The Book Search

Sometimes you want something light and fluffy to read and sometimes it's good to read something that makes you feel like you actually might learn something or change an idea that you were holding closer than you thought you were.  Since it's Memorial Day weekend, you might think that it's a good idea to read some of the light and fluffy stuff, but let me tell you, these books with big ideas are worth a look, and a read! I just finished reading Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass.  I'm a BIG fan of Wendy Mass.  Her books have THE MOST AMAZING plot twists that I never see coming.  They make me laugh and usually cry and Jeremy Fink is no exception.  The book starts at the end and then flashes back to the start of the story.  Jeremy Fink is almost 13.  His dad died when he was 8 in a terrible accident.  Jeremy has a few issues (he has a very limited choice of things he will eat and most of them are candy, he doesn't like to use public ...

I've been doing some work on the app (it needs some upgrading, primping and fluffing).  In a conversation I had with my app designer, Billy, we thought it would be great to move the app to the web.  It SEEMED like something I could do myself and yet it wasn't.  So I hired a web designer, re-did most of the data entry (ok so that part got a little ugly) but now the file is available on line.  And for the moment, it's free.  So check it out!  Click HERE to get to the web page. And if you think there's something I need to change, PLEASE email me!  I'm currently working to try to make it even better!  Also, the Booksearch is now on Facebook, so make sure you like us there so you can get the latest updates!.   Like us on Facebook !

I've been reading biographies this week.  I got a few new ones in the media center and found a few more in the Ebook section of my local library (free books!  Delivered to my ipad!  What a deal!). The first one is called "On a Beam of Light" by Jennifer Berne is a picture book biography of Albert Einstein.  The pictures are exuberant and kind of primitive (in a good way) and it makes the life of Albert Einstein accessible to little kids (and bigger kids who might have thought that Albert Einstein was too smart for them to read about).  It explains some of Einstein's theories in very simple terms but it also talks about his persistence and his questioning attitude as well as his love of reading that took him to the places he wanted to go. The second biography I read was about Jane Goodall.  It's called "The Watcher: Jane Goodall's life with the chimps" by Jeanette Winter.  I'm a big fan of Jane Goodall, having heard her speak at a loca...

I was so lucky last weekend. I got to volunteer at the April is for Authors event in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Here 's a link to their website. This amazing group invites nationally known authors to come and speak to our kids. The great part is, it's a free event. This year, the event got a giant boost from a local guy who is a pretty well known author-James Patterson, who was the keynote speaker. One of the things he said that really got me thinking was that parents aren't taking enough responsibility in making sure their kids are good readers. He said he thought if you could get your kid to the dinner table or get them to take a bath, that you should also be able to get them to read. I thought that was awesome and I also thought I really needed to do more to get my students reading! I was also lucky enough to get to meet Chris Grabenstein, who is my newest hero.  Here's a link to his website.  His book "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" is SO...

So we all know that books are totally awesome and there is NO BETTER way to enjoy a book than curled up with someone who loves you reading to you.  But let me tell you, there are some completely awesome online reading sources that you can use, if that someone you love has a sore throat and can't read, or is away on a business trip...  Here are a couple of my favorites.  The first one is Tumblebooks. Tumblebooks is available through our district webpage and is on the learning tools for kids menu.  There are BUNCHES of books available, some are popular titles that you'll recognize (like Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo and How I Became a Pirate by David Shannon) as well as other less familiar titles.  The narration is good and what's really great about it is as the text is read, the sentences light up, allowing struggling readers the opportunity to connect the text to the spoken word.  That's really important for developing readers.   The second one is ...

I got two great new picture book biographies last week. I hadn't read either one of them, instead relying on reviews from the School Library Journal and the Non-Fiction Detectives . It turns out, having someone give you a good recommendation can save you a lot of time and money. Here are three that I really loved.  The first one is called "Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table" by Jacqueline Briggs.  It's a beautiful and vibrantly illustrated story about Will Allen, an urban farmer who is trying to make sure that everyone gets fresh, healthy food.  Here's a short interview with him. The second biography is actually less of a biography (it doesn't tell her whole life story) but tells the story of a pivotal event.  It's called "Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist makers' Strike of 1909" by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.  It's the story of Clara Lemlich, who was an immigrant to NY in the early 1900s.  She was th...

Our professional organization, Palm Beach County EMA, held their annual breakfast for media specialists and principals yesterday. They invited John Schumaker, more commonly known as Mr. Schu, as the featured speaker. He was completely AMAZING!!! I've been reading his blog since I started in the media center because he reads EVERYTHING and he is a big user of social media so he's constantly sharing what he knows about books. He's a book evangelist... just what I want to be! One of the things he spoke about yesterday was how important is to read because books connect us to one another. Reading books is really terrific by sharing books is a powerful social experience that we can choose and that we can share with our kids and our students. The experiences created by authors are things we may not be able to experience on our own (like flying on a broomstick or finding a squirrel with super powers) but we can experience them vicariously and share them with our friends, fa...