Are You My Newbery? - How'd We Do?

It was a big day for librarians and students on Monday, January 10, 2011.  The ALA Youth Media Awards were announced!

At the school, we gathered in our Large Group Instruction room to watch the ALA Youth Media Awards, only to find out our school had it blocked! But, for some crazy reason, we could get the ALA Facebook page and my twitter stream.  So we stared at the screen waiting to see if any of our choices made the cut.

The students reactions:
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan - The Pure Belpre - although we wanted to see this book get the Newbery Honor, we were happy it got some recognition.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia - Coretta Scott King and Newbery Honor - Yay!!!  We were worried because only two other books won both The Scott O'Dell and Newbery (thank you Anita Silvey) so this was fantastic!

And that was it! They had read Heart of a Samurai but were not "impressed".  They kept re-reading and re-reading the announcements sure that they would find Cardturner by Sachar and Keeper by Appelt somewhere!   They were also disappointed that Mockingbird by Erskine and Out of My Mind by Draper didn't get recognized.  I'm proud to note they decided to read Moon over Manifest by Vanderpool next!  I didn't even ask them too

My reactions:
Newbery: For the second year in a row, I was happy to see that I'd read ALL of the books that won Newbery and Newbery Honors.  I was also happy to see One Crazy Summer get more recognition.

Printz: This is the first year that I'd read the Printz winner, Ship Breaker by Paulo Bacigalupi,  before it was announced!  I'd also read one of the honors, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King, and have Stolen by Lucy Christopher on my nightstand since it's also a Cybils YA Finalist!  I'm also pleased that all of the books, except for Stolen, were on my Mock Printz list at Goodreads!

Coretta Scott King (Author): The is the first year that I've read ALL of the CSK winners before they were announced! One Crazy Summer, Lockdown by Myers, Ninth Ward by Parker-Rhodes, and Yummy by Neri!

Schneider Family Book Award: Happy to see I'd read the middle-grade book, After Ever After by Sonnenblick.

Alex Awards: Read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender and had already purchased it for the library!

Pura Belpre (Author): Read The Dreamer by Ryan and Firefly Letters by Engle!

Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Award: Read Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Green and Levithan.  Also went to see them at Anderson's last April!

Geisel Award: I read Bink and Gollie by DiCamillo and McGhee!

Overall, A great year of reading!  I will continue reading the same way but will expand my Printz reading somewhat. The most awesome thing is the ability to talk to a wide variety of students about the books I read!

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Are You My Newbery? Discovery Middle School Mock Newbery Results

We spent the last two meetings discussing our top books and trying to come up with a consensus.  We had two rounds of voting with our final being

Newbery
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Honors
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Keeper by Kathi Appelt

I am exhausted but proud.  The students argued and pulled out books and looked at passages.  They were intense.  I really appreciated the hard work they put into this club!  We will meet on Monday to watch the webcast with our fingers crossed!
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Are You My Newbery 2011? - What the Students Think

I'm running my first student Mock Newbery club this year and I was privileged to assist Kris Springer with her student Mock Newbery club.

We both had students turn in their top three books in preparation for our final discussion and voting meetings.




Discovery Middle School Mock Newbery Club (in order of points):

1. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
2. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
3. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Saving Sky by Diane Stanley
5. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
6. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
7. Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
8. Keeper by Kathi Appelt
9. Scumble by Ingrid Law
10. Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
11. The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier
12. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
13. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
14. Countdown by Deborah Wiles
15. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

St. Joseph Public Library Mock Newbery Club (in order of points):


1. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
2. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
3. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
4. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
5. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
7. Scumble by Ingrid Law
8. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
9. The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
10. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
11. The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
12. Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
13. Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
14. The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier
15. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

I made a change in our school reading list that is reflected in our totals.  Did I unduly influence the students?  Something to think about! What can you guys infer from these final reading lists?

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Are You My Newbery? What I'm Thinking

This year I've been actively involved in two real life Mock Newbery Book Clubs.  I've followed and contributed to the Goodreads discussion and I'll be at the St. Joseph County Public Library's adult discussion on January 8th.  The award will be chosen on January 10, 2011 and I hope to be watching it with my book club at 10:45.

