Book Buzz

Mockingbird

2010-12-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

Mockingbird is a touching story that should not be missed. Caitlin has Asperger's syndrome and for her everything is straightforward, black and white with no inbetween. She has trouble making friends and turns to textbooks for answers. But the tragic death of her brother causes her to seach for closure for herself and her father. Kathryn Erskine creates a story with warmth and insight.

My Life as a Book

2010-11-25T21:31:00.000-08:00

After a break from blogging, I'm starting back.

I want to highly recommend the book: My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian.

Derek is a reluctant reader who finds himself in a Learning Camp for the summer with three books to read. Derek is an active boy who loves to draw. He discovers a family mystery from the past which causes him to see that stories are all around.

This book would be great for fans of Diary of the Whimpy Kids. The nicely paced story with sketches in the margins, will entice readers to become engaged in Derek's story.

Read Across America

2010-02-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

This week I'm reading these two books by Dr. Seuss in celebration of Read Across America. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Sam and the Lucky Money

2010-02-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sam and the Lucky Money is my favorite book to read in celebration of Chinese New Year. My kids love it. It's a wonderful story of giving. We have a nice size population of Vietnamese students at my school who celebrate Chinese New Year and give the beautiful red envelopes. Over the years, I have been blessed by their spirit of giving and am grateful.

Valentine Books

2010-02-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

These are two books I like to read at school for Valentine's Day. Share the love!!

Rule of Three

2010-02-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in competition with your sister? Megan McDonald writes a story about three sisters, Alex, Stevie, and Joey, discovering who they are in the second book of the Sisters Club series, Rule of Three.

I was a little hesitant to read this one, for fear of it being typical but was pleasantly surprised. The characters were warm and realistic. Each sister had her area of strength and through the difficulty of Alex and Stevie wanting to both star in the class musical, they learn to value those strengths. Middle school girls will sympathize with these characters. Anyone who has a sister will see themselves in some small way feeling a part the of the Sisters Club.

Favorite Christmas Books

2009-12-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

These are a few of my favorite Christmas books. Each is special in it's own way. Hope you enjoy this wonderful season of the year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus! Merry Christmas!

Texas Book Festival

2009-11-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went to the Texas Book Festival in Austin. It was a beautiful day filled with books and authors. The most exciting session was the announcement of the 2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Awards Master List. Being a member of the TBA Selection Committee has been an honor and very rewarding, so this was very exciting! Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett were the masters of ceremony and they made us laugh! They were all pumped up to announce the list! Now, it will be up to the children of Texas to decide their favorite.

When a Monster is Born

2009-10-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

This week I'm sharing this funny book, When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor with my first grade classes.

It's the story of what happens to a monster as he does life and the choices he makes. This book is a circle story with predictable text so children can join in on the reading excitement. A great choice for a not-so-scary monster story for this time of year. Kids will eat it up!!

Dying to Meet You

2009-10-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is a fun ghost story that kids will enjoy. I.B. Grumply has rented an old house to finish writing a book because he is stuffering from writer's block. Little does he know that it is already occupied by a young boy, Seymour, and his friend Olive, the ghost of the former homeowner. This makes Grumply's problem even worse. What will he do?

What makes the story light hearted and quirky are the unique names of the characters and how the story is told. The author presents the story through letters and emails between each character. This extraordinary book will be a hit with kids!

TBA Books 2009-2010

2009-09-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Winnie's War

2009-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Winnie's War by Jenny Moss. It is a historical fiction set in 1918 in my neighborhood of Houston/Galveston. Winnie is the oldest of 3 girls who lives with a troubled mother, quiet father, and controlling grandmother. Spanish Influenza is spreading in the area and Winnie feels compelled to keep her family safe from this deadly disease.

The writing is smooth and descriptive. The characters are well developed and believable. I was engaged throughout the entire story wanting answers along with Winnie and feeling fear for her family.

I would recommend this book for fifth graders and older. I think it's a winner in the historical genre.

New School Year

2009-08-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm about to start a new school year. It brings me a great deal of excitement to think about the books I want to introduce to my students! I will have a new schedule with more time to do Book Clubs, projects, and promote reading! This will be a terrific year with more opportunities to encourage a love of reading.

