One Book, One School with Jack by Liesl Shurtliff

We are doing our One Book, One School this year with Liesl Shurtliff's Jack! For our One Book, One School, I select a book that I think would make a great read-aloud for our families, which means the book needs to have appeal for grades K-5. We have had some great choices in the past 5 years but I think Jack is another excellent choice! As in Rump, Shurtliff takes us into the fairy tale world with a fresh and engaging new twist. It is full of adventure and voice and I feel many readers/listeners in my school community will be begging for one more chapter!
Here are some of my resources I used for the One Book, One School:

• Book Trailer (Publisher-made)
• Signs for around the school
• Reading Schedule Bookmark
• Informational Letter & Family Reading Night Invitation

This year we kicked off our One Book, One School with a visit from author Liesl Shurtliff. She is a fabulous speaker - students and teachers loved her. It was a great way to get kids excited to read the book. In the past, I've always had the author come at the end, after families were finished reading. With an inspiring author like Liesl Shurtliff, I can definitely see the benefits of starting with the author! Kids were so excited to go home and start reading! She also autographed all the books for us.

To go along with the reading at home, we have a family reading night at school. I always coordinate this with my bookfair to get more people to shop. To go along with Jack, we had a fairy tale theme with stations around the school.
Here are the stations that we had and some of the resources that I used with them:

• Three Pigs Building Challenge
• Photo Booth with Fairy Tale Props 
• Puppet Pal iPad App 
• Partner Read Green Screen (Teacher Directions) 
• Imagination Writing & Viewing Book Character Pumpkins (info letter) 
• Fairy Tale Bingo (Clues; I used print-bingo.com to make boards) 
• Book fair and storyteller 

It was a great night and I received lots of compliments! If you are interested in seeing more pictures of this year's Family Reading Night, see my MRC blog post. To learn more about other One Book, One School books we've done, see this presentation from my state library conference (ISLMA).

Now my only problem is what in the world are we going to read next year?? :)

What I'm Reading: Wolf Hollow, Lily and Dunkin, Full of Beans & more!

I've read a lot of good books lately and honestly, I just feel like reading more and more! My huge stack of ARCs from School Library Journal's Day of Dialogue is calling. I decided to keep my reviews super short and sweet today - 7 words or less to describe the book. :) There are plenty of other places to look to get more information and opinions about these books, but I highly recommend them.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Poignant, lasting, powerful, bullying, kindness, sad


When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
Family, sweet, grief, acceptance, warm, stories

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm (Aug. 30 release date)
Voice, funny, inventiveness, savvy, Great Depression

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
Challenges, empathy, acceptance, understanding, differences, transgender, bipolar

Red: The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff
Magic, strength, love, family, searching, finding, friendship

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems
Thankfulness, friends, touching, farewell

App-Smashing with Book Creator

I serve on my school district's App Review Committee (ARC). Before teachers can put apps on student devices, we need to review it considering privacy concerns, ease of use, terms of services, etc. For more information about our ARC, and to see the database of apps we have reviewed, checkout this blog post written by my colleague here.

The iPad app Book Creator is one of the App Review Committee's Recommended apps, in part for its versatility in creating books. Students as young as kindergarteners for the most part find it intuitive to make a book. Within the app, users just press the plus sign to add photos, writing/drawing, text, or sound to their book. Students can easily use the app to share their learning. Final projects can be exported as an ePub, a PDF (no audio then), or a video (with automatic "page" turning). However, Book Creator is also a great app to use with other apps to make even more engaging or just snazzier ebooks! Here are a few combinations you might want to try with your students:

 Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard/screencasting app. Like Book Creator, it is simple enough that young learners can create products with relative ease but complex enough to be appropriate for all grade levels. It has a few capabilities that Book Creator does not, including recording while drawing/writing, and panning and zooming. Teachers and students might export books they've created in Book Creator to Explain Everything to read with the pointer and record their voice, highlight, and/or annotate. Or, they might use the pan and zoom feature in Explain Everything to add some pizzazz to a PDF of their Book Creator books, especially if they created a comic book. Another app-smashing option is to take a whole class' projects or responses from Explain Everything and put them together in one Book Creator book.

