Steven L. LayneBesprekingen

This book has a short review of current research on reading which is followed by a lot of practical information about encouraging reading in the classroom. Good stuff.

I'm a sucker for history of almost any kind, even children's books, if they are well-written. This one, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" doesn't disappoint. The short poems for each letter of the alphabet range from cute and clever to a bit of a stretch, but they deffinately enhance the story of Chicago being told. In short, each letter of the alphabet is represented by at least one item in the city that begins with that letter: such as the "El" train system for "E", Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive for "L", "S" is represented by the famous Sculptures Chicago has, and the Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoos represent the letter "Z". In addition to the drawings and the short poems, there are paragraphs of a goodly length talking about the items representing the letters. For example, on the "S = Sculpture" page, there is a paragraph about the unnamed Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, another with details on "The Flamingo" sculpture done by Alexander Calder and finally a paragraph about the Cloud Gate, AKA "The Bean".

I think that children of a variety of ages from 1st graders all the way up to 7th graders (the middle school grade where American History is typically first taught) would find this history of Chicago of interest and use. It is a well-written, well-researched and interesting book. For students who can handle books of greater depth and more scholarly research, this book could be used to wet their appetite or help them discover if this topic is one that they wish to investigate further, without intimidating them with hundreds of pages and a lack of pictures, on the contrary, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" (and others of its ilk, there are tons of similar books on a multitude of themes as well as one for each of the 50 states) is full of colorful pictures and is very inviting.

I'm a sucker for history of almost any kind, even children's books, if they are well-written. This one, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" doesn't disappoint. The short poems for each letter of the alphabet range from cute and clever to a bit of a stretch, but they deffinately enhance the story of Chicago being told. In short, each letter of the alphabet is represented by at least one item in the city that begins with that letter: such as the "El" train system for "E", Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive for "L", "S" is represented by the famous Sculptures Chicago has, and the Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoos represent the letter "Z". In addition to the drawings and the short poems, there are paragraphs of a goodly length talking about the items representing the letters. For example, on the "S = Sculpture" page, there is a paragraph about the unnamed Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, another with details on "The Flamingo" sculpture done by Alexander Calder and finally a paragraph about the Cloud Gate, AKA "The Bean".

I think that children of a variety of ages from 1st graders all the way up to 7th graders (the middle school grade where American History is typically first taught) would find this history of Chicago of interest and use. It is a well-written, well-researched and interesting book. For students who can handle books of greater depth and more scholarly research, this book could be used to wet their appetite or help them discover if this topic is one that they wish to investigate further, without intimidating them with hundreds of pages and a lack of pictures, on the contrary, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" (and others of its ilk, there are tons of similar books on a multitude of themes as well as one for each of the 50 states) is full of colorful pictures and is very inviting.

I'm a sucker for history of almost any kind, even children's books, if they are well-written. This one, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" doesn't disappoint. The short poems for each letter of the alphabet range from cute and clever to a bit of a stretch, but they deffinately enhance the story of Chicago being told. In short, each letter of the alphabet is represented by at least one item in the city that begins with that letter: such as the "El" train system for "E", Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive for "L", "S" is represented by the famous Sculptures Chicago has, and the Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoos represent the letter "Z". In addition to the drawings and the short poems, there are paragraphs of a goodly length talking about the items representing the letters. For example, on the "S = Sculpture" page, there is a paragraph about the unnamed Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, another with details on "The Flamingo" sculpture done by Alexander Calder and finally a paragraph about the Cloud Gate, AKA "The Bean".

I think that children of a variety of ages from 1st graders all the way up to 7th graders (the middle school grade where American History is typically first taught) would find this history of Chicago of interest and use. It is a well-written, well-researched and interesting book. For students who can handle books of greater depth and more scholarly research, this book could be used to wet their appetite or help them discover if this topic is one that they wish to investigate further, without intimidating them with hundreds of pages and a lack of pictures, on the contrary, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" (and others of its ilk, there are tons of similar books on a multitude of themes as well as one for each of the 50 states) is full of colorful pictures and is very inviting.

My mother is a fan of this book and recommended it to me. Personally, I'm more ambivalent than her. Much of it seemed rather gimmicky and with little educational value (think read-alouds, reading corners, book commercials). I would have preferred more intrinsic value and less silly stuff (I almost expected a chapter on sandwich board spinners to get kids' attention).½

This is a great book for use during career week. It has great drawings. Non-fiction information text.½

Number One Teacher: A School Counting Book is about much more than counting. The book uses numbers from zero to one hundred to teach readers a wide variety of things. Reading this book was like a crash-course review of my elementary education. As a math teacher, I was excited that the book started with the number zero. The illustrations were great and the color scheme kept me interested when I turned the page.