Last year, when I read When You Reach Me, I truly felt amazed and in awe of the book as a whole. It had "newbery" written all over it.  This year, there are so many good books out there, it's been harder to even choose my top 7, let alone "the" book.  So, I'm going to list all the books I've read so far, in the hopes that at least 7 will stand out for me.

In order read:

1. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
   
2. Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
3. Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
4. Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer
5. Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
6. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzales
7. Sweet, Hereafter by Angela Johnson
8. The Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter
9. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
10. Cardturner by Louis Sachar
11. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
12. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
13. Countdown by Deborah Wiles
14. Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
15. Paper Daughter by Jeanette Ingold
16. Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School by Andrew Clements
17. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
18. The Dreamer by Patricia Munoz Ryan
19. Ubiquitous by Joyce Sidman
20. Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
21. The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
22. After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
23. The Adventures of Jack Lime by James Leck
24. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
25. Sit In by Andrea Davis Pinckney
26. Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos
27. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
28. Keeper by Kathi Appelt
29. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
30. The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
31. The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Frazier
32. The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
33. The Night Fairy by Laura Schlitz
34. The Familiars by Epstein and Jacobson
35. The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
36. Stuck on Earth by David Klass
37. Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst
38. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
39. Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
40. Jake by Audrey Couloumbis
41. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
42. Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol by Jim Krieg
43. Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
44. Saving Sky by Diane Stanley
45. The Called Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
46. As Easy As Falling off The Face of the Earth by Lynn Rae Perkins
47. The Danger Box by Blue Balliett (159p)
48. Yummy by G. Neri
49. Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
50. Finding Family by Tonya Bolden
51. Bink and Gollie by DiCamillo and McGhee
52. What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb
53. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
54. Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
55. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
56. Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
57. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
58. Scumble by Ingrid Law
59. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
60. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
61. Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool
62. Hero by Mike Lupica
63. Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner
64. Dark Emperor by Joyce Sidman
65. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
66. Best Friends Forever by Beverly Platt
67. The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor
68. The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton

I know the committee members read a ton more! I have some titles here at home I want to tackle before the January 6th.  My students are voting for their Top 3 right now too!

Ok, here's what I'm picking, as of December 22, 2010.  Note that I've only re-read Keeper, Cardturner, and Conspiracy so far.

In no particular order

• Cardturner by Louis Sachar
• Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
• Saving Sky by Diane Stanley
• Keeper by Kathi Appelt
• Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
• Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson

Phew, that was difficult and I'm still wavering! I will write up some reasons for each one and post those before my meeting.

Are there any books you think I really need to read?  What are your top picks?

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Keeper by Kathi Appelt - Review

Keeper
Kathi Appelt
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
399 pgs.

"Find the one who's been missing."
Keeper is having the second worse day of her life.  Signe is mad at her, Dogie is mad at her, and Mr. Beauchamp is mad at her.  But, it's not all her fault, mostly not anyway.  So, she does the only thing she can think of, take out Dogie's boat Scamper and find her mermaid mother.  Everyone knows mermaids are magic, so Meggie Marie would tell Keeper how to make things right again. 

My Thoughts
First, I didn't want to read this book because I couldn't figure out how a 10 year-old could still believe in mermaids.  It didn't make sense to this middle school librarian who sees jaded and disenchanted sixth graders on a daily basis.  But, I had an ARC and it was on our Mock Newbery list. So, I read it.

We start out in the boat with Keeper and as she remembers things, we get to go back and relive those memories with her.  Each time we go back, we get a little bit more of the present story and then we start going back even further.  It's like when a boat is sloshing around in the water with little moves forward and backward but always progressing.  We don't just learn about Keeper, though.  We find out how each of the inhabitants of The world unto itself came to live on Oyster Ridge Road.  In this way, the story becomes deeper. 

In order for Keeper to find her mother, she must give gifts to the sea and each time she does, I feel she grows up a little, in a sense, away from her need of her mother and closer to the reality of her life.

Appelt melds the story of Keeper, the merpeople, the beasts, Dogie, Signe, and Mr. Beauchamp into one epic story that doesn't seem forced or rushed.  Keeper actually meanders, like the boat.  And then we get to the end.  And it's surprising and frightening and enlightening. But, I can't tell you what happens you have to read it yourself.  Give this one to students who like Savvy, When You Reach Me, and Waiting for Normal.



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Keeper by Kathi Appelt - Guest Post

Keeper
Kathi Appelt
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
399 pgs.

