Mo Willems' Pigeon App

One of my favorite blogs to read to find new books for the kids in my elementary library is MotherReader. She has great instincts into what books kids will like, plus I love her sense of humor and her almost-stalking of Mo Willems.  It was from her blog post "Mo and My Little Piggie" that I heard that Mo means for his books to be played like a readers theater, not just read, and doing that with the 2nd and 3rd graders in my library now is so much fun!  I have yet to have a group that can get through "We Are in a Book!" where they make the reader say, "Banana!" without falling on the floor laughing.  They often can't finish the play/story, and that's okay with me.

My school did the contest when "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy" was about to come out and no one knew what the Pigeon wanted.  Bulletin boards were covered with kids' pictures, from "The Pigeon Wants a Friend" to "The Pigeon Wants a Dessert" to "The Pigeon Wants a Sister."  Being a big Pigeon fan I entered MotherReader's contest for the new Mo Willems "Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App!".  What would be a good title for a Pigeon book that would make her and her TeenReader laugh?  Apparently "Don't Let the Pigeon Learn the Bagpipes!" was a winner.  I'm amazed and really excited to play with the Pigeon app.  I had a lot of fun thinking about it, and I think I'll ask my kids to think of some of their own, too.  More bulletin boards full of Pigeon pictures make for great library decorations!

Thanks, MotherReader for the app and the contest, and thanks for sharing good books with your readers!

Brixton Brothers: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

5/5 stars

As a fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, I loved this first book in the Brixton Brothers series.  Steve is a big fan of the Bailey Brothers, reading and rereading every book in the series about two brothers who solve crimes just like Frank and Joe Hardy.  Excerpts from the Bailey Brothers books show off their famous roundhouse punch, how to find the best hiding places, and how to reveal the bad guy in front of all the witnesses, all while Steve is solving his first case and trying to answer these questions:

• Why are librarians chasing Steve through the library and all over town?
• When Steve checks out a quilting book from the library, why do the lights go out?
• Why has Steve been assigned a report on quilting over the weekend anyway?
• What is the mystery behind the mysterious Mr. E?
• Why does Steve want his best friend Dana to dress up like a gorilla?

These questions and many others are answered in the first Brixton Brothers mystery, The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.  Those who enjoy a good mystery, such as the Hardy Boys or Encyclopedia Brown, will have a lot of fun reading this book.

All Hallows Read

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewebkist/1027779/

Dreamed up by Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline, Odd and the Frost Giants, and The Graveyard Book, All Hallows Read suggests that people give out spooky or Halloween-themed books for Halloween instead of candy.  There are several book lists on the website, for younger and older readers.  If you are looking for a good book to give away, take a look at AllHallowsRead.com.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

5/5 stars


The Gollywhopper Games is a book for those who enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and who love doing puzzles.  Gil Goodson is trying to help his father get his reputation back and help his family move, after his father was fired from the Golly Game and Toy Company for something he didn't do.  Gil enters a nationwide contest to be chosen to compete in the Gollywhopper Games, a series of puzzles and events involving words, math, history, and physical tests within the Golly company's factory.

The reader can solve the puzzles along with Gil, and along with the national television audience watching all the players' every move.  Will Gil's encyclopedic knowledge of the Golly company and his devotion to his father win the game?

A View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

5/5 stars

I just love that E.L. Konigsburg won the Newbery Medal for two books, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in 1968, and A View From Saturday in 1997, 29 years later.  In between, she wrote many other books, full of unusual characters and almost unbelievable links between them.  I reread this book recently, as it is part of the Global Reading Challenge list from our King County Library System children's librarians.

Four students, previously unconnected, find themselves as part of an Academic Bowl team coached by a teacher who recently returned to the classroom after a car accident that left her a widow and in a wheelchair.  Each chapter is told by a different character, with the story tied together by coincidences, connections, friendship, and the team's loyalty to their teacher.  They are an unlikely team, yet they become friends and complement each other.  Each thread of their individual stories is woven together into the fabric of the complete book, as E.L. Konigsburg does so well.

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young

5/5 stars

Doodlebug: A Novel in Doodles is written in the format of a sketchbook, and in the voice of a 7th grader, Dodo, telling the story of her family's move to San Francisco and the transitions they all experience. Dodo sketches and tells her story in a notebook, beginning with their drive to San Francisco, highlighting what she already knows about herself, that she is a visual learner and she learns better when she can doodle. 

