Tidbits

So...in trying to figure out what to write....here are some tidbits about me. I am a School Librarian for grades K-8, a mom, an avid reader and hopefully world traveler!

I also love to look things up, learn new things and help students find the best book to read or the best information to use!

I thought I would just start with this link to a great article on why you should read to your children...

10 Reasons Why You Should Read to Your Kids

10SEP2016

Welcome back to all the students. Looking forward to a wonderful 2016-2017 school year, full of learning, excitement and fun.

04JAN2017

Another year down. Time is moving more quickly every year. I hope the holidays were good to everyone. I am planning my lessons for the year. Some ideas are very intriguing, I just hope it translates into interest. I have been trying out some new sites and activities. Fingers crossed. Some disappointments already, an author visit fell through, but I will try to plan something else, Enjoy my quote of the day!

Feb 6, 2017

Book Review

Received an advance reader's copy from Netgalley

The Time Museum by Matthew Loux

Always on the lookout for graphic novels to recommend to a wide range of children, I was looking forward to reading this book. As a fan of time travel stories, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The illustrations were stylish and colorful. Delia Bean is a quirky main character, who does not hide her interest in learning and studying nature, even licking a pine cone in her search for information. After she stumbles into the Time Museum, (her family is actually waiting for her to find the museum,) she meets other students from different time periods, including a girl from future Japan and others from the past. The students that she competes against are all engaging in their own right. The story of how Delia and her new friends vie for an internship at the Time Museum is fun, as they go through three time trials and wind up needing to save London. Her Uncle Lyndon and other adult characters such as the Grey Earl are interesting, and I am curious to see how this story plays out. The time traveling rules, such as time tears and meeting people in different time periods was easy enough to follow. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to continuing the story in book two.

Published February 2017

February 24, 2017

Book Review

Received an advance reader's copy from Netgalley

Real Friends by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

I truly enjoyed this book. The story by Shannon Hale and illustrations by LeUyen Pham fit so well together. This graphic novel tells the story of young Shannon during her elementary school years as she tries to make and keep friends. We also find out about Shannon’s family life and conflict with her siblings, especially the tense relationship with her older sister. Reading this story even brought me back to my elementary school years (a long time ago.) I think many readers will relate to this story of Shannon, her friendships and family relationships. In life, we have all gone through friends moving away, or moving on and leaving us behind. This story touches on this as well as trying to find new friends and new groups to belong to and navigating bullying, cliques, family and typical elementary school girl behavior. The author’s note telling the reader about events that Shannon Hale may regret (not finding out more about the girl in the bushes, for example) is interesting and honest. I would definitely recommend this book and plan on purchasing multiple copies, as I think this book is a winner and will be another graphic novel, like those of Raina Telgemeier that one cannot keep on the shelf.

To be published May 2017

March 10, 2017

Snow!!! I am not thrilled with the idea of snow. I actually love the idea of snow, but not thrilled with the actual fact of having to drive in it, especially in New York. Hopefully it is not going to be that bad, based on the weather accounts.

Now.... this is the way a snowstorm should be! Driving home there was NO snow on the roads! The only snow I saw was on the trees or grassy yards. I wish this would always happen. Sigh......

March 13, 2017

Another snowstorm and now blizzard warnings... it is amazing as so far the winter has been cold, but kind (not much precipitation.)

Review..

Received an advance reader's copy from Netgalley

Pele: The King of Soccer by EddySimon and Vincent Brascaglia

This is a well written graphic novel biography and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a long time fan of Pele, I was pleased that this biography was actually quite thorough. There was a lot more to this book than I had originally thought. This book covered most of Pele’s life, from his childhood playing soccer on the streets of Brazil through his World Cup appearances and even into his NY Cosmos years and beyond. It also touched on his family life and gave some insight to Brazil’s political situation at the time. There are definitions when a Brazilian/Portuguese word is used and the illustrations are nicely done. I think this book will definitely appeal to soccer fans and also those interested in a good biography. It will absolutely be a purchase for this library.

April 20, 2017

Spring break is over....I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. I wish I had gotten as much done as I had planned, but isn't that always the way. The end of the school year is approaching quicker than I hoped.

May 25, 2017

Received an advance reader's copy from Netgalley

Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869 by Alex Alice

What an amazing book! I thought the cover looked interesting when I started to read this, but did not realize the extent of the story in this gorgeous graphic novel. In parts, steampunk, historical fiction and beautifully illustrated graphic novel. The beginning was interesting and I thought it would be a pleasant graphic novel to read. As I read the book though, I was greatly surprised to find myself immersed in the story and the German and Bavarian history. I do admit that for a graphic novel there is a lot of reading and dialogue, but also enough action. The basic story...Seraphin’s mother goes missing on a hot air balloon mission looking for “aether.” A year later, Seraphin and his father get a message regarding his mother’s logbook and they leave in search of the logbook and information about his mother’s possible fate. On the way to Bavaria from France, they are almost kidnapped by Prussians and their adventure starts. This is a quicker read as the book is only 60 pages or so, but it does end with a cliffhanger. I for one cannot wait to read the next installment and would highly recommend it.