This summer I have been busy reading some of the newest children's literature and will share some of those books in the next few weeks. I must first prepare for the next week when all our kids will enter the school with much anticipation.

What a great time of year!

Texas Bluebonnet Award Winners

2009-04-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

One Potato, Two Potato

Cynthia DeFelice

pictures by

Andrea U'Ren

Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner 2009

This week was the TLA Convention in Houston. The TBA Banquet was Thursday and the TBA was presented to author, Cynthia DeFelice and illustrator, Andrea U'Ren. The event is the highlight of the conference with Texas students presenting them with the award! As a member of the TBA Committee, I had the pleasure of meeting these two amazing ladies. We presented them with a James Avery Texas necklace. They were so warm and gracious. The students and the librarians fell in love with them. I'm thankful to be a small part of this award and event.

Humphrey

2009-03-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Adventure According to Humphrey

by Betty Birney is the latest in the Humphrey series of books. Humphrey and his classmates are setting sail for adventure. They are learning about making boats and getting them to sail. Humphrey is visiting the library to learn everything he can about building sea worthy boats. The will take their boats to the local park to see which sails the best in the pond. Humphrey is there along for the ride.

I love these series of books about Humphrey. He is a classroom pet hamster who learns with the children and keeps a journal of information. Kids will love him and his curiosity. This series of books had a lot of appeal for second to fourth graders.

Surprises According to Humphrey is on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for this year. Humphrey is a winner with kids!

Reading and Blogging

2009-03-07T19:29:00.001-08:00

I've been taking some time off from blogging and miss it! Having one TAKS test down and another in April, I'm hoping that I can get back to reviewing and talking about books.

My focus at school this year has been getting a SSR program started. We began in September (after Hurricane Ike) and it is going well. This has been a great change from the AR program. The kids seem to enjoy it and they are reading books of their choice!

My next focus will be encouraging teachers to reading aloud to their classes. Many are doing this already but we need everyone on board! I've been reading some great blogs on this topic which is inspiring me to promote reading aloud. Also, I want parents to know that they need to read to their children every day and the difference it can make! I hope to share more books that will be great read alouds.

So let's get busy reading to our kids!

2009-02-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi is a fun and light-hearted story of a young rabbit, Kenny, who meets and befriends a dragon. Grahame is not your typical dragon because he loves poetry, books, and music. Word gets out that a dragon is near the village and the people send a dragon slayer to kill Grahame. Kenny must make some tough decisions to save his friend. This story is based on the classic tale, The Reluctant Dragon. Older elementary kids will enjoy this fantasy.

There's a Wolf at the Door

2008-12-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

This creative and lively book is a retelling of five classic fairy tales by Zoe Alley with illustrations by R.W. Alley. The illustrations are set up like a graphic novel that is easy to follow. The dialog is updated and quick witted. It made me giggle several times with the sarcastic comments of the sheep exposing their point of view. I started to feel sorry for the wolf by the end of the book. This is a fun read for second through fifth graders with a good sense of humor.

2008-11-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

Lost and Found is the latest book from Andrew Clements. It is the story of identical twins, Jay and Ray Grayson, trying to find their individuality. They have moved to a new school, so when Jay goes to school while Ray is at home sick, Jay feels like a real individual. But when the school makes a mistake and only Jay is enrolled and not Ray, the plan begins. They decide to share the identity of Jay. The twins switch days going to school but soon begin to face complications.

Clements writes a well paced story with lots of kid appeal. This would be a great book for third to sixth graders.

Dog Gone

2008-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Dog Gone by Cynthia Chapman Willis is a touching story of a young girl, Dill, dealing with the loss of her mother. Everything has changed around her house. Her special attachment to their dog, Dead End, becomes stronger because he was her mother's dog. Then, Dead End runs off and is suspected to be part of a dog pack attacking livestock in their rural town. Her grandfather is seriously ill while her father is busy trying to keep the family business running. With her friend, Cub, they try to catch Dead End to hide him from the townspeople. Through these events, Dill must face head on her loss.