The iMovie app provides a simple way to make a movie on the iPad with some nice editing options. A common way to use iMovie and Book Creator together is to edit some video before bringing it into Book Creator. For example, students can use the trailer style of iMovie to create a brief, engaging video about a person they are writing a biography on, or a book trailer they are writing a book response to. This could be used in all subject areas, from showing science experiments to proper form in PE as a way to assess students. Checkout this Youtube video from David Panush that includes examples of using these two apps to assess students on their understanding of health and safety rules. Additionally, you could start with Book Creator and export the book as a video file into iMovie to add music and other editing from iMovie.

Speaking of creating fun movies, another great app to combine with Book Creator would be DoInk Green Screen. The green screen app allows students to record themselves and others and put whatever background they want behind them based on what they are learning about: weather, a historical event, a newsroom, animals and habitats, jobs, locations around the world, a math worksheet...the sky is the limit! Those videos can then easily be imported into a student, small group, or class ebook in Book Creator.
 

While it is possible to use colors beyond the 12 standard colors in Book Creator, my young students have had difficulty creating a brown color (which makes both books about seeds and Martin Luther King Jr. a bit difficult). Why not completely unleash their creativity and let them start by creating drawings in Drawing Pad , which has a wide variety of colors and tools including paint, chalk, crayons, stickers, markers, and pencils. After saving to the photos, these can be easily brought into Book Creator.


 Once the creative juices start flowing, it is easy to think of dozens of apps that could be used in conjunction with Book Creator, so I'll list just a few more:

• Tellagami - create and share a quick animated Gami video with a talking avatar
• Chatterpix Kids - make a photo of anything talk in a short video - just draw a line for the mouth
• Stop Motion Studio - create stop motion movies
• Shadow Puppet Edu - easily create videos with copyright friendly videos and voice over
• Toontastic, PuppetPals - create animated stories with characters and settings
• Keynote - create presentations
• Popplet, Kidspiration, or Inspiration - make mind-maps
• Numbers - add tables and charts
• WordFoto - turn words into typographic works of art

What I'm Reading: Picture Books!

I unfortunately had strep throat and a prolonged fever (SIX DAYS LONG) this week so I missed the whole week of school. I've got a lot of catching up to you! But, thankfully, PARCC testing went on without me!
Here are a three very different but absolutely delightful picture books I read this afternoon that made me happy. Unfortunately, I had them at my house the whole time I was sick they couldn't make any of my students happy. But that will change very soon. :)

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea written by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Raúl Colón is a wonderful book for so many reasons:

• It's a great first-person picture book biography
• The subject, Marie Tharp, is not very well known but this book makes her story extremely accessible for young readers
• A woman overcomes obstacles to do what she really wants to do: be a scientist!
• Did I mention the lovely illustrations?
• It has an informative afterward, glossary, bibliography, websites, and "Things to Wonder About and Do" section

What's not to love? So I do love it! I knew very little about Marie Tharp but this picture book has me intrigued in learning more about her life. 

Next up is Spot, the Cat by Henry Cole. I have a special spot in my heart for Henry Cole because the first "One Book, One School" program I did was with his chapter book, A Nest for Celeste. Not only is that a wonderful book, but he was absolutely one of the best authors we have ever had visit. (Not that I have favorites, but I highly recommend him!)
Spot the Cat is wordless. I will admit, I did not always appreciate wordless picture books, especially as read alouds. I just didn't know what I would say to captivate the 24 little faces looking at me, without words to read. That all changed when I took a chance and read aloud Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker and it took two library sessions to read one book! They were so entranced as we told the story together and I learned my lesson: Wordless picture books can be awesome.
Spot the Cat could be a little more difficult to read to a large group because there are some small details to spot in the black and white illustrations. These details include Spot the adventurous cat and the boy who is looking for him. Whether they are large or small on the page, the subjects show expression and life and will be fun for wandering young eyes to find. It's a charmingly simple story with lots to pour over.

Finally, another new favorite of mine is Horrible Bear written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Zachariah OHora, the same duo as Wolfie the Bunny. This book is picture book perfection. This would make a great read aloud for absolutely any age and I do intend to read it to as many classes as possible. There's no need for me to summarize this one, just watch the trailer (and read the book!)

What I'm Reading: Maybe a Fox, Summerlost, The Goblin's Puzzle

PARCC standardized testing at school means less lesson planning, etc. for me to do at home and more time for reading! (There's got to be some benefit to testing, right?) I read a several great books in the last week.


Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt was a sad yet beautiful read that deals with death and grief. 11-year-old Jules is dealing with too much of both after her sister drowns when she was in an area of the woods she was not supposed to be in. Jules is left asking what happens after you die? "Maybe you turn into wind. Maybe you turn into stars. Maybe a fox."
 People are calling this one a Newbery possibility and saying it is accessible for middle grade readers. This may be unpopular but I am afraid it is going to be a tough sell for some of my students. I had a fifth grade who read it say it got too weird, with its ideas of reincarnation and spirit animals. However, I also know of plenty of readers who ask for a sad, touching story and this could be a touching choice for them.

Another book I read this week also dealt with loss, in a very different way: Summerlost by Ally
Condie. It's been a year since 12-year-old Cedar lost her her father and brother in a car crash. In order to get away from the sadness surrounding their deaths, Cedar, along with her mom and little brother Miles, are spending the summer in their mother's hometown of Iron Creek. Cedar meets a boy named Leo and they both work at a Shakespeare festival for the summer. They connect and by the end of the summer feel they are each other's "person" (in a non-romantic way). There was a lot to the story besides dealing with loss, including a bit of mystery, bullying, kids getting into trouble, yearning to reach goals, and a possible ghost. I loved it!



I also read The Goblin's Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Alice by Andrew S. Chilton. I will admit this one took me a little bit to get into, for some reason, but once I was hooked, I found this clever, whimsical fantasy story engrossing. Readers looking for an adventure/quest story will find familiar tropes including lowly heroes rising to greatness, tricksy creatures who take delight in confusion and mayhem, and a smart girl who is overlooked. However, it is all done with great voice and  freshness and lightness that I greatly enjoyed.


Last week I had a 5th grader tell me that the Thirteen Treasures series by Michelle Harrison were the best books ever, so I borrowed 13 Treasures and read it over the weekend.  I found it to be an enjoyable read, indeed. For as long as she can remember, Tanya has been able to see fairies. The fairies she sees aren't sweet and beautiful but mean, blackmailing creatures. Tanya's mother is tired of Tanya's strange behavior and sends her to her grandmother's strange old mansion for a few weeks in the summer. There, Tanya begins to uncover several mysteries and learns that she isn't the only one who can see fairies. It was a quick read for me, even with over 400 pages. I'm glad I read it!

Finally, I enjoyed How to Catch a Bogle so much that I gobbled up A Plague of Bogles and just started reading (listening to) The Last Bogler. I don't have these in my physical library collection, just as ebooks/audio books, so I may need to add these next year! I'll miss these characters when I finish the trilogy.


What have you been reading?

Book Bracket Battle Update

We are down to our "Final Four" in our Book Bracket Battle!
It's Amulet: The Stonekeeper vs. Fish in a Tree
and The Unwanteds vs. I Survived the Attacks of September 11!

 Some of the votes have been extremely close, including Milo Speck, Accidental Agent vs. I Survived the Attacks of September 11. 
See here for more about my Book Bracket Battle.

What I'm Reading: The Wild Robot + more

Last week I had the delight to read The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown. I actually listened to this title, and the audiobook was very well done. After I finished listening, I got my hands on the actual book so I was able to see the illustrations, which definitely added to the story (but so did the robot voice in the audiobook!)  It has already gotten a lot of press/blog posts, including getting on the NYT Bestseller's List, plus a NYT Editor's Choice book, an interview on Let's Get Busy with Matthew Winner, and much more.
It is about a robot named Roz, who first powers up to discover that she is on an island. She uses her survival instincts and learns from the animals around her, even as they call her a monster. After much observation, she learns their languages and begins to interact with them, and even begins taking care of an orphaned gosling. There are different layers to this book and I think children and adults would like it. It would make a great read aloud, and I even would consider it as a "One Book, One School" book, although in the end Roz's mysterious origin catches up with her and there is some robot violence, which parents might think is too much for their kindergartener. It was a wonderful read and touches on issues of family, friendship, prejudices, overcoming fear, loneliness, sacrifice, and the interaction between humans and the wilderness.

Other books I just finished include Rules for Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu. 11-year old Silly can remember a time with her mother was better, but lately her mother only seems to be getting worse. She sleeps often, drinks frequently, and has unpredictable moods. Silly's family, which includes 3 older sisters and a father who is an absent-minded professor of fairy tales, has moved to New Hampshire to live in their "summer home." The sisters find magical places in the home's closets that help them deal with their dysfunctional family, but is escaping the best way to deal, or should they be fighting for their family? A beautiful and heartbreaking story that is hopeful. I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it for 5th and up.

