It's Monday! What are you reading?

We've had a REALLY wet weekend here in central and east Texas.  

Our part of town was lucky; we aren't in a floodplain, and our power only blinked once.  I have friends in town who have been without power for a full day, and friends in Houston who can't leave because they are surrounded by water.

When I wasn't busy checking weather reports and Facebook updates, I got some reading done!  I'm still trying to finish up this year's Bluebonnet Award nominees; can check off The Last Kids on Earth by Max Braillier (it was really funny!) and reread Whoosh! by Chris Barton--love Don Tate's illustrations!

After a summer of much-less-reading than usual, I am working on rebuilding my reading stamina.  I'm glad the rain pushed me to indulge in some great books this weekend!

It's Monday; what did you read during our wet and windy weekend here in Texas?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the Sommer Library?

Oh, no!

What has happened to our book displays?

No worries; there will be books back on top of our shelves soon!  We are busy getting ready for the school year, including some cleaning, rearranging, and ordering great new books for the library!

The teachers have been busy meeting in the library too.

You can tell we have a LARGE staff count here at Sommer, to serve our ever-growing student population.

Ms. Margocs met with all the grade level teams today to schedule their weekly library visits, review our read-aloud books, and discuss lessons for the upcoming school year. Library staff and PTA helpers will be ready to take ID photos of our newest Stallions this Friday, August 18th, during supply drop-off.  Thanks to our PTA library liaisons for helping us out!

Can't wait to see our students back in the library!  

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Do you ever want to read just to clear your mind, to escape from the world for a little bit?

I was getting ready for bed last night, and didn't feel like diving back into either of the chapter books I'm still trying to finish.  I picked two picture books to read instead.

The title echoes my feelings about this past break--It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown, by "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz.  My uncle inscribed his gift to me in 1970, the same year it was published.  I was only four at the time, so I'm not sure if I was able to read by myself then.  I laughed as I read it last night, since it opens with Charlie Brown and Linus working on the classic back-to-school essay assignment--answering the question "What did you do this past summer?".  Summer camp didn't go the way Charlie Brown would have liked it to, so he was hesitant to write down the details that Linus was more than ready to pen.  

The second book I chose is one I bought for my own children from a used book store.

The Sea-Breeze Hotel, written by Marcia Vaughan and illustrated by Patricia Mullins, is a beautifully illustrated story about turning a problem into an opportunity.  The Sea-Breeze Hotel is a lovely place to stay--if one can stand the winds that buffet the locale eleven months a year.  Sam decides to take advantage of the wind by building and flying a kite, and soon the near-empty hotel turns into a destination spot for kite fliers of all ages.

I drifted off to dreamland with images of Snoopy and beautiful kites flying in the wind.  What books did you read before going to sleep last night?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Good morning, Readers!  I'm up way before dawn today, because librarians are back on the job on this wet, thundering morning.  We have to get our libraries ready for our teachers' return on Thursday, and our students' first day of school on August 22nd.  I hope my learning community is ready to share their summer reading and explore new books with me this year!

Speaking of summer reading...I am waaaayyyy behind this year.  A lot of my summer reading has been procedural, taking care of family medical needs and college preparations for my son.  So now I am in a scramble to catch up a bit!  My current book is a Bluebonnet Award Nominee:

The Last Kids on Earth is a first person zombie-and-monster apocalyptic narrative by Max Brallier, heavily illustrated by Douglas Holgate.  Thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan, a foster kid used to dealing with trouble, tackles the new threats in his life like he's taking on a video game.  Jack's sense of humor and honesty about his failures and teenage insecurities will have you giggling as you read about his adventures with flesh-eating zombies and CVS (yes, the drugstore)-crushing monsters.

It's Monday; what's on your reading pile for this wet week ahead?