Schooled in the library

The past couple of Tuesday's have been the highlight of my week. We have been sharing the novel Schooled by Gordon Korman. Along with reading the novel, with all of it's typical middle school characters, we have also been enjoying some fun activities. Last Tuesday we embraced the calming effects and tried to balance while doing Tai Chi. And then today we let the colours fly while taking on tie-dye. The results of both events made my day. Cap would definately approve.
Well done! Mrs. Hudson's grade sevens.

Here's some highlights from our Tuesdays.

Reading Saves Lives

William Hickman credits the search and rescue team that saved him from the icy waters of the Wallace River, but also used his own quick thinking and knowledge he learned from D.J. MacHale's popular Pendragon series. "Go feet first, stay to the sides and kick off the rocks." proving that reading really can save lives!

Here's the link to the full article from the Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018258047_rescue22m.html 

Middle School Get Me Out of Here

Middle School Get Me Out of Here by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Rafe is back, and if life could get any more difficult it has... Now he is sleeping on the couch at his Grandma's house in the city, his Mom is out of work, he's started the new school year at a fancy "art school" and the pressure is on.  Can Rafe control his out of control life? or will the old Rafe make his presence known in this new installment.

Although this is a similiar style of book as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it just doesn't carry the same funny punch. Where it does win out is the illustrations - Rafe is the kid that is always doodling, he sees his life as a series of frames in a cartoon, his characterization is some of the people in his life (his Uncle Harry -Hairy the Sasquatch, and the Principal as a man-eating spider) are spot on. The fact that his art work are a strong feature of his personality make the styling of the book valid.

Here's the book trailer.

Theodore Boone : the accused

Theodore Boone: the accused by John Grisham

From the jacket cover:
Big trouble is brewing for Theodore Boone. While all of Strattenburg anxiously awaits the new trial of infamous murder suspect Pete Duffy, problems arise for their own kid lawyer. There's been a robbery and Theo is the accused. His reputation is on the line, and with the evidence building against him - and dangerous threats looming - Theo will do whatever it takes to prove his innocence - even if it means breaking a few rules.

Need more ... have a look.

No dribbling the squid

No Dribbling the Squid by Michael J. Rosen with Ben Kassoy

For those of you who enjoy the randomness of Guinness World Book of Records or Ripley's Believe It or Not,  this book may be for you. Consider it the wierd sports edition. This is a collection of unusual sports, games and competitions from around the world. Each featured sport is given a brief history, where it originates and a rough outline of the rules (plus a few photos.)

What I liked about this book is that you can flip to any page and learn about some zany sport. Some I'd love to see in action -- Speedball, Sepak Takraw, and Unicycle Basketball. Others I'd want to stay as far away as possible -- Egg throwing, Spitting contests and Outhouse racing.

The Spirit of Canada

The Spirit of Canada / Barbara Hehner, editor

I find it curious that many Canadians can tell stories, legends, tall tales, recite poems, and sing songs from other countries (especially our neighbours to the south) and yet we don't often celebrate our own creative spirit. The Spirit of Canada brings together some of Canada's best storytellers, song-writers, poets and illustrators to express our history, culture and our unique identity. This is a book that every Canadian household should have, these are stories, poems and songs that we all should know and be able to share.

From the book jacket:
As vast in scope asx Canada itself, this outstanding anthology is a book that children and their families will treasure for years to come. From Bonavista to Vancouver Island, from Native creation myths to the history being made in our own time, The Spirit of Canada celebrates our country and the people, places, and events that have made it unique.
More than one hundred selections are brought together with some 150 original illustrations by fifteen of Canada's most accomplished children's artists. Arranged both chronologically and thematically, the pieces deal with subjects as diverse as First Contact, pioneering in the West, exploration in the North, the Great Depression, and Canada's centennial.
The Spirit of Canada includes old favourites like "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee," new classics like Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and Roch Carrier's "Hockey Sweater," and lesser-known treasures such as Mona Gould's "This Was My Brother" and Duke Redbird's "I Am a Canadian."
Each selection is enhanced by a cultural or historical note. Capsule biographies of the authors and illustrators, as well as a useful index, round off this essential collection.

Cloaked in Red

Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian Vande Velde has taken eight new looks at one of the world's most beloved (and mixed-up) stories. You may never look at fairy tales in quite the same way.
So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species? Think again...

If you like the idea of recreating stories you grew up with (fairy-tales, nursery rhymes, myths and legends.), whether you like putting these characters in a modern setting and seeing how they'd cope, or perhaps just seeing the story from a different characters perspective, then you will definately enjoy these eight retellings of Little Red Riding Hood. I especially liked the author's note as to why she felt she needed to recreate the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

Total fun.

Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus

Summary from publisher:
A New Yorker for all of his thirteen years, Rory Henessy has always been happy to hold his little family together. But then a magician's trick opens his eyes to Mannahatta, a spirit city that coexists along side our own Manhattan. A city inhabited by Indian sachems, warrior cockroaches, and children made entirely of papier-mache. A city built by history and legend, and ruled by the immortal Gods of Manhattan, including, Babe Ruth, Alexander Hamilton, and Peter Stuyvesant. If something or someone in the history of New York was important enough, loved enough, feared enough, imagined enough, remembered enough it is reborn in Mannahatta.
Only Rory has the power to see Mannahatta and reveal it to others. But that gift may soon be his end as he is pursued through mazes of past and present, chasing history and the chance to right Mannahatta's greatest wrong.

For fans of Percy Jackson or readers who enjoy action / adventure in a city they've always wanted to visit - in case New York.

