Audiobook review: Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Nate Foster dreams of one day starring in a Broadway show, so when he catches wind of an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, he and his best friend Libby begin hatching a scheme. While Nate's parents are away for the weekend, he decides to catch a bus from Jankburg, Pennsylvania to New York City with nothing but a backpack and his dreams.
 
Sassy, snarky, yet totally endearing, Nate is one of my favorite leading boys in all of kid lit. Better Nate Than Ever fills a need for a specific niche-reader: the drama club member or kid with musical aspirations. Fans of Glee and Raina Telgemeier's Drama will go gaga for Nate.

Better Nate Than Ever resides on the older end of middle grade... the time right before kids are ready for full-fledged YA, as there is still a sweetness and naivete to Nate despite his sass. There's some edgy language and situations, but not so edgy that it isn't appropriate for a middle grade reader. If a student is ready to move up to YA after reading Nate, a good rung up his or her reading ladder would perhaps be Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green. 

Tim Federle not only wrote Better Nate Than Ever, but he also narrates the audiobook. And given his theater background, it's no wonder this audiobook won an Odyssey award. It is a wonderfully entertaining production and one I highly recommend.

Reading the sequel, Five, Six, Seven, Nate is an absolute must for me now! My only regret about reading Better Nate Than Ever (well, listening to the audio) is that it took me so long to finally pick it up! 


Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Audiobook Narrator: Tim Federle
Published: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 288
Audiobook Length: 5 hours, 54 minutes
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade
Disclosure: Library Copy 

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

Cookbook Review: Make It Ahead by Ina Garten

Ina Garten is one of the most recognizable personalities on the Food Network. With her popular show, Barefoot Contessa, and her trademark, "How good is that?" phrase to punctuate her dishes, it's no wonder her cookbooks are highly anticipated. And anticipate I did.

In this new cookbook, Ina makes possible what every entertainer wishes to be true: to make ahead as much food as possible. In Make It Ahead, not only does Ina share dishes that are easy to make in advance, but also taste better when made ahead of time.

With simple dishes and gorgeous photographs, this is one cookbook that I will be purchasing for my own personal library.

Since I don't follow many recipes to the letter anymore, choosing instead to riff off ideas I read in magazines and cookbooks or see on TV, my assessment of whether or not a cookbook is successful is if I learned something new about food. In this case, Ina taught me that you can make whipped cream ahead if you add a little bit of creme fraiche to stabilize it. Given that little nugget of wisdom, along with mouth-watering dishes like:

• Roast Chicken with Bread and Arugula Salad
• Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy with Onions and Sage
• Gingered Basmati Rice
• Roasted Cauliflower Snowflakes
• Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting
• Tri-Berry Crumbles

this is bound to be a cookbook I call upon again and again when it comes time to entertain.


Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
Published: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Pages: 272
Genre: Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library Copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 11-17-14

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

I can't believe I leave for the NCTE Convention on Wednesday! If you're going to be there, I hope you're able to make it to one of my sessions:

Friday 2:30 - 3:45 PM
Heart and Mind: Stories and Ideas That Keep Us Teaching  

Saturday 8:00 - 9:15 AM
Students CAN Write: Changing the Narrative of a Deficit Model

And I was added last minute to this Ignite session on Saturday 9:30-10: 45 AM due to a cancellation:
Common Standards, Uncommon Teaching
My Ignite session is going to be about using social media to transform your teaching.


Needless to say, given that I have two part-time jobs, am taking two grad classes, and have three NCTE presentations to prepare for, I haven't gotten a whole lot of reading done this past week.


I did manage to finish this audiobook:

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
I absolutely LOVED this book! I need to write a full review soon. It's one of those books that needs a full-review written about it, not just a one-sentence summary.


And this book for my children's lit class:

Mister Orange by Truus Maati
I don't have much to say about this one. It just wasn't the right book for me as a reader. I would have never picked it up had it not been required reading for a class.


Returned to reading:

Winger by Andrew Smith
I'm getting through this one slowly but surely. I paused it for a couple weeks and now I'm back to it, a few chapters at a time. 


Still reading with my ears:

Guys Read: True Stories edited by Jon Scieszka


Who knows what reading adventures await me upon my return from NCTE next week. :) 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 11-10-14

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

As I was writing this, I didn't even realize it was my birthday until I wrote the title and had to think about what today's date was. *Sigh* This is what getting older is like I suppose -- not finding birthdays all that big a deal anymore.


I finished reading with my ears:

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park 


Favorite picture books from last week:

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small
Imagine going to the doctor and instead of getting a lollipop, you get a dinosaur. Or what if, free with a dozen donuts, the bakery gives away dinosaurs? This book has a delightfully absurd yet oh so fun premise.


Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate
Thank you Katherine Applegate for giving readers not just The One and Only Ivan, but this beautiful nonfiction account of the real Ivan's life. A must-read for any classroom using The One and Only Ivan as a read aloud. 


Currently reading:
 
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon
I'm only on chapter 3 but already I can tell this is going to be a powerful book. Look for this one in January 2015.  


Currently reading with my ears:

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Guys Read: True Stories edited by Jon Scieszka


Last week on my teaching blog:
Do You NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo: Seeing My Students in a New Light
Remember, Remember the 9th of November
 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 11-3-14

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

We've come to that point in the semester where I'm starting to get overwhelmed and that is clearly reflected in my reading for this week, which is pretty negligible. 

I finished reading:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Just as special as the first time I read it.  


Currently reading with my ears:

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park 


On my teaching blog I wrote: 
Celebrate teaching and learning with PLN Colleagues: #MCTE14