This is a nicely paced story that will touch readers' hearts. I would recommend if for 4th graders and above.

Turtle's Penguin Day

2008-11-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

Turtle's Penguin Day by Valeri Gorbachev is a story of a turtle who wants to pretend to be a penguin after his father reads him a book about penguins. He goes to school and all of the students want to become penguins after the teacher reads the book. This book encourages reading and how it stimulates knowledge and imagination. It would be great as a focus when engaging kids to become information literate.

Texas Bluebonnet Nominees

2008-11-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

With great anticipation and excitement, the new 2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Book Nominee List was announced on Saturday. Here it is: TBA

Being on this committee has been an wonderful experience with some great people. This is a fantastic list of books for Texas children to read.

Now, I will begin reading books for the next year's list. Hopefully, I can blog about some more great books.

The Gollywhopper Games

2008-07-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Gollywhopper Games

Jody Feldman

If you want fun and lighthearted adventure, please choose this book to read! It is a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chasing Vermeer. Gil, the hero of our story, wants to win the Gollywhopper Games held by the Golly Toy Company. He wants to win enough money for his family to move out of town because the last year of his life has been miserable. He father was falsely accused for stealing money for the Golly Toy Company, thus hurting the character of him and his family.

This story is full of puzzles, contests, teamwork, and friendship! Will Gil get what he wants? You must read it to find out!

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!

2008-06-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been awhile since my last post! I have been so busy reading books for the TBA committee, that I haven't taken the time to blog!

However, I just had to write about this new book by Stevens and Crummel, Help Me, Mr. Mutt! I just loved it! I can't lie - I am a dog lover so I am always compelled to read any "dog" books. This book is funny, lively, and an excellent use of voice in the dog (and cat) characters! It is a collection of letters from dogs written to Mr. Mutt (the dog version of Dear Abby) asking for advice with various people problems. Even if you don't have a dog, you will have a "laugh out-bow wow" time reading this book!

The Postcard

2008-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

The Postcard is Tony Abbott's newest book. After reading Firegirl, I was excited about reading his newest book. These books have quite different plots but both are filled with strong writing.

The Postcard is a mystery that will keep you turning pages. It involves a family on the brink of falling apart, filled with secrets, with clues in a mysterious magazine story.

Fourth - Sixth graders who loves mysteries, will find this book a winner!

Birmingham, 1963

2008-04-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

History and poetry rolled together in one touching book is Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherford. This is a fictional story of an actual event in history told with poetry and the use of authentic photographs. The powerful words describe the church bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. Four young girls lost their lives. The author gives a beautiful tribute to each girl at the end of the book.

What a great book to share with older elementary, junior, or senior high kids about the struggle for equality during the time of the civil rights moment. It love how the author told the story from the view point of an innocent child putting you there in the middle of this shocking event in history. I would highly recommend it.

Swindle

2008-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Swindle by Gordon Korman was a big hit at my bookfair last week. So I had to read it. I found myself enjoying it and think that most kids from 3-6th would love it. It has action and excitement that will lure students to want to keep reading and not put it down.

The story is about a boy named, Griffin Bing, who finds a Babe Ruth baseball card and is lied to by S. Wendell Palomino claiming it's worthless when it's actually worth a million dollars. Palomino swindles him out of the card. Upon finding the card's real value, Griffin is determined to get it back. He is "the man with a plan" and forms a team of kids to get his baseball card back. Thus the adventure begins. This will be one book you can't keep on the shelf!

It was fun to see my students so excited about buying books and I'm glad this one was a good choice for them.

Not Afraid of Dogs

2008-02-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

There are times when children are fearful and this book is a story that children will relate to. Not Afraid of Dogs by Susanna Pitzer tells the story of Daniel who says he's not afraid of dogs but just doesn't like them. His family is taking care of their aunt's dog, Bandit, and Daniel is afraid to be anywhere that Bandit is. However, when a thunderstorm scares Bandit, Daniel understands and comforts Bandit. He now states that he likes dogs. Young children will enjoy this story.