Each number covered in the book has a poem and a theme. The rhyming poems are brief and cute. The theme is discussed in detail in a column. The format is wonderfully fun. I found myself reading the poem first, then viewing the illustration, and finally reading the column for the detailed information. This book contains a wide variety of subjects like time, parts of speech, colors of the rainbow, U.S. history, and the metric system.

This is a great example of a modern nonfiction book. Information about the authors includes their credentials, giving a level of validity to the book. Even though most of the information on the pages is basic, a bibliography is included at the end. The bibliography would be a great place for teachers and students alike to seek further reading.

This book would be a good addition to any young reader’s library. I would like to have seen some of the topics reinforced later in the pages, but the purpose is served for its target audience.½

Good strategies/activities to do with students to get them into reading.

Dan comes home to find that his parents have announced to the whole world that he has been left home alone. He lets his imagination fun wild and convinces himself that there is a monster in the house. He decides to appeal to the monsters hunger by persuading him that his older brother Dan is a more delicious choice. The author uses descriptive language to help the reader visualize this exciting tale. It is a wonderful mentor text for persuasive writing.½

One day a boy, who always fell asleep in class because he could not sleep at night; discovered he had a science project on the solar system. He wanted to prove he was a good student, so he began studying the solar system that night after dinner. For once he was able to fall asleep a night, and he dreamed about four sheep visiting each of the planets.

Building not only the skill to read, but the will to read. Layne introduces many practical ideas and experiences from the trenches about supporting students in building the will to read at all levels. He includes an active role for the school librarian. I finished the book feeling inspired, validated, and ready to implement some ideas that were new to me and to think of ways to continue to improve what is already being done.½

This would be a great mentor text for older students and a good book to use with Three Billy Goats gruff for younger kids.

This book was an easy comfortable read. it did not bog you down with statistics,professional jargon, or buzz words. There were a great many ideas that I can begin using immediately and some that are great for long range plans. This book should be read bby ALL teachers and school ibrarians, not just reading teachers.

Steven Layne owes Ira Levin a beer.

Mr. Layne's entertaining Young Adult thriller concerns two boys, brothers, who are moving to the gated community of Paradise. Their father, who has become more and more distant lately, works for the head of the corporation that owns and runs Paradise as a sort of company town. It's perfect there. Clean streets, no crime, excellent schools, beautiful parks, wonderful homes. Everything safe and secure, nothing anyone ever need worry about could possible intrude. Paradise.

The narrator is the good son. His brother is not really a bad kid--he pushes the limits and questions the rules in a good-natured way--but he is always in some trouble with his school or with his father. Maybe a move to Paradise will do him some good, or so his father thinks. Things have become so bad between the two boys and their father that it has begun to take a toll on their mother's mental health. One day just before they move the two boys return home to find she has gone to a sort of convention for a week to rest and recharge. She'll meet them in Paradise.

But the woman the boys find waiting for them is not their mother. She may look like their mother, but they know it's not her.

While This Side of Paradise is not exactly an original idea, it is a good book, one that many young readers will enjoy. The narration is taut, designed to keep the pages turning and to leave the reader desperate to begin the next chapter. The boys are easy to identify with and to root for. There is a brief romance that doesn't get in the way of the thriller's plot. The villians are fun to hate and the good guys are fun to root for. The book does raise issues of conformity and can be read as social satire, the same way Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives could, but this never interferes with the reader's enjoyment of the book as a straightforward thriller.

I have a group of 7th grade students currently reading This Side of Paradise for the class book club. So far, their reviews are good. Three other groups are signed up for a chance to read it before the school year ends. I think it's going to be very popular.

This book goes through all of the letters of the alphabet, giving a word that relates to school for each letter. For example, the word "Custodian" is given for the letter C. The book then gives a detailed explanation of what a custodian is. The word "flag" is used for the letter F, which is also a school-related object. Some other examples of words used in the book are dictionary, principal, quizzes, reading, vowels, and gymnasium. T is for Teachers also gives more teacher-related information to the side of the student-friendly definitions of the words.

Type: Picture book - advanced
Genre: Informational
Pictures: Painted

it was good but weird

More for teachers than for kids. A big thank you, teachers. Ages 8-12.

Funny book about the teachers version of christmas. a great book to show how to use rhyme. and a great read-aloud during the christmas holidays.

Very to the point about the alphabet, and extremely informative about the things you might find in a classroom. Could be really fun to have kids come up with their own objects in a classroom that starts with a certain letter.

