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March 2007

Hi folks!

I hope you are all doing well. Even though February is the shortest month of the year, it seemed like the longest for me, as I spent 19 out of 28 days on the road speaking. Ugh! I love the speaking gigs, but I need to find work closer to home. I did manage to have a great time delivering the keynote address at the Oregon Reading Association in Portland. Even though airline incompetence (let’s just say that I despise Chicago’s O’Hare airport) forced me to grab a flight to Seattle and rent a car to make it to my speech on time the next morning, and even though I had to borrow a sports jacket from the hotel’s front desk clerk, the more than thousand teachers and parents in attendance pumped me up better than the 10 cups of coffee I had drunk that sleepless night before my speech. 

I am reading lots of inspirational books, as I am trying to maintain a positive attitude while I am desperately homesick for my wife and kids. Enjoyed Dan Celentano’s Ten Essential Facts of Life Every Teenager Should Know (sound advice from a man whose work with troubled teens proves to me that angels live among us); re-read Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now (I caught one of his sermons on TV regarding how to deal with critics, and his faith in his smile and good humor renewed my faith in my own); struggled with some books by authors who I usually enjoy (they shall remain nameless); and loved Rafe Esquith’s There Are No Shortcuts (yes, I know I listed his latest book on this month’s list; forgive me for sounding like an obsessed fan, but we need to clone Esquith in our schools).

Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections below. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to the address listed for authors and publishers.

I hope you are reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me about them by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a wonderful March, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
Its Not Over Until You Win

Its Not Over Until You Win

By Les Brown 256 pages Adult

Danny Says

Do you need a pep talk? I always try to read as many inspirational books with positive messages that I can, as too often we are subjected to all of the negatives in the world. Believe it or not, there are a lot of amazing people with amazing stories out there; they just do not make the nightly news. Les Brown is a speaker I must meet now, as this book touched me in a very personal and positive way. By the way, as an African-American male, Les Brown also serves as an excellent example to share with students seeking role models (I have shared anecdotes from his life with many of my students). 
Buy on Amazon
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

By Rafe Esquith 243 pages Adult

Danny Says

I constantly seek inspiration from great teachers, and I would cut off a limb if it ensured my children could attend Rafe Esquith’s class. Perhaps the Secretary of Assessment (there seems to no longer be a Department of  “Education” since “No Child Left Untested” took effect) should read this book about how create students who are lifelong learners. This book pumped me up. It should me mandatory reading for anyone interested in becoming a teacher.
Buy on Amazon
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

By Robin Sharma 198 pages Adult

Danny Says

A touching fable about a lawyer who, prompted by a heart attack, re-examines his priorities. He gives up the fast life in search of spiritual enlightenment in the Himalayas. If it sounds a lot like Somerset Maughm’s The Razor’s Edge, it is. By the way, I love that book (at 320 pages, however, it does not qualify as a “lazy reader” selection). Do my book selections this month adequately demonstrate to you how much I am seeking inspiration and re-examining my own life?
Buy on Amazon
Echoes of the White Giraffe

Echoes of the White Giraffe

By Sook Nyul Choi 144 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Better known for her prequel to this story, Year of Impossible Goodbyes, Sook-Nyul Choi demonstrates her captivating writing style again in this book that manages to engage readers with its characters and teach a bit of Korean history during the Korean War in the 1950s. Frankly, I will read anything that Sook-Nyul Choi writes, as she is a terrific, important author.
Buy on Amazon
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911

The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911

By Gina De Angelis 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A great nonfiction writer for young adults, DeAngelis does a superb job of supplying eyewitness accounts and descriptions of one of America’s greatest tragedies. I read this book to a fourth grade class and challenged students to figure out how we can avoid similar tragedies in the future. You may notice below that I include a novelization of the same event for my next pick.
Buy on Amazon
Fire!: The Beginnings of the Labor Movement

Fire!: The Beginnings of the Labor Movement

By Barbara Diamond Goldin 64 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

It was almost 100 years ago (March 25th, 1911) when one of the worst fire disasters in America’s history killed over a hundred female immigrant workers (many of them girls). This fictionalized account from the eyes of an 11-year-old Jewish girl working at the factory compliments the informational text above in humanizing for students an American tragedy.
Buy on Amazon
Blessings in Disguise

Blessings in Disguise

By ReShonda Tate Billingsley 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

ReShonda Tate Billingsley debuted only a couple of years ago, and already she has a loyal national following of adult readers. This is the second (and shorter) book in a young adult series she has aimed at teenage girls. I know the middle school girls who I work with absolutely love Tate Billingsley’s books, and I believe she is an author deserving of your attention. 
Buy on Amazon
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green

By Keith Baker 72 pages Children

Danny Says

I recently met Keith at the Oregon Reading Association’s annual conference, and Keith had an entire room (including me) bending over in laughter every time he shared a letter from a child fan. He is a terrific illustrator, and besides purchasing his books you should book Keith to speak at your school. His descriptions of the illustration process are fascinating and a great inspiration to aspiring young artists.
Buy on Amazon
Ox-Cart Man

Ox-Cart Man

By Donald Hall 40 pages Children

Danny Says

Wonderful in its simplicity, this book is a must for teachers, as it does a wonderful job of illustrating seasons and the process of growing goods, harvesting them, selling them and restarting the process. Oh, and it won this little award called the Caldecott Medal.
Buy on Amazon
A Million Dots

A Million Dots

By Andrew Clements 48 pages Children

Danny Says

I love books that bring math to life for students, as many of my reluctant readers enjoy math. Clements does a superb (and, often, humorous) job of bringing to life the concept of a “million” for students. A terrific picture book for teaching math!
Buy on Amazon

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