Great Books to Read Over the Summer (3-5)

Esperanza Rising is based on the real life experiences of the author's great grandmother. It takes place during the Great Depression and tells the story of a girl and her mother working in the California labor camps. This book is truly an enjoyable read that is hard to put down!

Midnight for Charlie Bone. Charlie lives a frustrating life with his widowed mother and two grandmothers. It isn't until he discovers that he can hear people in photographs talking that his life undergoes a dramatic change. I started reading this book earlier this year but never got around to finishing it. I plan on reading the series over the summer.













The Mysterious Benedict Society. If you haven't read this series yet, you should! Quirky and funny the books are really great at making the unbelievable happen. This series is fairly easy to read and lots of fun! It follows 4 gifted and talented children chosen for their intelligence and resourcefulness, as they go on a mission to uncover a secret and save the world.











I really believe summertime is perfect for light, fun lighthearted reading. Postcards from Camp is just that. Micheal's first time at sleep away camp isn't going well. Through his postcards and letters we follow his journey from scared to enthusiastic, even if his counselor is an alien.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is another great summer read. The story follows Karana, a brave 12 year old Native American who refuses to abandon her brother when her tribe is evacuated from their island. After his tragic death Karana waits to be rescued and reunited with her tribe. I loved this story when I read it in 4th grade!

The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade is the story of Anthony Madison aka Tony Baloney and his obsession with David Letterman. Determined to make it on the late show, Tony comes up with many lists of his top ten. Tony doesn't just stop at making lists, he is determined to get everyone from family, friends and you the reader on his journey to make his dreams come true. A very funny read!






 

Hunger Games/Harry Potter Mash Up

I just adore both the Hunger Games and the Harry Potter series. These are books I could read over and over. Yesterday, the Huffington Post Books did something unique by thinking about which houses the Hunger Games crew would be sorted into if they lived in Harry Potter world. Kinda cool and fun to think about.

Hunger Games/Harry Potter Mash Up

Do you agree or disagree with their sorting?

 

Pa's Fiddle Project

I am often asked what my favorite book in the library is. Normally I don't like to pick a favorite of anything. Really, there are too many good books out there to choose just one. But there is a series of books that I hold dear to my heart.

I first read Little House on the Prairie in 2nd grade with my class. Now, I don't remember much of 2nd grade except I didn't really enjoy my teacher and reading the Little House book for the first time. I can't remember when I finished the entire series because I feel like I have read them my entire life. As soon as I finished the last book I started over again and again. Laura was me and I was Laura. When I played dress up, I created costumes from the book. I dreamed of eating Vanity Cakes and falling asleep to Pa's fiddle. As I grew older I didn't lose interest in the books. I read them in Jr. High, High School and College. Yes, last year I reread the series again.

Occasionally I find myself reading blogs about Laura and the Little House books. I have planned a dream trip to visit all the Little House sites. As an American Studies major, I spent much time reading and learning about the pioneers. I would say Laura Ingalls Wilder is probably the reason I became and American Studies major.

Would you say the Little House books are my favorites? Perhaps they are. When a 2nd or 3rd grader asks for a book recommendation they are always on the top of my list. Sometimes the children take my advice, sometimes they have already read the book and we discuss our favorite parts. I have even tried to get the boys to read the books.

Middle Tennessee State University's director of The Center for Popular Music, Dr. Dale Cockrell is the founder, owner and president of Pa's Fiddle Recordings LLC. This record label is dedicated to preserving and recording the songs written about in the Little House Series. How cool is that. Many of these American folk songs have become lost to pop culture. We might know of a few here or there but often times while reading the Little House books one can only imagine what pa and his fiddle sound like. Most likely you don't know the song at all. Pa's Fiddle Recordings LLC changes all that. Now you can purchase recordings of songs described in the Little House series. Dr. Cockrell along with MTSU students and renowned Country Music musicians all worked together to film a concert celebrating the Little House songs. Pa's Fiddle: America's Music will air on PBS during their June pledge drives.

I think many of you fellow Little House fans might be just as excited as I am to know that Pa's pioneer spirit and Laura's memories are not only now available in book form but also available for your listening pleasure. Once I get my hands on Pa's Fiddle CD's I think I will read the books again and listen to the songs as they appear in the book. I am one step closer to my childhood dream of being Laura Ingalls Wilder.

As for the PBS special I am very excited to watch it this June. For now, here is a YouTube clip promoting the concert. 



Pa's Fiddle Project

Pa's Fiddle PBS Special

Girl on Fire

Alright, we are all a tiny bit Hunger Games obsessed around here. Last year many students suggested the books to me. Honestly I kept putting off reading the series because the premise scared me. As soon as I was told that it was about a group of children thrown together and told that only one could survive I was put off. It certainly didn't sound like a pleasant read. Mr. W. started to read the series and convinced me to give it a shot. I was so taken away with the story that I finished the series before he did.  The series does take you to some dark places but the message draws you in and makes you think. I love books that make you think. I also believe a strong message is important, even if it isn't all happy.

If you haven't read it, you should! We now have The Hunger Games available for check out in the library.

