I'm doing 20 things
Finally, a Newbery winner about my peeps. Although not as quickly engaging as other winners, there is a real sense of graduer and history of Poland in this novel. One family’s struggles are the backdrop for huge social and political machinations, plus alchemy!
elofan's Life List
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1. run a 5K.
1 entry2,786 people -
2. lose 30 pounds.
6 entries . 1 cheer5,627 people -
3. learn Spanish.
18,156 people -
4. become a great special education teacher.
2 cheers2 people -
5. read 25 Newbery Medal winners.
11 entries1 person -
6. learn American Sign Language.
4 entries . 1 cheer612 people -
7. be more green.
3 entries291 people -
8. dress more sharply.
1 entry1 person -
9. read The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
1 person -
10. grow a garden.
2 entries937 people -
11. visit Poland.
132 people -
12. read 25 Caldecott Medal winners.
1 person -
13. put together a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
1 entry1 person -
14. swim a mile.
1 cheer80 people -
15. get my cholesterol below 200.
3 people -
16. own a home.
1,160 people -
17. earn a black belt in karate.
1 entry . 1 cheer22 people -
18. own a kayak.
51 people -
19. hike the Andes
10 people -
20. write a children's book
1,448 people
How I did it
It made me
fine 
How I did it: Got the forms from the post office, got a copy of my birth certificate, got photos taken, scheduled an appointment at the post office, went in and paid. Less than three weeks later, I had it in hand. Read how I did it…
It made me
feel complete
How I did it: The last of the three certification exams I had to pass to have a shot at a teacher's license in Texas was the easiest.I bought the REA TExES PPR practice book and downloaded the study packed from TEA. I took four practice tests and passed them all.On Saturday, I took the test and it felt good. How good? Well, the scores came today and I missed just one question out of 90 for a score of 298/300. As a reference point, 240 is passing.So, ge… Read how I did it…
Recent entries
Finished this a while ago. It was a fun, adventure romp, but without much depth. Still, I’d recommend as a summer read.
I picked this one up because I loved Lois Lowery’s other Newbery winner, The Giver.
Number the Stars is the story of two families in Denmark, one Christian and one Jewish, during the German occupation and Holocaust. Using the stories of two children makes for a sanitized, yet compelling, way to introduce such a dark topic to younger children. Still, as an adult with knowledge of the atrocities of WWII, this telling of the story seems to bland and upbeat to be very satisfying.
