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

 We are clearing space to welcome our classes back next week!

Our Dual Language classes will be receiving bins of books this week, ordered by the district.  Ms Margocs, Ms Moss, and volunteers have been labeling the books to make them easy to spot on classroom shelves.  We have eight kits of over a hundred books each!

It's been tempting to stop and read some of the books--the company chosen by the district included some really great titles.

We will also be labeling plastic bags for our PK-1 scholars to keep their books dry and clean in their book bins and backpacks.

Next week, we'll be booktalking some of the new books with our scholars.

Can't wait to get scholars excited about reading in our library!  See you soon.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 Ms Margocs borrowed another new book from the library before putting it out on the shelves...

She had to, with all those medals on the cover!

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff is a National Book Award finalist, earned a Stonewall Book Award, and a Newbery Honor.  Not too bad for a librarian's debut novel!

I was drawn to the book because it has ghosts...more specifically, the main character can sense the ghosts, and takes it in stride.  I love a great supernatural story.  What I didn't expect was a wonderful coming-of-age, self-realization and acceptance story--hence the awards.

Bug is grieving the loss of her uncle when his ghost starts to appear in increasingly insistent ways--footsteps heading into her bedroom in the middle of the night, the room in disarray, a cryptic message via Ouija board.  At the same time, her friend's preparations for their entry into middle school just make Bug feel even more like an outsider, more uncomfortable in her own skin.  Between the messages from beyond the grave and the strange dreams Bug is having, it seems a change is brewing...one that is bigger than just moving up to middle school.  

I don't want to give too much away...but this did win a Stonewall award, so you know it deals with LGTBQ issues.  This book is tender and affirming and made me smile with joy at the end--so much so, that I almost forgot I read it for the ghost story.

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

We've had third through fifth graders in the library on rotation this week!

We've gone over expectations, learned a little about each other, and tried out the new furniture.

Then, of course, we had some time to read.

And if there was time--a 30 Second Dance Party on the way out the door!

Our school has hired a music teacher!  Welcome Ms. Padilla!  This means we'll be back to our usual library programming when we return from our Labor Day weekend.  Ms Margocs and Ms Moss will be spending next week getting teachers signed up for their library times, planning lessons and read-alouds to support classroom learning, processing teaching materials and straightening up the library for orientation.  Oh--and ordering new books for the school year!

So happy to have you back in the library, Dillo Readers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 One of the benefits of covering a specials rotation is having time to read...I mean, model reading (wink, wink)...while the class reads.  I pulled this book from our back-to-school display today:

What's for Lunch?  How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World by Andrea Curtis is a fascinating book!  Not only does it have photographs of typical school lunches from around the world, but it gives the background behind the dishes and the country's stance on nutrition--or the lack thereof.  This is not just a simple peek behind the curtain to compare food; the author includes several examples of 'nutrition activism', raising the awareness of the importance of healthy food in children's growth and development.

I'm still working through the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, and paused to read the grownup graphic novel The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, before I venture over to the Netflix series.  I've also been reading cookbooks as I plan my menus for the next few months.

It's Monday, and I'm still reading several books at the same time!  Do you ever do that?  How do you keep the stories straight in your mind?  I choose different genres to help me keep track.

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

 Welcome back to school, Dillo Readers!

And welcome to the changing look of the AME Library!

We had PreK, first, and second grade classes as our inaugural visitors to the library today.

We are operating on a different schedule right now, waiting for our music position to be filled.  Ms Margocs (the librarian) and Mrs. Billingsley (the instructional technology support teacher) are teaching half-days to keep the rotation schedule going.  Mrs. Billingsley is doing technology-related lessons, and Ms Margocs is going over library expectations, letting students explore and try out the new furniture, and reading books like Our Favorite Day of the Year and Manners in the Library.  

We won't be checking out books just yet; the library is still a bit messy from beginning of year tasks and arranging the new furniture, which arrived on Monday!  We'll see the third through fifth graders in the library next week to go over expectations, review book care, and learn the new pathway to access our MackinVIA eBook accounts.

Thanks for the thumbs up on our new furniture from our first scholar visitors!  It's going to be a great year to read and learn in the AME Library, Dillos!