Flora, William, and Ulysses

Have you ever read a book and you do not want it to end?  I love and hate this feeling all at the same time.  Unfortunately and fortunately this is exactly how I am feeling right now about Flora and Ulysses.  We are just a few pages away from the end.  I want those pages to last forever.  Today I wrapped up read aloud a bit faster than usual.  I just do not want the book to end.  At the exact same time I cannot wait to see how the book ends.

I have not read this book before I started to read it aloud to the class.  I love it when I get to share a new book with the class.  Yes, there is a bit of a risk not reading the book beforehand that the book will be a dud, but I love taking that risk.  I think when I am reading a book for the first time with the students my thinking is more authentic.  The students really see how I attack a book as a thinker.  They are able to see how my thinking progresses throughout a whole book.  They are able to see my excitement build as the book grabs and holds my attention.  They are able to see that sometimes my thinking is incorrect but I change that thinking as the text forces my thinking to change.

I think I am going to get one more chance to start a new book this year.  I have a few titles that I am thinking about starting after Spring Break.  Right now I think the choice is so hard because I feel like the book has to live up to Flora and Ulysses.  I guess it is not really a bad problem to have but right now it seems like a huge problem.  

I hope that you are all having a great week.