She has been diagnosed as ADHD, an attention disorder, but has chosen not to take medication so she can deal with it in her own way, if her teachers will allow it. Why do we make rules? And who decides who should follow the rules and why? Should we all be the same person, or should we celebrate and embrace our differences? Doodlebug (Dodo's new name at her new school) faces these questions head-on as she tries to fit in to her new school. She's made new friends, but will she be able to stay at her new school with its rules?

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

5/5 stars


Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians is part of a series of graphic novels for the 3rd to 4th grade reader, those who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid and humorous graphic novels. The Lunch Lady is a secret superhero, who along with her sidekick Betty serves up fun, adventure, mystery, and corn dogs to the school. A group of students knows her secret identity and helps the Lunch Lady when the librarians begin to act suspiciously during a Book Fair. Do the librarians have a nefarious goal in mind, or are they just nervous about the upcoming Read-a-thon?

The Boy Who Couldn't Die by William Sleator

4/5 stars


Booktalk: William Sleator has a knack for writing creepy, science fiction stories that draw you in, then leave you with more questions than you had at the beginning of the book. The Boy Who Couldn't Die follows this pattern, with an extra dose of creepiness. Ken's best friend dies in a plane crash, and in the middle of his deep depression, Ken decides that he must never die. He finds a woman who promises him that she can protect him from pain and death forever for only fifty dollars. He takes her up on her offer and finds that he can't be injured or killed, but he starts having nightmares which appear to be coming true. Ken decides that he doesn't want to be immortal any more, but it is not as simple as just reversing the process, and now his friends and family are involved. Is it true that you don't always want what you wish for, after you've gotten it? Creepiness factor and dark subject matter would lead me to recommend this book to older readers (6th grade on up), but there are other William Sleator books which are appropriate for the 4th-5th grade set.

No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko

5/5 stars


Booktalk: The author of Al Capone Does My Shirts has created another unusual and character-driven book in No Passengers Beyond This Point. This sci-fi fantasy book follows three siblings, India, Finn and Mouse Tompkins, as they tell their story in their own points of view in alternating chapters. India, Finn and Mouse have just been told by their mother that their house is being taken away by the bank and they will be moving to Colorado to live with their uncle. The three children are shocked, especially when they are told that they are leaving the next day on a plane, without their mother, who needs to finish up her job and the packing. Their adventure begins on this somber note, but when they land in an unusual place called Falling Bird, what awaits them is not their uncle, but some choices about life, family, and what is really important. Mouse is a five-year-old genius, but even she is having trouble figuring out how they are going to find their way home again from the mysterious Falling Bird.

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

5 stars


Booktalk: Finn and four other kids have been chosen to be the first DHIs at Disney World, they are Disney Host Interactives, holographic versions of themselves who lead tours around the park. What they don't know is that one of the Imagineers has changed the source code for the holograph program so that Finn and his friends appear in the park after they have fallen asleep. Wally needs their help, some of the Disney villains, Maleficent, the pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean, and others, are part of a plot to take over Disney World, and then the world itself. Can Finn and the others stop the Overtakers from ruining the Disney dream? Great read for those who have been or who are planning a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, with many behind-the-scenes peeks at places which may or may not exist in the real Disney World.

Children’s Books for the iPad http://ping.fm/KCPrh

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord

Booktalk version: Tess Brooks lives on a small Maine island with her family, including her father, a lobsterman, and her mother, the island schoolteacher, and her little sister Libby. They want to add to their family so they offer a place to a foster child, partly to help increase the number of children on the island and save their little one-room schoolhouse. If the school closes, Tess' family will have to move to the mainland and her life will change from one where she has known everyone, taken part in island rituals such as the Talent Show, and gone with her father to catch lobsters. When Aaron, a thirteen-year-old boy, arrives, he is not the older brother Tess was hoping for. He is moody, resentful of his status as a foster child, and upset about leaving his jazz band. As he finds solace in his love of music by playing his trumpet and piano, most of the islanders accept him and appreciate his talents, but will Aaron ever accept the island and the Brooks family as home?

