It's Monday! What are you reading?

A few years ago, Adam Gidwitz visited our campus to introduce us to his then-new A Tale Dark & Grimm, and captivated the students with his retelling of the real Grimm fairy tales.  His Grimm trilogy is frequently checked out of our library.

The first book of Gidwitz's latest series, The Unicorn Rescue Society, is already on our shelves at Sommer.

When I saw another addition to the series on the review table at our district librarians' meeting, I knew I had to snatch it up--especially because it features chupacabras, a mythical creature that is also the subject of one of next year's Bluebonnet Award nominees.

 

Finding the elusive chupacabras is the goal of Elliot, Uchenna and Professor Fauna of the secret Unicorn Rescue Society.  The chupacabras is hiding in Laredo...right where the border wall is being built between the United States and Mexico.

The issues surrounding the border wall are just as deliberately explored, if not more so, as the hunt for the chupacabras in this book.  The creatures are affected by the wall just as families, businesses, and the border town communities have been, and continue to be.  In the afterword, the authors explain the reasons behind including this controversial topic. 

I'd recommend this book for strong second grade readers through middle grade who are interested in fantastical creatures.  It's Monday; what are you reading this week?

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

Books are flying back to our shelves in the library, which means we'll be doing some weeding and rearranging to make sure they all fit!

The Book Witch made her rounds yesterday to kindergarten, first, and second grades to deliver overdue notices and collect books that were hiding in backpacks and desks.  Third through fifth grades will start getting visits next week...unless all their books are turned in.

There was testing going on in the library today.  Students are welcome to drop off books any time starting Thursday.  Ms Margocs will also start the clear account drawings tomorrow; get your books returned for a chance at winning a prize!  Classes that are completely clear get an extra recess!

Students will receive their Summer Reading Beach Blanket Bingo sheets this week!  Beat the "Summer Slide" by reading at least four or five books over the break; if students read more, they may even raise their reading levels!  Summer reading resources may be found here on our library website.

Thanks once again to all of our volunteers who have helped us throughout the school year with our shelving!  We couldn't keep up with our book flood and provide services to our learning community without their help.

Next week will be our last update for the school year--stay tuned for summer reading tips!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last week, I had the pleasure of reading picture books aloud to all my students.  For my kindergarten through second grades, it was just regular library time.

For my third through fifth graders, it was the first time I had shared a read-aloud with them since winter break.  (We usually have quick library skills/ curricular support lessons.)  It was something they asked for on their end-of-year survey; with two weeks left in our school year, I just had to oblige them.

From the assortment I offered, most classes chose Stuck by Oliver Jeffers.  A couple chose The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton.  A few more chose The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwarz.

I book-talked a bit about each before they chose.  Stuck makes the reader feel so much smarter than the main character; I get to read the word "fart" in The Princess and the Pony; the author of The Three Ninja Pigs commented on my blog post about the book, sent bookmarks,  and wrote to my students.

From the reactions of each class, you would have thought I was offering them dessert before dinner.  They good-naturedly argued over which book I should read.  They made sure I turned so they could see the pictures.  They predicted, and laughed, and moaned over character foibles and jokes in ways the younger students didn't, because they finally recognized the patterns, noticed the details, got the humor on their own.

Big kids need picture books, too.  It's Monday; what picture books have you read lately?

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

Ms Margocs is getting lots of moans and sad looks when she reminds students that this week's library visits are their last for the school year.  On a brighter note, everyone is getting a story in the Book Nook this week--even the big kids!  Here are some of the books we're reading:

For kindergarten through second grades, ALL books are due back by this Friday, May 10th!

Third through fifth grades are allowed to have one book on their account for this week and the next, to have something to read when they are done testing.  Those books must stay in the classroom, and are due back no later than May 17th.

Speaking of testing--the library will be closed on May 15th for STAAR administration.

When testing is completed, Ms Margocs will start her random drawings for clear accounts!  Five to twelve names will be drawn each school day from May 16th through the 23rd.  Students with clear accounts will be eligible for prizes such as posters, books, and summer fun items!  When a whole class is clear, they earn an extra recess!!

We had ten students who earned a free book for reading 18 to 20 of this year's Bluebonnet Awards Nominees.  Congratulations!  Their books were delivered on Monday.

Students who participated in the Schlitterbahn Waves of Pages Reading Program will receive their tickets next week.

Summer reading resources will be posted soon on the library website.  Students will receive their Beach Blanket Bingo Reading Log, along with a copy of the passwords for our research resources and information on Round Rock Public Library's summer reading program, next week.

