Sunday, April 15, 2012

Noteworthy Numbers

saw this in the March ASCD Educational Leadership

66 The percentage of children ages 9-17 surveyed who say they will always want to read books printed on paper, even when e-books are available.

47 The percentage of children surveyed who cite "giving me time away from technology" as a reason they read books.


91 The percentage of children ages 6-17 who say they are more likely to finish a book they choose themselves.

Does what we know reflect in what we do in the classroom?

Source: Scholastic & Harrison Group (2010). 2010 kids and family reading report: Turning the page in the digital age. Retrieved from Scholastic at www.scholastic.com/readingreport. Based on a nationally representative sample of 1,045 children ages 6-17. 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Maze Runner Series by James Dasher



Publisher: Random House Books
Publication dates:  10/6/09 (Maze); 10/12/10 (Scorch); 10/11/11 (Death)
E-books


Synopsis: 
Thomas wakes up in an elevator that takes him to a world he knows as the Glade filled with boys who are trying to find their way out of a maze. Although his memory has been wiped, something seems familiar to him, and when an unexpected girl shows up the next day, the routine of the Glade changes drastically and Thomas is in a race to figure out how to leave the maze before more people die.

The Scorch Trials and Death Cure follow Maze Runner through this dystopian world.

My thoughts:
I really shouldn't say this as a predominately YA reader, but I am so irritated by trilogies. The only thing worse than a trilogy is a series that goes longer than three books. It's predominately why although I have the hardcover of Maze Runner from 2009, I refused to read it.

This has nothing to do with the author. If you look at the publication dates, Dasher does a great job of pumping out his books on time. Still, this series is a horrible series if you actually had to wait for the books to be published (another reason why I took so long to start Hunger Games and Twilight).

These books will grab readers who are searching for the next Hunger Games. Dystopian, ecological ruin, action, young protagonists, evil adults. . .you know the formula - it works in this series too.