Full-length version: I seem to have a Maine theme going lately, between the third Penderwicks book, which takes place there, and Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord, the author of Rules, a popular read-aloud at my school. This author uses her books to share insights into characters that don't often get mainstream attention, autistic children, and foster children. In this book, Aaron, a thirteen-year-old foster child, comes to a small Maine island to live with the Brooks family. Tess is eleven years old and has been hoping that Aaron will be the older brother she never had. Libby, her little sister, just wants someone to play with. Their father is a lobsterman and their mother is the schoolteacher on the island, though maybe not for long. The state has said that there aren't enough children on the island to keep the school open, so the islanders hatch a plot to bring foster children to the island to keep their numbers high.

Tess doesn't want to have to move to the mainland, where others know all the rituals of belonging. Ritual and superstition are important to Tess, each chapter revolves around the idea of a superstition or luck-making ritual, and she has her own rituals that bring her comfort and that she feels require her to remain on the island. The thought of losing her known life for an unknown one has her confused and upset. Then the arrival of the moody and uninterested Aaron complicates her life even more. She doesn't like the unknown, and Aaron is a big unknown.

As Tess tries to help Aaron feel more comfortable with his new surroundings, she has to come to terms with some new things herself, as difficult as that is. Change is hard, and everyone in this book is dealing with change on some level.

This book provides some insight into the difficulties and joys of island life, bringing the Maine island and fishing culture to life. The reader will also find some insight into the life of a foster child, their fears and hopes, and the difficulty in finding a place one can call "home."

Ghost Ship (The Sunken Kingdom series) by Kim Wilkins

Booktalk version: Asa and Rollo are a brother and sister on the run from the evil Emperor Flood and his spies. They live with their aunt in a secret cottage on an island far from the castle where they grew up with their father and mother, the King and Queen of the Star Lands. When the Emperor came, he flooded the lands, making the mountains into islands, and capturing most of the members of Asa and Rollo's family. A mysterious stranger visits the children one day, bringing a gift from their father, a ghost ship, which they can use to try to reclaim their throne. This is the first in a four book series about the Sunken Kingdom.

Full-length version: Ghost Ship by Kim Wilkins, illustrated by D. M. Cornish, is the first book in The Sunken Kingdom series. The book opens with Asa and Rollo, sister and brother, running for their lives to hide in a dank cave from spies for the Emperor Flood. The children are the only survivors of the royal family, captured by the emperor when he flooded the kingdom. They live with their aunt in a cottage which hides a warren of underground rooms built by their father, the King, in case the family needed a place to hide. His prediction has come true, and Asa and Rollo spend their days keeping out of sight from the emperor's spies.

A strange visitor comes to visit one day, bringing news about their family, and a gift from the King, a ghost ship. The ship is invisible unless hit by the rays of the rising sun, and Asa and Rollo sail off to try to save their family's legacy. Adventures and magical creatures await them in this book and the other three in the series.

The illustrations are dark and are reminiscent of The Spiderwick Chronicles or The Series of Unfortunate Events. It is a little confusing that the siblings are described in the text as children, but the illustrations show them as older, possibly teenagers. The tone is not as hopeless as the Lemony Snicket books, but readers will wonder how these two children might regain control of what is rightfully theirs, the sunken kingdom of the Star Lands.

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

Booktalk version: The Penderwicks are on vacation in Maine, but not all of them. Their father is in England, Rosalind, the eldest, is in New Jersey, and the remaining three Penderwick girls are under the care of Aunt Claire in a small town in Maine. As they explore the beach, the woods and the town, they make friends with several other summer visitors. Will Skye be able to keep everyone safe, as the Oldest Available Penderwick, even after a few accidents? Will Jane be able to finish her Sabrina Starr novel, even though she can't get any answers to her questions about romance and love? The Penderwicks may learn that sometimes being apart can bring you closer together in the end

Full-length version: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall is the third book in the Penderwicks series, about a family of girls being raised by their single father after the death of their mother. Many other characters are a part of their extended family, including their Aunt Claire, their friend Jeffery, and various other adults who are drawn into their fun, intelligent, charming family circle.

In this book, the Penderwicks are separated as their father travels to England, and Rosalind, usually the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick), travels to New Jersey for a vacation. The three remaining Penderwicks, 11-year-old Skye, 10-year-old Jane, and 5-year-old Batty, along with the faithful Hound, are off to a small town in Maine with their Aunt Claire for two weeks on their own.

