Just wanted to wish everyone a great summer! Keep reading and feel free to post any good books that you would like to share with the rest of us!
I just recently finished reading the Newbery Medal winning book for 2009 - and following is a brief review.
The Graveyard Book - by Neil Gaiman (grades 5 and up)
A baby boy climbs out of his crib and toddles out of the house unaware that his family is being murdered by a killer named Jack. The baby boy makes his way to a graveyard where he is taken care of by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, who just happen to be ghosts. The boy is name "Nobody" and is raised by the ghosts and protected from the killer that is still searching for him. Nobody, "Bod" for short, is taught the ways of the dead and is given special graveyard priviliges. He meets all kinds of interesting characters that lived throughout history. Neil Gaiman writes another captivating yet disturbing and dark tale that young adults will find appealing.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
New Book Reviews
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Gr 6 - 8)
If you enjoyed Twilight and other vampire stories, you should give this one a try. It is better written and the storyline is suspenseful and exciting. Miranda is a young girl that is taken and turned into an "eternal", another name for vampire. Miranda also has a guardian angel that sees this happen to her and he is given an assignment to watch out for her. But Miranda is no ordinary vampire. She becomes the princess of vampires and lives in a castle with the most powerful vampire of all. This story is contemporary (Miranda's friend has a blog!) and is set in a world where everyone knows that vampires exist.
If you enjoyed Twilight and other vampire stories, you should give this one a try. It is better written and the storyline is suspenseful and exciting. Miranda is a young girl that is taken and turned into an "eternal", another name for vampire. Miranda also has a guardian angel that sees this happen to her and he is given an assignment to watch out for her. But Miranda is no ordinary vampire. She becomes the princess of vampires and lives in a castle with the most powerful vampire of all. This story is contemporary (Miranda's friend has a blog!) and is set in a world where everyone knows that vampires exist.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Student Comments and reviews
Click on the comments below to read what our students have to say about some of the books they are reading. Maybe you will be inspired to read something else!
Monday, October 27, 2008
More New Books to look for in the library!
Picture Books
The Bake Shop Ghost - Jacqueline Ogburn
Dazzle the Dinosaur - Marcus Pfister
Dear Annie - Judith Caseley
The best book of trains - Richard Balkwill
My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel - Michelle Abraham
Fiction Chapter Books
The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
Fairy Realm - The Unicorn - Emily Rodda
The Bake Shop Ghost - Jacqueline Ogburn
Dazzle the Dinosaur - Marcus Pfister
Dear Annie - Judith Caseley
The best book of trains - Richard Balkwill
My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel - Michelle Abraham
Fiction Chapter Books
The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
Fairy Realm - The Unicorn - Emily Rodda
Monday, September 15, 2008
Welcome Back!
More New Books have arrived in the Library!
Look-alikes around the World - Joan Steiner
Bell's Breakthrough - Stacia Deutsch
Ratatouille - Katherine Emmons
Dora Goes to School - Leslie Valdes
Playful Little Penguins - Tony Mitton
Book Reviews
The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan ( grades 6-8)
This is the first in a series of books about Percy, a contemporary 12 year old boy from New York, that learns he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. He knows he has problems when he is kicked out of six schools, has learning and behavior problems, and lacks self control. His mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood where he learns that his father has been accused of stealing the lightning bolt from Zeus. Percy embarks on an adventure to recover the lost bolt in order to avert a war between the gods. This is a fast paced, multi-faceted fantasy that is fresh, dangerous and funny.
No Talking - by Andrew Clements (grades 3 - 6)
When Dave learns about India and how Gandhi spent one day a week in silence, he is inspired to devise a contest to see whether the girls or the boys in fifth grade can keep quiet for two whole days. The rules allow them to answer adults with three word replies which leads to some humorous situations. The principal is drawn in to the contest and tries to put an end to it. We see the students bond over the experience as we see the experiment unfold from the viewpoints of the students and the teachers.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village - by Laura Amy Schlitz
This is the 2008 Newbery Award winner! Recommended for grades 5 -8, it is a series of interconnected monologues that highlight young people living in an English medieval village. Each character has a distinct personality and a role in the village society. It can be read and performed as a play.
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the fight for a woman's right to vote - by Ann Bausum ( grades 5 - 8)
This provides some fascinating details and background information about the women's suffrage movement. We learn that women suffered horribly, were attacked by mobs, imprisoned and force fed in jail as they battled for 72 years to get the right to vote. We learn about some of the key players in the women's movement and how they split into two groups that did not always work together. Photos bring the details to life and we see the cloth banners that woman sewed with messages of protest.