I also just finished listening to How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks. It is a historical fantasy with a Dickens-like feel. The main character Birdie is a brave and sassy bogler's girl, which means she is an apprentice who sings sweetly to lure the bogles out of the hiding places. Bogles are nasty creatures who live in dark, damp places and prey on children. Not everyone wants the bogles to be vanquished, however, and so Birdie and her master Alfred must pit themselves against a human foe as well.
The story left me wanting to read/hear more! I just downloaded the audio of book two, A Plague of Bogles, and am hoping it is the same narrator.

Book Bracket Battle

I know many librarians do a March Madness book bracket, and I am also doing one, for the second year. Last year, I did it in March, but with our Bluestem State Award voting in March, it was a little confusing. So this year, I decided to do it in April. This actually works out well because unfortunately, I am not seeing a lot of classes in April due to testing (MAP and PARCC, both computer-based tests that I am the technology coordinator for). So, doing the book bracket in the hallway is kind of a passive program that students can participate in and it gets them to talk with their friends about books, even if I'm not talking with them. 

I simply picked fiction middle grade books that have been very popular this year, besides the Bluestem Nominees, and pitted them against each other. Each book of the sixteen pairs do have a similarity to their opponent (such as both graphic novels, fantasy, etc.) Kids can vote for all the pairs or only the ones they have read. They can vote with paper, which is in the hallway right below the display, or electronically. I emailed the electronic form to all the third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Here's what it looks like:

I'll keep you updated with the results and would love to hear how anyone one else runs their brackets!

What I'm Reading: Twenty Yawns, Saving Wonder, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of the picture book Twenty Yawns, written by Jane Smiley and illustrated by Lauren Castillo. First, can I just say I love any thing that Lauren Castillo does? If you haven't read Nana in the City, The Troublemaker, or Yard Sale (by Eve Bunting), what are you waiting for? Twenty Yawns does not disappoint at all. I LOVE the detailed illustrations and the rich, soft colors: a sunset with pastel blues, reds, and oranges; a cozy beach house by a big palm tree. It would make a great bedtime story. 

In chapter books/middle grade fiction I've been reading Saving Wonder by Mary Knight. Curley lives in Kentucky with his Papaw (grandfather), who is raising him to appreciate words. Every week they learn about a new word.  Curley's father died in the coal mines and his mother and younger brother died in a freak accident caused by the runoff from the mines. Twelve-year old Curley resents the local mining company but when it's bought out, his world is upended in several unexpected ways. Without shoving a moral down readers' throat, the book will help readers think about the impacts humans have on the land and the earth's finite resources, which impacts animals and other people. 

Finally, I've also been reading The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., by Kate Messner. I love everything I've read by Kate Messner, although I haven't read everything she's written. This one is from 2009. It is a nominee for our state student choice award for grades 3-5, the Bluestem Award.  Kate Messner manages to pack a lot in

this book around the major plot points of a family dealing with a grandmother who is starting to forget more and more, and an important school leaf project. Family relationships, grief, bullies, friendship, procrastination, and a sometimes awkward boy-girl friendship all provide for a thoughtful and intelligent look at a difficult time for a middle school girl. This book is a possibility for my district Battle of the Books, and I will be recommending it for our Battle to the other librarians. 

What I'm Reading

I read quite a few books over my spring break, which made it a nice "stay-cation."
One of the most enjoyable books I read was The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd, which is about a girl named Emma.
Emma, like all of the women in her family, is a Wildflower. The women in the family are visited with special dreams (Destiny Dreams) that predict/foreshadow the accomplishments that follow. Before Emma's mother died, she told Emma that she thought Emma's dream would come early. So, Emma waits every evening in the hope that she'll have her Destiny Dream and that she'll be able to fulfill its promise when it comes. Meanwhile she helps out at Boneyard Cafe, the family business situated on the edge of a cemetery, and gives tours of the cemetery to tourists. The café has fallen on hard times, and when it looks like Granny Blue, her tough, tattooed, ex-boxer grandmother, might sell the place to a developer, Emma looks for answers within the local folklore about a hidden treasure and a ghost. The voice reminds me of Mo LoBeau in the books by Sheila Turnage. Natalie Lloyd also wrote A Snicker of Magic, which I am ready to re-read.

