[LM_NET] ORCA answers to YES

[Amy Watkins <amywatkinsreads@YAHOO.COM>]

Over 55 people from the east to the west responded and several wanted to see a Hit 
for the ORCA Soundings books.  Yes, I will be ordering but with careful 
consideration to topics for middle school.   Thanks everybody!  
Amy Watkins
Central Middle School
Lawton, OK
awatkins@lawtonps.org

I purchased one just as a test. It was Pigboy. It was good reading. Especially if 
you are comparing Readers digest to Time magazine.   MS seem to like it. Our summer 
school director is going to purchase them for our summer school kids.


Our kids love these books.  I'm and 8th and 9th grade school.  The
 authors are usually from Canada, so they do have a Canadian-flavor to them.
  

 The Orca Currents are good, too, and is middle school fiction for
 reluctant readers.  Orca Soundings have more mature topics.

I have many titles from both sets in my library, but not all.  Some, I
 feel, may be more mature than I need.

Some of them are great, others have very mature words.  You might order
 a few and read them or see if you county library has some.
Annette 

I'm late on this, but my kids love them, I can't keep them on the
 shelves. Kim

I noticed you work in a middle school.  I have about a dozen titles in my high 
school library.  I have been book talking them (today in fact!) to our ELD 
students.  Be careful what titles you choose.  They are very quick reads.  You 
could probably read 3 or 4 in an hour, so order them but preview before you 
catalog.  The stories are very edgy and real life.  But they are a hit here!
Good luck! 

I have found them to be quite popular with reluctant readers in high school.   They 
don't look like the typical hi-lo books.   Jacquie

We bought all of their titles at the beginning of this year, and students in our 
reading enhancement classes (specifically for reluctant readers) are reading them.  
Some titles circulate more than others, so we're ordering multiples of some of the 
more popular titles for next year, but overall, I'd say our reluctant readers have 
responded very positively to them.  It was difficult for me to find reviews for all 
of them, though--I had to use the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database 
through our local university to find them, and some of them are from journals I had 
not seen before, but the database did have reviews for them.  
Kelly Stern

They are fairly popular at my school, but not as popular as I thought they would 
be.  One reason may be that they are set in Canada and my kids may have a hard time 
relating.  Some of the terminology is unfamiliar - for example, I didn't know what 
a "loonie" was.  Also, in many of the books the type is small and squashed together 
on the page - kind of off-putting for low readers.  If I were you, I'd buy a few 
first and see how they go over before investing a lot of money.   Jill 

We had several Orca books at my former public library and they were a
hit with our teens.  We had only ordered 2 or 3 titles initially, but
They came back asking for more and I believe we ended up ordering nearly
everything they had.  I highly recommend them. 
Michele 

They are a big hit with our special ed kids here. They are definitely reading them. 
I learned about these at the BER conference I went to last year. Definitely 
worthwhile books.     Charlotte 

We have purchased about 10 titles from Orca Soundings.  They do not
 circulate well.  It's difficult for me to get our reluctant readers
 interested in these books.  I'd be interested in what others say.
Mary 


I buy Orca books all the time - the kids really like them.  A lot of
 our classes have a silent reading time, and these work especially well for 
reluctant readers.
Lesley 

Amy, I have 25 Orca Soundings, 5 Orca Currents and 2 Orca Young Readers. We are an 
AR school, and the kids love them because they are quick and high interest. On my 
principals order, I have a restricted shelf of books containing inappropriate 
language, violence or sexual content. I do have a few Orca books on this shelf. If 
you are in a conservative community, as I am, I would recommend that you read the 
books first. (They are quick reads.) If you decide to order, I would be happy to 
list the books I have and which ones are restricted. Ruth 

I just got several of these books in my last book order. They are
 second only to the hip-hop/R & B biographies in popularity. I didn't
 advertise them as being Hi/Lo books, just set them out with the rest of the new 
books. Even some high-level readers have read them and told me that they liked them.
Sarah 

Yes, and yes.  Now it is still finding the right one for the right kid,
but I have kids who say this is the first book they have ever read and
liked.  Lisa 

I just bought a dozen or so (I ordered them through Follett) and my SPED teachers 
have grabbed them all and tell me the kids love them.  I will look for more next 
year.

Yes and Yes.  My high school students really like them because they are
 easy to read, have a lot of drama, and are about topics that affect
 them.  They especially like No Right Turn and Rooster.  Those are the two most 
popular in the series.  Brenda 

I have had them about a year.  I placed them in a highly visible
 rounder and the kids who have started them continue to go back to the rounderand 
check out more.  They are a hit.
Juanita 

My kids like the Orca books overall. There are a couple titles with
 subject matter that may be a bit questionable. I've ordered many of their titles 
and read most of them. I don't think they read like low level readers, especially 
since the subject matter tends to be pretty mature in most of them. The company is 
easy to work with. The web site has good descriptions of the books and many have 
teacher's guides. (These are also helpful in getting an idea of what the book is 
about.) There is very little profanity and they resolve well.