Texas Bluebonnet Award

2008-02-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

I have been a little busy lately and not blogging. I found out a few weeks ago that I have been appointed to the Texas Bluebonnet Awards Selection Committee. I am one of 10 Texas librarians who will be reading, reviewing, and selecting 20 books for the Master List starting in 2008-2009. I am so excited to serve on this committee for the next 3 years. What an honor and fantastic opportunity for me to learn more about great literature! I will get to share more great books to get kids hooked on reading!

TBA Website

ALA Awards

2008-01-15T17:47:00.001-08:00

The ALA Awards were announced Monday and I was happy to see two books I really loved on the list:
Elijah of Buxton - Newbery Honor
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Caldecott
Here's the complete list.

Orange Pear Apple Bear

2008-01-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

WOW! It's already 2008!

I am trying to get back into the blogging mode for this New Year but having a slow start. I hope to read and discuss many books this year which will encourage more children to read. There are several Best of Lists in the blog world and I just wanted to mention one book I enjoy.

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett has been mentioned on several "best of 2007" lists for picture books. It's soft and muted illustrations are just right for the simple text of five words throughout the story! The illustrations express the joy and fun of this book which is appealing to young children. It's a winner!

Elijah of Buxton

2007-12-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

It was refreshing to read Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Refreshing in that the depth of the character development of Elijah was superb. The desciption of the events and the characters pulls you into the story as if you are there with Elijah, fishing, going to the carnival, riding to Michigan to help a friend, or holding a small baby in your arms. Curtis makes you feel as Elijah feels. That's refreshing! Was it a nice, no brainer story to read? No, because it causes you to ponder on events of the past and what decisions you would make in Elijah's place. This is a realistic story with much to say, yet filled with some light hearted moments to make you smile. I would recommed it for mature fourth graders and older.
Elijah is a 12 year old boy living in Buxton, Canada in the 1840s. He is the first child born free in the settlement of former slaves. He deals with growing up wanting to be older, yet so tender hearted he's know as being fragile. He is a boy of good character and faces some difficult decisions. He sees first hand the sadness of slavery and the love of a family and community.
I really loved this book!

2007-12-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean is one of my favorite Christmas books. It is a beautiful story revealing Joseph's thoughts on being the earthly father of Jesus! I am touched each time I read it. This book expresses the true meaning of Christmas. May you all have a Merry Christmas!!

Farley Found It!

2007-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

My kindergarten students loved this book, Farley Found It! It's a cute story about a sheep, Farley, who can't get a good night's sleep except when he finds Edna's doghouse to sleep in. Unfortunately, Edna loves her doghouse and tries to hide it from Farley. But of course, Farley finds it! There in lies the problem which is resolved at the end of the story. What an easy way to teach problem and solution to younger students by sharing this fun book! The repetition in the story is predictable and perfect for emergent readers. The illustrations are filled with pictures of Farley spying on Edna which the kids love to discover. This is just a fun read for younger kid! See if you can find it!!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2007-11-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

I think this book could be one of the best "hook" books around. I just showed the first few pages to some students and read the first page of text and they were hooked! They all wanted to check it out. How creative of Brian Selznick to design a new type of book. It's a cross between a graphic novel, fiction, and picture book. He tells the story through illustrations and words. It's uniqueness is attractive to reluctant readers and inspiring to avid readers alike. The thickness of it might scare some readers but they will definitely be won over as they open the first page. The art work is amazing and I love how he tells the story through the pictures and doesn't just illustrate the text. What a great way to build inferencing skills than by "reading" the story through pictures. I am excited to be able to share this book with my students and happy to see it on the Texas Bluebonnet Book list for 2007-2008.

Not A Box

2007-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

What a great book to encourage imagination! This book, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, is a simple story about how a rabbit can imagine an ordinary box as a mountain peak, burning building, a race car, and much more. All along the rabbit insists that it's not a box but all those objects.
Isn't this a beautiful demonstration of a child's need for play and imagination? I remember when my girls were toddlers and they had more fun with boxes and wrapping paper then the toys in them. They would play for hours creating stories and adventures. Sometimes I wonder if we hinder our children from developing their imagination and joy for simple things. We try to fit them into the "school mold" spitting out the right answers and not developing thinking. This simple book is a great reminder for me to stimulate my students imagination with books!
Happy Children's Book Week!

