The Book Search

I've been reading a TON of children's literature this summer (if you enjoy data, I've read 212 books since school got out).  However, it's been quite some time since I picked up a chapter book and finished it in ONE DAY and then kept talking about it to everyone I meet.  It's called "Ban this Book" by Alan Gratz.   It's about a girl named Amy Anne.  She lives in Raleigh, NC with her mom and dad, two little sisters, and her big dogs named Flotsam and Jetsam.  Amy Anne loves to read and has strong opinions but often feels too embarrassed to share her opinions with anyone.  One day she goes to the library to re-check out her favorite book, "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E. L. Konigsburg, only to find that a parent has challenged this book (along with several others) and so it has been removed from the library.  Amy Anne is outraged and the librarian, Mrs. Jones, invites Amy Anne to come to the school board meeti...

So my husband says to me this morning "We only have one more Monday off school."  Um, what???!!!  Wait!!!  How did THAT happen?  As I often say to people when they ask, "Are you ready to go back to school?"  "It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not, the kids are coming anyway!"  I've been meaning to read all the Sunshine State Young Reader nominees for this year.  I tried downloading them from Mackin Via and I ended up with a spinning rainbow wheel of death, both on the iPad and on my laptop.  FINE.  So today I made a trip to the public library and happily, they had most of the titles I hadn't read yet.  YAY for public libraries!  I can't think why I waited so long to read this one, because it was terrific!  It's called "Save Me A Seat" by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan.  It's told from two different boys' perspectives.  Ravi and Joe are both in the same fifth grade class.  Ravi's family just moved from Banga...

My students LOVE non-fiction books.  In fact, I'm always surprised when school librarians lament the fact that their students don't check out non-fiction books, because my kids check out at least as many non-fiction as fiction books, maybe more.  I'm really excited about some of these new titles that are coming out soon. The first one is called "Her Right Foot" by Dave Eggers.  I'm a big fan of Dave Eggers work for adults and I really love his voice, so I was very intrigued his new book, which is a picture book.  The artwork is terrific-the first part has collages that have a very art deco period feel to them.  The second part is also collage, but more modern.  The text is amazing.  It's about the Statue of Liberty and the first part of the book has background information about the Statue of Liberty-how it was a gift from France, the architect Bartholdi, Eiffel's role, how it was put together in France and then taken apart, shipped to America, and pu...

I'm taking a break from reading picture books.  I've been visiting my parents and my brother in NC and the picture books are too heavy to bring along!  Thank goodness I have my iPad loaded with middle grade fiction.  There are some great ones coming soon! The first one is called "The Shadow Weaver" by Marcykate Connolly.  It's about a girl named Emmeline who can weave shadows using magic.  What that means is that she can use her magic to get the shadows to do what she wants them to do.  It's a very cool power to have but her parents think it's creepy and scary.  Emmeline also has a shadow friend who encourages her to use her power and kind of helps her along with the magic.  Dar has been her friend since she was little and really, Emmeline's only friend.  One day some people come to Emmeline's home and offer to take Emmeline to cure her of her magic.  Emmeline's parents think this is a great idea, since they think the whole shadow weav...

I just looked at my Goodreads profile and it says I'm 62 books behind schedule for reading 400 books this year.  Rats.  I guess I'm going to have to pick up the pace a bit.  Thank goodness summer's here so I can have some time to read!  Through Goodreads, I belong to a group called Mock Newbery and they try to pick which book might win the Newbery  and although we don't seem to have guess correctly yet, they have THE BEST suggestions for books.  This month we voted on 5 titles (See You In the Cosmos by Jack Cheng was the consensus for this month) but I read them all.  My new favorite is called "Crack in the Sea" by H. M. Bouwman. This is Bouwman's second novel and I missed her first one.  This one is so big that it's a bit hard to describe.  It starts with two main characters, a brother and sister-Pip and Kinchen.  They are orphans but live with a kind old man named Ren who has adopted them and cared for them on an island that is quite...

So we've got the new list for the Sunshine State Young Readers for the middle grades.  I'm starting with the 3rd to 5th grade, because those are for my students, but I'm hoping I'll have time to read the 6-8 as well, because some of my favorites are on there too! The first one I read this summer is called "Castle Hangnail" by Ursula Vernon.  I just got a series of books by Ursula Vernon for my school library about Harriet the Hamster Princess which is hilarious so I was looking forward to "Castle Hangnail" and I was NOT disappointed.  Castle Hangnail belongs to a witches guild and is in transition.  The old witch is gone and they are looking for a new witch.  There is a cast of minions that includes the caretaker (who has no name), a haunted suit of armor, a stuffed doll named Pins who takes care of wardrobe and furnishings, a minotaur that is the cook, and the cleaner, Serenissima, who is a water spirit that steams every thing clean.  They are a b...