The family meets other enjoyable characters in their small town, and adventures abound as they explore the beach, the sea, and the woods, all the while thinking of Rosalind and their father while learning to handle situations on their own. Skye worries about whether she is a good leader, Jane worries about whether she has unending writer's block as she tries to learn about romance, and Batty just misses Rosalind but makes a new friend.

The intelligence of these characters, their complex and interesting conversations, and their positive interactions with everyone they meet are charming and enjoyable to read. Their relationships and demeanor remind me of the Little Women books by Louisa May Alcott. This is excellent, intelligent writing, and the reader will want to move into the cottage next door to share the world of the Penderwicks.

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee

Booktalk version: Bink and Gollie have their differences, but they are friends, who always find ways to remain friends while working out ways to compromise so everyone is happy. Throughout the chapters, the two friends play, share meals, and have adventures together, discovering that no matter their differences, friends are friends for a reason: they like each other.

Full-length version: Bink and Gollie, written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile, is part of a recent publication of many low-level books that look like chapter books, intended for beginning readers. Many of these titles are in the format of the Frog and Toad series, with three short stories or chapters, heavily illustrated, but having coherent and interesting storylines. Students love to carry these smaller, longer books around as they transition from picture books to chapter books, often in 1st or 2nd grade. Kate DiCamillo has had success previously, not only with her Newbery-winning book The Tale of Despereaux, but with her Mercy Watson series for younger readers.

Bink and Gollie are friends who live near each other, at the foot of a tree and in the tree itself. They have their differences, but throughout the book, whether they are rollerskating or adventuring together, they find a way to resolve their differences and remain friends. The illustrations are charming and add detail to the simple story. Readers who like Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia, and Nate the Great would find this a charming addition to their book stack.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor

Booktalk version: Owen has found a wonderful, fantastic thing by the train tracks while living at his grandfather's house and exploring the pond and woods around the house during a hot Southern summer. While deciding what to do about this wonderful thing, Owen learns about friendship, secrets, and what to do if something you love really wants to be free. Rich language and descriptions create vivid imagery of Owen's adventures as he makes friends and difficult decisions.

Full-length version: The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor lets you know right away that it is set in the South, mentioning jars of pickled okra on the first page, and the sense of setting stays strong throughout the book. The smells, sounds and sights of summer in small town in Georgia permeate the story, so a reader can smell the honeysuckle, hear the chirp of crickets and the "deep r-u-u-u-m-m-m of a bullfrog," and imagine the rickety ladder leading up to the hay-covered floor of the hayloft in the falling-down barn.

Owen Jester and his parents live with his grandfather and Earlene, his grandfather's nurse and housekeeper and cook, because Owen's father lost his job. The opportunities for Owen to explore the surrounding woods, train tracks, and pond almost make up for his irritating neighbor, Viola, and the mean-spirited Earlene. One night Owen hears a strange sound as a train passes by, which leads to adventures he never imagined with his friends Travis and Stumpy.

Woven throughout the story is Owen's concern for a bullfrog he caught at the pond after a long wait. Owen struggles with his love for the frog and the "niggle" in his brain that tells him something is wrong. The two storylines of the boys' adventure and the bullfrog blend together to highlight the theme of what to do when something doesn't belong to you but you love or want it desperately.

The word choice in this book is lovely:

Viola's sandals made a slapping noise...

The bolts made pingy noises as they hit garden tools...

...kicking his froggy legs the livelong day...

Her voice swirled around the room like a horde of angry bees.

Owen's tornado of aggravation was spinning so fast it took all the words out of his head.

Readers learning about word choice and setting would find a gold mine in The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester. A quick, fun, summer read about the adventures of one boy and the lessons he learned about friendship and what to do when you love something but you need to decide whether to let it go free or not.

The Ghost, the White House, and Me by Judith St. George

Booktalk version: KayKay Granger and her family have just moved into the White House, and immediately become caught up in a mystery involving the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Readers interested in the presidents and the history of the White House will find interesting facts throughout the story, while KayKay is exploring her new home and trying to find out if the White House is haunted!

