Today we did the photo shoot for next year's school calendar. Mrs. Hall's class rings in December Yoda Style! So cool!
Showing posts with label upper unit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upper unit. Show all posts
March 15, 2011
Book Talk: Saving Zasha
Now we have a Newbery Contender for 2011!
Yes, Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow is one to watch.
This book takes place in Northern Russia not long after World War II has ended. The country is still suffering the effects of the war- very little gasoline and food, and many of the men are still missing or dead from their battle against Germany. The people of Russia are so angry with Germany that they have banned all things German, including dogs, namely, German Shepherds.
When Mikhail is out in the woods one afternoon, he finds an injured soldier and his dog- a German Shepherd named Zasha. Mikhail helps the man onto his horse and back to his home where his mother, little sister Rina and older brother Nikolai run to his aid. They get the man inside and clean him up and help him get comfortable. When Mikhail's mother tries to shoo the dog from the house, the man puts up a fight and the dog is allowed to stay by his side. Zasha is still by his side in the morning. Mikhail discovered that the man died during the night.
The family decides that they must take the dead man into town and explain what happened to the police. The children agree, but want to keep the dog. Their family has been so sad and lonely since their father went missing during the war. Their mother concedes and the dog is allowed to stay with them. However, they must keep Zasha hidden. People are not allowed to have dogs after the war, and a German Shepherd would be killed on site. Nikolai tells his family that he saw a Russian soldier shoot and kill 2 German Shepherds in the street. He also believes that the man they tried to save died trying to protect his dog.
When they arrive at the police station, they tell their story, leaving out the part about the dog. While they are there, Irina, a newspaper reporter arrives, followed by the editor's nosy and snooty daughter, Katia. Immediately Katia is in the middle of the discussion of the dead man. She announces that she will investigate and find the story his death. This makes Mikhail very nervous, because Katia is one of his least favorite people and he doesn't appreciate her sticking her nose into his business.
Once back at the farm, the family must decide how to keep Zasha and the family safe. The boys find several hiding places to keep Zasha in case of an emergency. The family falls in love with her, and she seems to bring happiness to all of them. The boys spend time training her and she catches on quickly. As promised, Katia does investigate the death of the mystery man and ends up at the farm on several occasions. Her guess is that the man had a dog and he was killed trying to protect it. She tells Mikhail that she found dog hairs on the dead man's coat. She took a sample of the hairs and discovered that the dog is a German Shepherd. She suspects that Mikhail is hiding the dog and tells him that anyone found with a German Shepherd will be considered a traitor and the dog will be killed.
When a truck carrying 2 dog thieves show up at the farm, Mikhail and Nikolai know they have to do something more to protect Zasha. When the dead man's wife shows up, they know that they have to tell the truth about the dog. When a mysterious soldier claims to be opening a dog kennel, they think they have found the solution to their problem. Mikhail will stop at nothing to keep Zasha safe. He promises her that he will never, ever leave her... will he be able to keep his promise?
During World War II, dogs were used by the Russians in the war effort. Dogs carried messages through battle fields, dogs were used to guard prisoners and sniff out lost soldiers. One of the most disturbing jobs that dogs held was to carry a bomb strapped on their back, approach a German tank and blow it, and themselves up. Russia deployed of 40,000 Anti-Tank dogs during WWII. Once the German soldiers caught on, they were ordered to shoot all dogs on site. Because of this, dogs disappeared from Russia. When the government realized this, they decided to make a Russian Super Dog, and set up an official government office (The Red Star Kennel) in Moscow to take charge of breeding this super dog. In 1955, Russia had created The Russian Black Terrier, also known as the Russian Pearl. This dog weighed between 80 and 100 pounds and stood 2 and 1/2 feet high. The Black Russian Terrier is a working class dog that loves to play with children and is protective (not aggressive). Many breeds were used to create this Super Dog, including Rottweiler, The Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane and German Shepherd. Anti Tank Dogs were trained in Russia until 1996. Randi Barrow explains that this book is a work of fiction that was inspired by the events following WWII in Russia.
Kids at Lemme School love to read books about dogs, and they get mad at me when the dog in the book dies! I know that this book will fly off the shelf and will appeal to any child that is an animal lover. This book is great for tricking an unsuspecting child into reading a historical fiction book! They will learn something at the same time they enjoy a fabulous story and they won't even realize it! This book sends a powerful message about what man is capable during war and how innocent lives are taken in the process.
March 10, 2011
Tween Fiction
tween (twn) n. A child between middle childhood and adolescence, usually between 8 and 12 years old.
What is it about kids these days? They think they need to grow up so fast! Try as we might, we just can't convince them that there is no hurry. I have noticed these days that my "tween"readers (ages 8-12) are quick to jump in to books that are intended for young adults! (They ask me for Hunger Games and Twilight!) Young adult fiction is geared towards kids ages 14 to 21. Tween readers are ages 8-12.
