Hush Little Digger

Do you remember the childhood song, Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word, Mama's Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird"? My son, Jimmer knows it is time to go to sleep when he hears that song. In fact now he says, "No, Mama" when he hears it start. We have a new version of this song in our house..... Hush Little Digger by Ellen Olson-Brown. This book is wonderful for any young child obsessed with trucks. This describes Jimmer perfectly.
In the book a little boy's dirt pile overflows. The father finds him all kinds of trucks: a red backhoe, a front-end loader, a big dump truck...... You get the idea. It is every boy's fantasy.
As I write this we are in Kansas, where, to my son's astonishment we visited "Big Brutus", the second largest truck in the world.

Red Midnight

Red Midnight is the newest, EXCITING, book by Ben Mikaelsen, the author of Touching Spirit Bear. As the story begins 12-year-old Santiago and his 4-year-old sister, Angelina make a desperate escape from their Guatemalan village. Soldiers have come - families have been killed and homes are burned. Santiago and Angelina are chased through the jungle and narrowly escape with only the clothes on their backs. Their entire family - parents, brothers and sisters - have been killed!
Their journey to the United States begins. Following his dead uncle's instructions he takes his kayak. Although Santiago has only sailed a few times, he tries to navigate the boat thousands of miles to Florida. He and his sister face numerous obstacles - rough ocean waters and no food or water. Where do they end up? Will they find safety in the United States? Will the government even allow them to enter? Read this exciting survival story.

What is Ms. Sankey reading?

Hi everyone! If you've been in the Media Center recently, I'm sure you've seen me, Ms. Sankey. I'm Mrs. Helm's student teacher and I will be here until the end of the school year in the afternoons. I wanted to let you know some great things I've been reading.

Defiance by Valerie Hobbs is one of our new books. Toby, an eleven-year-old boy, is on vacation. He meets Pearl, who is an elderly woman who lives up the street in a very run down house. Pearl is going blind but is still as spunky as ever. There's something Toby's not telling her though...he has cancer. And he's not telling his parents that he feels a new lump on his side. Toby will do anything to enjoy his summer and not have to go back to the hospital.

Escaping into the Night by D. Dina Friedman is another new book. Are you interested in the Holocaust? I am and in this book, I learned even more about it. Halina is a Jewish girl who escapes from the Polish Ghetto. But this isn't your ordinary escape story. Halina goes deep into the forest to join an encampment of all Jewish people who are desperately trying to survive World War II. This is a Holocaust story you've never read before.

Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M. Deem is a gruesome but intriguing book. Have you ever heard of Pompeii? It's a city which was in Italy but is now extinct. How does a city become extinct you ask? Vesuvius was a volcano which the city was near. The people of Pompeii believed greatly in the volcano but one day it covered the city when it erupted. In this book you will see pictures upon pictures of the excavated ruins. Even if you check out this book to look at the pictures, you'll be amazed.

Now I know some of you are working on biographies, and you'll want to check out Anne Frank by Josephine Poole. This picture book is an easy way to learn about one of the most widely known Holocaust victims. Have you read the Diary of Anne Frank? Have you ever wondered about the girl before the diary? This book will tell you all about Anne as she grew up, what she was like as a girl, and who her family was. This is a sure-fire way to learn about the famous Anne Frank.

See you soon!

Cinderella Stories

Most everyone is familiar with the Disney version of Cinderella. How about reading a Cinderella story from a different culture?
Last night I read Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story by Tomie de Paola and Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci. Adelita takes place in Mexico. Sootface is a traditional story of Northeast and Great Lakes Native Americans. Both have sisters or stepsisters who are not kind to Adelita and Sootface. Adelita has a cruel stepmother. Sootface doesn't have a mother. Read the stories to see the other similarities between these and the traditional fairy tale.

No Right Turn

Are you a classic car fan? If you are, you need to read Terry Trueman's newest book, No Right Turn. Jordan has been sneaking into his neighbor's garage and "borrowing" his 1976 vintage Stingray Corvette. It is only a matter of time before Jordan is caught.

Elsewhere

What happens when you die? Author Gabrielle Zevin tries to answer this question in her book Elsewhere. Liz is almost 16 years old. She is a victim of a hit and run driver. As the story begins she finds herself on a cruise ship to the island of Elsewhere. She is greeted by the grandmother that died before Liz was even born. Liz struggles to find her place in Elsewhere. She is angry that her life ended before she turned 16. Telescopes allow a view back to earth. Liz becomes obsessed with following the lives of her family and friends. This is an extremely creative book! Read it and discover the world of Elsewhere!!!