Calvin & Hobbes

I adore Calvin & Hobbes, and like many of you, I can while away the hours caught up in those crazy black & white comic strips. Underneath the plain old funny stuff, there is usually a point being made. I thought I would share this one with you. As June fast approaches and assignments and tests loom large in the classroom, some of you will try to use Calvin's approach (beware! not all of his plans work out.)
PROCASTINATION isn't always the best plan.

Now  quit wasting time and get cracking.

your kids on books

I love this!! - Thanks Mrs. Adamson for sending it my way, I was excited to share it with all my friends, young, old, bookish or not. That's the joy of it, you can travel, explore, adventure and pretend, all you want right there in the pages of a book.

The Boy Project

The Boy Project : notes and obervations of Kara McAllister by Kami Kinard

Summary:
For anyone who's ever felt that boys were a different species....
Wildly creative seventh grader, Kara Mc Allister just had her best idea yet. She's going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend?
But Kara's project turn out more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boys bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprizing uses for duct tape. Still if Kara's research leads her to the right boy, everything just may be worth it....
Full of charts and graphs, heart and humour, this hilarious debut with resonate with readers.

Here's the book trailer.

The False Prince

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Suspense, action, intrigue. If you need a book that has these kinds of elements then this will be a book for you. I totally got into this book last Saturday (when we were having that freak snow storm). It had been a while since I had really gotten into a historical fiction - but this one had the kind of pacing that kept the story rolling right along. And just enough to keep you guess and hoping that your right.
Here's the summary from the book jacket:
The thrilling first book in a brand new trilogy, filled with danger, deceit,and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Connor, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Connor's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Connor's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove to be more dangerous than all the lies taken together.

Here's the book trailer.

Rick Riordan Live

With everything that was going on last week, it slipped by me to write about our live webcast with Rick Riordan. G.S. Lakie fans and fans from around the world joined Rick as he walked us through the amazing Egyptology exhibit at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. As Rick made his way through the exhibit, he explained various artifacts and their significance in Egyptian history and how they played a major role in The Kane Chronicles. The exhibit is set up much like you are exploring an Egyptian tomb yourself, as we traveled along with Rick. Deep inside the exhibit (tomb) Rick used a handheld lamp as he read from The Serpent's Shadow. After hearing that snippet of the story, I'm anxious for more. But I'll let our readers have first crack at it. Rick then answered questions from students all over the world. here's some of the ideas he's working on - wrapping up the Lost Hero's series, developing a story working with Norse mythology, possibly having Percy and Carter meet up? He's one busy author, and I know most of us think that he needs to write even faster!!

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

Despite their best efforts Carter and Sade Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kane's are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.

Brotherband Chronicles

Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan --
Book 1 The Outcasts, Book 2 The Invaders

They are outcasts, Hal, Seig and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of.  Skandians, as any reader of the Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength.
Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. And courage - which they will need every once of to do battle at sea against the other bands - The Wolves and the Sharks in the ultimate race. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field... especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing.

Here's an interview with John Flanagan.

New titles being added

Amazon by Hena Khan and David Borgenicht

Part Worst-Case Scenario, part choose your own adventure this time we're venturing down the Amazon, prepare yourselves, this is gonna get messy.
Join an expedition of students exploring the Amazon Jungle and face real dangers and decisions. Your choices will determine your fate. Will you survive your encounters with Piranhas, tarantulas, mosquitos, monkeys and jaguars? Or will you be forced to return home early? Only you can decide how you'll survive. There are twenty-two possible endings to this adventure, but only one leads to ultimate success.

New titles being added

Darke by Septimus Heap
Book 6 in the Magykal series

In the gripping sixth book, Septimus Heap enters the Darke Domaine and discover how to defeat its hold on the Magykal world.
Alther Mella has been banished, a Darke Domaine engulfs the Castle, and Darke dragon is on the loose. Septimus Heap must use all his skills to save the Castle and the Wizard Tower from destruction. He must enter the Darke. But he cannot do this alone. With the help of Jenna, Alther Mella, Marcellus Pye, and Septimus' estranged brother Simon and Marcia Overstrand battle the spreading darkness. Will Septimus succeed in protecting the Magykal world?

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

What a fun romp through fairytales. Alex Flinn has done it again, cleverly recreating, modernizing and humourously creating characters we think we know. Told several points of view but alway return to our main character witch Kendra - good witch? bad witch? even she's not sure. References to Beastly, the titanic, Marie Antionette, vampires, ashley olsen and full house and so much more.
Here's the book jacket summary:
Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn't.
I go to a new school now - one where no one know that I should have graduated long ago. I'm not still here because I'm stupid; I just don't age.
You see, I'm immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years - except for when to take my powers and butt out.
I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. and that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don't even want to think about it.
Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn't get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl - and it isn't an enchanted pumpkin. although you never know what will happen when I start...

Here's the book trailer:

After The Hunger Games

Hi, Some of you have already seen this, but for the rest of you... here's an ideas list for what to read next.

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View more PowerPoint from cfischbuch

Book People Unite

Hi,

This morning I'm off to meet other librarians and bookish people at The National Reading Summit (Gilbert Paterson is hosting via telecoference.) This conference is important because it's about developing strategies to keep readers reading and come up with new strategies to help non-readers discover reading. Not just in our schools, or in our community but across the whole country. Are there community functions that we should be a part of? Are there province wide initiatives that we could be involved with? And as a country do we inspire lifelong readers?

Lots to ponder.
Here's something I stumbled across this morning that I think relates.