Today I will let you in on a little known librarian secret: we trick kids. That is right. We trick them into thinking they are reading books that are meant for older kids. I bet you didn't know that, did you? So, today I open my bag of tricks and give you 9 books that I use to trick these "children" into thinking they are reading "young adult" books... if you are a kid, this blog post will self destruct in 10 seconds and you will have no memory of what you've just witnessed.
Realistic Fiction
Draper, Sharon. Out of My Mind
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-graderwith cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. Starred Review.
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-graderwith cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. Starred Review.
When the state of Maine threatens to shut down their island's one-room schoolhouse because of dwindling enrollment, eleven-year-old Tess, a strong believer in luck, and her family take in a trumpet-playing foster child, to increase the school's population.
California seventh-graders Sarah and Marjorie made a promise in kindergarten to always be friends, but Marjorie is weird and Sarah, wanting to be at least somewhat popular, makes friends with a fellow choir member. Starred Review
Science Fiction
Buckingham, Royce. The Dead Boys
Timid twelve-year-old Teddy Mathews and his mother move to a small, remote desert town in eastern Washington, where the tree next door, mutated by nuclear waste, eats children and the friends Teddy makes turn out to be dead.
When his family exceeds its legal debt limit, thirteen-year-old Matt is sent to the Federal Debt Rehabilitation Agency workhouse, where he discovers illicit activities are being carried out using the children who have been placed there.
Fourteen-year-old Zach learns he has the same special abilities as his father, who was the president's globetrotting troubleshooter until "The Bads" killed him, and now Zach must decide
whether to use his powers in the same way at the risk of his own life.
Historical Fiction
Chili Sue Mahoney longs to escape her tiny Kentucky hometown and see the world, but she also learns to recognize beauty in the people and places around he.
After her father, brother, and sister are killed in a plane crash, twelve-year-old Daralynn's life in tiny Digginsville, Missouri, proceeds as her mother turns angry and embittered, her grandmother becomes senile, and her flamboyant aunt continues to run the Summer Sunset Retirement Home for Distinguished Gentlemen, while being courted by the owner of the town's new crematorium.
In 1962, when her best friend Lowell begins to hang around new friends who think girls are losers, Juliet, a fearful fifth-grader, teams up with bold, brave Patsy who challenges the boys to a series of increasingly dangerous contests. Starred Review
January 22, 2011
Book Talk: Grounded
Daralynn Oakland went fishing at Doc's Lake without asking permission, so she got grounded. Being grounded is what saved her life. She was suppose to be in the airplane with her dad, little sister Lilac Rose and brother Wayne that day- the day the plane crashed. In the book Grounded by Kate Klise, we follow Daralynn during the year after the funeral. Daralynn watches her mother turn into an angry, bitter woman and she watches her Mamaw turn into a confused old lady who plays with the 237 dolls Daralyn got from people that attended the funeral. She watches her Aunt Josie fall in love and have her heart broken and she watches her Uncle deal with life after returning from The Vietnam War. We watch Daralynn deal with the horrible grief of losing so many people she loved. Her mother won't talk about her brother, sister and father, and Daralynn is afraid she will forget them. Daralynn starts writing letters to her father in a journal she got from her teacher. The journal lets her talk to her dad in a way she can't talk to her mother. The journal is also a place where Daralynn records everything she learns as she investigates a stranger who comes to town and turns everyone's life upside down. This book ends with a twist, and for me, it ends in tears. This is a beautiful book that explores how 1 young girl deals with grief, and learns how death affects those left behind. We see Daralynn change over the year that follows the death of her family, and would be a great novel to use when teaching character to older students. The book takes place during the mid 1970's, but is timeless. The cover art is stunning, and the title takes on several meanings as your progress through the book.
(This book reminds me of The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, and adult novel that I enjoyed very much.)
October 13, 2010
Thursday Thirteen (13)
I have 110 books on my "To Read" list, so today, I give you the 13 at the top of the list. All of these books are new to the Lemme Library this year. Hopefully I can read all 13 before Winter Vacation. You should read them and let me know what you think! I will even post YOUR review! Leave your review in the comment section!
The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez F GON
In 1961 after Castro has come to power in Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucia and her seven-year-old brother are sent to the United States when her parents, who are not in favor of the new regime, fear that the children will be taken away from them as others have been.
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael Beil F BEI
Catholic-schooled seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly neighbor solve a puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago.
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine F ERS
Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.
It Only Looks Easy by Pamela Curtis Swallow F SWA
On the first day of seventh grade when Kat "borrows" a bicycle to go see her dog who was hit the day before by a woman with Alzheimer's disease, she learns about the serious consequences of impetuous actions and manages to make some new friends in the process.
