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!

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Over the weekend I finished reading HOOT. The book club will be discussing this book on Tuesday after school. For some reason??? I put off reading the book until now. Once I got into the story, I couldn't stop reading.

Roy, along with several "friends", are trying to save the tiny, burrowing owls from the Mother Paula's Pancake House construction site. The police are trying to find out who is behind the vandalism at the site. There is sabotage -- spraypainting a police car, alligators in toliets, and poisonous snakes. Read the book to see if the owls are saved.

Hiassen's newest book is called FLUSH. It is available in the Media Center.

New Books

Almost better than presents from Santa????? New books have been arriving in both the Tipler and Sunset libraries. Mrs. Fauske is busy processing. Watch for them on the "New Book" shelves. You can also find them listed on the visual search of the Destiny system.

Vacation Reading

I made two excellent picks for my holiday reading. Try PRIVATE PEACEFUL if you are interested in a good World War I story. The Peaceful brothers - Thomas and Charles - enlist in the war. The story follows their life from childhood through their war experience.
BOUND is a Chinese Cinderella story. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, but this is one of many versions that take place in China. Take note: One of the daughters, Mai Lee, is going through the very painful process of foot binding. See Mrs. Helm for a detailed explanation of what is involved in foot binding.

What is a Wiki?

Are you researching on the Internet? If so, be wary of Wikis. A Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. The software allows anyone to post an entry or add to an existing file. At times the site has experienced vandalism. Errors to articles have been posted. If you are using a Wikipedia for research you should always compare the entry to that in a standard encyclopedia.
The Oshkosh School District subscribes to several databases: World Book Online, Culturegrams, SirsDiscoverer and the Discovering Collection. These are great choices for online research. The sites are reliable and there isn’t any question about the validity of resources. If you have any questions please see Mrs. Helm

Golden Archer Award

Each year the Golden Archer Award is presented to authors of books nominated and voted on by the children of Wisconsin. Books are nominated in three catagories: primary, intermediate, and middle. Have you started reading the nominees? Get busy!! We will vote in early March.

Primary
Diary of a Worm - Doreen Cronin
Alice the Fairy - David Shannon
Baby Brains - James Simon
Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems
The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog - Mo Willems

Intermediate
The Report Card - Andrew Clements
Ruby Holler - Sharon Creech
Judy Moody, M.D. - Megan McDonald
Science Verse - Jon Scieszka
The Hostile Hospital - Lemony Snickett

Middle
LionBoy - Zizou Corder
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Eagle Strike - Anthony Horowitz
Worth - A. La Faye
Eragon - Christopher Paolini

January 1905 by Katharine Boling

Do you like to read historical fiction? Can you imagine having to work from sun-up until sundown? Even though Pauline is only 11 years old she works long, back-breaking hours in the cotton mill. Her twin, Arlene, stays at home to cook and clean for the family. The girls resent one another because they believe the other is the "favored" child. It isn't until there is an accident at the mill and Arlene must fill in, that the sisters really begin to appreciate the other. The story is told in alternating chapters from each sister's point of view. Check it out from the Tipler collection.

New Books!

Stop in the Media Center and check out the new books that are arriving. Both Tipler and Sunset have lots of additions. Check out the "New Book" button on the Destiny Visual Search. You will be taken to the complete listing.
One of my new favorites is A BEAR NAMED TROUBLE by Marian Dane Bauer. This story is told from two different perspectives: Trouble, a brown bear, who has been sent out to live on his own and Jonathon, a 10-year-old boy. Jonathon is drawn to the bear. He even lures it close to him with food. The bear tunnels under a fence into the Anchorage Zoo, where Jonathon's father is a zookeeper. When Trouble kills a popular animal, rangers want to kill Trouble. What will happen to the bear? This story is actually based on a real incident.
Come in and check this new book out!

Need a good book to read?

Over the weekend I read The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg. Most of us know Van Allsburg as the author of The Polar Express and Jumanji. Give this older title a try.
Have you ever wished that your dreams could come true? In this story Monsieur Bibot is given two magical figs that make his dreams come true. He has grand ideas that he will become the richest man on earth. Read the story and see what happens when Marcel, his dog, eats the fig before he does!

Pegi Deitz Shea

On Wednesday, November 16 Pegi Deitz Shea, author of Tangled Threads and The Whispering Cloth will visit our school. She will be meeting with the 6th and 7th grade students to work on revision techniques. In the afternoon she will be meeting with the READ-ON TIGERS book club. In October the group discussed Tangled Threads.
Tangled Threads is the story of Mai, a 13-year-old Hmong girl. She travels from a refugee camp in Thailand to the United States. Mai's American cousins introduce her to life here, while her grandmother keeps her grounded to traditional values. Stop in the Media Center and check it out!

Destiny

Destiny - the new library circulation system is up and running. Mrs Helm has been busy introducing the program to all the students. Hopefully, home access of the system will be coming soon!

Welcome Back

Hopefully summer vacation didn't mean a vacation from books and reading. Mrs Helm read many books that she can't wait to share with the elementary and middle school students