New Book Review

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

Book Review

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
Gr 6 - 8

Brent is a 16 year old boy that makes a bad decision and causes a fatal accident. He then goes on a journey to each corner of the United States to build a whirligig in memory of the girl whose death he causes. The journey becomes one of forgiveness and atonement as he learns about the young man he is meant to be. Interwoven are stories about how his whirligigs have affected other people that come upon them. This is a beautifully written book that shows us that we may never know the consequences of some of our actions.

Book Review

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

For young adults, Jane Yolen has written a beautiful book that follows a young woman’s journey to discover her beloved grandmother’s secrets. Becca has heard her grandmother, Gemma, tell an unusual version of Sleeping Beauty where she says that she once lived in a castle and is Briar Rose, who was awakened by the kiss of a Prince. Upon her grandmother’s death, Becca is surprised to learn that her family knows very little about her past. Becca travels to her grandmother’s homeland of Poland and uses the clues from her grandmother’s story and a box of mementos to uncover a riveting tale of Nazi horror. As the story unfolds, we also learn fascinating stories of courage and survival. Yolen weaves together Gemma’s imaginative version of the story of Sleeping Beauty with the unimaginable horrors that Gemma has kept secret all these years. Jane Yolen writes an imaginative and heartwarming tale that reminds us that we must keep memories alive but that some secrets are too painful to remember and that uncovering the past is not always easy.

More New Books arrived in the library!

Come visit the library and borrow some of our new books!

Grades 3 - 6

Dreams in the Golden Country - Lasky
Judy Blume Biography - Telford
The Get Rich Quick Club - Gutman
Simple Sleight-of-Hand - Zenon
Super Simple Paper Airplanes - Robinson

Grades K - 2

Zoo-Looking - Fox
Castle on Hester Street - Heller
Look-Alikes Around the World - Steiner
Letter on the Wind - Lamstein
Light - Zalben
Froggy Plays Soccer- London
Draw Me a Star - Carle

New Books In the Library

More New Books arrived in the Library today! Come see what we have!

Good Master! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village - Schlitz (2008 Newbery Book!)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Selznick (2008 Caldecott Winner!)
Elijah Of Buxton - Curtis (2008 Newbery Honor)

Elementary Chapter Books (grades 2 - 4)
Who Cloned the President -Roy
A Spy in the White House - Roy
Mostly Monty - Hurwitz
Moxy Maxwell Does not Love Stuart Little - Gifford

Picture Books ( N - 2)
The End - Larochelle
Yo-Yo Man - Pinkwater
Substitute Groundhog - Miller

Picture Books for all ages
Artist to Artist ; 23 Major illustrators talk to Children about Their Art
The Wall - Sis
Aztec, Inca & Maya - Eyewitness Books

Books to enjoy for winter break!

Here are some books you may be interested in reading:

Grade 1 - 3
Miss Daisy is Crazy - Gutman
So you want to be an Inventor? - St. George
Punished - Luba
Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, A Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic - Jenkins

Grade 4 - 5
The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville
Bud, not Buddy - Curtis
The Homework Machine - Gutman

Grade 6 -8
Escape - Fleischman
Vive La Paris - Codell
Marley, A dog like no other -Grogan
Al Capone Does my Shirts - Choldenko

More new books!

Come to the library to see what's new. We just got a shipment of 30 new books! Some of the titles are listed below:

Fiction Chapter Books (grade 3 - 6)
Dude, Where's My Spaceship? - Greenburg
Lights, Camera, Liftoff - Greenburg
Princess Charlotte and the Birthday Ball - French
Pirates Ahoy! - McCann
Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case - Sobol
The Search for Sunken Treasure - Stilton
Scooby Doo and the Fishy Phantom - McCann

Non-fiction ( grades 1 - 5)
Recycling Materials - Barraclough
Reusing Things - Barraclough
Creative Costumes -
Caves - Walker
Water - Arlon
Super Size - Car

Book Reviews

Thanks for all your great comments! It is wonderful to see all the bright and thoughtful readers we have in our school.
Here are some brief reviews on books that I recently read. Check them out and see what you think.

Marley, A dog like no other
by John Grogan
Non-fiction, gr 4-8

This is a memoir written by the owner of Marley, a Labrador retriever. The author tells about their experiences from when they bring Marley home as a puppy to his final days. The dog has an uncontollable zest for life and the book offers many amusing glimpses into what it was like to live with him. It tells about how Marley is thrown out of obedience school and the endless trouble he gets into. It is well written with a sense of humor and a focus on Marley's unconditional love and loyalty. Caution: A few tissues are needed at the end of the book!!

The Last Book in the Universe
by Rodman Philbrick
Science fiction, gr 5 - 8

Taking place in the future, the world is a very different place after the "Big Shake." It is divided into latches run by lawless gangs and the only place where the sky is blue and the grass is green is Eden where only genetically improved people live. Spaz makes a journey to save his sister's life and meets a man named Ryter, who has written a book on scraps of paper; the last book. Can Spaz continue to tell his story?

Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Fantasy fiction, gr 5 - 8

Coraline enters a world on the other side of a door, that is parallel to her own life but very different. The creepy world has another mother and father with buttons for eyes, and there are rats and a cat that talks. At first it seems like a better place, but this other mother and father want to change Coraline and never let her go. She has to use all her wits to get away.

Book review

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (mystery - grades 6 -8)
Petra and Calder, sixth graders, find unusual coincidences and events that lead them to the center of an art scandal. A priceless painting by Jan Vermeer is missing and the thief is demanding that the art world take a closer look at paintings that may be forgeries. Petra and Calder follow clues and their powers of intuition to try and solve the crime. The book includes codes, pantominoes, and puzzles in the illustrations for those students that enjoy puzzle solving. It is an interesting book that keeps you entertained from beginning to end.

