Recommendations of the Month-November

Early Grades: one of the best authors for the this age group of the last few years is Mo Willems. His books are listed here. It's rare to find a child who doesn't giggle at the Pigeon and his antics, and Mo's Elephant and Piggie books are wonderful for those kids just starting out with their reading.

Middle Grades: one series that I love for those reading that are gaining confidence is the Bailey School Kids. These books are like X-Files for the very young set in that for some reason or another the main characters find something suspicious about the adults they encounter. There is always the kid who totally believes and the kid who is the skeptic! The first book in this series is called Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots. Encourage your young reader to check these out!

Upper Grades: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is my pick this month for strong readers. This is one of my favorite books of the last few years. As a bonus, Jim Dale does the audio version--he did the Harry Potter's and does an amazing job! Might be something to pick up to listen to during the holidays!

Exciting News

Rick Riordan, the author of the excellent Percy Jackson and the Olympians books has begun working on a new series! It is going to be called The Kane Chronicles. It will focus on Egyptian mythology and the first book will be called The Red Pyramid and will be released on May 4, 2010!. Read about it here. Yay for books!

Our library has been turned into a book store for the next few weeks. Come on in and see the selection!

Oh my! Look how cool the poster for Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief looks! Can't wait!!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4

The newest book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was released yesterday. I got my hands on a few copies for the library and one for myself and I can tell you...it is as funny as the first three! This time Greg is writing about his summer vacation and as is the way of Greg, things do not go the way he has planned! The holds list for our library is huge (30+ kids and counting), but check out is for one week only and I currently have three copies circulating so it should go fast. Come down and add your name to the list if you haven't already!

Read For The Record

Today Russell Elementary participated in Jumpstart's Read for the Record. All across the nation kids, parents and educators read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to children in hopes of reaching over a million kids for a world record. We had several guest readers come in to read to the students here at Russell. It was a very fun day!

Recommendations of the Month-October

Early Grades:
We are reading Bad Boys and Bad Boys Get Cookie by Margie Palatini along with a few non-fiction books about wolves. Anything by Margie Palatinti is a good recommendation as a read aloud for this age group. They are fun and the pictures are always terrific.

Middle Grades:
Right now I am recommending Judy Blume as an author for middle grade readers. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a funny read that will tide kids over until Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days comes out.

Upper Grades and Middle School:
It seems to me that a lot of kids this age have not read Harry Potter. They've seen the movies, but almost all the books were out before most of them becamse readers. There is a reason these books were so popular and any reader at this age would find they enjoy Harry, especially starting at the beginning!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

This will be available for check out on OCTOBER 12. The library will have three copies that can be checked out for ONE WEEK ONLY. If you would like a copy put on hold sign up on the sheet on the library door!

Thank You Michael Buckley!

Michael Buckley is a children's book author who has come out with a new book (and the start of a series) called N.E.R.D.S-National, Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society. It's about a bunch of fifth grade misfits who come together to complete missions and save the world. It looks like it is a great book and will be a lot of fun to read. Anyway, a few weeks ago he ran a contest for a school librarian to win a few copies of his new book and WE WON! So I got two brand spanking new copies of N.E.R.D.S signed by the author. I can't wait to read it and I will have a copy available for check out soon. I think I will use these special copies as prizes for future giveaways in the library...stay tuned!

Guys Read

This is a newly designed website that is geared towards getting "guys" to read. My favorite feature (so far--I am still poking around the site) is the booklists by famous "boy" authors and illustrators. The thing that I truly love about this website is how the creators make it okay to read anything- comics, magazines, books, graphic novels, audiobooks-as long as reading is taking place! I wish more teachers adopted this attitude towards reading, for boys and girls! Take a look around! Enjoy!

New Percy Jackson Trailer!

The new Percy Jackson trailer is out, with more scenes from the movie...like the first chapter from the book where Percy is on the field trip with his school, and we get to see Pierce Brosnan as Chiron. It is looking really good and I am super excited. It's always fun to have things to look forward to! (I think there is a pretty small clip of Sean Bean as Zeuss (the back of him anyway) but I really can't wait until they show Posideon!) My sons and I plan on listening to this book over Christmas break so that we can be prepared for the movie. As a bonus it will be while we are driving for our vacation so my husband will have to listen as well!
Check it out here:

Celebrate Children's Book Art

Today is Tomie dePaola's birthday. Some children's book authors and illustrators got together to create their tributes to Tomie. Check it out here.