I will be reviewing Keeper by Kathi Appelt December 17th her on The Brain Lair. Keeper is one of my top choices for our Mock Newbery.   Here Kathi gives us a little insight into Keeper's favorite items in the story.  If you haven't read the book, run right out and get a copy.  If you have the ARC, get the hardcover because the illustrations are fantastic!

A Magic Whistle and a Wooden Bowl

photo by Ken Appelt

For anyone who has ever worked in a theater, you know that one of the key jobs is “props.” It’s up to the Property Manager to make sure that all those items that the actors use in the play are in place. If one of the characters needs a scarf to toss over his shoulder or another character needs a dagger to plunge into her boyfriend’s chest, it’s critical that those things are on the stage when they’re needed.

I’ll never forget working on a play in which the main character needed a whistle. The whistle was supposed to be enchanted and whenever the character blew it, something magical would happen. A magic whistle. Someone on the props crew was supposed to check the pocket of the main character’s costume before the play began just to be sure that the whistle was in place.

Sure enough, whoever was in charge forgot. So when the poor actor got to the line about the magic whistle, only to discover that there was no whistle, he panicked. He rummaged through all of his pockets. Alas, the only item he could find was a small knife. Not exactly the same thing as a whistle. Ack!

So much was lost: the sound of the whistle, the intention of the story, and the magic. There’s a huge difference between a magical whistle and a magical pocket knife. In addition, the actor lost confidence in the crew, and for the run of the play, each time he got to that spot in his lines, his anxiety level rose.

When I’m working on a story, I give a lot of thought to the props that my characters are going to be dealing with. Like the whistle, objects in fiction become a tiny bit magical. We call them “endowed objects,” because we endow them with special properties, special memories, special significance.

In Keeper, I wanted to avoid the whistle/pocket knife mix-up, and make sure that the objects she kept in her pocket were in tune with the story. But where to start?

Because I have always been interested in mermaids and their cousins, I wanted to include as many of them in the book as I could. In early drafts, I actually had different mer people appear throughout the story. However, they never really seemed to fit with the story. They seemed gratuitous. For example, where would an Irish selkie come into the picture? Or what about a Japanese ningyo? Was there a scene that I could include using the German meerfrau, a fresh-water mermaid, in the salty Gulf of Mexico? What would their purpose be? They would just be making cameos really, to show that I knew my merpeople. They were sort of my own author’s way of saying, “Hey, I know the folklore of merpeople.” Oh, brother.

Illustration © 2010 by August Hall from Keeper by Kathi Appelt. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The answer came in the notion of a gift: the merlings.

Gifts always have significance. Since Mr. Beauchamp loved Keeper, it made sense that he might give her these small figurines of the various merfolk. And it also made sense that Keeper would love them. In that way, I was able to give Keeper her very own special props, props that represented affection, artistry, and that also offered an added layer of folklore to the story, without bringing in a dozen new characters who really had nothing to add to the plot.

Another endowed object in the story is Signe’s large wooden bowl. Why a bowl you might ask? Well, when I was tiny, my grandmother had just such a bowl. She used to set it on the kitchen floor and let me sit in it. Then she would spin me around and around. There was nothing particularly special about that bowl, only that it was large and that it belonged to my grandmother. Likewise, Signe’s bowl came from her mother and it held the same kind of significance for her that mine did for me. I tapped into my own personal props in order to give one to my character. When Signe’s bowl breaks, it’s heart-breaking. The break works in two ways, both physical and metaphorical.

A writer needs props. A character needs them too. Take a look in your own prop-shop. Make sure that it’s the right choice, then put it in your character’s pocket. That way the magic will be there when it’s needed.

Kathi also shared with us what she's reading: 

A chapter book for all ages:

Bink and Gollie, by Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Tony Fucile – Two best friends figure out how to work things out despite their differences . . . and similarities. Just wonderful!

A couple of middle grade books that just make me happy:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger – The whole notion of a fictional character made from Origami just brings a smile to my face—this is an endowed object of the highest order.

Wiff and Dirty George, by Stephen Swinburne – The entire fate of England rests in the hands of two unlikely heroes, complete with a three-foot long Madagascan worm. This book exemplifies the word “rollicking.”

In the YA department, I recently read:

Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences, by Brian Yansky – Who knew that a book that starts with a complete siege of the Earth by aliens would have so much heart? I loved this story.