Keep those book returns coming!  See you in the Book Nook this week!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I spent two hours of my Sunday on the couch, reading Jewell Parker Rhodes' Ghost Boys.  It is on our state's Bluebonnet Award Nominees list for 2019-2020.  I knew the basic premise of the book--a twelve-year-old black boy playing with a toy gun is shot and killed by a policeman, and becomes a ghost--and I was curious to see how the topic is handled in a story written for children.  Rhodes skillfully navigated the effects of 9/11 on families and our lives today in Towers Falling, but this topic seems to hit closer to home.  Several of my students are already starting to read the nominees; would I have to caution them before reading this one? 

I didn't realize how much I had been holding my breath until I let out a long exhale at the end of Ghost Boys.  I went and folded laundry afterward, not because the book was trivial, but exactly the opposite.  The possibilities for so many discussions, so much awakening, the chipping away of childhood innocence swirled in my mind, and I had to do something with my hands while I thought about how to approach this review.

My own Q&A:

Does this book belong in my school library?  Yes, sadly, because this is real life for many children in our country--and within urban areas of our own state.  A window into other's lives for some children, a mirror for others.

Does this book villainize police officers?  No, it doesn't.  Rhodes describes the negative effects of the shooting on the officer's mental health and his family.  Without revealing the ending, the overall message is to know better, we can do better.

Is the book scary?  The premise is scary enough!  The ghosts are not; they are reminders that this issue is not new, but has been woven throughout American history.

Is this book a good fit for my child?  I think Ghost Boys should be included in seventh grade-on-up discussions on civil rights and racism in the U.S.; it is a perfect beginning for so many discussions (see list below).  For fourth through sixth graders, I would caution that this book will likely bring up a lot of questions, and that they should have an adult in mind to talk through those topics and feelings.  The book does reference the Emmett Till case, and makes the point that a child must be mature enough to face those facts--in the case of the fictional characters, seventh grade was suggested.

Discussion points found in this book that may come up for students (bearing in mind that students don't necessarily bring as much knowledge as an adult to the book, and some points may just "fly over their heads"):

• Racial bias in police shootings
• Racial prejudice, past and present
• The effects of poverty on living conditions (drug dealing as income, welfare)
• Why some people feel the need to carry guns to feel safe, and why policemen are hyper-vigilant in some areas (and why toy guns can pose a threat)
• Why Jerome's parents were worried about his walk to and from school
• The inequities between schools in higher- and lower-economic areas
• Bullying in school
• Community and family responses to shootings
• How culpability is determined in police shootings (judicial system)
• The afterlife, and how cultures honor their dead

I'm glad I read this book before next school year.  I'm glad it made me hold my breath and feel uncomfortable, because lying on my couch in my fairly quiet suburb, it reminded me that there is still so much social change that needs to happen.  

Our children may lead that change because of this book.  Thank you, Jewell Parker Rhodes, for unflinchingly, yet tenderly, presenting this difficult topic.  May it make a difference.

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

April flew by in the library!

It's that time of year again--time for Armadillo Readers' Choice voting!  Our kindergarten, first, and second grade students are voting for their favorite Armadillo book via a Google form on iPads this week.  We'll announce the winners for our campus on broadcast next Monday!

We are in the second half of our lesson cycle for the upper grades.  Third grade is learning about internet safety and digital citizenship.  Fourth grade is practicing reading comprehension strategies by answering the "5 Ws plus H" questions after reading.  Fifth grade is learning how to take notes, find primary sources, and copy citations using Gale resources.

Next week, ALL grades will have a read-aloud as their library lesson!  The "big kids" noted missing their stories in the Book Nook on our end-of-year survey, so they will get to revisit it next week.

May 10th is our due date for all books!  Kindergarten through second grade will not check out books next week.  Third through fifth grade will be allowed to have one book on their account to read after finishing their STAAR tests, but those books must remain in the classroom.  They are due no later than May 17th.

The Book Witch will start hunting down overdues soon!  Prize drawings are coming, too: we will draw random names to check for clear accounts starting May 16th through the end of school.

Summer break is just around the corner!  Have you started your summer reading list yet?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

There are times when, as a librarian, I feel the symptoms of "imposter syndrome".  It happened a few months ago; I was about to meet Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen, and realized I had not read a single Mercy Watson book, didn't even know they were on our library shelves!  (In my defense, we have over 20,000 items in our collection, and I'm still finding new-to-me books every day.)

Lately, the Roald Dahl collection has been calling my name.  I grew up reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but that was the extent of my experience with Dahl's work.  And then the ads for the Broadway production of Matilda graced my television screen...it was time I got caught up.

This is what I'm reading this weekend.  I've set aside a half-dozen other half-read books to enjoy this tale of a neglected, brilliant child who is trying to find her place in the world despite the obstacles plunked in her path by her parents, headmistress, and school bully.  Just reading the descriptions of Matilda lost in a story makes me think of my own bookish childhood.  My reading stamina was much greater then!

It's Monday, and I'm getting caught up on a classic.  What classics are your favorites?  Which ones do you feel you missed reading, and can add to your to-read pile now?