Another one I love is this one, done by artists and illustrators in tribute to Where the Wild Things Are.

And Eric Carle runs a museum that celebrates Picture Book Art. Someday I plan to go there!

Bring on the Funny

We have about one month until Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 is released. I don't know about your reader, but mine (at home and at school) loves these books. So I have been trying to pull out all other "funny" reads I can find. Here's a list for you:

*Captain Underpants by Dav. Pilkey
(There are 8 books in this series and though the humor can seem a little crude to parents remember that it is perfect for most of the kids that read these books!)(In fact, most of Dav Pilkey's books are goofy enough for kids!)

*Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
(Remember this one? It's a story of a fourth grader names Peter, but the book introduces us to one of those great, goofy kids: Fudge. He was so popular that Judy Blume wrote four more books starring Peter and Fudge.)

*All About Sam by Lois Lowry
(This is one I read every year to my kindergarteners. This book starts out when Sam is just born and it is all told from his point of view. This is always fun to read! There are four books in Sam's series).

*Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
(I love pretty much anything Beverly Cleary has ever written. Her books hold such a special place in my heart from my childhood. My sons and I listened to (and loved) all the books about Henry Huggins, but I think truly the funniest book Beverly Cleary wrote was this one or Ramona the Pest).

*Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
(Kids really enjoy Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because she finds creative ways to solve problems parents are having with their kids. My favorite (and one of the funniest) "cure" is in the second book Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic. It's called the "I Thought You Siders" cure. There are four books in this series).

*The Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis
(HYSTERICAL picture book, but you kind of have to have a dark sense of humor)

*Sideway Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
(One of the best things about this book is that each chapter is based on a different student in a class at a school called Wayside, so they are all short and funny. Kids always feel like the read more when they read from chapter to chapter! There are two other books in this series).

*Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
(Homer's adventures are always fun for kids to read, plus the illustrations are wonderful!)

*Parts by Tedd Arnold
(Parts is about a young child who is afraid he is falling apart because things keep falling off of him. Kids love this picture book and it's sequels: More Parts and Even More Parts. He also writes the Fly Guy series that kids enjoy).

The Masters:

Almost anything written by these two authors is funny and we have a lot of both in our library!
Roald Dahl & Robert Munsch.

For poetry you can't go wrong with Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky!

Hopefully there are some ideas here that will tide your reader over until October 12 when the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid is released!

So Much Fantastic Stuff...

On Sunday it is Roald Dahl's birthday so we will be reading excerpts from his books starting today. He is my favorite author. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of my all time favorite books (with James and the Giant Peach being a close second). Now, the recent movie of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was good, but still, the book is better. (Don't bother with the James and Giant Peach movie, it was terrible). One book I am reading now because it has been made into a movie that will be out this fall is Fantastic Mr. Fox. Check out the preview, I think it's going to be great!


Also, I am so excited about the fall order I will be doing for the library! I have been trying to read a bunch of the books before I order them so I know I can "sell" them to readers at our school. Two of my new favorites are: Alvin Ho and the Lunch Lady graphic novels. Alvin Ho is a very funny book about a second grader who is afraid of everything. The Lunch Lady graphic novels are books about a crime fighting lunch lady. Both of my sons read and enjoyed the first one in the series (they compared it to Captain Underpants which is a very good thing!) . I look forward to sharing all these, and more, with you when they come in later in October!

Lastly, I found this great channel on youtube call the Scholastic Channel. Scholastic publishes a lot of books, and as some of you parents know, offers books at low prices (your teachers have probably sent out book orders by now). Anyway, the videos they put on their channel on youtube are all about books! Check it out here.