Extraordinary, by Nancy Werlin – Poignant, intense, lovely. All about what it means to be extraordinary . . . or simply brave. Werlin’s beautiful prose, matched with a wringer of a tale, gives us a story to savor. Extraordinary.

And yes, I even read books for grown-ups:

Tinkers, by Paul Harding – Told in alternating voices between a son and father, this is a heartbreaking look at the ways our choices impact everything, including the people we love the most. It’s like reading a long narrative poem. Just beautiful.

The Stolen Child, by Keith Donohue – Also told in two voices, this is a changeling story. One narrator is the changeling, the other voice is the child who was switched. It’s provocative and wonderful. I loved it.

I also want to give a shout-out to a wonderful new picture book:

Holler Loudly, by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Barry Gott – An original tall tale about a boy who was born to be loud, and for a good reason.

On my “to read” stack:

Rex Zero, the Great Pretender, by Tim Wynne-Jones and I Will Save You, by Matt de la Peña. Two of my favorite authors!

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The Sunday Salon - Someday My Printz Will Come - November 29, 2010

I've posted a lot about the Mock Newbery clubs I'm participating in as they occupy a lot of my time.  I haven't done as much for the Mock Printz clubs because one is online at Goodreads and the irl one has been reading on their own and won't meet until January 5th or so.

But, as I try to line up and complete all my reading in time to judge the second round of YA for The Cybils, I find a need to discuss.  

Books I've Read in Search of Printz

1. Finnikin of the Rock by Marchetta
2. Incarceron by Fisher
3. Before I Fall by Oliver
4. The Woods Runner by Paulsen (more Newberyish?)
5. A Conspiracy of Kings by Turner (more Newberyish?)
6. After the Kiss by McVoy
7. Sweet, Hereafter by Johnson
8. Happyface by Emond
9. She's So Dead to Us by Scott
10. Cardturner by Sachar (more Newberyish?)
11. Fever Crumb by Reeve
12. Green Witch by Hoffman
13. Prince of Mist by Zafon
14. Birthmarked by O'Brien
15. Last Summer of The Death Warriors by Stork
16. Mercury by Larson
17. Not That Kind of Girl by Vivian
18. Efrain's Secret by Quintero
19. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
20. Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos (more Newberyish?)
21. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Green and Levithan
22. Mockingjay by Collins
23. Glimpse by Williams
24. Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Berk
25. The Water Seeker by Holt
26. Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Koertge
27. Stuck on Earth by Klass (more Newberyish?)
28. Reckless by Funke
29. The Grimm Legacy by Shulman
30. Scorch Trials by Dashner
31. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Matson
32. Ship Breaker by Bacigalupi
33. Black Hole Sun by Gill
34. They Called Themselves the KKK by Bartoletti (more Newberyish?)
35. As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Perkins (more Newberyish?)
36. Lockdown by Myers
37. Yummy by Neri
38. Revolution by Donnelly
39. Dirt Road Home by Key

Ok, how many of these have you read?  Which do you think has the best chance? 

I still have a few more to read like

1. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by King
2. Matched by Condie
3. The Things a Brother Knows by Reinhardt
4. The Marbury Lens by Smith
5. Pegasus by McKinley
6. Trash by Mulligan

Are there books I'm missing?  What books do you think meet the Printz criteria?


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The Sunday Salon - Happy Day! - November 21, 2010

Today I was lamenting, again, my lack of cable.  It has been a long time since i've had it but lately, I've been missing it.  It must be the weather.  Driving home from work in the dark makes you want to lie down.  Now, I get a lot of my TV fix from Hulu but my laptop does not have a suitable hookup.  I've loved having Netflix on my Wii and tried getting Hulu on the Opera browsing but, no go.  And then,

::Cue heavenly music, clouds parting, sun shining brightly::

I found playon tv.  I am able to have Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, CBS, NBC, the CW, etc.  running through my Wii! I love it! I can watch it on the big screen.  No, the quality is not the best but that is a function of my extremely old television and the Wii connection, plus ATT.  I'm sure if you have a better system, like PS3, your viewing experience would be even more amazing.  Now, there is a cost.  I'm doing a two-week trial and I will decide if I want to pay $20 for a year or $60 for life (sale until 11/30).  It's cheaper than cable but you do need to find and load some plugins on your computer.  For now though, it's awesome!