Uglies

Have you ever wanted an extreme makeover? In Scott Westerfeld's book, The Uglies, that is exactly what happens. Tally is eagerly anticipating her 16th birthday when she will be transformed from an "ugly" to a "pretty". After she meets Shay and they run away to the outside world of "Smoke" Tally isn't so sure "pretty" is what she wants. The sequel is The Pretties. Eventually it will be a trilogy.

Catch Up!

The new carpeting is in the media center. Things are finally back to normal:) I've been doing lots and lots of reading, but really neglecting the blog. Here are some GREAT new books that I've been reading.........

Death Mountain by Sherry Shanan -- If you like survival stories you'll enjoy this. Two girls, Erin, an experienced hiker and Mae, the exact opposite of Erin, are separated from the rest of their group during an electrical storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The two girls fight to survive hunger, freezing nights, exhaustion, and injuries. Just like the characters in the story, the author survived a deadly lightning storm on the same mountain.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix -- Just a few days before her 13th birthday Bethany's parents drive her to a different state to stay with an aunt she never knew existed. Bethany has no way to contact her mom and dad. There are many family secrets that have been hidden from her. Read the book and find out what they are!

What I Believe by Norma Fox Mazer

This new book will appeal to those of you who like to read Sonya Sones books. It is written in a narrative prose format. You will not find too many traditional paragraphs in this book.
As the story begins you meet Vicki. Vicki's life is drastically changing. Her father has been laid off from his well-paying job. Finally, extreme debt has forced the family to sell their home in the suburbs and move to an apartment in the city. Changes, changes, changes......... Vicki is trying to make sense of everything. If you like realistic fiction you will enjoy this book!

The Lambkins

The Lambkins is one of Eve Bunting's latest releases. Evil Mrs Shepherd (and she really is evil!) has kidnapped Kyle, Mac, Tanya, and Lulu. She is holding them hostage in her home, but not exactly..... What do I mean?
All the kids have been injected with a shrinking formula which was invented by Dr. Magnus Shepherd, a famous genetic scientist. Each week Mrs Shepherd gives them the shot which keeps them at a height of about 8 inches! They live inside a dollhouse in the Shepherd basement!
Escaping becomes the focus of everyone's efforts. After much planning, Kyle is able to escape in a bag of dirty laundry. He is tossed into the washing machine. He does manage an exciting escape, only to chased and caught by Mrs. Shepher in a butterfly net.
Will the four ever find their way out of the house? Read the book and find out!

The Heaven Shop

Deborah Ellis' books often focus on world issues. Her newest book, The Heaven Shop, is set in Malawi, a country in Southern Africa. She has written several other books that you will find in the media center. The Breadwinner Trilogy takes place in Afghanistan.
The Heaven Shop focuses in on the problem of children left orphaned from AIDS. Binti, is the 13-year-old main character. Her mother has died, presumbably from the disease, and as the story begins her father is sick. When he dies Binti and her siblings are sent to live with cruel relatives. An abusive uncle takes in Binti, but warns his own children to "stay away from her." He believes that Binti carries the HIV virus and her touch will infect his family. Binti is separated from her older sister and younger brother. Eventually she runs away, searching for "Gogo", her grandmother who she does not know. Is the family reunited? You will need to read the book to see what happens to Binti and her brother and sister.
All royalties from this book are being donated to UNICEF!!

The Naked Mole-Rat Letters

Isn't this an usual title for a book? The Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Mary Amato is just one of the many new books available for checkout. I will admit...I've been reading lots of the new books, but not always blogging about them.
I am half-way through "mole-rat". It is a funny book! Frankie's father starts a long-distance, email romance with a zookeeper from the Washington Zoo. Ayanna (AKA Ratlady) is the naked mole-rat keeper at the zoo. Frankie has been intercepting her father's emails and replying to "Ratlady". She does not want her father to become involved in a relationship.
I don't know how the book is going to turn out. Frankie and Ratlady are still emailing. And her father??????? Do you think the mole rats are cute?

New Books!!

It is one of my favorite times of the year....NEW BOOK time! Stop in and check out the books that Mrs. Fauske has processed. New materials are available for both Tipler and Sunset. Use the "Visual Search" button in Destiny to find all the titles with just a few clicks.

