How did I miss this??

Christmas break had barely begun for this new teacher-librarian when I was busy shopping cooking wrapping reading a book. Of course chosen from my school library. On the last day of school waiting in the quiet of the shelves, I browsed for reading material for break. I choose Gregor the Overlander(more later when I finish the series)  and The Calder Game.

The school secretary--former library aid--recommended the Gregor series. I only brought home the first because I was too lazy to carry them all!

I chose The Calder Game by Blue Balliett because there were three on the shelf. Now for many that would not mean anything but in my library that means it was once a Sequoyah nominee. One of our past librarians bought the nominees in threes. I don't know why....but it is the clue in our library. Last year's librarian only ordered one copy of each and I have been stressed with that this year so I think I will be ordering two of each....just right!!

On to The Calder Game....I loved this book. Granted it was for elementary to mid school kids, but it is also one of a series. Now I want to read the first two--Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3! A fun mystery that made you think. Of course I immediately had to get on the internet to find out if Calder was a true artist...yep! I recognized the mobiles immediately....there is one in OKC art museum. I loved how the characters created word mobiles.

The wheels in my mind are spinning on ideas to do this in the library!

This is the first book in a long time that makes me want to travel to England!

This was  a great reminder that old books are still good reads!!

Go stick your nose in one...NOW!
Happy break-Kathy

post for class

As an avid reader, the requirements for this class have been manageable. I would rather read a book than….well, just about everything. As a kid I used reading as a way to avoid chores. Mom never made me stop reading to make my bed or do laundry. Reading was more important. As an adult, I have followed that philosophy. Many a day I have spent reading while the laundry piles up and dishes have gone unmade. I could even confess to children (my own) begging me to put down a book and cook supper...PLEASE!!

So now after all this reading for class, I am craving a good book. Not one for class, not one that I have to write a review or summary for, not one that connects to anything. Just a good book—one I can fall into and let the laundry pile up again. Well, I think I found that book. It is waiting for me. Even though it is waiting patiently, it leaves me little reminders. At the theater I saw a trailer for the movie it has become and Saturday I saw it sitting on a shelf. Yes, just sitting there waiting patiently for me on a shelf in Room 137. And, since it was the 10 minute break during the ACT test I was monitoring (another story) I decided to pick it up. In ten minutes I fell in love, I almost even fell into the story, but the timer went off and I got back to work watching fresh faced high schoolers search their brains for answers to many of life’s important questions. I had to leave the book because it wasn’t mine but I am coveting it. I want it for my own. It is the carrot I hold out as I push through these final weeks of the semester. It will be my graduation gift to myself.

I only had time to read the author’s notes before the timer rang. I read it so quickly I don’t even remember the words, just the feeling it left me holding. The author told of writing a book that didn’t work. Each element perfect alone. Each element refusing to blend with the others. The author told this story of failure with such clarity that I wanted to share his words with my students so they would know that all experience failure. To know that this deep failure results in a novel that has become a movie brought wonder to me. I fell in love with this forward.

As I began to research this book for this assignment I have begun to have doubts. See-- I have now lost my book to just read…it is an assignment now! Upon searching the web for this book I have learned that the author is Yann Martel. I have also discovered naysayers, negative Nellie’s, and spoiler alerts. Apparently this forward I had fallen in love with is indeed fictitious. Really! I am not for sure if I am taken aback or just taken in. According to numerous reviews this story, Live of Pi, is about a boy shipwrecked with a Bengal tiger…or maybe not. Perhaps it is a story about discovering God or some form of spirituality. Or perhaps it is just a good book. A book I can fall into. How many days until graduation?         

       

 

Reading.....

Working my way through all my school work.

for Advanced children's lit I had to reread The Giver. Now I am wanting to reread the next two so I can read Son which is new to me. Also read Cinderella variants-Yo Shen and The Talking Eggs. Just wrote a discussion post about Shredderman:Secret Identity. I read that one when I worked at first school and had a bully problem. The kids loved it--even the class bully!

For Young Adult Lit I have reread many old favorites for the big assignment-The Hunger Games, Roll of Thunder,Hear My Cry, Holes, The Outsiders, Harry Potter, Forever, White Water, Ella-Enchanted, Catherine Called Birdy, and a few others that I can't think of right now:(

I also read Dimed and Nickeled for my nonfiction selection.
I reread Life As We Knew It for a book talk.
I reread Tuck Everlasting for a book review. I need to find the same movie to do a movie review. I am going to check the library tomorrow.
My big project is to write about trilogies in YA lit--so lots of rereading over the next few weeks.