Book Reviews

Here are some new reviews of books that I recently read. Feel free to post comments if you read the books or if they sound like something you would like to read.

Vive La Paris - by Esme Raji Codell
fiction - grades 5 -8
Paris McCray is an African American girl in 5th grade that is taking piano lessons with Mrs. Rosen, a holocaust survivor. Mrs. Rosen teaches Paris about France and offers her unsolicited advice. Paris also learns about the bully in her brother's life and other bullies in the world. Paris misunderstands Mrs. Rosen when she explains that she had to wear a yellow star and had numbers tattooed on her arm. Paris thinks she was in some kind of "club" or "gang". Paris learns about the holocaust and is overwhelmed. Now she knows what people are capable of and it affects her deeply. The dialect of the characters are true to form and yiddish expressions are sprinkled throughout the story. It is an enjoyable book to read but deals with very serious issues.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 - by Christopher Paul Curtis
historical fiction - grades 4 - 7
Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award
This is a humorous and well written book about an African American family. It is told from the viewpoint of Kenny, a 4th grader explaining some of the antics in school and with his brother and sister. The family travels in their big old car from Flint, Michigan to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama. As historical fiction, the book offers a glimpse into what life was like for African Americans in 1963. They are there during the church bombing and experience one of the tragic moments in American history. This book is written with the same sense of humor as Bud, Not Buddy, Curtis' Newbery Award book and is a great read.

BOOK REVIEWS
Following are reviews of some books that were recently read
Feel free to add any comments or suggest other books you think students might like.

Rules by Cynthia Lord (grades 4 - 7)
This is a sensitive and poignant story of twelve year old Catherine whose younger brother, David has autism. Catherine is thrust into the role of caregiver and we see how his autism impacts her daily life. Trying to help him, Catherine makes very clear rules such as, "It's fine to hug mom, but not the clerk at the video store" and "No toys in the fish tank". Catherine makes a new friend, Jason, at David's clinic that is severely disabled and they communicate using word cards. But Catherine is embarassed and tries to keep her friendship with Jason a secret. It is a humorous, yet touching and emotional story as Catherine learns important lessons about who she is.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (grades 3 - 5)
Edward Tulane is a beautiful porcelain rabbit that is adored by his owner, Abilene. She treats him with love and respect but he is accidentally thrown overboard while the family is traveling on an ocean liner. This book tells the story of the rabbit's journey, from the rabbit's point of view. He is found by a fisherman and loved by others until his journey has a surprise ending many years later.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (grades 5-8)
This is a beautifully written book about a twelve year old girl's experiences as an orphan living with foster families. She is living with an elderly artist that is suffering from Alzheimer's while she remembers what it was like to live with another family. Hollis longs for a family of her own but doesn't know what that really means or feels like. Whenever she gets too close, she feels the need to run away.

Frindle by Andrew Clements (grades 3 - 5)
When Nick tries to question a teacher about how words get in the dictionary, she plants the idea in his head that "We decide". So Nick invents a new word for a pen, "frindle". The idea spreads like wildfire and causes disruption in the school. But Nick learns that everything is not as it appears and that some of the best lessons are learned by taking a stand and doing what you believe is right. The book is entertaining and amusing but also gets you to think about how we learn and make ideas our own.

Owen & Mzee - The True story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff (non-fiction grades 1 -4)
During the tsunami of December 26, 2004 in the Indian Ocean, a baby hippo was orphaned and washed ashore on the small coastal town of Malindi in Kenya. They named the hippo Owen and he was offered a place to live in Haller Park, an animal sanctuary. Owen crouched behind Mzee, a 130 year old tortoise that lives there, for protection. Park workers later found the hippo and the tortoise snuggled together and they became inseparable. This true story provides one of hope and possibilities under tragic circumstances.

Toys go out - Being the adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and someone called Plastic by Emily Jenkins (grade 2 -4)
This is a delightful story about the life of the toys in the toy room as they wonder about the world around them. Plastic doesn't know what she is and when she looks up the word "plastic" she reads, "Capable of being shaped or formed. Also artificial". That doesn't sound good to her at all untill Tuk Tuk, the towel in the bathroom, tells her she is a rubber ball. She happily goes rolling and bouncing away. When the girl celebrates her birthday, her favorite toys find out it is their birthday too.

HAMC Blog

We are always ordering new books in the library!
Check here often to see the newest books. Feel free to add your comments on a book that you read. It might help others.

New Books in the library arrived today! October 11, 2007
Come see what is available.

New titles include:

PICTURE BOOKS
A Mezuzah on the Door - by Amy Meltzer
12 ways to get to 11 - by Eve Merriam
Dirt - by Steve Tomecek
Hey! Get off our Train - by John Burningham
One nosy pup - by Carol Wallace
My Pony Jack - by Cari Meister

ELEMENTARY CHAPTER BOOKS
Punished - by David Lubar
Hank Zipzer in the Night I flunked my Field trip - by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank Zipzer in the Curtain Went up, my pants fell down - by Henry Winkler and Lin oliver
Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize - by Marjorie Sharmat
Nate the Great and the Sticky Case - by Marforie Sharmat
My Secret Unicorn - Starlight Surprise - by Linda Chapman
My Secret Unicorn - Dreams Come true - by Linda Chapman
Dragon Slayers Academy - Revenge of the Dragon Lady - by Kate McMullen
The High-rise private eyes in the case of the Climbing Cat - by Cynthia Rylant

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOKS
The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan
I am the Cheese - by Robert Cormier
Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa - by Micol Ostow
Vince Carter - biography - by John Albert Torres
Murder on the Orient Express - by Agatha Christie
The People of Sparks - by Jeanne Duprau