Reading Update

I've read 5 of the books on my Mock Newbery list since last week which is good.  I've only reviewed one of them - it was so moving I had to write something, but that's not enough.  I hope to get through six this week and review 3 of them. 

1. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman
3. Scumble by Ingrid Law
4. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
5. What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb
6. Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor

This should leave me some leeway for other reads too!  I have one more on my Mock Printz list to read so that might make it's way on the list.. Only three days of work this week!

What are you reading or watching this week?

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Saving Sky by Diane Stanley - Review

Saving Sky
Diane Stanley
Harper Collins Children
199 pgs.

Summary

Sky and her family live in a  post 9/11 world in New Mexico.  There are frequent terrorists attacks and the nation has established red alerts and safe zones in schools.  The Brightmans have decided to protect their children, Sky and Mouse, from harsh news and tell them what they need to know.  After a very serious terrorist attack, the family rushes to get supplies at Home Depot where they witness a Middle Eastern family being mistreated first by the crowd and then by the supposed authorities.  Sky is upset that she stood idly by and is challenged by her mother, Ana, to make a difference by befriending Kareem, a new student at the school.

My Thoughts

Pros:

• short, spare writing that clearly describes the characters
• fast moving plot that doesn't sacrifice story
• believable bullying situations, very realistic
• resolution was unexpected but mostly satisfying

Cons:

• hard to get a picture of the setting
• left with questions (not really a con!)

All in all, worth reading. Could pair this with Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, just bring lots of tissue.

Are You My Newbery 2011? - Who Are Your Top Contenders?

I had intended to list my Top 10 Contenders today but I think I need a few more weeks of reading time.  I thought, instead, I would let you see what the blogosphere is thinking right now.  So, in no particular order:

School Library Journal Heavy Medal Blog- Jonathan and Nina have listed their top 8 which includes a mix of genres.  They've also included a link to the Newbery Manual!

Laura's Life - Laura has listed her top 5.  She's read ALL the past Newbery winners and hosts her own Mock Newbery club.

Eva Perry Mock Newbery - The Eva Perry library Mock Newbery club posted their top titles.  These titles were chosen by teens. 

St. Joseph County Public Library Mock Newbery - Kris has posted her third list.  Full disclosure - I contribute to this blog.  We would really love your feedback!

So, go check those out and come back and tell me if you agree or disagree with the choices.

Are You My Newbery - Mock Newbery 2011

It's time for me to start reading in earnest to see if I can pick the Newbery before the committee.  I also have a few more books I want to read before the vote comes in on Monday, January 10, 2011.

In order to challenge myself, I'm going to try and read all the books on The St. Joseph County Public Library Mock Newbery list.

I'm going to list those books on my Are You My Newbery 2011 page and update as I go.

There are some books on the library list that I've already read, so I didn't include those books.

In addition to those books, I have some blog tour books, Harry Potter 7, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and a few other books I want to read.  All in all, there are about 70 books I want to read by January 9th!  Join me!

The Sunday Salon - NO Summer Slide Update

Ah, I love Sundays in the Summer. Somehow, knowing I don't have work tomorrow, actually seems to make them more relaxing. I'm not worried about making sure everything on my to-do list is done. Although, that's not always a good thing!

I'm going to update my progress in the Book-A-Day Invitation put out by Donalyn Miller. I'm calling mine NO Summer Slide challenge. The goal is to average a book a day for your summer vacation. Mine started June 5th and ends August 11th. So I need to average 67 by that time.

I also need to announce the winner of The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch.

No Summer Slide progress - June 5 - June 27

Middle Grade Reads

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (N) - three girls go to visit the mother they've never known. The relationship they start to forge is hard-fought and full of miss-steps but they feel the summer closes too soon.

Countdown by Deborah Wiles (N) - growing up during the Cuban Missile crisis was a tense time.  That strain was multiplied for military families.  Franny tries to cope with a disappearing sister, a traitorous best friend, and an uncle who seems to be losing his grip on reality.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (N) - Melody has cerebral palsy but she's still a normal girl.  She wants to make friends, look nice, and possibly, join the quiz bowl team.  She gets a computer that might help her do these things but what do the students really think of her?

Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn (E)- orphan finds out she has family, goes to live with them and is taunted by a ghost who wishes to return to the living and is "willing" to trade places.