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Jack's father has always been a perfectionist, but lately, his need to control every aspect of the family's life has stepped up a notch. Mr. Barrett, Jack's dad, has been offered a wonderful opportunity with the company he works for, the Eden Corporation. Eden owns a gated village in Paradise, a nearby town, where only the most successful and devoted employees are invited to live. The village is all-inclusive and there is no need to ever leave. The village even has a school for the children of the employees.

Mr. Barrett's family isn't handling the news of the move very well. His wife has been drinking more and more since Mr. Barrett's controlling nature has intensified. Troy, the youngest child, has used his rebellious attitude to spark conflict within the household. Gram, Mr. Barrett's mother and the boys' biggest protector, doesn't mince words when it comes to how crazy she thinks moving the whole family to a strange community is, and Jack, the oldest son, tries to keep the peace by attempting to please his father and trying to keep Troy under control.

Eventually, the day comes and the family packs up and moves to Paradise. Jack's mother has gone ahead in order to get the house ready so it is just Mr. Barrett, Jack, Troy, and Gram following the moving van. Once they reach the entry gate, Jack sees a site that leaves him speechless. Jori is a beautiful girl that works at the entry gate of Paradise and a girl that he definitely wants to get to know better, but for some reason, Mr. Barrett doesn't want him to have anything to do with her. His exact words are, "She doesn't belong in Paradise." This statement is just one of the things Jack, Troy, and Gram consider strange when they get settled in their new community.

Everyone seems too happy, their mother hasn't been seen since they've arrived, and Mr. Eden, the owner of the Eden Corporation, has been sneaking into the Barrett's house at night and taking Troy somewhere after knocking him out so he won't wake up. The boys, with a lot of help from Gram and Jori, attempt to get to the bottom of all the mysteries and find a way out of Paradise.

THIS SIDE OF PARADISE is a science fiction thriller reminiscent of THE STEPFORD WIVES. It was awarded the Hal Clement Award for best science fiction novel for young adults in the United States. This is Steven Layne's first novel and is far from perfect, but at the same time, has many characteristics that will appeal to young readers.

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Imagine a world where there are no racial differences. Everyone looks exactly the same, with a blending of Caucasian, Asian, African American, and Hispanic American features. This is the world that Dirk Tyrone, Keiko Tan, Mateo Rodriquez, and Nicci Golden are born into. The minute they are born, they are in immediate danger. They are the first children to be born with distinct cultural characteristics since the government implemented the Merger and they don't want word of it getting out. No one in the world even remembers a time when people could be different and they don't want people to question the Merger. In order to prevent the possibility of it happening again, the government murders the parents of the four children.

Dr. Lisa Tyrone is the doctor present during the birth of the children. In addition to being hospital personnel, she is also the biological aunt of Dirk. Wanting desperately to save the children from extermination, she escapes the hospital with the four babies and goes into hiding. Not only do the teens look different from everyone else in the world, but they also have powers. Dirk is a telepath and can enter the minds of people he comes into contact with. Keiko is an empath. She can heal people with her touch by taking on their pain and dispelling it from her body. Mateo is a metamorph and can change into any animal he thinks of and finally, Nicci is a time traveler and can manipulate time, past, present, and future. For fourteen years Dr. Tyrone is able to keep herself and the children safe, but finally, the man behind the Merger project, Senator Broogue, captures them all with plans to get rid of them once and for all.

After much torture, the children don't think they are going to make it out alive. When they feel all hope is lost, help arrives. Three people with district ethnic characteristics and similar powers to the kids appear and fight off Senator Broogue and whisk the kids away to safety. Unfortunately, Dr. Tyrone is too badly injured and can't be saved. The teens must deal with their grief while at the same time learning more about the world they live in and why it is the way it is. In addition, they also learn about what the world would be like if Senator Broogue hadn't altered the past and created the Merger. After a time of training with the Elders in order to learn how to better use their powers, they are sent back in time to challenge the Senator and prevent him from changing the past. If they succeed, the world will be back on the right path where people's individuality is appreciated.

MERGERS is Steven Layne's second novel. His debut novel, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, was the winner of the Hal Clement Award for best science fiction for young adults in the United States. MERGERS is even better. Action scenes fill the pages and take the reader through the story at a rapid pace. The story has a satisfactory conclusion even though there are some unanswered questions, like who exactly are the Elders and how are they connected to the kids. However, these loose ends don't take away from the enjoyment of the novel.

Mergers was a recent book that I read. In fact, Steven Layne came to my school to talk about his books. This one sounded really interesting so I went ahead and read it. To me, it was a little confusing keeping up with everything going on, but in the end I really liked it.

