Northside Elementary Library

What a wonderful summer!  Besides going to Spain and working in my garden, I’ve also been reading. Here are some of the books I’ve read so far this summer:

1)  Peak by Roland Smith: a fascinating book about a 14 year old boy who attempts to be the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest.  Great characters and lots of adventure!

2) Sahara Special by Esme Codell: Sahara is repeating the 5th grade, but gets a fresh start with her new teacher, Miss Pointy, who believes in Sahara when she says she is a writer.  This one might make you think twice about “special needs” kids in your class.

3) Dragon’s Egg by Sarah Thomson: Mella and Roger must take a dragon’s egg to the hatching ground, while outwitting a kidnapper.  If you like dragon stories, you’ll like this fantasy.

4) Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers:  this is a fantasy of a different sort.  Set in the early 1900’s, Theodosia’s parents run a London museum of antiquities, but only Theo can sense the dark curses that come with some of the objects her archaeologist mother brings back from Egypt.  Fortunately, Theo has learned to remove most of the curses but now must find a way to return an amulet to an Egyptian tomb in Cairo before the forces of chaos destroy England.  Indiana Jones lovers will like this one.  Fortunately, there’s going to be a sequel soon!

5) Colibri by Ann Cameron: unlike any other book I’ve read recently, this book is told by a young Guatamalan girl (Tzunun) who was stolen from her parents when she was four years old by a con artist she calls “Uncle.”  Together they wander the countryside, while Uncle waits for the great treasure that fortune-tellers have told him Tzunun will find for him.  Tzunun’s life changes when she refuses to help Uncle steal a statue from a church.  This is a look at a very different culture than the one we’re used to in America.

Hey, no one is commenting on anything.  I need feedback!!  Talk to me, kids!  Tell me what books you like, tell me what books you hate–just tell me something! What are you doing for Spring Break? I’m studying for a stinkin’ test to try and get my National Board Certification.  It’s a big deal.  If I pass, I get more money and can say that I’m Queen of the Library.

Today I went to a conference and met illustrator Denise Fleming.  We have some of her books in our library, and I bought two more that she autographed.  She is hilarious, and I got some great ideas for the kindergarten and 1st graders.  I also got a book autographed by George Ella Lyon, who is a Kentucky author who lives in Lexington! Have you read any of her books? 

Me and
Denise Fleming 

 Me and George Ella Lyon

I hope everyone enjoyed our Book Fair Blizzard!  Hopefully you’re all chilling out with a good book.  Now it’s time to turn our thoughts to…snow days!  Everyone pray for snow!

We got a new shipment of books on October 10th.  Click here for the complete list of titles.  Here are a few that I recommend:
*Raven’s Gate and Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz (author of the Alex Rider series)–these are the first two books in the Gatekeepers series.  After a terrible crime is committed, Matt is arrested.  He can either go to jail or be sent to live in a country village where strange and dangerous things keep happening. Raven’s Gate, a portal to the world of evil, is about to be opened.
*Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins.  This is Book 4 in the Underland Chronicles series.  I love this series about an underworld with talking cockroaches and giant rats.  It’s so creative!
*The Wright 3 by Blue Balliet (sequel to Chasing Vermeer).  Sixth graders Calder and Petra team up with Calder’s former best friend, Tommy, to solve another mystery.  In the last book the mystery revolved around a piece of art.  This time it’s a house designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
*Five Trixie Belden books–OK, I admit this is an OLD series that I read as a girl, but I loved these mysteries even more than Nancy Drew.  The first book is Secret of the Mansion.  Trixie, a tomboy who lives in the country, meets new neighbor Honey, a shy rich girl.  The two girls find a runaway living in the old mansion.  Can they help him?  In The Red Trailer Mystery the girls go searching for their runaway friend, but get distracted by trailer thieves and a mysterious family.  You’ve gotta try these, girls!

Love, Mrs. Horowitz

Check out this website for a new movie that just came out this weekend:  http://www.seekthesigns.com/  If you see the movie and like it, you may want to read the original series of books that it is based on.  Sadly, they changed the main character from an 11 year old English boy to a 13 year old American boy who goes to live in England.  ???  Why do they do things like that?  Apparently they changed a lot of things in the movie.  I’m so glad the Harry Potter movies stuck to the plot of the books!

