Yay, the final book in the “Friends for Keeps” series comes out this week! This one I read as an ARC. Then some savvy fifth graders spied it on my desk, convinced me to slap a barcode on it, and I didn’t see it again until the last day of school. Enjoy!
I’m talking about new poetry books for middle graders over on Project Mayhem this morning. Go take a peek!
Tuesdays I highlight a book (usually picture) that is popular (or should be!) in my library. Today’s book is BROTHERS AT BAT by Audrey Vernick. Baseball season started this week in our house. Here’s a math problem, just so you know what my life will be like for the next couple of months: 2 boys X (3 practices + 2 more »
Received this as an ARC and before I could even get a good look at it, my own household fourth grader (Colonel Mustard) gobbled it up in one sitting. That’s always a good endorsement, since Colonel Mustard very rarely actually sits. Even at the dinner table! But that’s another post, perhaps . . . Fangbone’s an under-appreciated/overlooked warrior from Skullbania, more »
Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine. (I read an early draft, and knew then that Kami would go on to sell this. So funny.) Nevertheless: You should read this book. 13-year-old Kara decides to use her powers of observation and the scientific method to determine which boy is the best match for her. What happens in between is more »
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai My rating: 4 of 5 stars A beautiful verse novel about a young girl’s move from war-torn Saigon to Alabama in 1975. I read this right after Dogtag Summer. They are nice companion books, both providing a glimpse into what it was like for children during the Vietnam War. Our biggest minority more »
So, it was Father’s Day last Sunday. Per usual, I’m approximately 4 days behind the rest of the world’s calendar. That’s not to say I didn’t give my dad a hug on Sunday (we had him over for a cookout), but I didn’t exactly get his gift to him that day. I delivered it last night. What do you give more »
According to my bookshelf on Goodreads, I read 143 books in 2009. It’s actually more than that because I didn’t start adding to Goodreads until partway through the year. The rest of my list is here. But anyway… I gave 18 of them 5 stars. They are: So you’d think these would be my favorites of 2009, right? Um, kind more »
There were 4 things about Pamela Turner’s The Frog Scientist that made me want to interview her about her book. 1) I loved how the whole story is an example of the scientific process in action. 2) It’s is a great example of how nonfiction books can be used with different reading abilities–Mr. E (10) read it straight through; Colonel more »
Chris Gall talks about his new picture book, Dinotrux–just named a Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book for 2009! Describe your book: Dinotrux is about an ancient race of primitive trucks that apparently existed millions of years ago. It turns out that they had not yet evolved into the kind, helpful trucks we have today. How did you get the idea more »