I am trying to get a lot done before the school book fair since I am worried it may drive me to the crazy house!!
Keep reading! K.

Library reading

For the first rotation of class with students I covered procedures and read The Shelf Elf.

I read it 31 times. That should explain so much! I learned a lot from this! I will never read the same book to every class again!!!!!(I should put 31 exclamation points:)

LOST IN THE LIBRARY!

With school starting and the new dream job of librarian(while still finishing master's work) I have spent more time lost in the library instead of a book.

BUT  that is finally changing!!! I am working on my required reading for my YALIT class so have been busy reading again.

I started with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. I will admit...I never have read this book. It was really good but I am not sure about the reading interest level. We have it in our library but I think it should be targeted for sixth graders instead.

I also reread the Outsiders by SE Hinton. I remember reading this in highschool and I did not like it then. I'm still not nuts about it....great writing, just not my thing. I do remember being inspired by the writer--she was in high school when she wrote this!

I have also reread Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and Mr. Tucket written by Paulsen as well. This must have been a boy weekend! I read White Water by JP Peterson too. I have enjoyed my weekend of boy reads.

I guess that makes next weekend a girl time---Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, and Catherine Called Birdy!

I have 16 of these to do so I will be busy. I am still not nuts about many of the themes of YA lit but I will be getting plenty of children's reading in the library classes!!!

ALSO--all that Sequoyah reading has really paid off in my Advanced Children's Lit!
Go read something--Kathy

More boy books

Now I normally hate it when people say this is a boy book and this is a girl book BUT I am starting to realize that sometimes boys need a little more incentive to read a good book. These two have that. I am so thrilled that the Sequoyah list has such an enjoyable choice this year.

Both of these are chapter books even though readers will know Rosemary Wells for her Max and Ruby stories. Let's start with hers---On the Blue Comet. I knew this would be a winner quickly....trains and time travel!!! Makes my heart sing!! Oscar is a boy after your heart. No mom, cooks for dad, and builds trains with his dad in the basement. Then the depresssion hits....dad has to go find job in California and Oscar has to stay with his aunt. Oh yeah...the trains get sold also! The next time he sees his dad he is 21 or is it 11? Jump into this book!

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester is a shorter selection but readers will easily connect to Owen. A bossy older sister, growing more mature than his buddies, and yearning for excitement. Wait I just remembered---there is a TRAIN in this story too! Check out the cover....this story is about a frog too. My past students would love this element.

I can's wait for school to start and I can recommend these selections to my students. I don't know which I will vote for..hmmmm.
Read a book,
Kathy

Read this!!

So as I continue my quest through the Sequoyah books I read a favorite author and a new one(for me).

First was The Buffalo are Back by Jean Craighead George. Let me say I love her books. but this one...hmmm not so much. It will be a great book to teach biomes and Native American interactions. I wish it would have referenced all the state and national parks where buffalo can still be found.

This next one though....FABULOUS!!! Read this now!!! Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper was outstanding. This would be a great read aloud for school. What a great perspective for a story of a girl with cerebal palsy. This blew me away. Stunning! I want everybody to read this so I can talk more about it. Yes....I did read all morning!

For just fun reading I read The First Husband by Laura Dave. Definitely for grown ups but not sex scenes that are so embarassing. It was really good. It actually had an ending that I did not figure out beforehand. It also had lots of travel reference that would be fun to research. by the way my copy borrowed from the local public library had a pic of only one shirt and tie. you know its the little things.

go read a book-Kathy

Excited about Sequoyah!

So this is a change....I have NOT been excited about the Sequoyah book list in a few years. Could I be more excited because I just became my school's LMS? Well yes that is a factor but more importantly..it's the books--as it should be.
I was at my public library when I saw their display for the Sequoyah books. For those of you who aren't familar with this ....students must read(or have read to them) three books to be able to vote for their favorite. The past view years have really shown an emphasis on older readers and harder books. As a classroom teacher this past year I only manage to read one aloud so few of my students got to vote. I have tried to do two in the past so they only have to do one on their own.