Paper Daughter by Jeanette Ingold (N) - father is killed in a hit and run accident and as they are going through his papers, finds out he's not who they thought he was. Kind of a middle grade version of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

Alvin Ho by Lenore Look - Alvin is afraid of everything - including girls. Especially the one who wants to help him.

Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School by Andrew Clements - the janitor gives Ben a lecture and a coin, then he dies. Now, Ben must decide how to keep the school from being changed into an amusement park.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and the Mysterious Howling (N) - we're introduced to Alexandra, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia, three children Lord Frederick found in the woods when he was out hunting. Penelope, from the Swanburn School for Pretty Bright Females, is brought in to tame them.

The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis (audio) - The adventures of Shasta and Bree as they escape from cruel masters and try to make their way to Narnia so they can be free.
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan (N)- a fictionalized account of Pablo Neruda's childhood based on journals and other writings.

Young Adult Reads

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (P)- a family moves to the coast into a house where terrible things happened. Max meets this kid Roland and they pretty much become instant friends. Then strange stuff happens which they talk over with Roland's grandfather, who doesn't actually tell them everything but they figure the bad stuff is far from over.

Very Far Away From Anywhere Else by Ursula K LeGuin - great story about a boy and a girl, both smart and ambitious but not very social trying to figure out how to "be".

Green Witch by Alice Hoffman (P) - follow up to Green Angel. Green is starting to recover from losing her entire family last year.  She wants to help the village by writing down everyone's stories to help them deal with their losses and build a sense of community.

Genesis by Bernard Beckett (E) - an apocalyptic tale. Gives a history of man after the great devastion that left us on an island trying to re-build. We focus on one character, through the eyes of someone else, who tries to make his own decision. Riveting and thought-provoking.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (E) - Caitlyn tells of the summer her sister ran away and how it affected her life.  She quickly finds someone to replace her sister but the consequences are disastrous.  Great voice, so steady and matter-of-fact.  Well-suited to the story.  Although Dessen's first, I find it one of her best!

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien - 16 year-old Gaia (rhymes with Maya) Stone, midwife apprentice, just delivered, and advanced, her first baby! She goes home to celebrate only to find her parent's have been arrested.  The Protectorate believes they are hiding information The Enclave could use to stop the deaths happening in the advanced Society.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - rereading for movie this fall.
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling - rereading for movie this fall

Adult Reads

The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch - Ever wish you could see what's going to happen in the future? Tilly gets that chance but it's not as fun as you would think!  She can't change anything but her life is on a collision course with destruction.  What can she do?

Losing My Cool by Thomas Chatterton Williams - William's relates how he was seduced by the culture of Hip-Hop and reduced to being less than he was raised to become.  Then, joining the culture of the world by rediscovering his father's library of excellent literature.  His journey is contemplative and eye-opening.

Emma by Jane Austen (E)

Notes: N = Newbery contender, P = Printz contender, E = Read on E-Reader

Winner of
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch is

Shonda from Me, My Book and The Couch

 Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Countdown by Deborah Wiles - Review

Countdown
Deborah Wiles
Scholastic Press
377 pgs. + Notes

Countdown is the first book in a planned trilogy of the sixties.  Interspersed throughout the text are newspaper articles, cartoons, song lyrics, biographies, and photos.  These artifacts give us an additional layer of story and depth.  They are not necessary to the reading of the story but are certainly welcome.

Fifth-grader Franny is on the outs with her best friend, Margie.  Her Uncle Otto is starting to lose his mind.  Jo Ellen, her older sister, is disappearing longer and longer each day.  Franny's life is falling apart and she's not sure why.  The constant air raids and news of the missle crisis has everyone on edge.  There is one bright spot though, Chris Cavas has moved back to the neighborhood and although she's having a tough time with Margie, maybe Chris can be her new friend.

Franny's is a military family.  Her dad is a pilot and her uncle is retired from the military.  They live in a neighborhood with other military families.  It is their life.  When President Kennedy comes on the news talking about the Russians stockpiling weapons, it changes things in many ways for these families.  Everyone is on high alert.  The stress proves to be too much for Uncle Otto and the family is afraid of what he will do next or what will happen to him.

