Where in the World Am I Going?

During recess today, a couple of first-graders asked me about my trip "out of town". I told them that I was actually taking a trip to a different country and that blew their minds. It reminded me that I need to list the places I'm actually visiting, so my followers can think about what they'd like to ask me while I'm away.

The first day of my trip will be spent entirely on a plane. Besides a short stop in Pennsylvania, I'll be sitting down for hours and HOURS before I finally land in Venice, Italy. What do you think I'll be doing with my time? Reading, of course! I picked a book called Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman. It's about a boy who travels back in time to 16th century Italy. I hope it mentions some of the places I'll be visiting and teaches me a little something about those places. 

I'll spend two days in Venice, a city built on an archipelago, or a group of islands. It is the largest urban car-free area in the world. So, I'm sorry sixth grade, but I probably won't see any Ferraris on this part of my trip, just a lot of boats. I might  get to ride a gondola, a romantic way to get around Venice's many canals (there's a picture of gondolas on the book cover). 

Next, I'll be going to Florence. Here, I imagine I'll be learning a lot about architecture. Apparently, it's very beautiful and old. In the United States, we don't get to see buildings as old as most in Italy. I'll be walking in and around buildings over 700 years old! 

We'll spend a day in Assisi, a place famous for St. Francis. I'll be visiting The Basilica di San Francesco, or the church of Saint Francis, where I'll be looking at beautiful frescos, or paintings in the walls and ceilings, by famous Italian artists. 

I'm most excited about visiting Rome. Here, I'll be visiting the Roman Colosseum, where gladiators fought bloody battles to the death and many wild animals, like tigers and lions, cruelly met their end all for the sake of entertaining tyrannical leaders and up to 55,000 spectators. The fact that humans were able to build something so massive over 2,000 years ago just amazes me. 

I'm also thrilled about the opportunity to see Pompeii, the site of a horrific volcano eruption nearly 2,000 years ago. You can still see the bodies of the people that died trying to escape the disaster. They're immortalized in plaster casts made during an excavation of the site. 

Lastly, I'll be visiting Capri. If the weather is nice, we'll take a boat through the Blue Grotto, a sea cave that glows bright blue in the moonlight. 

All of these places sound wonderful, but I'm most anxious about the foods I'll be trying. I love to eat! Trying new foods has always been one of my passions, and I'm very lucky to be visiting a place famous for food and drink. Pizza in Italy is supposed to be life-changing, as are the many variations of pasta. Our tour guide told us that after we have authentic Italian coffee, we'll spend the rest of our lives trying to get it again. Oh boy, how I adore coffee! 

  

That's all for now! I can't wait to read and respond to your questions and comments. As the Italians say, Ciao!

Banned Books Week

Uh oh! We are in the middle of Banned Books Week. This week, we celebrate the freedom to read what we want, even if it may be unorthodox or unpopular. Across the country, many amazing books have been banned in schools and libraries because they challenge societal rules or involve subject matter that some people believe is wrong. We are lucky to be in a school that supports our freedoms, but many schools continue to censor, or limit the amount of choices students can make when in the library.

I've researched some lists of banned books in the past, and thought you'd be interested to know that many of them are in our library and are available to check out. Captain Underpants, for example, has been banned in schools for offensive language. We carry a few books from this silly series in English and Spanish. The Hunger Games is constantly under fire for being too violent, but has been banned for being "anti-family", "anti-ethnic", and "Satanic". Twilight and Harry Potter have also been banned for violence and challenging religious beliefs. The last book I'll mention is one that our very own Language Arts teacher uses in her classroom! Bridge to Terabithia has been banned for having offensive language, violence, and Satanism!

The list of banned books seems to go on forever. Many life-changing classics have been on the list as well. I can't even imagine a life without  A Brave New World or To Kill a Mockingbird, which are both great books that I was lucky enough to have read in school. They taught me lessons about identity, oppression, and racism that I'll never forget.

So, do me a favor and exercise your freedom of choice this week. Click on the banned books link below and find a book that looks interesting. Check it out from the library and READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

ALA's 100 Most Banned Books This Decade

Teen Read Week 2013: Seek the Unknown

Teen Read Week is coming up! Every year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) organizes a reading initiative as a way to encourage teens to read and take advantage of services that libraries offer. This year, Teen Read Week will be October 13th-18th and the theme is called, "Seek the Unknown". We will seek the unknown by exploring the science-fiction genre.

Science fiction deals with futuristic settings, time travel, moving through space, extraterrestrial life, parallel universes, and paranormal abilities. Novels in this genre set their stories in alternative worlds, or worlds that could possibly be ours in the near future. A reader must be willing to let their imagination run wild when starting one of these books. It's a great way to escape our "normal" world.

For now, I want you to start thinking about or even researching great science-fiction books to read during Teen Read Week. I've created a board on Pinterest with a growing list of cool books for this event (http://www.pinterest.com/shlucas711/teen-read-week/). You can also find me on www.goodreads.com. I hope to request a collection of books from other libraries and have them ready to check out by October 13th. If you have an email address, feel free to comment on this blog at home with book recommendations or  discussion topics about the book you chose to read.

I haven't decided which book I'll be reading yet, but the series I'm reading right now falls under the science-fiction category. I'm reading Crossed, which is the second book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie. I'm enjoying it so far. It takes place in a world where all choices are made for you by "the Society". The Society tells you what to wear, what to eat, when to sleep, and even who you  love. It certainly makes me appreciate the freedoms I have, even on days when I feel like I don't have any.