For the last two weeks we have been reviewing what it means to be in the library and what you can do when you are in the library. Most students already know this, but it's fun to let the kindergarteners know they will get to take books home in a few weeks! I have been reading them books about libraries and library creatures. Here are ones that we have available for check out:

Boys & Books

I guess this is a little one sided because I have two sons at home. I know that there are plenty of girls who do not like to read as well, but today I came across some great resources online and wanted to share them with you. Girls and book will have their day also. Anyway, two recent article I read: Tips for Making Reading Boy Friendly and Boys and Competitive Reading were interesting to read with good ideas you can use in your own home. Also, nothing beats a good book and here is a list of ones that I have found that boys seem to really respond to.

I also have set up a book club with my sons where we pick a book, both read it and then have dinner together to discuss it. Both of them enjoy the one on one time with me and we actually have a great time discussing the book!

Lastly, audiobooks are a great way to get active boys into reading. This is a method I use extensively at home and both of my sons have been exposed (and loved) to books they would never pick up on their own!

Percy Jackson

Some of you might remember that one of my very favorite series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Well, good news...the first book is being made into a movie! Watch the preview below. (it's not due out until February--bummer). I have all of the Percy Jackson books in the library and a brand new playaway of The Lightning Thief if you'd like to listen to the book. Come in and check it out!

Preview

The fourth Wimpy Kid book will be coming out October 12. And to rub it in that you are back in school this book will be about Greg's summer vacation! Anyway, after school starts watch for a holds sign up on the library door. I will be buying three copies the day it comes out and will have them ready to check out that afternoon! Hope you have been having a great summer and that you are reading!

For some reason I have been really into spies and spy novels this summer. I recently read the third book in the Young Bond series. It was my favorite of all so far. It's nice when the third book of a series is better than the first two. Because of that I have been watching the two most recent James Bond movies (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) and I made the James Bond theme into ringtones for my phone. I feel a little like a spy whipping my phone out when it starts playing James Bond. I am also revisiting Alex Rider, the eighth one comes out this fall. I always like these books! Right now I am reading a grown up spy novel, Into the Volcano, because it has the tone and feel of older James Bond movies.

Other spy series:
Spy High
Spy X
The Gallagher Girls

Hope your summer reading is going great!

Summer Update

I am going to update periodically to let you know what I am reading this summer. I started out with a bang and got several things read:

The Big Splash by Jack Ferraiolo. Wonderful book, five star all the way. Probably best for a little older kids (6th grade and up), but I highly recommend it!

Again for a little older readers, The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness. This is the sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go which was amazing. The first one ended on such a cliffhanger that I ordered this one from Amazon even though they had to get it from England for me (it won't be published in the US until fall). This book was equally amazing and it ended on such a cliff hanger. I don't know how long I'll have to wait for the next one, but I am not looking forward to it! I am even buying the first one for my older brotehr for his birthday because I know he'd love it also!

First Shot by Walter Sorrells. Good mystery that kept me guessing until the very end!

I am also listeing to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (gotta get this done before the movie in July) and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies which is hysterical. It would be fine for a young adult, boy or girl. I am listeing to it though because I have a hard time reading Jane Austen and the man who write this pretty much used the same text and just threw in a bit of bloody mayhem!

I hope you are all finding good books to read this summer! Check below or in the links on the side for ideas!!

Harry Potter Giveaway!!

Starting today you will have the chance to win one set of the 5th, 6th and 7th Harry Potter books in paperback! The 7th book comes out in paperback on July 7 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a breathtaking finish to a remarkable series. The final chapter to Harry Potter’s adventures will be releases in paperback July 7^th! It all comes down to this - a final face off between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve.)

I remember waiting at Borders until midnight to get my copy of the 7th book. I stayed up so late reading it and then sent my family on a rafting trip the next day so I could keep reading without interference. It was a perfect ending to a great series of books. So if you'd like to win a set of these books leave a comment and your email below. There will be a total of five winners one a week and two the last week--I will pick the winners from the comments by putting them in a bowl and drawing one out. If you'd like to tell me your favorite character or scene from the Harry Potter books I'd enjoy reading that!

Thanks for playing along!