Countdown has a pervasive air of fear and anticipation, mimicing the country's mood during the sixties. It's about friendship and family and how we define those things.  We get information about a less talked about but very important part of our history and how it affected people during that time, those in the military as well as those fighting for their rights here at home. 

Countdown is a hard story to classify.  It's historical fiction, to be sure, but who is the audience?  The story was fantastic but coupled with the in-depth history, it might be overwhelming to students.  I'll have to re-read it closer to summer's end and find the right audience. For now, 3 copies.

Book Trailer


You might also like:
The Red Umbrella
Born To Fly
The Rock and The River

ARC supplied by Scholastic Press.

The 48 Hour Book Challenge - Post 5 - Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind
Sharon Draper
Atheneum/Simon and Schuster
295 pgs.

Melody has cerebral palsy and is stuck in a wheelchair. Outside of her family and her neighbor, Mrs. V., know one believes Melody is "normal", that she can think and understand just like any other eleven-year-old.  So, on top of trying to find her place in 5th grade, Melody also has to deal with frustration at people's misconceptions and misunderstandings. Many teachers treat her like an imbecile and all the children with different abilities are dumped in a room with an ever changing roster of adults, each of whom feels they know better than the one before.

"Wouldn't it be cool if I had somebody to write words over my head so people would know what I'm thinking?"

Melody gets something similar and her life is changed.  She's still not like the other students but she can participate though after so many silent years, it's hard for people to change their thinking.  Some people come around but still, Melody wishes, for once, she could be like the other kids.

Out of My Mind captures how students at this age feel; whether or not they have cerebral palsy.  Students aren't sure where, or if, they fit in.  Sometimes they feel so bad about themselves, they want to make fun of other students.  They make jokes, they whisper, they giggle, and all the while, they wonder: am I good enough? Do I look right? Will you be my friend? Am I normal?

Melody's first words to her family made me cry.  We have our voices, we should use them.  I can't say how well Draper captured a student with cerebral palsy.  I know she has a daughter that Melody is modeled after. I love that she didn't make her a character to feel sorry for but one to root for and support.  The story moved at a smooth pace with just a little bit of drag on some of the quiz points.  I liked that Melody wasn't a know it all either.

I give this 4 copies.  I think it's one that many teachers should read, at a bare minimum the ones that work with special needs students.  The book gave me a greater appreciation for the students and the staff.

Challenge Update
Books Read: 3
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Green Witch by Alice Hoffman
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Started: 1
Dandelion Fire by ND Wilson -45 pgs.

Total pgs: 690 pgs.

Total Time: 8 hr. 45 min.
Reading: 7 hr. 15 min.
Blogging: 1 hr. 30 min.

Hmm, 18 more hours to go.  Need to take a break and start some chores.  Be back later.

The 48 Hour Book Challenge - Post 3 - One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer
Rita Williams-Garcia
Amistad/HarperCollins
215 pgs

Delphine and her sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are on their way to Oakland, CA to visit their mother who they haven't seen in 6 years.
"Cecil Johnson--mammal, birth giver, alive, an abandoner - our mother. Statement of fact."

Delphine, the eldest at eleven, had always taken care of her sisters and she didn't really know how to do anything else.  She wasn't sure she wanted to spend 28 days with this woman.  Cecil, AKA Nzila, did not want children.  Then or now.  She warned the girls to stay out of her way.  They were sent to Black Panther meetings in the morning, to get breakfast.  "We didn't come for a revolution.  We came for breakfast." But they met people who would quickly become friends and they learned more about their relationships with each other as well as with the woman who gave them birth and then left over a name.

One Crazy Summer was not about the Black Panthers but about family and what it means.  How family comes in forms we are not always ready for.  How sometimes it just might be necessary to take care of yourself first.  Or not.

There were times when I felt Delphine's voice was too grown-up but when I thought about her years of taking care of her younger sisters, of sitting around with Big Ma watching the news, of pretty much raising herself, I understood that she would say those things and act that way.  Her eleven year-old inner self was in a battle with her forced to be older behavior. 

I give this one 4 copies. Pick it up.

Challenge Update:
Books Read: 1
One crazy Summer By Rita Williams-Garcia
Total pgs.: 215
Total time: 3 hrs 30 min
Reading: 3 hrs
Blogging: 30 min.

The 48 hour Book Challenge - Post 2 - One Crazy Summer

I'm still reading and liking this one.  Not sure if it will fly with middle-graders though.