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

2007-10-27T18:34:00.001-07:00

This Monday I will be leading a workshop. I will be discussing poetry books and how they can be used to teach reading and writing fluency. Poetry is fun and kids love it! The newest book by Mary Ann Hoberman, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together, is quite appropriate for this time of year. This is a perfect book for shared reading or buddy reading. The poems are about mummies, skeletons, zombies, and trick or treat. What a great way to get kids to read without really realizing it is a learning experience. So try this book with your class or with your own children to build their reading fluency. Just try not to be scared!

No Talking

2007-10-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

Most teachers have had a class like the fifth grade class of "Unshushables" in Andrew Clements new book No Talking. This is a book that teachers and students alike can relate to. Kids love to talk and teachers want silence in class. A contest between the boys and girls begins with the main characters, Dave and Lynsey, because both believe that each talk way too much. So, all the fifth graders can't talk for two days. When at school, they may only respond to teachers with three word sentences. The teachers wonder what is going on with these students. So who do you think talks the most? Who wins the contest? Kids will enjoy reading this book to find out.
I think it would be fun for some brave teachers to try this for one day in their class. It would be a challenge to respond with just three words. Students would learn the value of good communication. What learning possibilities!

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

2007-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

I just love Moxy Maxwell! She is assigned to read Stuart Little for her summer reading and she's out of time. She does everything else but read the book before the first day of school. She loves to read but not what others tell her to read. She reminds me a little of myself! I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to things I don't want to do, so I understand Moxy's thinking. The voice and character development in this story draw you in as Moxy thinks of every excuse (some quite creative and funny) for not reading the book. Students will love this story with it humorous events. I would highly recommend it!

Dead Guys Talk

2007-10-02T18:45:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading Dead Guys Talk by Barbara Joosse. A group of kids called the Scarface Detectives want to solve crimes. They get a mysterious note asking for help which leads them to a graveyard that is about to be replaced by a shopping mall.
Someone, possibly a dead neighbor, has asked them to help stop this event from happening. It is a nice shorter fiction book for second or third grade students wanting a mystery or ghost story. The dialogue is somewhat typical of kids with an occasional use of words such as pervert and scumbag which might make some adults uneasy. This would be a nice option for this season instead of a traditional Halloween or ghost story.

Move Over, Rover!

2007-09-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Move Over, Rover by Karen Beaumont is a great picture book about a dog expecting to get out of a storm by moving into his doghouse all alone. Little did he know he wouldn't be alone! As the the story unfolds, he is joined one by one by other animals. Then, the skunk comes and they all leave the doghouse finding the storm has gone away. Now Rover may enjoy the peacefulness of being alone in his home! As I was reading this book, I immediately thought of my kindergarten teachers and knew they would love the predictablity and rhythm of the language. They use Jan Brett's book The Mitten in their winter unit and were excited to see how well this book complimented that story. It's a fun book that young children will want to read over and over. So..Move Over and let's read!!

On the Road

2007-09-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

On the Road by Lucy Nolan is a fun story about a dog and her owner which is told from the perspective of the dog, Down Girl. She describes her life with her owner, Rruff, and her dog friend, Sit. Down Girl especially loves to ride in the car to go on different adventures. This is a beginning chapter book that would be perfect for second grade students and even some third graders. I love the humor and just getting to see the world from a dog's point of view. Any dog lover will certainly understand and enjoy it. It could also be a great teaching tool in the classroom. On the Road is filled with opportunities to teach inferencing skills and point of view. Kids will love it. I would highly recommend it. This book is on the 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet List.

Buzzing About Books

2007-08-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

It is quite exciting to create a blog focused on children's literature. I have been blogging for a few years but not about kids' books! I want this blog to be a reflection and resource for those interested in children's literature. I hope this blog will help teachers, librarians, parents, and students learn more about the awesome world of books! My desire is that this blog might inspire a student to pick up a book, or a parent to read aloud a book to his/her child, or help a teacher/librarian to find that just right book to turn a student on to reading. What a powerful force books are. Join me with your comments or suggestions as I "buzz" about books!