The Old African by Julius Lester

Wow!! That is about all I can say after reading this book! This book is inspired by an African legend about the "Old African", a man who led a group of slaves into the ocean, saying they were walking back to Africa.
As the story begins on a Southern plantation a young boy is tied to a tree and whipped. The Old African puts himself "in the boy's head", giving him the courage to survive the whipping. That is what the Old African does -- he can read thoughts, he can ease pain or cause pain. He uses his powers to take his people back to their homeland.
The story uses flashback to show how the Old African and other members of his village were brutally rounded up and put on slave ships. The author realistically portrays the conditions as the ships crossed the oceans. Back in the present, Riley, the plantation owner wants the Old African dead. Read the book to see what happens to the people.... but know that the cruelity displayed by Riley and other white men is shocking. The book ends with a very hopeful message.
This book has received a Parents' Choice Gold Medal Award.

Among the Hidden

This Wednesday Book Club will be discussing Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I read this book when it was first published in 1998 and thoroughly enjoyed rereading it again this past weekend.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Luke is the third son in the family. Population Police strictly enforce a law that allows families to only have two children. If Luke hopes to survive he must live as a "Shadow Child". This means he can never go outdoors, go to school, or even eat supper at the table with his family. If he is "found out" he will be taken away.
Somehow Luke discovers that their are other hidden children, just like himself. He makes the decision to risk his life by contacting another girl in his neighborhood. Jen has thought up a plan to give other third children the same rights as others. Luke is faced with many decisions that will determine his fate.

Some Friends to Feed; The Story of Stone Soup

Are you familiar with the story of "Stone Soup"? This book is a new retelling of the story by Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs. Parents may recognize Pete Seeger's name. He is a 1960-1970's singer and songwriter. Some of his songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Turn, Turn, Turn".
This version of "Stone Soup" takes place in Germany during the time of the Thirty Years War (1616-1648). A starving soldier wanders into town. No one has any extra food to help him. Read the story to see how the soldier "persuades" the townspeople to each contribute to the soup. By joining together we can often accomplish miracles.
The book also includes a CD with the story and Seeger's original "Stone Soup" song. Check it out!

Dr. Seuss Day

Dr. Seuss Day was celebrated on Thursday, March 2. It was the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Theodor Seuss Geisel. Story times all week were filled with Seuss stories and trivia. On Thursday Sunset students participated in round-robin-reading of several books. It was a fun day!
Have you read a Seuss story in the last ten years? If not, pick one up. I just reread THE LORAX. I know I must have read this in elementary school, but didn't remember it. It is a great book with a wonderful environmental theme.

Bird by Angela Johnson

Last week I read several books, but haven't taken the time to post information. It was a busy week in the media center!
Bird by Angela Johnson was one of my favorites. Bird is a 13-year-old girl. Her stepfather, Cecil, has left the family. Bird runs away in hopes of finding and convincing him that he must come back home. Her journey takes her from Cleveland to Alabama. Her story is intermingled with Ethan and Jay's. How are they all connected? Bird is hiding out in a shed on Ethan's family's farm. Jay is mourning the sudden death of his brother. Ethan is recovering from heart surgery. You must read the book to see how all the character's lives are intermingled.

The Doll with the Yellow Star

Did you like reading NUMBER THE STARS? Do you like reading Holocaust stories? If so, give this book a try.
THE DOLL WITH THE YELLOW STAR is a new book by Yona Zeldis McDonough. Claudine, the main character, is an 8-year-old Jewish girl living in France. Even though times are difficult--Hitler's troops are everywhere and there isn't enough food -- she receives a beautiful doll for her birthday. Claudine names her doll Violette. Soon, Violette, along with Claudine and her parents, is wearing a yellow star on her clothing. War continues. Claudine and Violette are sent to live with relatives in America. Claudine must make the adjustment to living in America without Violette who was lost on the ship. Finally the war ends and Papa arrives -- alone!! He and Claudine travel back to France and try to put their lives back together. Read the story to see what happens to Claudine and her family.
This is a good book for 4th - 6th grade students.

My Thirteenth Winter : A Memoir by Samantha Abeel

What is a memoir? It is an autobiographical account of a person's life that usually covers a period of time -- not their entire life. I just finished reading MY THIRTEENTH WINTER. Samantha was diagnosed with a math learning disability when she was in middle school. Dyscalculia prevented her from telling time, opening a locker, doing basic addition or even counting change. For years she tried to hide the fact that she couldn't do these things. Samantha struggled to look like a "normal" student. This memoir covers her life from elementary school through college. Do you like to read stories about real people. Look for this book in the 921 section of the library!