is also Mexican-American, but she was born in Chicago.  Unlike Neighborhood Odes, Mango Street is in the voice of one young girl, Esperanza.  The House on Mango Street is her coming-of-age story, and it speaks powerfully to common feelings of turning from a girl into a young woman, and how Esperanza's Hispanic Heritage affects her growing up.

One great thing about both of these collections is that they can be taken as a whole or as parts.  If you wanted to read a few poems from Soto and a few stories from Cisneros, you would gain a lot.  If you chose to read the entirety of both collections, you would gain a lot.  Both authors do a wonderful job of tapping into the teen psyche and viewing it through the unique lens of Chicano and Hispanic culture.  I loved both of these collections, and I think you will, too!