Summer vacation is almost upon us!  And how lucky to have some wonderful books to read!  This one is perfect for a stormy day.  It's called "Shelter" by Celine Claire.  It's about a community of animals that live independently.  One day a storm blows up.  The animals are secure in their homes, but some strangers come, seeking shelter and comfort.  They have cookies to share, but no one is willing to let them in.  A little fox gives them a lantern and the strangers go and create their own shelter.  But suddenly, the foxes' shelter is compromised.  Will they be able to find a safe place?  The soft watercolor paintings make this one really inviting.  This is a nice story about empathy and helping others.  It's going to be a good one to start the year with, when we are trying to create classroom communities. The second one is a super cute book about dealing with a new baby.  Leon has a new baby at his house and he's...

I've been having a good time branching out from all the picture books I've been reading and Netgalley has been very obliging to have a terrific array of books to choose from!  Here are some of the latest and greatest.... The first one is a YA book called "Rivers of Shadow" by Leo Hunt.  It's the second in a series about a boy named Luke Manchett who is a necromancer.  I didn't read the first one, but the author left enough of a trail through this one to be sure that newbies like me could totally figure it out.  The story starts with Luke trying to wallow his way through high school.  It becomes apparent from the get-go, that things are different for Luke this year.  Last year he was a jock with lots of friends and this year, he has a freaky girlfriend, a dead father, and everyone seems to think he's toxic.  It turns out (in the book before) that Luke found out that his dad was a necromancer and passed on this great skill to his son.  Luke wasn't...

The summer is winding down!  The teachers at my school return on August 9.  This is always a time of year that feels so full of potential.  So many new ideas to try and so many new books to read!  I found some non fiction books that are going to be great for my library! The first one is the third one in a series about famous people as kids.  This one is called "Kid Artists" by David Stadler.  (the first two were "Kid Presidents" and "Kid Athletes").  The artist one is just as great as the first two were.  It follows the same format-short chapters about different famous artists as they were growing up.  The stories usually tell an interesting but kind of unusual story about the subject that gives you an idea of what kind of artist they would become without telling the entire life story.  There are funny little cartoony illustrations along the way that break up the text.  There is an interesting variety of artists too, from far back...

My husband and I just got back from our epic summer adventure.  It started June 17 and finished yesterday, July 18.  We drove 5,700 miles, visited 100s of relatives and friends, attended two professional conferences (one each) and a family reunion, and ate WAY more than we should have.  But we had a great time and are VERY pleased to be home.  Needless to say, there has been a gap in my reading, but I am totally caught up on my talking and chatting skills! Last night I finished one that I've been reading for awhile.  It didn't take me a long time because it was boring, it took a long time because I kept getting interrupted.  It's called "The Left Handed Fate" and it's by Kate Milford.  You might remember Kate Milford's early work that got a lot of buzz, called "The Green Glass House".  That one was a very excellent mystery and this one is too.  "The Left Handed Fate" is set on a pirate ship in 1812 and has an amazing array of characte...

I love non fiction books for kids.  And it turns out that my Montessori kids love them too.  Here are some really interesting ones I found lately on Netgalley. The first one is called "Like a Bird - the art of the American Slave Song".  It's written by Cynthia Parker and illustrated by Michelle Wood.  It's a collection of 13 slave songs and gorgeous paintings that depict them.  There is some short text about the symbolism of the pictures as well as the history of the songs.  I found it very interesting and the pictures are amazing.  The artwork is full of details that will encourage kids to look and look again to notice all the details.  This one would be great for some of those lessons where kids are expected to compare and contrast different kinds of media-in this case, art and music.  The full text of the songs is also included.  I think this one will be great in our library. The second one is called "Sachiko" and it's by Car...

I'm digging through the Sunshine State Young Reader list for grades 3-5.  I hope I'll have the stamina to read the 6-8 list and maybe even the Teen Reads.  I've also started on the picture books.  Surely during the summer break I'll have more time (she said optimistically). This first one is called "Serafina's Promise" by Ann Burg.  This book is written in verse and it's about a girl named Serafina who lives with her parents and her grandmother.  Serafina also has a baby brother who is sick.  Serafina's family lives in Haiti (which is never stated but you can kind of figure it out.  The kids might need help though).  Her family is too poor for her to go to school but when they visit the doctor, Serafina is inspired to become a doctor, and so she starts trying to think of ways to convince her mother that it's a good idea to let her go to school.  Her mother has had a lot of trauma in her life (which you learn about as you read) and so lettin...