Another book I read was Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - definitely more of a Young Adult book than one for my students but it was fabulous! It is a historical fiction novel based on one of the biggest maritime disasters in history, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.  This was a disaster that not many people actually know about - I certainly did not.  The story follows four main characters, each from different countries in Europe, as they make their way towards the Wilhelm Gustloff  in order to escape the advancing Soviet army. The characters really made this story and I would highly recommend it. I previously read Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray, which I also enjoyed by I liked this one even better.

Other books I read include some that are possibilities for my district's Battle of the Books next year.
The Genius Files by Dan Gutman is a fast-paced adventure story that I think my 4th and 5th graders would enjoy.
I also read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Technically this is a re-read but I didn't remember much! I believe I last read it in college, over ten years ago. I'm trying to decide if it will appeal to a wide range of students. I'll let you know what we decide. :)

Happy reading!

What I'm Reading: Our Only May Amelia & Hour of the Bees

I've been reading some great books lately! Here are two that I think everyone should read.

I regret that I missed out on reading Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm for so many years. I think I have a prejudice against what looks like historical fiction. I have no idea why because I have enjoyed many (Fever 1793, and The Mighty Miss Malone come to mind). But, for some reason I haven't read many of Jennifer Holm's fiction books, just all her graphic novels. I only began reading (listening) to Our Only May Amelia because it was an audiobook that was available on my school digital library system, Axis 360. I am so glad I did. Wha
t a treat! I laughed, I cried...and cried some more.
The story tells of May Amelia Jackson, a tomboyish Finnish-American girl who lives on an island in the Nasel River in Washington state. She is outnumbered by a bunch of brothers, and in fact is the only child who is a girl on the island.  May is always getting into trouble and doesn't want to be the 'proper young lady' that folks seem to think she should. I loved May Amelia's voice and her brightness. Although the story included hard times (I warned you, I cried), the story is full of the determination and hope of a young girl growing up in a difficult
time in history.

Then, I read Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar. I shared this with the other librarians in my district as a possible Battle of the Books title for next school year.  I'd heard good things about it (including from The Yarn podcast with Colby Sharp and Travis Jonker) and was not at all disappointed! It is realistic with a touch of magic; it reminded me of Tuck Everlasting and a bit of Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan. 12-year old Carol forced to spend the summer with a fading grandfather she's never known while her family prepares for his move to a retirement home. Said grandfather Serge is a mystery from the first moment we meet him - confusing past and present, fantasy and reality. He shares with Carol stories about his past and the miraculous life-giving tree on the ranch, which Carol assumes are just stories. As the stories get stranger, Carol finds her loyalty shifting more towards Serge and the ranch, rather than her father, who wants to sell the farm. Soon, Carol finds that the wall between reality and story is thinner than she thought.

Middle Grade Mania Author Visits

Today I got to meet three authors at my school: Elana Arnold, Beth Fantesky, and Greg Neri. They came to talk to my third and fourth graders about their newest middle grade novels as part of Middle Grade Mania with HMH Kids Publishing Company. They came on tour through Anderson's Bookshop, a local bookstore and bookfair company. If we host bookfairs with Anderson's, they share their authors with schools, which is a win-win situation!

We learned that Elana Arnold's latest book, Far From Fair, was inspired by her own life. When her husband got laid off, they sold their house and car and took their two kids into an RV and went traveling up the East Coast with their pet ferret, just like Odette's family in the novel. Elana shared that she always wanted to be a writer but in her early twenties, she found herself ready to write but with no ideas. Instead she taught, raised her children, lived her life, and said she nearly forgot she was a writer. When her family started traveling in the RV, she started blogging, and people read her blog and connected with her. She commented that "road trips and life are winding weird things" - eventually, 15 years after she thought she would start writing, she got her first book published. She encouraged the students by saying that writers don't always write: they read, daydream, have adventures, get bored, and they write too. Her comments fit in perfectly with some words from Mr. Schu that impacted me last week about connecting hearts through stories. Elana explained that the love of story is human, and being able to tell stories to people is fabulous!

Greg Neri shared that as a writer you never know where or when the next story idea will come along. Getting a story idea is like finding a piece of gold on the ground that no one else seems to notice. You start digging at it and realize it is bigger than you thought and you need to dig around to get it free...but when you do, it is priceless. Writers have their eyes and ears open all the time looking for those nuggets of gold! His book, Tru & Nelle, tells the story of Harper Lee and Truman Capote's childhood friendship. Greg described how he and his brother were interested in solving mysteries when he was a child, and when he learned that Lee and Capote liked to play Sherlock and Watson-style detectives, he felt like he struck gold with a story idea.

