How I am spending my summer vacation ...

Haven't written for a while, but I have been busy (such a subjective word!).  Off to ALA, which was great! Followed by several weeks of nonstop reading.  Over the next few postings I will share some of the titles that have made an impression on me.  Here are the first two:

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann. Greenwillow, publication date: September 1, 2012.

I picked this advanced reader’s copy up at ALA, what an amazing story from an author who was 16 when he wrote it.  It is fantasy with a capital F, set in a place where an opening was created between two worlds that allowed fae (fairy world creatures) to enter ours.  Alas, this was not a good move for these fae, they are essentially exiled in one town and a child of mixed heritage can be beaten or killed.  This story is about one “boy” Bartholomew and the lengths to which he goes to save his sister from a powerful individual who wants to change the balance of power between fae and human.  A great combo of fantasy, steampunk, and coming of age; all in all I thought this story was great.  It was rough in a few spots, a few parts in the story got confusing and rambling, but not enough to make me put down the book.  I hope this author continues to write, I would love to see what he comes up with next.

  Ashfall by Mike Mullen.  Tanglewood Publishing, 2011.                                           

One of my guilty pleasures is disaster movies, natural disasters.  So when my local children’s book store owner told me about this book (with a sequel coming soon), I was hooked.  Ashfall is about the consequences of an extreme volcanic eruption in Yellowstone.  Communication is nonexistent, survival is paramount, and finding one’s loved ones is the plan.  This story was one nonstop action ride, at times I found myself literally holding my breath.  This author has a gift of description, the deep drifts of ash that Alex plows through with his face covered so as to not breathe in the deadly ash fall, feeling each of his trials, I was so involved with this book I barely put it down.  I almost think this is the book that will give Hunger Games a run for the money.

10 on the 10th!

This year I am attempting to share picture books that can be used effectively in secondary classrooms. Because this is a new teaching arena for me, I have picked mostly personal favorites. I hope you enjoy these and I look forward to more ideas from you.  If you don't already know about this, it is a challenge by a bloggger friend of mine to share 10 great picture books.


1. Palazza Invorso by D.B. Johnson is a fascinating picture book. The Escher-style illustrations are accompanied by a story with its own twists and turns. This one would captivate anyone who likes mysteries or puzzles.

2. Me, All Alone, at the End of the World by M. T. Anderson and Kevin Hawkes is more thought-provoking and poignant. A young boy has a spot on the edge, at the top of a mountain where he sits to enjoy the world around him. Soon civilization encroaches, and he finds a new spot. A captivating man comes along and builds an exciting, fun expanse and the boy makes friends and enjoys the frenzy for a while. Finally, though, he longs for his place at the end of the world and leaves to find it. There are many underlying questions at the core of this book. Is it good to be alone or are people meant to be in communities? Where is our balance with nature? Just to mention a few. A great unit opener for global awareness. I love the illustrations by Kevin Hawkes, they make this story.

3. Ish by Peter H. Reynolds is just one of my favorites! A quick story that reminds you that talent is driven by passion, and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would read it before giving a challenging assignment.

4. Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is a perfect choice for inviting students to think outside the box, literally!

5. Weslandia by Paul Fleishman. I just love this book. There are so many uses. For social studies, how a culture is created; for guidance, be yourself and follow your passion, for science, diversity in a biome. OK, the science tie in is a stretch, but I would find any reason to share this with students!

6. Flotsam by David Wiesner shows the power of illustration. This award winning title is meant for older readers; it demonstrates that in graphic works inference is a necessary skill. One must “read” between the illustrations to follow the story.

7. 14 Cows by Carmen Agra Deedy is perfect for both American and global studies. Is it the size of a gift or the intent behind it? This is a true story, brought to life by Deedy and should tug on your heartstrings.

8. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting shares in a simplistic way how the Holocaust was created and was able to spread.

9. A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulker. These bright, fun illustrations are a great contrast to the more serious topic, segregation. A child hears of a fountain in a nearby town with “colored water” and has an opportunity to go and see it. While at the top of the hill where this fountain is, a peaceful protest is happening on the street below. Use this title to introduce segregation and misunderstandings.

10. A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson and Eric Velasquez is memorable, first because it is in black and white charcoal illustrations with a touch of red occasionally. It shows two children who run to join a parade, which is a civil rights march. A first person account through the eyes of a child that could spark lots of conversation and lead to a unit of study. One discussion may be, why are only certain things shown in red?

Books about mothers

On this special Sunday I am thinking of books I love that have a strong mother theme.  These books make me think not only about motherhood, but the way other characters think about mothers. The first book I think of is "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMN."  The lengths that Mrs. Frisby goes to protecting her family are amazing.  She faces every fear she has, all in the name of mother's love.  This next book does not have a mother in the story, but instead demonstrates and the different ways people in  your life can make  you feel loved and cared for.  "Everything on a Waffle" shows the unwavering faith of a little girl, and the town who cares for her each in their own way.  And finally, "One Crazy Summer" which chronicles 3 little girls attempts to connect with their mother, only to discover that mother's love is not a guarantee, but their love for each other can help assuage the pain of finding this out.
I having been trying for years to write a book about my mother's childhood, to keep alive the memories of her idyllic moments, and save the memories for future generations of family.  Do you share books with mother's themes with your students?  If so, do you share the broad spectrum of motherhood books that are available?  Do all of your students have the same type of mothers?  Are these reflected in your book choices?

I fell into a bookstore and ...