This is a review for "This Side of Paradise"
Jack and Troy Barrett's father gets a new job. Their father is a perfectionist and so is his new boss Mr. Eden. Mr. Barrett has been acting especially weird lately since he got the new job. Mr. Eden invites the family to live in his neighborhood, Paradise. Everyone there is so strange, almost like robots! Here's the thing: You can't leave Paradise. Once your in, you can't get out... or can you? Read this marvelous book by the great author, Steven L. Layne. Also read his book "Mergers"!
Hope I could have been of help!

Jack's father has always been a perfectionist, but lately, his need to control every aspect of the family's life has stepped up a notch. Mr. Barrett, Jack's dad, has been offered a wonderful opportunity with the company he works for, the Eden Corporation. Eden owns a gated village in Paradise, a nearby town, where only the most successful and devoted employees are invited to live. The village is all inclusive and there is no need to ever leave. The village even has a school for the children of the employees. Mr. Barrett's family isn't handling the news of the move very well. His wife has been drinking more and more since Mr. Barrett's controlling nature has intensified. Troy, the youngest child, has used his rebellious attitude to spark conflict within the household. Gram, Mr. Barrett's mother and the boys' biggest protector, doesn't mince words when it comes to how crazy she thinks moving the whole family to a strange community is, and Jack, the oldest son, tries to keep the peace by attempting to please his father and trying to keep Troy under control. Eventually, the day comes and the family packs up and moves to Paradise. Jack's mother has gone ahead in order to get the house ready so it is just Mr. Barrett, Jack, Troy, and Gram following the moving van. Once they reach the entry gate, Jack sees a site that leaves him speechless. Jori is a beautiful girl that works at the entry gate of Paradise and a girl that he definitely wants to get to know better, but for some reason, Mr. Barrett doesn't want him to have anything to do with her. His exact words are, "She doesn't belong in Paradise." This statement is just one of the things Jack, Troy, and Gram consider strange when they get settled in their new community. Everyone seems too happy, their mother hasn't been seen since they've arrived, and Mr. Eden, the owner of the Eden Corporation, has been sneaking into the Barrett's house at night and taking Troy somewhere after knocking him out so he won't wake up. The boys, with a lot of help from Gram and Jori, attempt to get to the bottom of all the mysteries and find a way out of Paradise. THIS SIDE OF PARADISE is a science fiction thriller reminiscent of The Stepford Wives. It was awarded the Hal Clement Award for best science fiction novel for young adults in the United States. This is Steven Layne's first novel and is far from perfect, but at the same time, has many characteristics that will appeal to young readers.

Imagine a world where there are no racial differences. Everyone looks exactly the same, with a blending of Caucasian, Asian, African American, and Hispanic American features. This is the world that Dirk Tyrone, Keiko Tan, Mateo Rodriquez, and Nicci Golden are born into. The minute they are born, they are in immediate danger. They are the first children to be born with distinct cultural characteristics since the government implemented the Merger and they don't want word of it getting out. No one in the world even remembers a time when people could be different and they don't want people to question the Merger. In order to prevent the possibility of it happening again, the government murders the parents of the four children. Dr. Lisa Tyrone is the doctor present during the birth of the children. In addition to being hospital personnel, she is also the biological aunt of Dirk. Wanting desperately to save the children from extermination, she escapes the hospital with the four babies and goes into hiding. Not only do the teens look different from everyone else in the world, but they also have powers. Dirk is a telepath and can enter the minds of people he comes into contact with. Keiko is an empath. She can heal people with her touch by taking on their pain and dispelling it from her body. Mateo is a metamorph and can change into any animal he thinks of and finally, Nicci is a time traveler and can manipulate time, past, present, and future. For fourteen years Dr. Tyrone is able to keep herself and the children safe, but finally, the man behind the Merger project, Senator Broogue, captures them all with plans to get rid of them once and for all. After much torture, the children don't think they are going to make it out alive. When they feel all hope is lost, help arrives. Three people with district ethnic characteristics and similar powers to the kids appear and fight off Senator Broogue and whisk the kids away to safety. Unfortunately, Dr. Tyrone is too badly injured and can't be saved. The teens must deal with their grief while at the same time learn more about the world they live in and why it is the way it is. In addition, they also learn about what the world would be like if Senator Broogue hadn't altered the past and created the Merger. After a time of training with the Elders in order to learn how to better use their powers, they are sent back in time to challenge the Senator and prevent him from changing the past. If they succeed, the world will be back on the right path where people's individuality is appreciated. MERGERS is Steven Layne's second novel. His debut novel, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, was the winner of the Hal Clement Award for best science fiction for young adults in the United States. MERGERS is even better. Action scenes fill the pages and take the reader through the story at a rapid pace. The story has a satisfactory conclusion even though there are some unanswered questions like, who exactly are the Elders and how are they connected to the kids. However, these loose ends don't take away from the enjoyment of the novel.