They are often available on Amazon for a good price if you want to
 order a couple just to read for yourself.

Overall - I recommend you add some to your library. 
Janet Schneider

my students are reading them.  Many positive comments!   Wendi Colby

My lower-level readers love the Orca books -- easy text but without a
 "baby" look or feel. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that some have some 
pretty racy themes (prostitution, lesbian love affair, etc.) so you might want to 
double-check that in particular at your grade level. Wendy 

Hi Amy, I purchase both Orca Soundings and Orca Currents for my middle school 
students. I have had wonderful success w/ male LD students as well as both male and 
female reluctant readers. The themes are contemporary topics written with short 
sentences and short chapters. I also purchase the Reading Counts quizzes for them 
and the students are so excited to be able to read a book and pass the quizz. In 
fact, just last week, our Special Ed Dept Chair asked that I spend the $360 dept. 
money on Orca books. Order is already in the mail!   Kaye   Kaye Wyly
I have about thirty of those books in my library (inner city, low
 income high school) and they seem to circulate regularly. I don't have any
 hard data on this because they are new this year, but our students don't
 read much so it says something that any have gone out at all. I know
 we got ours through Follett though. The binding seems sturdy and strikes
 me as good quality for the price.

Victoria Hamilton
Librarian
YES, YES, YES!
Most of the students here read well below grade level.  The Orca books
are the only ones I have found that they can read and holds their
interest.  The books are no more than 100 pages, with just one plot
 Line and only a few characters. This makes it easier for the students to follow 
the story.  The stories are edgy which is just what the students want.  

My school is 5-12. Most of the Orca Soundings are fine, but screen the
listing as some of the titles are for older students. "Charmed" comes
 To mind.  Orca Currents are for middle schoolers.  



Sindy Cunningham
The Orca Soundings books are the best things that I have found to work with 
reluctant readers. I've been doing booktalks for the Learning Disabilities classes. 
Working with the teacher I developed a list of High Interest Low Reading Level 
(Grade 3-8) titles for these students. Most are boys. The Orca books always 
disappear from the cart first. Even the ones who complain the most about having to 
read a book like the titles because they are easy to read (most are grade 3 to 5 
reading level). Using these books I've gotten some of them to try more difficult - 
for them- titles.
Jeanne Carpenter
The students at Woonsocket Middle School in Woonsocket, RI love the
 Orca Currents, Orca Sports, and Orca Soundings books. We have ordered the
 entire series. There are some books in the Soundings series that are
 more HS appropriate than MS, but overall the books have been a great
 success. 
Ann Malbon
My students love them and they are checked out over and over. They are
 less than 100 pages and usually have AR tests available. When the HS
 English teachers want them to read a book for the six weeks; that's what
 the reluctant readers go for. Last year, I put them all out in one
 display so they could find them easier.

I usually try to buy the new ones in paperback at our library
 convention; I can get them for about $4. If you order them, I think they are $8.
 Then, I re-order hardbacks of the ones they like the most. I have the
 whole series and buy the new titles every year. Last year, I bought a
 few of their titles for middle schoolers and they have enjoyed those,
 too, at the JH.
 
Jeri Calcote
My special ed. and regular ed. reluctant readers LOVE them! They grab
 you
from page 1 and keep you reading until the end (a short time later,
 because
they are only about 100 pages long). I would pick a few that you think
 would
appeal to your students and buy them. See how they go over, but I'll
 bet
your students will really love them, too!

Tish Carpinelli, Media Specialist
Hi Amy,
I have used Orca Soundings with some of my 7/8s and our local high school has the 
entire catalogue for their reluctant readers.  I find these are great high 
interest/ low-vocab books and our kids have really bought into them.  I've only 
read a the Eric Walters titles so far, but they would definitely appeal to kids.  
Actually, our grace 8 teacher has requested that I purchase more of these because 
they do so well with our boys!
 