Full-length version: Judith St. George is known for her book So You Want to be President? which won a Caldecott Medal for illustrator David Small in 2001, and she has put that research into good use in The Ghost, the White House, and Me. Bits and pieces of presidential history are woven into a story that involves possible ghosts in the White House.

KayKay Granger and her family have just moved into the White House, as her mother was recently inaugurated as the President of the United States. KayKay, or Katherine, as her mother usually calls her, has a younger sister, Annie, and together they are discovering what life is like inside the White House. Readers get a good idea of what their daily life is like, plus some of the off limits areas of the White House are described in the course of their adventures.

The book is more of an adventure with some mystery elements, as KayKay and her sister try to find out if Abraham Lincoln's ghost is haunting the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House. Their family is still sorting out their dynamics after becoming the First Family, and some of the girls' sleuthing is impeded by their mother's need for the family to always be proper and polite. When a prank involving their Uncle Matt, the President's brother, the girls have to find new friends and new ways to continue their adventuring.

The presidential information is included within conversations and KayKay's research, and does not seem out of place within the story. People who live in the White House would naturally discuss the history and the people who have lived there. This book might encourage a reader to follow up with more research on a president, as it does for KayKay.

This was a fun look into the inner workings of the White House and a presidential family, with a mysterious supernatural adventure included.

Trouble Under the Big Top by J. Banscherus

Booktalk version: Klooz is a boy who solves mysteries, like Encyclopedia Brown. Pedro works in a circus and asks Klooz to investigate his sister, Vanessa, who usually is an excellent juggler but lately has been making mistakes. Klooz visits the circus to look for clues, follows someone secretly, and tries to discover the reason behind Vanessa's unusually clumsiness.

Full-length version: Still on the hunt for more mysteries, I read Trouble Under the Big Top, which has been translated into English. The main character is named Klooz and is a boy who solves mysteries, a la Encyclopedia Brown. The style of the books includes text and sketched pictures interspersed. The series is published in the U.S. by Stone Arch Books, publisher of some other popular lower-level chapter books, so I had high hopes.

The story is a typical mystery with clues for Klooz to investigate regarding a circus. Pedro is concerned about his sister, Vanessa, who is a perfect circus performer in rehearsal, but tosses a pin into the crowd every night when doing the family juggling act. Strangely enough, the pin is tossed back directly to her from the crowd and the act goes on as if it never happened. Pedro wants Klooz to find out what is wrong with her, as it could damage the family circus business.

The struggle I have with this book is that the language reads as if it was translated. The conversations and the sentence structure is awkward and simplistic. I would hesitate to give this to a beginning reader because of the awkwardness. There are other books at this level, 2nd to 3rd grade, which are more natural in writing and conversation style.

Examples:

Pedro came running up to us. He was still wearing makeup. Lines from his sweat had left little lines on his face. He looked a little like Count Dracula.

"Watch for everything," Pedro said. Everything? That knocked me right out of my shoes!

I will not be suggesting this to my teachers for literature circles, but I will put it in my library to see what students think of it. If they like Klooz I will purchase more in the series for the library.

The Last Universe by William Sleator

Booktalk version: Gary was a high school sports star, but now he is wasting away, and has to be pushed around in his wheelchair by his sister, Susan. Without much else to do, they explore the huge overgrown garden and woods in the back of their house, where strange things begin to happen. Paths move, flowers grow overnight, and Gary begins to feel drawn to a hedge maze that appears to have something to do with their uncle's work with quantum physics. Will the siblings be able to use these strange events to help Gary get better? Or will things only get worse?

Full-length version: Gary used to be a high school sports star and enjoyed spending time with his friends, but now he is confined to a wheelchair with an unnamed disease. His sister Susan, the narrator of the book, is stuck with the job of pushing his chair around whereever he wants, which she resents, but is expected by her parents to do whatever Gary wants her to do.

The siblings discover that the huge overgrown garden behind their ancestral home contains secrets, including some to do with quantum physics and alternate universes. If this sounds overwhelming, the author includes explanations of quantum physics woven into the story, as Susan learns more about it through her brother and her friend Lisa, helping both Susan and the reader understand the concepts.