This morning I came across this InStyle magazine's own tribute to the Hunger Games. They asked famous designers to sketch their take on the famous Girl on Fire scene from the first book. I believe this is probably one of the more anticipated scene for those of us who are anxious to watch the book come to life in movie form. The fire dress worn by Katniss is supposed to be
 beyond belief. In one word, transformative. I know my favorite design, what is yours?

While this dress isn't true to the book description,
 I feel it  has the extraordinary impact
that the dress is mean t to convey. 

The Little Prince

This past weekend the Drama Club had their fall production of The Little Prince. This is a book for all ages. Perhaps the youngest of us may not understand the philosophical reasoning behind the story or maybe, just maybe they are the ones that will understand it the most. After all the main theme of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's story is narrow mindedness and it is characterized by the adults. That doesn't mean the Little Prince is immune. He mistakes mountain echo's for the voices of men and declares them to have no imagination, repeating whatever you say.

Sadly, our library does not have this book in it's collection, something I plan to remedy immediately. This is not a book to be looked over. It asks you to think. I have heard many wonderful things about Drama Clubs performance but the comments I like the most are the ones where people question the meaning behind the story. Adults and children alike want to know what is means and are talking about it. How exciting!

If you would like to see some pictures from Saturday nights performance they are posted on the drama club blog.

Drama Club: Are you ready for a photo bomb?!: Thank you Mr. Bury for these wonderful pictures. Here are some highlights from Saturday night. Becoming Fox Becoming Snake This...

Thank You!

Well another book fair has come and gone. It is probably one of my favorite events. I just adore seeing children and parents getting excited over books. As part of the St. Philip's book fair tradition parents are given the opportunity to purchase books for the classrooms and library. I thought I would give a shout out to the people who donated to the library. So here goes....

Donated by Alisa Balian

Donated by Alexander Balian

Donated by The Norton Family

Donated by Roxanne Key

Thank you for the wonderful books!

Warrior Cats

Since last year I have been asked by various students and parents if the library had the Warrior Cats series. The first time I was asked I had never heard of it. The second time I did a little investigating and the third and fourth time I seriously thought about acquiring this series in the library. We finally have the first series of books known as the Warriors Series. These are the original books starting with the first installment titled Into the Wild and ending with The Darkest Hour. While the author of the books is listed as Erin Hunter there are actually four authors. Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Victoria Holmes and Tui Sutherland all work together to write these books. They use the name Erin Hunter as their pseudonym. A pseudonym is a fake name usually used by authors and artists.

This series tells the tale of Rusty an ordinary house cat (kittypet) who seeks adventure in the wild. He soon discovers there are many wild cats that are made up into four clans. Each clan follows a strict warrior code of honesty and loyalty to the clan. The series follows Rusty as he transforms from a cautious kittypet into a wise, just, loyal and fearless warrior known as Fireheart. While this series is thrilling and full of adventure each book become a little darker as the series goes on. As you can imagine, books about warriors, even cat warriors, can become quite serious and dark at times. Yet, I think children will find them exciting to read. They certainly will love following Rusty through his journey toward becoming a Warrior Cat.



 

A Northern Light

I wanted to read a few books over Christmas break. There are so many library books that I haven't read. Unfortunately I only managed to read one book. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly is one of our newer additions to the Junior High Fiction section of the library. I am always drawn to historical fiction and this one looked especially promising because the fictional characters are intertwined with a real life turn of the century mystery.

Mattie Gokey is 16 when her mother dies and leaves her with the heavy burden of caring for her younger brothers and sisters and a father who perhaps relies on her a little too much. She struggles between embracing her dreams and putting them aside out of obligation to her family. Secretly she applies to Barnhard College and is accepted. At the same time she accepts the proposal of her handsome neighbor Royal Loomis even though it doesn't seem as if he truly loves her. While working at a hotel during the summer Mattie comes in contact with Grace Brown and her mysterious letters. The summer changes Mattie as she comes to realize she cannot live for others but must live for herself.

This is a great read for grades 7th and 8th. It is historical but the events  and growth Maddie experiences ring true for today's audience.

Book Fair Earnings

Yesterday was a lucky day for the library. We received half of our shipment of books from Mrs. Nelson's Bookstore. Thanks to the amazing book fair turn out we had enough credit to add around 150 new books. Let me tell you, this falcon was giddy with excitement and absolutely gorged herself on book shopping! So you may be asking yourself, "well what did we get?" Among the cool new books on sports, dancing, animals, biographies, picture books and chapter books, we added the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society series. Today I want to talk about Trenton Lee Stewart's brilliant books of mystery. 

When I first picked up The Mysterious Benedict Society I was only mildly interested in the book. But, so many SP students had recommended it I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. I should listen to the advice of the students more often!!!! I could not put the book down! The characters Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance are some of the most lovable characters I have ever encountered. Each child is an outcast yet, they entertain and delight everyone who truly gets to know them.  After the book was finished and the mystery solved I wanted to read more and so did the SP students.

Well kiddos thanks to book fair earnings we now have The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey AND The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma as part of our collection. Three cheers for Mr. Benedict and his children. Two more adventures are in store for you and I!