Book of the Week: Penny From Heaven

This review brought to you by Caroline C. 

Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Do you like baseball, pecan ice cream, and summer days? Penny From Heaven is a story about an 11 year old girl named Penny. She is living in the 1950s struggling to be normal. Her grandpa talks to the radio, her mother is dating the milk man, she has a crazy hair cut, and her grandma makes smelly food. Something tragic happens that changes her life. Will she be able to hear her grandpa talk to the radio again? Or taste her grandma's smelly food again? Read this book to find out. 

Coding in the Library

It's computer science week, and we've had a lot of fun doing an Hour of Code on code.org! Then a student sent me a fun elf dancer coding game, and we had tons of fun with that as well! https://santatracker.google.com/codeboogie.html

Book of the Week: Number the Stars

This post brought to you by student blogger Ella C. 


Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
 
Do you like historical fiction? If so, you'll love the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This book takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark when the Holocaust was happening. Annemarie and Ellen are best friends, and Ellen is Jewish. The Nazis could easily find her. Something horrible could happen. Ellen has to stay with Annemarie and be her fake sister. Will Ellen and Annemarie make it through this terrifying journey? Find out by reading Number the Stars. 

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Library Tic-Tac-Toe

Fourth and fifth graders had a ton of fun playing tic tac toe in the library! Here's how it worked. 

Students in pairs were given 9 book titles and authors on a sheet of paper. I had typed out the book titles/authors in advance, and tried to pick a mix of fiction and nonfiction, books that were in and books that were checked out. Students then wrote these titles/authors on their game board in whatever order they liked. In later classes, I realized we could save time (and prevent writer's cramp!) by cutting out the titles and pasting them onto the squares. 

Then students used our search computers or iPads to look up the books. If the book was in, they marked that square with an X on the game board, but needed to find the book on the shelf to prove it was in. If the book was out, they marked it with an O on the game board. Teams tried to get three X's or three O's in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to win a tic-tac-toe!

I found this activity through my librarian friend Anna, who found it from her friend Shawna. I think in their version, only three X's in the row (and not three O's) counted as a tic-tac-toe. I did end up with quite a lot of winners allowing both X's or O's to win, but it was fun for students to feel successful!

We had a lot of fun, but most importantly, students polished their skills in looking up books in the catalog and searching for them on the shelves!

Book of the Week: Left to Tell

This post brought to you by student blogger Meghan. 

Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

Do you like biographies? Read Left to Tell. Left to Tell is about a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust. She writes about her journey and what she had seen. Like living in a really tiny bathroom with eight other women while hunters were coming and looking for them. In the bathroom she couldn't talk so she spent most of her time praying to God.  I couldn't put this book down while I was reading it.  Read this book to find out what happens and how her relationship with God helps her out. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. 

Book of the Week: The People of Sparks

This review brought to you by student blogger James. 

People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

If you like adventure books, then you'll love The People Of Sparks. It is about two curious kids ( Doon and Lina ) who go on a secret mission to save Ember and all of its citizens. This isn't without loss. Death, struggle, and lack of motivation are only a few of things they had to overcome. When they finally make it out of the underground city of Ember it took them days to make it to Sparks. When they first arrived they were partly greeted and partly hated. As the stay grew longer so did the peoples' hate. Lina and her adoptive mother as well as her little sister Poppy were lucky enough to get a house to stay in with one of the doctors of the town. This was because after the long journey to Sparks, Poppy had caught an illness. The doctor had nephews that lived with her. Toren was one of the nephews and Casper was the other. Casper was a Roamer. Being a Roamer is a dangerous job, it means that you venture out into the regions of this post apocalyptic world. When Lina heard that Casper was going on an adventure to the city she'd dreamed of seeing, she had to go, so she did. Casper's goal was to find an old treasure buried in the rumble. The day of the departure, Lina snuck into a barrel on the back of the wagon... Do they make it out alive? Does Casper find the gem? Read The People Of Sparks to find out. 

Book of the Week: The Thing About Jellyfish

This post brought to you by student blogger Aidan. 

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Do you like a book with sad and funny moments and twists around every single turn? If so, than you will loveThe Thing About Jellyfish.  The book is about a girl who loses her best friend at a young age. Franny has drowned, but Suzy is puzzled by this because Franny is normally a very good swimmer. Suzy investigates and finds something very strange. The book is sad and funny and happy and every single type of emotion there is. Read The Thing About Jellyfish.

Book of the Week: Counting by 7s

This post brought to you by student blogger Ally. 