Summer Reading Lists

I had been meaning to spend time developing a reading list for this summer--ideas for different age groups, etc... but as I started putting one together I found that there were numerous lists available on line. So, I thought I would just link to them. Here is a very comprehensive one for preK-4th grade readers. And from the same site, one for fifth grade and up. Both of these lists come from a site called Read Kiddo Read, one of my favorite reading sites online!

I also want to put a plug in for AUDIO books this summer. Our public library has tons of books on CDs that are available for check out. If your child seems in a reading rut, have them listen to a book instead. It is one of my favorite ways to have my kids listen to the books I would love to read aloud to them, but can't seem to find the time. We are always driving around listening to a story!

Summer Reading

The library is starting to close down for the summer. Over the next few weeks I will be posting some reading ideas and challenges for the summer. There are two local challenges you can be involved in-
Borders and Flathead County Library.

There is also one from Scholastic that you can sign up to involved with. My challenge is to read 30 books. What's yours?

Poetry

This week we were reviewing the 800s section of the Dewey Decimal System. Because it is hard to keep Shel Silverstein books in the library I decided to go to his website to share some of his poetry. I am glad I did because there is a link on his page --after you watch the intro-- that says Celebrate Poetry Month with Shel. He has taken some of his poems and excerpts from some books and animated them. It is so cool and such a fun way to share poetry with children!

Another great poetry website is Jack Prelutsky's. He is another great children's poet. His site has fun illustrations and lots of his poetry that you can read together!

Percy Jackson

Today the new (and last--sob) Percy Jackson book gets released. I am running to the store at lunch to get a copy for out library so it will be available for check out this afternoon! If you have never read these books it's time to check them out. There is not a student (boy or girl) who I have recommended them to that has not loved them. There is even a movie in the works with some pretty impressive actors in the roles of the Greek gods. Here is sneak peek of the author (Rick Riordan) reading from the book. I can't wait!!

Author Visit!

Tomorrow we host author Robert San Souci. I am excited and nervous about hosting an author because this is my first one! I will post pictures and comments on his visit tomorrow. For now, check out his website. Here are the books he has written that we have in our library:

Earth Day

Wednesday is Earth Day so this week I am focusing on Earth Day type books. I am reading The Lorax, The Wump World and The Little House. I was excited to see that Disney had done a cartoon short of The Little House. Check it out:

Also, check out The Lorax Conservation site for games and ideas on Earth Day projects.
Have a happy Earth Day and do something nice for the planet that you wouldn't normally do!

Maurice Sendak

Who hasn't heard of Maurice Sendak? Even if you aren't sure of who he is, you've probably seen/read/heard one of his books: Where the Wild Things Are. He is an author/illustrator who has written several books and illustrated even more. Next fall there will be a live action movie of Where the Wild Things Are so this week I decided to focus on him for the kindergarten and first graders. Watch the videos below for a short animated version of Where the Wild Things Are and a preview of the movie. Enjoy!

Remember the Books You Loved?

It's hard to find time to read aloud to kids and even harder to get them interested in what looks to them like an "old" book. I have already discussed my love for audio books, and this new year I have managed to bring the two together. One of my favorite authors since childhood is Beverly Cleary. Of course I could totally identify with Ramona, I also loved the books about Henry Huggins. I decided that since I have two boys that I would start reading Henry Huggins aloud to them. The problem was time, there was just not enough of it. So, I started checking out the audio versions of as many Beverly Cleary books as I could find (I did have to buy a couple from iTunes as well) and my sons and I drove around town listening to them. Since January we have listened to all but one Henry book (Henry and Ribsy is not available as an audio version) and are almost done with the Ramona books. The actors who do the readings are excellent and as my fifth grade son said, "They look like they are old, but those things could happen today." I love sharing these books that I hold near and dear to my heart with my children and that they are falling in love with the same stories.

We went to Portland, Oregon for spring break which is where Beverly Cleary was from and where she based all the Henry and Ramona books. While we were there we went on a pilgrimmage of sorts. And I took pictures! Let me share them with you!

Champion!!

It comes as no surprise that Diary of a Wimpy Kid thoroughly trounced Captain Underpants. There really was no competition. Congratulations Jeff Kinney, your book is a winner!