The description of the garden in the backyard is vivid, it is easy to picture the flowers, grass, dark and menacing trees, and the maze that they find through a quirk of quantum physics. As the characters explore the garden and maze, Gary is focused on getting well again, while Susan alternates between wanting to do what is best for Gary and making sure that she gets what she needs and wants out of life. Susan is stuck in a difficult position and her conflicts come out in various situations.

The book allows the reader to suspend their disbelief because of its clear explanations of quantum physics and the struggles of the characters. I believe this book would be a good choice for students advanced enough to comprehend the basic physics explanations and for those who enjoy science fiction. Often science fiction focuses on technology and futuristic ideas, while this book focuses on known physics and embeds it in a realistic, if farfetched, situation.

The Secret in the Attic (7 Sister Mysteries) by Ellen Miles

Booktalk version: Ophelia and her sisters, all named for Shakespeare characters, live in a small town in Vermont, with all the characteristics of a small town: a Main Street, safe streets, and a haunted house. When Ophelia babysits for the new family who moved into the "haunted house" she discovers a real-life mystery that may have to do with the town's long history.

Full-length version: On the hunt for a good easier reading level mystery, I found The Secret in the Attic by Ellen Miles (author of the Puppy Place and Kitty Corner series that are very popular with my 2nd and 3rd grade girls), part of the 7 Sister Mysteries series. I found four titles in the series, with The Secret in the Attic being the first of the four.

Seven sisters, all named for characters in Shakespeare plays, are part of the Parker clan, living in a small town in Vermont. Ophelia is the narrator of the story, and through her babysitting job for a new family in town, she becomes wrapped up in a mystery in the town's supposed haunted house.

Ophelia and her sisters and the children she is watching, Toby and Gwen Frederick, play detective, finding clues and exploring the old Bascomb house, which the Frederick family has inherited. This mystery follows the standard pattern of finding clues, red herrings, and misconceptions, leaving the reader unsure of the ending until it happens. Suspicions abound, while spooky sounds, people and even the lights going out during a thunderstorm provide a mysterious atmosphere.

This is a good basic mystery for those learning about the elements of a mystery. The main characters are mostly girls, though they have varying personalities and are involved in everything from photography, police work, literary magazines, and sports, the book might not appeal to some boys. Fans of Nancy Drew style classic mysteries will find a similar style in this book, perfect for a 3rd or 4th grader interested in mysteries. I will add this to my recommendations to our 5th grade teachers for literature circles, but might add that at that age it might only catch the attention of the girls.

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Booktalk version: Liam Digby looks like an adult, but when he decides to act like an adult his adventures begin. He wins a trip on a new rocket ride, and decides to masquerade as a friend's father so he can experience this once-in-a-lifetime ride. However, the ride strands them in space, heading for the moon, unsure of how they will ever get back to Earth. Filled with space exploration facts, readers will learn about space travel both as history shows it, and how it might be for one 12-year-old boy who wishes for adventure and gets more than he bargained for. Is it always best to get what you want?

Full-length version: Cosmic has been on the library's shelves for most of this year, one of the many purchases I made to satisfy my reacquired interest in science fiction, and to support the sixth grade team's inclusion of science fiction in their reading curriculum. One of our public librarians booktalked some titles when she came to talk about summer reading programs, and this was one she highlighted for our sixth graders.

The story revolves around Liam Digby from Liverpool, a twelve-year-old who looks like an adult with his above-average height and facial hair, and is also considered Gifted and Talented. Testing the limits of his appearance leads Liam to adventures, the biggest of which begins with a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-type contest. The winners of the contest are to experience the newest and most spectacular ride in the world, a rocket trip into space and back again, supposedly. Throughout the experience, the children begin to learn how to be individuals while discovering that they are not as dissimilar as they thought.

I highly recommend this story to fans of science fiction as well as other types of books. The well-balanced mix of character quirks, plot, and scientific information will appeal to readers who appreciate unique plots. The book is sprinkled with real-life facts about the history of space travel, as well as one real-life astronaut as a character, and includes a page with links to NASA resources. I found myself looking up information about the names and events mentioned while I was reading the book.

For readers who enjoy books that make you think about your place in the world, there are moments of introspection and rhetorical questions about who we are as individuals and how our view of ourselves changes as the world around us changes. Or as Liam says:

Maybe everyone's got their own special gravity that lets you go far away, really far away sometimes, but which always brings you back in the end. Because here's the thing. Gravity is variable. Sometimes you float like a feather. Sometimes you're too heavy to move. Sometimes one boy can weigh more than the whole universe. The universe goes on forever, but that doesn't make you small.