Back the the library....the first thing I noticed was the easy reads or picture books or nonchapter if you will. The last time I posted I discussed one of those books. but this trip I was able to snag 5 books! And only one of those was a chapter book. Now this is important for a few reasons. One I am supposed to be doing homework! Two you can only check these out for seven days. Three I am leaving for the AVID conference on Wednesday.  So I am excited to knock out so many from my list in such a short amount of time. I probably could have sat there and read the 5 short ones but what's the fun in that? Don't you love the feeling of your arms loaded down with new books to read??

Onward, so last night I read these jewels and that's when I got really excited! I could immediately find ways to teach with each of these. Of course since I am not in the classroom I will have to tweak my lessons. UGH!!!

Stop....find the joy in the books! Anyways here they are!!!!

The first is How to Clean a Hippotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This nonfiction is easy to read, has great pictures, and is FULL of animals. This will mesh with using Common Core Standards to teach science. I could teach for weeks with this book.

The next isThe Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco. I have read this book a few times and love it everytime. My favorite part is when the students get vials of smells to make their groups. I love these messages about not giving up and doing your best. So important in our classrooms when kids just are motivated to work hard.

Ruth and the Greeen Book  by Calvin Alexander Ramsy was very informative. It tells the story of Ruth and her family as they go on a trip to her grandmother's. The problem is they are African American and it is the fifties and segregation keeps them from using restrooms, eating in restaurants, and staying in motels. The Green Book to the rescue!

Last of these but as the cliche goes not the least---probably my favorite for class use is MirrorMirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer. This is a book of forwards and reverse poems about fairy tales. As a poetry book it really captures the reader's interest. But as a tool to teach point of view and inferencing. Made my heart go pitter patter....this will be so fun to teach with!

Last week I also finished one of the chapter books on the list, The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli and Joanne Lew-Vrietholf. This book about a young girl dealing with her parents' separation. This would be a great read aloud for the classroom and you could do losts of writing extensions.


And yes I did do my homework this week too. I am so blessed that I can go to a book for information, for fun, and  for relaxation. Help a child to accomplish this too!
-go read a book,
Kathy

The first days of summer break

During these first days of summer break I have been doing a lot of reading and writing...for my master's classes. Being me I have still squeezed in quite a bit of reading. My goal this summer is to read all of the Sequoyah nominees(in case I get the LMS job) and to read a variety of books that I bought for my class library. I have always tried to read everything that I make available to my kids. So I will be either crazy or cross eyed if I get the LMS job since I don't think I can read them all!!

Anyway--for the Sequoyah I read Black Elk's Vision- A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson. I enjoyed it but even for my fifth graders I think it should be a teacher read aloud. It provides lots of places to jump into content from Native American perspectives, to Westward Expansion, to habitats. Students will have to use inferencing to get the most from this story.

From my class library list I read All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn and Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret. I have read other novels by both of these writers and was not disappointed. Many of my kids had already read All the Lovely Bad Ones and some had it read to them when they were third graders by their teacher(my daughter-Andrea). I read The Doll in the Garden when Andrea was a fifth grader and checked it out from her school library. What a circle! I also enjoyed the Kehret story--my new interest in survivalism got a charge from this story.

Lastly I read A Woman's Place by Barbara Delinsky. This is definitely an adult book with probably to many connections to my own life. A coworker gave it to me to read. Hmmm she read me like a book! She said there was a WORD that was me!! Holy moly which word? Stubborn, independent, controlling, determined! I 'm still not sure if it's a complement or not! It was eye opening to say the least and gave me cause to ponder my life....yes, that makes it a good book!

go read a book!
Kathy

Getting started:what I've been reading

My name is Kathy. As a Library Media student I am creating this blog for a class. But this is a blog I have dreamed of doing for a long time. So many people ask--What are you reading now? Here's my place to keep track of all my readings, FUN and Professional. I will share my thoughts, make connections to my life and my classroom. Feel free to join in and share your thoughts as well.

To find a catch up spot.....during the week or so of no college classes I read

see more here

The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner,













see it here

 The Trylle Trilogy(say that 5 times fast) by Amanda Hocking,








and almost finished The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson.
 I also read Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and the Bible every morning. So almost 7 books in 10 days that was a pretty good pace for even me.

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Oops, in my classroom I read The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, A Nest for Celeste: A Story about Art, Inspiration and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole.

This was definitely my fun list, I will add professional next time and then we will be up to date for May 2012.