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Counting by 7s is a great book full of twists and turns. Willow is a 12 year old girl who is incredibly smart and socially challenged. Willow is adopted and her parents shelter her and understand her. She doesn't fit in at school, although she creates a special bond with her counselor Dell Duke, and siblings Mai and Queng Ha. Willow always relies on counting by sevens, but one day, her whole world is turned around. She comes home from school one day to learn that her parents got in a car accident and died. Mai convinces her mom Patty to take Willow in temporarily, and eventually permanently. What will happen to Willow now that her parents cannot shelter her? Will she keep counting by 7s and swimming against the current, or will her life change for the better? 

New Signs in the Library

Last spring, 5th graders created new signage for our library! First they were assigned a certain Dewey section of nonfiction. Their task was to find out what types of books are in that section by looking on the shelves. After taking notes on that, they used Wordle to create word clouds for the section. I showed them that in Wordle, words will show up bigger if typed multiple times. So for the headings and important words, they typed them many times, and for less important words, they typed them in less. I think they turned out great. Here are some samples. 

Book of the Week: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

This post brought to you by student blogger Luci. 
 
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
 
What is the meaning of life? One mysterious day, Jeremy receives a wooden box made for him. Jeremy, along with his best friend Lizzy, desperately want to open the box to find what's inside but unfortunately, the box is sealed and locked. The box needs four different story keys to be unlocked. Lizzy and Jeremy go on wild adventures in order to find the keys. But are the keys ever found? And will they ever find out what's inside the box and who sent it? Find out when you read Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life!

Book of the Week: I am Malala

This post brought to you by student blogger Harry. 

I am Malala by Malala Yousazfai 

When Malala was a young girl in Pakistan, she loved going to school in the Swat Valley. It was a school that her father had built. But things quickly changed. The Taliban had been closing down schools for girls because they very much disliked education for girls and women. Malala was trying to stand up for education. When the Taliban found out Malala was doing this, they stopped her school bus and shot her in the head. Luckily she survived and still continues to fight for all girls to have an education. Read the book to find out what happened to Malala during her courageous journey. 

Book of the Week: Chomp

This post brought to you by student blogger Catherine. 

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

Are you ready for a fun adventure? Wahoo Cray and his father Mike Cray are working for a reality tv star Derek Badger. The Crays and the tv crew go to the Everglades to shoot scenes for the show. As they are shooting the show Expedition Survival, Derek mysteriously disappears, an angry gunman holds someone hostage, and a bat attacks someone. Can Derek survive being stranded in the Everglades?

Find out what happens to the characters by reading Chomp by Carl Hiaasen. 

Book of the Week: Rain Reign

This post brought to you by student blogger Mary. 

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym and she purposefully gave her dog Rain, two homonyms (Reign, Rein). Not everyone understand's Rose's obsessions, her rules, and the things that make her different -- not her teachers, not other kids, and not even her single father. 

When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, roads get flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find Rain, even if it means leaving her routines. Hope you read this book!

Book of the Week: The Crossover

This post brought to you by student blogger Jake. 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Do you love sports? Do you love excitement? Then you should read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. It is about a boy named Josh Bell who loved basketball and his brother Jordan more than anything. With his dad's heart problems, and his brother's new girlfriend, he has a lot to worry about. This book is written in verse and is easy to read. A book in verse means it's written like poetry. While playing a one on one game, his dad falls over and goes into a coma. Will his dad wake up? If he doesn't, what will happen? Find out in The Crossover. 

Library Happenings

We've been busy in the upper and lower campus libraries! 

• Kindergartners have been settling into the checkout routine and learning how to find books they are interested in. 
• First and second graders have been learning about library rules and book care. They have been very responsible with their library books! 
• Third graders have done some scavenger hunts to learn their way around the upper campus library. They are also beginning to learn how to do searches on our online book catalog. 
• Fourth graders listened to the story Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything! by Toni Buzzeo and did a Reader's Theater play of the story. 
• Fifth graders have been writing scripts for green screen book reviews and will film them next week!
• Middle schoolers have been researching Mother Teresa, now called Saint Teresa of Calcutta. They've been finding credible research sources and writing their notes in our own words. They'll use their facts to make an art project. 

Book of the Week: Saving Gracie

This post brought to you by student blogger Mackenzie. 