Beth Fantesky shared that she has lucky writing socks! She explained that her book Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter came about after she wrote her PhD thesis on 1920s Chicago news, and someone told her that topic would make a great children's book. She described getting so attached to her characters that when it is time to start writing a new book, it is like starting a new school and she always thinks she won't like it as much as her old familiar characters.  She loves creating characters and spending time with them, just like good friends.

The two copies of each of these books we purchased were immediately checked out by my students and hold lists have started. I'm glad they got the chance to see a glimpse into the lives of these three authors!

Mr. Schu @ Scholastic Event in Wheaton

This week I saw John Schumacher speak at an event put on by Scholastic. I'm sure if you have found your way to my blog that you've heard of John Schumacher, aka "Mr Schu," who was a K-5 school librarian and now is the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic, but if you haven't, make sure to check out his blog and his Twitter feed: @MrSchuReads. He's always interviewing authors, previewing new books and book trailers, and generally promoting and doing awesome things.


This event was no exception! He shared a bunch of great books. Many of them I have already read but I'm very excited to read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo when it comes out on April 12.  However, at this event, more imporant that specific titles that I learned about was the excitement for reading and libraries in general, and a feeling of excitement for this amazing job I have, being a school librarian. My task is to get kids excited about reading. He mentioned that the goal of a school library is not to bring back books, but to bring back readers. What an awesome responsibility to be able to advocate for children and their reading, from sharing special stories that speak to the heart, to modeling the joy of books, to making sure each reader finds a book that they connect with. Even little things like pointing out what may be under a book jacket to reveling in the way a new book smells can help children see what amazing treasures books are.

We have a lot on our plates as school librarians. My job includes coaching teachers in technology (as well as a lot of technology troubleshooting and problem-solving), cataloging books, coordinating and proctoring computer-based tests, creating opportunities for making/makerspaces, teaching research skills and digital citizenship, etc. However, I do not want to forget that the reason that I became a school librarian was to share the love of reading with students and to show them that books can be magical. That is my number one goal and I do not want to lose that! Hearing Mr. Schu speak reminded me of that mission.

Whatcha Readin' Wednesday? Pax

I am extremely embarrassed to admit that I got an advanced readers copy of Pax at AASL last November and I didn't read it until just recently. What is WRONG with me? Hearing Sarah Pennypacker speak at the Anderson's Children's Lit breakfast a few weeks ago made me scramble to find it and begin reading. Deep down, I may have been a teeny bit worried that it wouldn't connect with me the way it has connected with others (this may have happened to me with Hachiko Waits).
But I did not need to worry. This is a book that touches the heart and won't let go.

Pax is a fox rescued by his boy, Peter. War causes his father to force Peter to abandon Pax when Peter needs to go live with his grandfather. However, Pax and Peter are "two but not two" and they will not stay separated.  Chapters alternate between Peter's perspective and Pax's. In Pax’s chapters, the animals are not humanized, but remain realistic as the narrative describes the animals and their responses to their surroundings. Sara Pennypacker worked with a red fox expert and she commented that there isn't anything that isn't documented fox behavior and within their capabilities.

Pennypacker commented that she purposely put some of the harsher realities of war in the sections we read from Pax's point of view, to separate them a bit from us as humans.  However, she found that children are just as touched and concerned, if not more, by the implications of war on the foxes. This is a book I think everyone would benefit from reading. Pennypacker did an amazing job creating this book, and Jon Klassen's illustrations are perfect. When I heard her speak, she said that this was really a special book to create, even though all of her books are different from each other.  I'm suggesting it to be on my district list for Battle of the Books for fourth and fifth graders. I hope YOU read it and would love to hear what you think.

Whatcha Readin' Wednesday

I had to take a few sick days due to strep throat this week, but luckily I had plenty of books to read.
I finished listening to See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. I really enjoyed it. This book is a "heart book" that stays with you after you've finished. The plot took an unexpected (to me) turn and it ended up not being (only) about what I was predicting, which is about a family dealing with a high school son coming out, as told from his younger sister's point of view. I enjoyed hearing about Fern's devotion and support for her older brother Holden, and thought this would be a great book to give to any child, but especially those who may have a sibling who is LGBTQ. It isn't often we find books that think about what the sibling is thinking. Then I read further and was quite surprised at what happened next. I definitely connected emotionally to Fern and her siblings. The book also raises questions of blame. How do we handle feeling blamed, including if we blame ourselves? This is a tricky book to talk about without giving too much away, so I will stop here, but I highly recommend this book to grades five and up. The audio was also excellent. (I still have little Charlie's voice in my head saying "See you at Harry's!).

