The Book Search

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...