There are five books in “The Dark is Rising” series, all written back in the 1960’s and 70’s by Susan Cooper.  I loved the series, but I would only recommend them to very good readers.  The first one is called Over Sea, Under Stone, and is about 3 children (Simon, Jane and Barney Drew) who discover an ancient map while vacationing in Cornwall.  This book is not as complex as the rest of the series.  The Dark is Rising (which the movie is about) is actually the second one in the series.  The Drew children from the first book are not in this one.  Instead, we meet Will Stanton, who is an ordinary boy until his eleventh birthday when he finds out that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortal beings who possess great power.  He searches for the six magical signs that will be needed in the battle between the Light and the Dark.  The third book is Greenwitch, which brings together the Drew children and Will Stanton.  The Grey King is about Will again.  The final book, Silver on the Tree, brings all the characters from the other books together, and the battle between the Light and the Dark is resolved.  I hope some of you (Kendall, Luke…) will try this series.

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend.  There’s not much I can say, except good-bye Harry.  We’ll miss you.

My trip to Brazil was incredible!  The highlight was when I went hang gliding in Rio.  The photo says it all! Click it for a larger view.

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If you’re like me, you’ve spent every possible moment outside this summer.  At night, though, I like to read before I go to bed.  Books I’ve read this summer:
1.  The Princess Academy–Miri and the other girls on Mount Eskel are sent to a school to learn how to be the next princess.  Will Miri be chosen, and does she even want to be?
2.  Snow Spider–On Gwyn’s 9th birthday, his grandmother tells him he may be a magician, like his Welsh ancestors. She gives him five gifts to help him–a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse.  This is the first book in a trilogy by the author who also wrote the Charlie Bone series.
3.  Cobra King of Kathmandu–the third book in the Children of the Lamp series.  The twins help a fellow djinn (genie) find out who is murdering people with the snakebite of the king cobra.
4.  Molly Moon’s Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure–another installment in the Molly Moon series.  Molly is kidnapped and taken back in time to India in the 1870’s.  These books are always creative and entertaining.  Lots of adventure!
5.  Chasing Vermeer–2 kids get involved in an international art scandal.  This one makes you think, and there are even letters in code that you have to decipher.  I love mysteries!
6.  Rules–about a girl whose brother is autistic.  Very realistic and moving, but funny too.  The brother reminds me of someone we all know.
7.  The Mysterious Benedict Society–4 gifted children are sent on a mission to save the world from an evil genius.  LONG, but good.

Books I have NOT read this summer:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!!!!!  My daughter is reading it and will pass it on to me when she’s done.  I’ve ordered 5 copies for the library, but they’re not in yet.  I almost hate to read it, because when it’s done, it’s OVER.  No more Harry Potter books. At least we still have a couple of movies left.  I saw the 5th one last week.  It’s good.  I also saw the Nancy Drew movie, and I liked it, but girls–it’s really nothing like the books.

Well, I’m leaving for Brazil in 3 days.  I won’t be back until Aug. 6th.  I’ll see you soon!

Love, Mrs. Horowitz

I hope you’re enjoying your summer!  We just got a new shipment of books for you to read when you come back to school in August.  Some of them are, again, sequels to other books we already have.  Younger readers will enjoy Junie B., First grader: Dumb Bunny and Dragon of the Red Dawn (the newest Magic Treehouse book).
     For fantasy readers, if you’ve already read Snow Spider and Emlyn’s Moon, you’ll want to read Chestnut Soldier (the 3rd book in the Magician Trilogy).
     A good historical fiction book is Crispin: At the Edge of the World.  This is a sequel to the Newbery Award winner Crispin: Cross of Lead, in which an English peasant boy in 14th century England is accused of a crime he didn’t commit.  In the second book, Crispin’s friend Bear, who is like a father to him, is badly wounded.  The adventure continues in this second book of what is planned to be a trilogy.
     Star Wars fans, we got 3 more Star Wars books in:  Tangled Web, Trail of the Jedi, and Way of the Apprentice.
     For fans of the Warriors series (about four clans of wild cats), we now have all 6 books from both the original series and the New Prophecy series.  The newest ones are Sunset and Twilight.
     For a list of all the new books we received, click here.