The other books I've been reading are very new releases because I'm having three authors visit my school on a "Middle Grade Mania" with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. These are their new books:


Tru and Nelle by Greg Neri is a fictional account of the real childhood friendship between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. When they first meet, Tru is a tidy, proper little boy, and Nelle is clad in dirty overalls. These two children don’t seem like they have much in common, but they bond over their love of books and their family problems - both have absent parents. They consider themselves like Sherlock and Holmes and can't wait for the day a real mystery will come across their paths. I really enjoyed it but am having a hard time selling this one to my 3rd and 4th grade students, who know very little if anything at all about To Kill a Mockingbird. I hope more become interested after Greg Neri visits.



Far from Fair by Elana Arnold is a bit of a tear-jerker (not quite as much as See You at Harry's). Just like in Arnold's The Age of Miracles, the author does not shy away from sadness and hard topics, in a way that is both honest and for the most part appropriate for middle grade readers. In Far from Fair, 12-year old Odette journeys with her family in their new home, an RV, as they travel to be with her sick grandmother. Odette is not prepared for how sick her grandmother is or for dealing with the concept of the right to die.



 
Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter by Beth Fantaskey is an entertaining and action-packed who-done-it mystery. For a kid who is stuck selling newspapers in 1920s Chicago just to make ends meet, Isabel has big dreams of one day being a reporter. She gets her chance after inadvertently getting caught up in the murder of a small-time gangster. Short chapters and a fast pace make this a quick and fun read!

My students are pretty excited to meet all of these authors very soon!

Safer Internet Searching

We recently had a first grader come across some inappropriate content in a Google search at school.  Online safety for kids is a top concern at school and at home. In school, we have internet filters, but no filters are perfect, especially when it comes to images and videos. Students should be monitored closely when using the internet. The best way to make sure they do not come across inappropriate content is to have them use our selection of online resources, many of which are paid databases. These include online encyclopedias, instructional videos, and many other resources for both our youngest and oldest users. Each school in our district has a site to get to all of our online resources. At the elementary schools a these are linked to our library catalog page. (For example, here is Prospect's page).  This page has a bookmark on student machines - students can get to it from the globe icon right next to the trashcan in the dock.
If teachers have a specific topic they would like their students to study and would like additional information besides the paid resources, rather than setting them loose on the internet, we recommend creating a guided resource for them with links to sites you have chosen. One example of this is a LibGuide. Here is an example of a LibGuide about the Civil War, used at Elm School. You could also add links of pages you would like students to access on your teacher website created on GoogleSites or another site builder. Finally, if you want students to be able to reach more than what you select for them, we recommend using a filtered or guided search. (Still keep in mind that no filtered or safe search is perfect! And, filtered does not necessarily mean it is a quality source of information). District 181 pays for the resource NetTrekker, which contains 360,000 educator-curated resources. Students will need to select their school name to get started. If you are having trouble with NetTrekker in Safari, use the Chrome or Firefox browser. Other "safer search" sites I like include http://www.kidsclick.org/, which only includes sites that have been specifically added by educators, and http://www.kidrex.org/, which searches Google with additional filters. KidsClick is more restricted than KidRex. Britannica Image Quest and this one on Images for Class.

Anderson's Children's Lit. Author Breakfast

This weekend I went to the Anderson's Bookshop Children's Lit. Author Breakfast! The five keynote speakers with author/illustrators: Chris Grabenstein, Barney Saltzberg, Sara Pennypacker, Lauren Tarshis and Loren Long! There were probably 80+ other authors and illustrators there and there was one to connect with at each table. They also switched tables several times so we could connect and interact with other authors.
Chris Grabenstein demonstrated how he can create a story on the spot, which he also did when he visited our school last year. He shared some experiences that led him to where he is today, including doing improv. He shared his philosophy of saying "Yes...and," rather than "but..." which is great advice for teaching and collaborating too!
Sara Pennypacker talked about how she is an advocate for children and her process in writing Pax...which I can't wait to read.
Loren Long was also very inspirational as he talked about his newer book Little Tree. He said "if we don't accept change & hold onto fear, we stunt growth like a tree not letting go of its leaves."