Took a trip to our local children’s book store, Cover to Cover, and bought some great books. Not all new titles, but still great. In a few weeks I will be attending the Virginia Hamilton Multicultural Conference, held every year at Kent State University. This year’s speakers will be Nikki Giovanni, Chris Raschka, and Charles R. Smith, Jr. and I picked up the following books to get autographed. The Grasshopper’s Song: an Aesop’s fable revisited was written by Nikki and illustrated by Chris, and is an interesting retelling of this famous fable. There is a trial to determine whether the grasshopper deserves a part of the ant’s winter supply of food, which is a new twist! The illustrations are rather subdued for a Raschka book, but the two work together very well. Another exciting purchase was The Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Myth told in rhyming form by Charles Smith. I love this book, with comic book-like illustrations by P. Craig Russell, it gives some information about the major gods and goddesses of Olympus, and without telling so much that I can’t put it in an elementary library! My boys will be so excited to examine this book as they continue to devour the Demi god series by Rick Riordin. The other book I picked up for signing that I believe will be very popular with my male readers was 12 Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali.  Fantastic illustrations by Bryan Collier helped this title win the Coretta Scott King award, along with Smith’s poetic retelling of important events in the life of Ali.


I also picked up two books about rabbits, although they could not be more different. The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravatt, really intrigued me as it attempted to explain the Fibonacci problem, a math study I had to read more about after I finished enjoying the book. On a back sale shelf I found a retelling of Snow White by Melinda Copper in which the characters are illustrated as rabbits done in a detailed oil painting method. The evil step mother is a beautiful, but evil white cat.

My last book, Story Time by Edward Bloor, caught my interest as I read the blurb on the back of it. “Welcome to Whittaker Magnet School, where standardized testing truly is the work of the devil.” A middle school tale with reviews like this; “ a dark comedy that skewers the national craze for standardized testing,” and “a no-holds barred, deeply subversive tale about modern education …” This sounds like the kind of book I wish I had written! I’ll report on it once I have read it.

What great titles have you come across during spring break? I would love to hear about them.

True confession time

I am still taking the Newbery course and am now reading books from the 50s and 60s.  I am liking them better, but still ...  so, I did something bad.  My copy of "Moon Over Manifest" came in with a book order, and can you guess what I did?  Yes, I have been sneaking in reading time for this 2011 winner!  I feel like I did when I read with a flashlight under the covers as a child.  Maybe this is how you should feel when you read a great, distinguished book?

BTW, how many of you use the lesson plan template offered by AASL that uses our new standards?  If not, do you at least list these standards when you write your lessons plans?  Or do you at least think about them as you craft lessons?

What are you doing to engage students during these long, gray days before spring's arrival?

Sorry!

I should have known that if I talked about the nice weather, it would change!  I am only getting rain (for now) but I see by the weather map (yes, I am a closet meteorologist) that many states are getting snow.  So, no more talk about weather -- let's talk books!  As I continue with my Newbery course, I realize that I don't really remember reading any Newberys until I was an adult taking literature classes.  Can you remember the first Newbery you read?   Of course, the first book I really remember hearing was "Charlotte's Web", is that the same for you?

On another theme,  as a school librarian do you plan your year (curriculum mapping), what you will teach at each grade level?  Do you wait to see what your teachers are teachers and then combine your instruction with theirs?  Or do you do some kind of combination?

Back to school tomorrow!

I believe I am ready.  Clothes chosen, alarm set, attitude ~ great!  My plan of action, to find the joy in little things, and little people. This means sharing books I love, web sites I find interesting, and technology that will spur curiosity.  I do realize this will be difficult as we are so tied to data and testing scores, but I have been thinking, reflecting actually, and I think that making this small difference daily in the lives of my students will enable them to better handle all the content and stress that is present in their school lives. 

This week at school I have offered to teach a quickie picture book evaluation lesson and then have students use that to vote for the book that they think will be the Caldecott winner.  Many teachers have accepted the offer, so my days leading up the the ALA midwinter will be immersed in Caldecott discussions, fun! 

I am also opening at selected recess times for students to learn about websites with great activities.  There is never enough time to share these in a formal setting, so I'm going to try this.  Maybe I'll even bring back the Lunch Bunch book clubs.  Whatever I can to do to bring joy into my teaching day.  I'll bet I will learn more about joy from these activities with students than I can possibly teach them.

Finally ... a day of reading!

It has been a busy break, lots of cleaning and cooking, then cleaning some more!  At last, a day with no obligations but one, to start/continue reading the books that have been on suggested Newbery lists.  I am currently reading, "Keeper" by Kathy Appelt ~ not far enough along to make a judgement but I do like what I have read so far.  I like her descriptive language, I can see those blue crabs with markings on their backs, and the dark swirling waters.  (I still don't know why she is called Keeper, hope there is an answer!)  I am finishing the "Night Fairy" by Laura Amy Schlitz which was very different than I expected.  Usually fairy "tales" (sorry, couldn't resist!) are light hearted, even if the fairies are mean or indifferent; but this one is darker, and yet intriguing in a fairies version of survivor way.  Left in my stack are "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia and "Out of my Mind" by Sharon Draper.  Other titles I need to at least skim are "Just Like Falling off the World"  (I have it somewhere in an ARC) and "Dreamer" by Pam Munez.  My now lofty goal is to have all of these read completely before I get to the ALA Awards ceremony on Monday, January 10th, but if I can't read them all, to have at least skimmed them so I have an inkling of what they are about.  Of course, I am prepared to be totally surprised if some book comes out of nowhere to win, isn't that the fun this whole thing, but at least I can chat and commiserate with other folks in the awards audience.
So, if you don't hear from me for a while you know I am happily ensconced in front of my fireplace (on or off) indulging myself in my own read-a-thon! 
And if you are in my Librarians Who Read book club, you can probably guess what titles I will be talking about at our next get together!