This book doesn't make you feel small, but it makes you think about yourself and your relationship to others and the world around us. I highly recommend this book for literature circles or a read-aloud, possibly for an astronomy unit. There are many issues which could be discussed, as well as facts to be learned and researched.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Booktalk version: Abilene Tucker arrives in the small town of Manifest hoping to find out more about her own past and that of her father, who has sent her here to live with friends while he works a railroad job during the Depression. Abilene finds new friends, adults who watch out for her as if she were family, and a mystery dating back to World War I. As she digs deeper into the town history to solve the mystery, Abilene hears stories about the past from the town diviner, Miss Sadie, and tries to weave them into her own knowledge and piece her own story together.

Full-length version: I bought the 2011 Newbery Medal winning book, Moon Over Manifest, for my library when it won, and I read the first few chapters, but haven't been able to finish it until today. I kept giving it to students and staff, hoping they would love it as much as I did even after just the little bit I had read. It is not even covered or stamped or labeled yet, it just kept getting passed along from reader to reader. They all loved it, and now I love it even more.

This book strikes me as a cross between The Penderwicks and Harriet the Spy, filled with memorable characters, excellent writing (examples to follow), a mystery, and an implicit trust that the reader will follow along the twists and turns without extraneous explaining.

At the beginning of the story, Abilene Tucker is arriving in Manifest, Kansas, where her father spent some time in his youth, and she is obviously independent and confident. She has her expectations for arriving in a new town, including the "universals" which seem to be the same in every town. Her story revolves around the idea of discovering that the town is not universal, and that "The line between truth and myth is sometimes difficult to see," says Miss Sadie, the town's mystic and diviner.

The book is filled with memorable and unique characters, met mostly through the stories Miss Sadie tells Abilene as she works in the hot summer sun to repay a debt to Miss Sadie. Abilene learns a bit more each day as she listens and watches, piecing together the story of the town of Manifest and her father, trying to find the own beginning and end to her own story.

Beautiful and charming language makes this book a joy to read.

"Better get on over to school. You don't want to be late." He studied the splayed-out typewriter in front of him. "Here's a couple things for you to mind while you're there." He handed me the letters P and Q.

The sign in the window said Miss Sadie was a medium. From the look of her, I'd say that was a bit wishful. The heavy red dress she wore brushed across the floor, tossing up dust as she hobbled to an ornate chair behind a round table.

Maybe the world wasn't made up of universals that could be summed up in neat little packages. Maybe there were just people. People who were tired and hurt and lonely and kind in their own way and their own time.

Until then, I'd never heard her speak, and I was surprised by her voice. I'd expected it to be sharp and tinny. But it came out quiet and soft, like velvet. And her words carried something sweet and precious.

A sweet and precious book that is asking to be read again and again. Is there any higher praise for a book? This would be a fabulous read-aloud for those studying World War I, the home front during 1918, or the Depression Era. The different voices telling the story from different points of view would be fun to read out loud to a class or a single listener.

As a student said in a note to me, after I shoved this book into her hands and told her she had to read it, "I see why this won the Newbery!"

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

Booktalk version: Maddy is forced to leave her friends and school behind when her parents divorce, and she and her mom and sister move in with her grandmother in a small town. Maddy's interests in manga and gaming seem to rub the popular crowd the wrong way, and she feels the only escape she has is through an online multiplayer game, where she meets the knight of her dreams, Sir Leo. As she feels more comfortable at her new school and makes some new friends, she begins to wonder about the true identity of Sir Leo, and could he be her real-life knight in shining armor?

Full-length version: On the recommendation of a 6th grade girl, I began reading Gamer Girl while we were at our 6th grade end-of-the-year outdoor education camp. She had it at camp and loaned it to me to read. I read all the way home on the bus, and reluctantly returned it to her and then promptly checked it out from my local public library so I could finish it.