Amanda 
, Oshawa

Hi
I work in a school for kids with learning disabilities and many of our 
kids love them!  They are short, but don't look babyish.  The sports 
Ones are particularly popular.  I just need to be careful because we only go up to 
age 14, but some of them are definitely high school content!!
Ann 

Amy, our kids looooove these books. They are so great for especially boys who don't 
like to read. They will pick up these books because they have only 80-120 pages and 
then come back and tell me that this is the first time they have ever finished a 
book and do I have more like them Even the good readers like them They don't look 
like a " look at me I can't read book" cover are very modern and so are the 
stories. Writing varies, most is pretty good and the stories are peer related and 
what kids want to read about. I think I have everyone published so far ( including 
several that a replacements for ones that walked away-- a sure indication that the 
titles are popular. 
Darlene 

My students like the edgier ones (I work in an urban high school).  You might also 
take a look at the Bluford series published by Townsend Press (urban stories, 
nothing explicit and a bargain at $1.00 each).   Debbie 

I purchased mine through Follett.  If your school is
using AR they all have quizzes associated with them. 
My better students read them so they can take the quiz
the next day -- the reading teacher gives bonus points
for having read more than the minimum number of books
-- we don't use the AR points, just the grade they
receive on the quiz.

The reluctant/lower level readers like that the
stories are about teens and "real life stuff" -- it
makes reading more palatable for them.  

Regardless of who's reading them, very few are ever on
the shelf.  Usually they are off the "to be shelved"
cart before the end of the day.  I will be purchasing
more as soon as I get more money.  My recommendation: 
get the books and ALL your students will be reading.
Gail 

Ours circulate very well.
I bought mine from Follett.  My kids like them and I even have a
 teacher using some of them. Karen 

Yes, the students like them. Jean

I actually got mine from Follett. They are hardly ever on the shelves.
 David Lininger, 

I have quite a few of the ORCA soundings books and they are quite popular-and not 
just with reluctant readers. Some of my students who are good readers pick them up 
and read them when they want or need a quick read or have forgotten the free 
reading book for a class and just want something that is little more than a short 
story.
Kathy Hall, Librarian

Yes, especially the Bluford High series.  Chris 

Yes, Yes, Yes! This is one of the two most popular series in my school
(the other being the Bluford series from Townsend Press).  The Orca
series is read by ALL students at my 7th/8th school, from the lowest
level readers to the honors students.  The books deal with issues teens
are interested in and/or are dealing with:  abuse by parents, stalking,
drag racing, etc.  Some of the most popular titles are Chill (about
bullying), Dead-End Job (stalking), Fastback Beach (Hot Rods), Grind
(skateboarding), Hit Squad (bullying), Juice (steroids), Sticks and
Stones (namecalling), and Who Owns Kelly Paddick (abuse).  I can't
recommend this series enough.  There is one title which I do not own
because it deals with prostitution (can't remember the title now).  It
is unusual to have more than ten remaining on the shelf, and I have
around 80 copies!  Some of the Orca Currents are great as well.  I just
shelf them with the Orca Soundings and they fly off the shelf.  The
Orcas are kept on a separate bookshelf to keep them together and make
them easier to access.  There are no characters that are the same from
book to book so there is no order in which they need to be read.
Stand-alone topics in each book.  I always order directly from the
company and have had great service with every order. Heidi 


Yup -- on a par with the Bluford Series -- maybe written a little
better. Joanne 

I've been wondering the same thing. Please post a Hit.

I have 10 Orca Soundings titles on the shelf at our MS and they work
very well for reluctnat readers. I also added reading counts quizzes
for these and have found that students who are reading well below
grade level are able to pass the 10 question reading counts quizzes
with scores of 8/10 or better. Yes, the students like them.

Yes, go for it!  They are small (not intimidating) books that have MS and HS 
characters, but a lower reading level.

We have lots of them and they are very popular.
Pam Grad

My SpEd teacher was glad to see a few for her very low level students.  So far I 
haven't heard any comments YEA or NAY.  I just got an updated catalog, so I need to 
contact her to find out if I need to be ordering more.  BTW - I was able to 
purchase AR tests for all the titles.   I also looked at the Bluford series, but 
decided against them.  I didn't think the urban setting with mostly black 
characters would be of great interest to most of my students in SE Montana - esp. 
those with very low reading levels.
 "VAN"

My lower level reading students do seem to like them.  I haven't
actually read any myself, but I have heard good things & see them being
checked out.

Yes, I like them.  They are very good for my special ed students and low readers 
because they are about topics that interest them.   Ann 

My students love them.  However, I work at a high school.  If I were
your, I would read a few before purchasing them for a middle school.
Many of the subjects are pretty adult--prostitution, rape, etc.  For
mature reluctant readers, though, a great buy.
Ross C. Teller

They are good books.  Written with teen ideas, for students who can't
 Read well.  They are shorter than most novels.  Students who read a lot
 don't check them out, so do they get a lot of use, not like Harry Potter. But they 
are wonderful for reluctant readers.  If you have younger studentsthough, they seem 
to gravitate towards them, and the subject might not be good for them.  Raynette 






Amy
       
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