My Top 10 books

Here is a list (not in a specific order) of 10 books that influenced me. Many I read in middle and high school. 

1. Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle

2. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

3. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

4. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

5. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

6. The Bingo Palace by Louise Erdrich

7. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

9. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

10. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Eating books

Cupcakes by How Sweet It Is (photo courtesy of A Mighty Girl).

What a clever idea! What book would you want on your cupcake? 

Summer book recommendations from Kate DiCamillo

A wonderful list of books for 8-13 years olds suggested by Newberry Award winning author, Kate DiCamillo.

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/23/315250144/kate-dicamillos-picks-for-summer-tree-house-reading?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140525

Little or no money for books?

Don't have much money to spend on books? Here are some tips:

1. Go to a public library.

Portland is lucky to have one of the best public library systems in the country. The books are free to check out and they have so many other helpful services. Free wifi, computers, audio books, CD's and DVD's, eBooks. Every type of book you can imagine. You can easily put books on hold at the library or online and they are sent to your local branch. They also have classes, story times and events for kids and teens. If you are a student in PPS, you are automatically enrolled in the summer reading program. Read over the summer and win prizes! 

www.multcolib.org

2. Titlewave Bookstore

This bookstore is run by Multnomah County Library and is where they sell library books that are no longer needed. The books are still in great shape and most are very current. I have found some amazing books for $1.00! Most are hardbacks, so a dollar is a deal! They range in price up to a few dollars. 

216 NE Knott St, Portland, OR 97212

3. Goodwill

Each location has a slightly different selection of books but I have always been impressed. I consistently find great books ranging in price from $0.49 to $2. They have nice hardbacks, chapter books and early readers. You never know what treasure you might find. My son loves to go to Goodwill and buy a bunch of books for $5! The Goodwill super centers have larger book selections. 

I now use books as rewards. We pick out a bunch from Titlewave or Goodwill and I save them in a bag. Then when my son does his chores or something else that we are working on he earns a book. It's a cheap prize and it is good for him! He loves it and he has a huge collection of books. I read to him daily and he also chooses to spend quiet time in his room "reading" them to himself. 

Fairy tales

There are so many fairy tales to share! The classics of course but recently there has been an increase in fairy tale variations. These fall into two categories: the traditional story with very different illustrations or a humorous change in the characters with the same plot line. Here are some examples of each: (All of these are available at the Astor Library!)

Classic fairy tales set in Africa by Rachel Isadora. Wonderful multicultural stories with beautiful collage illustrations.

Rapunzel

The Princess and the Pea

Hansel and Gretel

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

The Ugly Duckling

Variations that are humorous with a change to the characters:

Little Red Hot by Eric Kimmel

Jack and the Giant Barbecue by Eric Kimmel

The Three Little Tamales by Eric Kimmel

Jack and the Baked Beanstalk by Colin Stimpson

The Three Little Cajun Pigs by Mike Artell

The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Goldilocks and the Three Hares by Margie Palatini

Cindy Ellen: a wild western Cinderella by Susan Lowell

There are many many more of these available in our library! Ask me about them and I'd be happy to share them all with you!

Favorite read alouds?

Reading to or with your child daily is so important and it is fun! Some of my favorite books to read to my son are:

Duck on a bike by David Shannon

How I became a pirate by Melinda Long

Where's my t-r-u-c-k? by David Catrow

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schaccner

Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan

Henry & Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Oh man, there are so many! I need to gather them together and take some photos.

What are your favorite books to read aloud with your children? 

Caldecott Winner Announced!

The Caldecott winner was announced yesterday. I was very excited to share the results of our Mock Caldecott award and of the real Caldecott award to the first graders today!!

They cheered as I told them the winners for their class and for all of first grade. It was a very close race! 

I showed them the sticker gold seal of the Caldecott award that I will place on the winning book:

Locomotive by Brian Floca! There were many cheers, especially from the boys! This is a non-fiction book about the creation of railroads across the U.S. and what early train rides were like. 

Next I showed them how at the Astor library I label all Caldecott winners with a special sticker on the spine so they can easily find other Caldecott books. I even placed stickers on the books. It was as if I was at an award ceremony, awarding each book it's label! I also announced the three Caldecott Honor books:

Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

and Journey by Aaron Becker.

There were many more cheers. Another Honor winner was Flora and the Flamingo, a book that I did not purchase and we had not read. I said that we would get it in the library and we could read it at a later time.

I think our Mock Caldecott was a success, the students enjoyed it and announcing our winners with the true winner was a real treat. They were so excited! Perhaps one year our choice will also be the winner! I can't wait to do it again next year! 

Mock Caldecott Award

The first graders have been reading Caldecott books. I decided to try holding a Mock Caldecott award this year. I chose 4 books that had been highly praised to read to the first graders. We read:

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

Journey by Aaron Becker

Locomotive by Brian Floca

Last week each first grader voted Caldecott style. They gave their favorite book 4 points, their next favorite 3 points, then 2 and 1. I totaled them up and the Astor winners are:

1st place: Journey with 105 points! 

2nd place: Mr. Wuffles with 104 points!

3rd place: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

4th place: Locomotive

Extra Yarn

I read this book to the Kindergarten classes today and they all loved it. One class applauded at the end! It warms a librarians heart when that happens!
 It is my new favorite picture book. Look for it and share with a friend. It will make you smile.


Everybody - E BAR

New in the readbox:

Check out these great new books! These are all Middle School only books.

Book Review:

Jasper John Dooley - Star of the Week

I LOVED this book! Jasper is excited because soon he will be the Star of the Week in his class and have special privileges. He brings his treasured lint collection in when it is Share Day but doesn’t get the response he was hoping for. Plus his best friend steals some of the attention when he shares about his new baby sister who won’t stop crying. Jasper decides he wants a new baby in his small family and even makes his own baby brother. Jasper is a kid you like right away and this story made me laugh out loud. It is all about family, friendship and being yourself. Lint collections and all.
I can’t wait to read more books in this new series! 


(For 1st-3rd grade, CHAP ADD)

Hooey Higgins

Hooey Higgins and the Shark

This chapter book (grades 1-3) is a funny story about Hooey and his friend Twig. After seeing a giant chocolate egg that they really want but costs a lot of money, they decide they need to make some money! What better way than to try to catch a shark so they can sell tickets to see it! In the process they discover something amazing that might help them get their chocolate. A fun book to read.

(CHAP VOA)

Sadie & Ratz

I just finished reading this book, Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett. This is a short chapter book about Hannah and her two mischievous hands, Sadie and Ratz. Sadie and Ratz like to do naughty things but Baby Boy begins to blame them for things they did not do. Hannah does not like getting in trouble all the time and has to help Sadie and Ratz figure out what to do. 
This short story was funny and has many nice illustrations.

 (CHAP HAR, for grades 1-2)

City of Bones

Mrs. Tomblin just finished reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

If you liked Twilight, you will love this book! It has adventure, mystery, demons, friendship, action and romance all in one! 

This is the first book in a series, be sure to check them out!

(Red Label - Middle School Only - FIC CLA)