Saving Gracie by Carol Bradley

Do you like sad or nonfiction books? If you do, then Saving Gracie is the book for you!  This book describes the horrors of puppy mills. Why spend so much money on breeders, when you can adopt? Gracie, a puppy mill dog, is known to the breeder as Dog 132. All she is to him is a number. She fortunately gets rescued by a shelter, and goes to another. While at the shelter, this six year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is shy and scared of humans. One day that changes. She meets Linda Jackson, a potential adopter. Fortunately Gracie goes home with her and her family is amazed by her. Will she ever warm up? Read this book to find more information on animal shelter experiences, family stories, health problems, and jury cases. Go ahead and read this book!

2016-2017 School Year

Welcome to a brand-new school year! I am happy to be back at the Carondelet Library, Upper and Lower Campus. We have lots of new books to enjoy and new, exciting things to learn! 

Here are just a few of the great things we will do this year: 

Kindergarten: learn to use the library and how to checkout books! Read books by Mo Willems, Dr. Seuss, and other favorite authors. 

First Grade: Read books by favorite authors such as Eric Carle, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Seuss, and more! Learn research skills as we study presidents and ocean animals. 

Second Grade: Research leaders in America for our Hero Projects. Read chapter books!

Third Grade: Learn how to use our online library catalog, Destiny, and its interactive feature, Destiny Quest. Read Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees (Minnesota's Kids' Choice Book Award). Learn more about the way a library is arranged, and the basics of alphabetical and numerical order. 

Fourth Grade: Research a state for our state projects. Read the Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees. Do reader's theater, including scary reader's theater for Halloween!

Fifth Grade: Write our own book recommendations and record them in front of the green screen. Learn library words and check for mastery. Read the Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees and make videos about them. Read a Newbery award winner!

Middle School: Do a variety of technology and book projects including: introductions using the Tellagami app, green screen videos, research for National History Day, research for social studies projects, book trailers in iMovie, book promotional posters, book blogging, and more!

Book of the Week: Winning Balance

This post brought to you by student blogger Maggie. 

Do you love gymnastics? Then Winning Balance by Shawn Johnson is the book for you! This book takes you through the childhood of a 2008 Olympic gymnast who won a gold medal. America's sweetheart, who won four medals in Beijing and the coveted mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars! Read the story about a Midwestern girl at heart, her journey, and the hard work it took to win three silver Olympic medals, one Olympic gold medal, and become the 2007 world champion.

This book has life lessons at the end of each chapter and it is a great book for girls ages 9-17! Enjoy! 

Chatterpix

Fifth graders used an app called Chatterpix Kids to create a mouth on a drawing to make the drawing "talk." This was a two-part lesson. On the first day, students concentrated on choosing a character and drawing the picture. On the second day, students created a script and did the recording. We spent an additional class period watching each other's Chatterpix videos. It was a lot of fun!

Here are some samples. 

Book of the Week: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

This post brought to you by student blogger John Henry. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Do you like the realistic fiction? Well if you do, you should read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part­-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part­-Time Indian is a book about an Indian kid named Junior. Junior is very smart and intelligent, but he gets in trouble and is suspended. His teacher comes over to his house and tells him that everyone makes mistakes and he is very intelligent, so he tells him that he needs to push himself and go to Reardan High School. Reardan is a better school with advanced classes. But he would lose his best friend Rowdy, who would be back at the other school on the Indian Reservation. Knowing the fact that he would lose his best friend, he decides to go to Reardan anyway. Reardan is a school with mostly white kids, so he gets made fun of a lot. But as the school year continues it only gets better! For example he makes the varsity basketball team and makes a lot of new friends. Find out what happens next in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part­-Time Indian! 

Book of the Week: The Candymakers

This post brought to you by student blogger Avery. 

Do you like candy?

In this book, four lucky children have a once-in- a-lifetime-chance to compete against each other and other kids to see who can make the best candy. These kids will have only two days to make a delicious new candy before the competition. Two days before the competition these four kids, (Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip), will report to Life Is Sweet candy factory to dream up their very own candy idea! Each contestant will make their very own candy and enter it into the Annual New Candy Contest. Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip will go through ups and downs while making their new candy.

I recommend this book for kids ages 8-13. I loved this book because there was always a surprise around every corner. It made me hungry and happy. Wendy Mass made The Candymakers a downright great story. As all books go, there has to be a plot twist and so there is. Find out what it is by reading The Candymakers by Wendy Mass. 

Book of the Week: The Lightning Thief

This post brought to you by student blogger Ethan. 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief is a great book for you if you like Greek mythology and fantasy. In The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson; the son of Poseidon is suspected of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt, but it wasn't him. He and his friends have to go on a quest to find the lightning bolt and bring it back to Zeus. I like this book because it is action packed.