Teaching upper elementary in a pre-k to eighth grade school with one class per grade is no easy feat. If you are a teacher of fourth and fifth graders, or a parent of a child around this age, you know that some days are better than others. I won’t go into the developmental characteristics of 9-12 year olds, but suffice it to say that by this point in the school year there are a lot of “too cool for school” looks, attitudes and dramatic situations that teachers end up moderating. So, with all of this growing and changing and maturing, how in the world am I supposed to keep their interest with reading and writing? I try to stay on top of new book releases, topics that interest my individual classes and students, and projects that help them see the bigger picture. I also do book talks as much as…