The breakfast also featured book talks of great newer books, so of course I didn't leave without buying quite a few books. See below for a few of them:

First Grade MLK Jr. eBooks

In the MRC, first graders learned a little bit about Martin Luther King, Jr. and then got a chance to make a mini ebook about him using the Book Creator iPad app. In addition to learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., my main goal was for the students to explore the Book Creator app and get some experience using it. They will be using it again later in the school year to create books about a Washington D.C. monument. This was basically a "practice project" for them. If you would like to see some examples, click on the link below to reach a Google Drive folder for each class.

Mrs. Grant's Class

Mrs. Monat's Class

Mrs. Turrentine's Class

Whatcha Readin' Wednesday

I have been reading Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics this week and I love it! It is just as great as the first. My school read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library last year for our One Book, One School, which worked out really well. (For more information, see this post about One Book, One School.) We were lucky enough to have each grade level from 3rd-5th Skype with the author, Chris Grabenstein in the fall and then super lucky to be able to get Chris Grabenstein to visit our school as he was on tour, thanks to Anderson's Bookshop. Love those free author visits!

In the sequel, kids from around the country get to compete against Kyle and his buddies in Alexandriaville, OH to see who truly are the library champions. Kyle isn't so sure his library knowledge is up to snuff compared to these library experts, and his team has its ups and downs. When they realize something suspicious is going on . . . books are missing from Mr. Lemoncello's library, the kids will have to band together to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Make sure to check out the resources on Chris Grabenstein's website, including book trailers! I love the one with Chris Grabenstein training for the olympics. 

Candace Fleming visit + Giveaway

Candy (Candace) Fleming visited our school yesterday and gave our students an amazing presentation! As I mentioned in an earlier post, we read Fleming's Lowji Discovers America for our One Book, One School program. Candy Fleming talked to the students about how she gets her story ideas in a very amusing and engaging way! I highly recommend her as a speaker.

For the K-2nd graders, she interacted with students about the kinds of tools we use for writing - pencils, erasers, computers, etc...but also explained that our eyes and ears are some of the most important tools! She showed some pictures of her travels to Asia and explained how the different animals she saw gave her "story seeds" for her picture book Oh No!

For the 3rd-5th students, she also talked about using her eyes and ears to get story seeds - pointing out students in the room and how she might be able to use them in a story. One of her ideas for a story came from a trip to the beach with her son. As they ate their boring picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, they saw a group of people having a delicious-looking birthday cake for a seven-year-old down the beach. Suddenly some seagulls swooped down and stole a strawberry and a number seven candle from the top of the cake and flew away with them. Fleming explained that that gave her a story seed for the book Clever Jack Takes the Cake. As she began to write the story, she gathered more seeds. When her younger son said if the book had a princess, it should also have a monster, that idea became another story seed. Another seed sprouted when her older son was offended that her story was going to have a strawberry in it because he is allergic to strawberries! Fleming explained that all those seed swirling around helped her form the story Clever Jack Takes the Cake, a tale about a boy who makes a cake for a princess' birthday, but it ends up getting destroyed bit by bit as he travels to the castle - by blackbirds, an ogre, and even the guard explaining that the princess is allergic to strawberries.

For both groups, Candy talked about writing Lowji Discovers America. A story seed for that book came from a new family that moved into Fleming's neighborhood. They family had come from India and their son had never been to America before. Some of the phrases he said and the things he did, such as watching automatic doors in amazement, gave Candy Fleming ideas for her story.  Fleming also talked about how much research she does for her writing, even her fiction. To write Lowji Discovers America, in addition to learning about Indian culture, she traveled to India for a month. She shared how many drafts she wrote before sending the book to her editor (about 5-6) and showed a picture of the total number of drafts she wrote before it was finished (she didn't know the number but it was probably 12-15).

Her speech was very inspiring. I walked into several classes in the afternoon and they were taking story seeds from the world around them and doing some writing! I had one teacher say her students begged her for more time to continue writing!

I'd like to spread the happiness in a small way and offer a giveaway for a signed copy of Lowji Discovers America! Please comment below with your name and either email address or Twitter handle to enter. Retweet my tweet about the contest for another chance to win. I'll draw a random name on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 8pm Central.