The writing is fresh and funny and I can relate as I grew up around this time period.  So different from Jumped. 

Challenge Update:
Books read: 0
Total pgs: 116 pg
Time: 2 hrs

And We're Off - The 48 hour Book Challenge - Post 1

I'm 4 hours late! Busy day buying Nooks for the school library. This sets my goal to 26 hours this year!

I'm going to start off with One Crazy Summer. Most of my stack is realistic fiction so I'd better include some fantasy or I wont make it.  I'll see you at 10pm or when I finish the book.  Whichever comes first!
BTW, It's 8pm!

No Summer Slide Here! – A Reading Invitation

Donalyn Miller, teacher and author of The Book Whisperer, has issued an invitation:

Read one book a day for every day of your summer vacation. 

In the classroom, Ms. Miller has challenged her students to read at least five books over the summer.  She explained the “summer slide” and what her plans were to avoid it.  She then reminded students of their powerful position: they get to decide what they will read.  Students then chose five books they plan to read over summer.  Read The Book Whisperer blog for more information.

Donalyn tries to read at least one book per day of her summer vacation.  And she’s asked us to join her.  I’ve decided to accept her invitation and hope you will too! 

My summer vacation starts Friday, June 4 and runs to Wednesday, August 11.  That’s 67 days, so my challenge would be to average at least 67 books.  Yes, average, so if I read 3 books one day but none the next, no big deal.   And since we all have varying vacation days, the average will be different for each of us.  What I love is the opportunity to practice what I preach.  If I want students to read over summer, I should too.

I made a list of at least 60 books I want to tackle, most of them Young Adult/Middle Grade reads but I threw in some classics, adult books, and some professional reading. 

And, to give myself a jump start, I’ll be joining MotherReader’s Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge.  This starts Friday June 4th at 7am and lasts until 7am Monday, June 7th.  Just pick your 48 hours! 

So, what do you say?  Will you set an example and stop the summer slide and average a book day during your summer vacation?  Join us!  Look for my list by Friday!

Waiting on Wednesday - Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Out of My Mind
Sharon Draper
Atheneum
March 2010

From Amazon:

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school but no one knows it. Most people, her teachers and doctors included, don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind, that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

This sounds awesome.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted at Breaking the Spine by Jill.

What are you waiting on?

Sunday Salon - Challenges (I'm NOT joining) for 2010 - January 10, 2010

I always try to join challenges in the hopes that it will give more purpose to my reading and help keep me on track.

Unfortunately, that's not what ends up happening. Sure, it's just for me and there's no requirement to finish but I feel like I'm breaking promises. Albeit to myself. So for 2010 I've decided to do things a little differently.

I'm not going to officially join any challenges but when I come across ones I think fit in with my reading - I'll pretend like I'm a part of it and tell you how I'm doing.

1. Are You My Newbery 2011 and Some Day My Printz 2011
The 2011 Newbery has to be published in the year 2010. Some of those books will qualify for The Story Siren's Debut Author challenge and The O.W.L. The Middle Reading challenge. The 2011 Printz Award also has to be published in 2010 and they have to be young adult books. These books will qualify for J. Kaye's Young Adult challenge and some will also qualify for the debut author challenge. I will post more info on these at a later date which will include my list location and my selection process.

2. $30 A Month challenge
I'm going to severely cut back on buying books this year. My goal is to only spend $30 a month - about the cost of an adult hardcover. As a librarian, I should support libraries - both public and our school. This will help me qualify for J. Kaye's Support Your Local Library challenge and decrease some of the book clutter around here. Originally I was going to buy one book a month but I realized that sometimes I can get a few YA hardcovers for $30. Last year I spent over 3 times that much for books. I'm not going to even tell you how much over three times - I'm appalled and amazed at my foolishness...

3. Grown-up books
That's what I call adult fiction but not the racy kind of books. I want to read at least one grown-up book a month. There are some books I've had my eye on and I'm going to make sure I read them this year. Some titles are: Olive Kitteridge, Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, The Believers, Little Bee, and Chronic City from 2009. The only 2010 book on my list so far is The Unnamed.

I would also like to tackle a couple of classics, read books teachers use in their classrooms, read more steampunk, and more nonfiction. I'll post links of my reading lists as I create them.

What challenges are you facing this year?