This is a book for the 12-16-year-old set, so I won't be carrying it in my library, but as a gamer and a bit of an outsider and geek myself, I identified with the main character, Maddy Starr. Maddy is forced to move into her grandmother's house when her parents divorce, and has to leave her friends and interests behind in Boston when she begins school at a new high school. From the first day, when her grandmother insists that she wear a unicorn sweatshirt instead of her goth clothes, Maddy becomes a target for the Haters, her name for the popular group of boys and girls.

Maddy finds solace in an online multiplayer game that her father plays, and though it begins as a way for her to connect with her father who lives hours away, she finds a new gaming friend in "Sir Leo" and begins to have a crush on this online character. Maddy does understand about online safety and follows the rules set by her parents, but somehow gets the idea that Sir Leo is really someone she knows in her new school. They have discussions as their online characters and Maddy begins to feel less alone.

Maddy also finds a sympathetic teacher who helps her realize that her interest in manga might have an impact on her future, and offers to help Maddy start up a manga club at the school. Suddenly Maddy finds a group of people similar to herself and finds out that not everyone at her school is part of the popular group of Haters.

Readers who enjoyed Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli will find a similar sympathy for Maddy, yet in an updated game format, where some conversations between characters take place within the game in an instant message or texting format. I did not find this distracting from the main text, and often the gaming messaging moved the plot forward or brought out specific characteristics of the players.

Those who root for the underdog or who secretly (or not so secretly) wanted the popular group in their school to disappear, will love Gamer Girl. The gaming speak and environment will be familiar to those who play online games, but the social situation will be familiar to all, as these situations are universal to all experiences growing up.

There are a few instances of language that make this book more middle to high school reading, but no adult situations other than a crush and a kiss or two.

The Seattle Puzzle (The Boxcar Children)

Booktalk version: The four Alden children of the Boxcar Children mystery series are on vacation in Seattle, wrapped up in a mystery taking them to some of Seattle's most famous tourist spots, including the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Fremont Troll. Are they really seeing familiar faces as they ride a ferry and take the Underground Tour, or is there something sinister taking place on the streets of Seattle?

Full-length version: I am reading some shorter mysteries in the 500-600 Lexile level for our 5th grade teachers, trying to find a good fit for a literature circle group that has some struggling readers. They will be studying the mystery genre, and while we have several at higher levels, we need a good book for this group that has the elements of a mystery, is written at about a 3rd grade level, but looks old enough to be read by a 5th grader.

The first book I tried was The Seattle Puzzle based on The Boxcar Children mysteries series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Warner died in 1979, but books in the series have continued to be published, following her style but updating the series to current times.

In The Seattle Puzzle, the Aldens accompany their grandfather on his business trip to Seattle and get wrapped up in a mystery, as they are known to do. There are interesting facts and locations sprinkled among the text, easily familiar to someone who has explored Seattle as a resident or a tourist. The Alden children visit the Pike Place Market, the Fremont Troll and the Underground Tour, as well as the Space Needle and Bainbridge Island via ferry.

As the children track clues and keep seeing possible familiar faces around Seattle, there are some elements of a mystery, but the ending is not as satisfactory as other traditional mysteries. There are no "bad guys" to unmask, and the children themselves do not really solve the mystery, though they work through the clues as they travel around.

I think 3rd to 4th graders would enjoy this book, and some 5th graders who are already familiar with the series. I am not going to recommend this for the mystery genre literature circles because it is not really a traditional mystery. I will continue to read in this genre, hoping to find another possible book to recommend to teachers.

A Book-A-Day Challenge

Inspired by Donalyn Miller's blog post over on GoodReads.com, I am going to read a book a day this summer. Beginning tomorrow, June 18th, the first day of summer vacation, and ending September 11th, the day before the first day of school, I will read a book each day. They may not be long books, I may read one book and part of another so I can finish one each day, but I will accomplish my goal.

I have a stack of books next to my bed, a stack next to my living room chair, unread books on my Kindle, and books almost everywhere else in the house. This is my chance to catch up on the titles I didn't get to read during the school year, find more books to recommend to my K-6 students next year, and find books to complement curriculum and to suggest to teachers. Multiple reasons exist to take on this challenge, so I will!

I will track my reading here, so I have a record of the books I read and summaries/reviews that I can share with students and teachers next school year. I will also post #abookaday updates on my Twitter account to hold myself accountable.

I'm excited for this challenge and know that I will come out of this summer with a lot of fabulous books ready to share with students and staff.