Archive for ‘in the library’

July 15th, 2009

And We’re Back

Whew! What a whirlwind trip. We did the visit-the-relatives, attend-part-of-ALA, tour-Chicago combo vacation. We even celebrated a birthday in there!

Our Nonfiction Book Blast presentation at ALA on Sunday was a huge success. The (enormous) room was full. We had crowds waiting to come in! This was–frankly–amazing to me. Not because we didn’t deserve it (all the other authors were superb in their presentations), but I’ve been to pretty many conferences now, and nonfiction usually doesn’t get this much love. But the audience seemed to enjoy it and we’re already getting hits on our wiki.

Want to join us? You can add your nonfiction booktalk to our wiki. We’re hoping for a big collection of them for teachers and librarians to use. Our wiki also includes our own booktalks and handout.

In the meantime, here are some photos…

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July 14th, 2009

Book Look: Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight

We now have a couple of Frankie Pickle fans here in our house! Frankie doesn’t see the point in cleaning his room–it’ll just get messy again. So when his mom finally agrees with him, he’s delighted. Only…things get really deep and dirty and smelly fast. Of course, Frankie sees the light and straightens up in the end. Told through a mix of graphic (the dramatic adventures Frankie imagines) and regular text (what’s really happening), there’s enough visual and verbal humor sprinkled throughout it all to keep everyone chuckling. Perfect for my almost-ready-for-chapter-books boy reader (Colonel Mustard).

View all my reviews >>

July 7th, 2009

Heading to ALA

Yes, I am! In fact, I’m presenting there. And signing books (Lerner booth, Sunday 12:15). Come see me! Here’s the scoop on the presentation:

Nonfiction Book Blast!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Convention Center Room W181
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
ALA Annual Conference, Chicago
wiki at http://nfbookblast.pbworks.com/

Track: Children & Young Adults; Literature & Collection Development

Despite the emphasis on fiction for leisure reading in schools, many reluctant readers are often more drawn to reading nonfiction. Expand your nonfiction repertoire as 17 authors booktalk their latest work.

Panelists include award-winning and acclaimed authors April Pulley Sayre (Vulture View), Kelly Halls (Albino Animals), and Carla McClafferty (Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium), as well as many additional prolific or brand new authors. Their booktalks, plus new ones crafted by audience members, will be yours to take back home to excite your students about reading nonfiction.

The Nonfiction Book Blast speakers (click on name for author website and title for book description) who will join moderator Sharon Mitchell, include:

Lisa Rondinelli Albert, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow Publishers, May 2009), So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor (Enslow Publishers, 2008)

Mary Bowman-Kruhm, The Leakeys: A Biography (Prometheus Books, 2009)

Laura Crawford, In Arctic Waters (Sylvan Dell Publishing), The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z (Pelican Publishing), Postcards From Chicago (Raven Tree Press)

Jeri Chase Ferris, With Open Hands: The Story of Biddy Mason (Lerner), Arctic Explorer: Matthew Henson (Lerner)

Kelly Milner Halls, Dinosaur Parade (Lark/Sterling Publishers, 2008), Saving the Baghdad Zoo (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2009), Tales of the Cryptids (Darby Creek Publishing, 2006)

Amy S. Hansen, Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter (Boyds Mills Press, 2010), Touch the Earth (NASA and NFB, 2009)

Gwendolyn Hooks, Makers and Takers (Rourke Publishing, 2008)

Katherine L. House, Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, 2008)

Patricia K. Kummer, The Great Barrier Reef (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), The Great Lakes (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), North Korea and South Korea (two books) (Scholastic/Children’s Press, 2008)

Suzanne Lieurance, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Sweatshop Reform in American History (Enslow Publishers, Inc.)

JoAnn Early Macken, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008)

Carla Killough McClafferty, In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)

Wendie Old, The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman), The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman)

April Pulley Sayre, Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family (Henry Holt, 2009)

Anastasia Suen, Wired (Charlesbridge, 2007), The U.S. Supreme Court (Picture Window Books)

Christine Taylor-Butler, SACRED MOUNTAIN: Everest (Lee and Low Books, 2009)

Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Donald Wojahn, Follow That Food Chain (Lerner, 2009)

July 1st, 2009

If You Give Three Boys $100 in a Bookstore…

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This is what they’ll walk out with. Or at least the three boys I took to the bookstore to spend a $120 gift card for my school library. They debated so seriously about what to get and were so excited to eventually see them on the shelves! In fact, we had so much fun and talked so much book smack, I’m thinking about how I can make this a regular outing–maybe a different group of kids every six weeks or so. (Of course, I take recommendations for purchases for the library, but, as we all know, there’s just something about holding that book in your hand, reading the flap copy, and feeling the glossy stiffness under your fingertips. I know I have some students who’ve never gotten to do that. And how powerful for them to take some ownership in their library.) There’s just that darn transportation legalese….hmmm.

Extra Bonus Challenge Question

Can you pick out the one book I–the only female–tossed into the mix?

March 7th, 2007

Got Any Spare Change?

Whew! After a whirlwind week of hosting our school’s bookfair and rejoicing in the ALA Awards news (besides RULES, we were really excited FLOTSAM won the Caldecott), I’ve been gearing up for the Big Penny, the district-wide fundraiser for our public library’s extension of the children’s room that starts next week. We’re trying to collect a million pennies! Here’s a photo is of me and some of the fabulous youth services staff at the public library. It went out in a press release last week.

I’m in the photo because, besides being the guardian of the penny jug at my school, a chapter of my forthcoming Dr. Kate book has been distributed to all the participating schools as an accompanying read aloud. (Read along!) Yesterday I shared it with the 4th grade classes–it was the first time I’ve read my writing aloud to kids who aren’t related to me. Gulp. But–what fun! They didn’t get too squirmy, had great questions, and are now primed to dive into their couch cushions for extra coins.

Let me know if you want to send some coins our way. We’ll be mapping “exotic” postmarks.

January 24th, 2007

Reading RULES!

Reading RULESBig congrats out to all the ALA Award winners. And an extra special heartfelt one for [info]cynthialord and her Newbery Honor and Schneider Award-winning RULES.

Here’s why: for the last few weeks, a fifth grade teacher and I have been team-teaching a literature unit using RULES. The kids have been reading and blogging about the book–and  making so many meaningful connections to the story and each other. Then Cindy jumped into our discussions, too, and the kids were thrilled to “talk” to a real, live author. She has been so generous with her time.

And now, this. They bubbled over with excitement when they learned that the author who just wrote to them personally on Friday won for the very book they were reading! (They did a Newbery unit earlier in the year, so they knew exactly what it meant.) It even stunned them into silence for a few seconds.

I’m just as delighted, too. Aside from the obvious, this unit was done as part of a technology collaboration grant. On Thursday, those of us who participated in the grant are presenting our projects. How fun will it be to tell a room full of librarians what book our unit was based on?