Northside Elementary Library

Dear students,

If you could invite any book character over to your house for lunch, who would you invite and why?  One character that I think I might invite is Dustfinger from the “Inkworld” series (Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath) by Cornelia Funke.  He’s a fire-dancer who can control fire and do tricks with it.  I’d love to see him perform, wouldn’t you?  Click on “comments” and tell me who you would choose!

The Mother-Daughter Book Club went to the movies on Saturday!  It was really too pretty a day to be inside, but 4 girls and 3 moms (and a brother) went to see “Coraline” with me.  We all pretty much agreed that while we liked some things about the movie, we wished that they hadn’t changed parts of the plot and added the character of Wybie.  I later read on Wikipedia that Wybie was introduced for the film adaptation so that the viewer “wouldn’t have a girl walking around, occasionally talking to herself.”  I thought the addition of his character just added unnecessary complications to the plot.  I also didn’t like the ending, with Wybie “saving” Coraline.  A main theme of the book is that Coraline was able to handle things on her own, despite being afraid.  We also felt that the parents in the book were fairly typical British parents who were distracted by their work, whereas the parents (especially the mother) in the movie were downright mean.  Ah well.  Once again, we find that for the most part, the book is better than the movie!Â

Our first meeting was on a very cold January night, but 7 girls and their mothers braved the weather to attend. We read The Agony of Alice as our first book, and met again on Feb. 5 with a chili supper in the library to discuss it.  This time 8 girls and their mothers attended.  We had a great time!

     Our next book will be The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John.  This book is about a girl named Martine who, after the loss of her parents, must move to a wildlife park in South Africa.  The story focuses on a mysterious and magical white giraffe.  If you did not attend the last meeting but would like to join our club and read this book, just let me know.

    We plan to meet about every 3 weeks to read a new book, so our next meeting will be on Feb. 26th.  Happy reading!  

      I just finished The Magic Thief  by Sarah Prineas, and although not as good as Harry Potter, it’s certainly better than the Charlie Bone series (in my opinion).  There’s only the one book so far, but it’s going to be a trilogy according to the author. �
     Here’s a summary: In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery’s pocket and touched the wizard’s locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery finds that interesting, and he takes Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own. But Conn has little time to search for his stone between wizard lessons and helping Nevery discover who—or what—is stealing the city of Wellmet’s magic. �
     I really liked this book and can’t wait for the next one to come out!  A sequel is due out in June.

So…I want to start a Mother-Daughter Book Club.  We’d meet maybe once a month.  Each month we’d read a different book on our own time, then meet and discuss it and have some snacks and stuff.   Are you interested?�

        

If you want to read something fast that’s only about 1or 2 AR points, try one of these.  They’re all written on about a 3rd grade reading level, and just right for kids who are ready for easy chapter books.

1)  Zack Files:  this series is by Dan Greenburg.  I read the first one called Great-Grandpa’s in the Litter Box.  Zack is a boy who has always been interested in weird stuff, but even he is surprised when he goes to adopt a cute kitten and instead meets a talking cat who says he’s his great-grandpa Julius.

2)  My Weird School:  Something weird is going on here, too.  The first book in this series is called Miss Daisy is Crazy!  A.J. hates school, but is surprised to hear that his 2nd grade teacher can’t read or write or even do math.  She must be the dumbest teacher in the world!  It will be hard work teaching her everything she doesn’t know!

3) Time Spies: I read Bones in the Badlands, which is actually #2 in the series.  These are kind of like Magic Treehouse books, except instead of a treehouse, the kids find a magic spyglass that takes them on missions.  In this one, they go back to 1898 to help some fossil hunters who have found dinosaur skeletons.

4) Beany:  So far there are 5 books about Beany.  Her real name is Bernice, but her friends call her Beany.  She does NOT like to be called Beanhead, which is what her older brother calls her.  If you like the Ramona books, you’ll like Beany.

If these books sound interesting to you, look for them on the Easy Chapter Book shelf in our 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.

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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!