Look-alikes around the World - Joan Steiner
Bell's Breakthrough - Stacia Deutsch
Ratatouille - Katherine Emmons
Dora Goes to School - Leslie Valdes
Playful Little Penguins - Tony Mitton
Book Reviews
The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan ( grades 6-8)
This is the first in a series of books about Percy, a contemporary 12 year old boy from New York, that learns he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. He knows he has problems when he is kicked out of six schools, has learning and behavior problems, and lacks self control. His mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood where he learns that his father has been accused of stealing the lightning bolt from Zeus. Percy embarks on an adventure to recover the lost bolt in order to avert a war between the gods. This is a fast paced, multi-faceted fantasy that is fresh, dangerous and funny.
No Talking - by Andrew Clements (grades 3 - 6)
When Dave learns about India and how Gandhi spent one day a week in silence, he is inspired to devise a contest to see whether the girls or the boys in fifth grade can keep quiet for two whole days. The rules allow them to answer adults with three word replies which leads to some humorous situations. The principal is drawn in to the contest and tries to put an end to it. We see the students bond over the experience as we see the experiment unfold from the viewpoints of the students and the teachers.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village - by Laura Amy Schlitz
This is the 2008 Newbery Award winner! Recommended for grades 5 -8, it is a series of interconnected monologues that highlight young people living in an English medieval village. Each character has a distinct personality and a role in the village society. It can be read and performed as a play.
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the fight for a woman's right to vote - by Ann Bausum ( grades 5 - 8)
This provides some fascinating details and background information about the women's suffrage movement. We learn that women suffered horribly, were attacked by mobs, imprisoned and force fed in jail as they battled for 72 years to get the right to vote. We learn about some of the key players in the women's movement and how they split into two groups that did not always work together. Photos bring the details to life and we see the cloth banners that woman sewed with messages of protest.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Book Review
Peak - by Roland Smith
Grades 5 - 8
An adventure story about a 14 year old boy that attempts to be the youngest to climb Mount Everest. As the story unfolds we learn a lot about mountain climbing and what it takes to get to the top. The riveting story is a journey that uncovers human nature and what the characters are really made of as they face unimaginable conditions and dangers. If you like survival stories, this is one you must read.
Grades 5 - 8
An adventure story about a 14 year old boy that attempts to be the youngest to climb Mount Everest. As the story unfolds we learn a lot about mountain climbing and what it takes to get to the top. The riveting story is a journey that uncovers human nature and what the characters are really made of as they face unimaginable conditions and dangers. If you like survival stories, this is one you must read.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
More new books have arrived in the library!
Come visit the library and see what's new!
Grades K - 2
Knuffle Bunny too - Mo Willems
Leaves - David Stein
The story of Passover - Norma Simon
Crayons from start to finish- Samuel Woods
Bear feels sick - Karma Wilson
There is a bird on your head! - Mo Willems
Delicious - Helen Cooper
I wonder why - Lois Rock
Grades 3 - 5
The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry
Lose, team, lose! - R.L. Stine
Why do dogs have wet noses? - Stanley Coren
The down to earth guide to global warming - David Laurie
No Talking - Andrew Clements
Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree - Lauren Tarshis
Dogs and cats - Steve Jenkins
Grades 4 - 8
An inconvenient truth - Albert Gore
Peak - Roland Smith
The abduction - Gordan Korman
The rescue - Gordon Korman
Kosher by design - kids in the kitchen - Susie Fishbein
Grades K - 2
Knuffle Bunny too - Mo Willems
Leaves - David Stein
The story of Passover - Norma Simon
Crayons from start to finish- Samuel Woods
Bear feels sick - Karma Wilson
There is a bird on your head! - Mo Willems
Delicious - Helen Cooper
I wonder why - Lois Rock
Grades 3 - 5
The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry
Lose, team, lose! - R.L. Stine
Why do dogs have wet noses? - Stanley Coren
The down to earth guide to global warming - David Laurie
No Talking - Andrew Clements
Emma-Jean Lazarus fell out of a tree - Lauren Tarshis
Dogs and cats - Steve Jenkins
Grades 4 - 8
An inconvenient truth - Albert Gore
Peak - Roland Smith
The abduction - Gordan Korman
The rescue - Gordon Korman
Kosher by design - kids in the kitchen - Susie Fishbein
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