On the first day of seventh grade when Kat "borrows" a bicycle to go see her dog who was hit the day before by a woman with Alzheimer's disease, she learns about the serious consequences of impetuous actions and manages to make some new friends in the process.
The 100 Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett F BAR
Xena and Xander Holmes, an American brother and sister living in London for a year, discover that Sherlock Holmes was their great-great-great grandfather when they are inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives and given his unsolved casebook, from which they attempt to solve the case of a famous missing painting.
The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon by David Almond ALM
Helped by a very long ladder, some unusual acquaintances, two rather worried parents, and a great deal of community spirit, a young English boy makes an astonishing discovery when he embarks on a mission to prove that the moon is nothing but a big hole in the sky.
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti F BAR
In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass F MAS
Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, to watch a total eclipse of the sun; but soon they begin to learn a great deal about themselves, each other, and the universe.
The True Meaning of Smekaday by Adam Rex F REX
Twelve-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is left to fend for herself after Earth is colonized by aliens and her mother is abducted, and must try to stop another alien invasion with only the help of a cat named Pig and an alien named J. Lo.
Keeper by Kathi Appelt F APP
Ten-year-old Keeper heads to a sandbar in a small boat along with her dog BD and a seagull named Captain in order to find her mother, a mermaid who left her when Keeper was only three.
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai F SEN
Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, eleven-year-old Fadi and his family immigrate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Fadi schemes to return to the Pakistani refugee camp where his little sister was accidentally left behind.
Countdown by Deborah Wiles F WIL
As eleven-year-old Franny Chapman deals with drama at home and with her best friend in 1962, she tries to understand the larger problems in the world after President Kennedy announces that Russia is sending nuclear missiles to Cuba. Features historic quotations and photographs.
Reckless by Cornelia Funke F FUN
Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences.
a href=”http://www.thursday-13.com” target=”_blank”>
a href=”http://www.thursday-13.com” target=”_blank”>
October 12, 2010
Top Ten for Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Boys, boys boys. I love them! As a librarian, they are my biggest challenge. Boys don't check out as many books as the girls- and they just don't seem to have the passion for books that girls do. The statistics speak volumes: boy readers lag behind their female counterparts. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study in 2001, 4th girls in all of the 30+ participating countries scored higher in reading literacy than 4th grade boys. Similar findings show up in the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress scores.
"Why", you ask? Theories abound. According to Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm in Reading Don't Fix No Chevys ( 2002), research on gender differences and literacy provide some interesting findings:
- Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do
- Boys read less than girls read
- Boys value reading as an activity less than girls do
According to a national survey conducted by the Young Adult Library Services Association in 2001, boys of an average age of 14 listed their top obstacles to reading:
- boring/no fun 39.3%
- no time/too busy 29.8%
- like other activities better 11.1%
- can't get into the stories 7.7%
- I'm not good at it 4.3%
What is the key to changing this trend? Provide boys with GREAT (and I mean GREAT) books! Provide them with a variety of books and encourage them to read! If you value reading, they will too. Talk with boys about books- ask them to tell you about what they are reading. Turn off the tv and the video game system and make them read! (easier said than done, I know! My husband would rather play XBox 360 than read... unless it is a video game magazine!)
So, here are my top 10 books for little guys and my top 10 books for big guys. I hope you can find something for the guy in your life. And, I have made a fierce display of boy only books in the Lemme Library (yes, girls can read them too!)
LITTLE GUYS
Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg E VAN Left on their own for an evening, two boisterous brothers find more excitement than they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical space adventure board game.
Dinosaur Roar! by Paul & Henrietta Sticklan E STI
Rhyming text and fun illustrations present all kinds of dinosaurs!
Arrowhawk by Lola Schaefer E SCH
Based on the true story of a bird of prey's survival after being struck by a poacher's arrow.
Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarret Krosoczka E KRO
When pirate mommy announces bath time, it is yo ho ho and to the bath we go for her little pirates.
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems E WIL
Regardless of all his efforts, Leonardo the monster simply cannot seem to frighten anyone, until he meets the perfect nervous little boy.
Karate Hour by Carol Nevius E NEV
Rhyming text portrays the excitement of an hour of karate class.
Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg 398.2 GIN
Wanting a son, an old man and woman make a clay boy who comes to life and begins eating everything in sight until he meets a clever goat.
Puss in Cowboy Boots by Jan Huling 398.2 HUL
Set in Texas, a retelling of the fairy tale in which a clever cat wins for his master a fortune and a wealthy and talented bride.
Hi Fly Guy by Jim Arnosky ER ARN
When Buzz captures a fly to enter in The Amazing Pet Show, his parents and the judges tell him that a fly cannot be a pet, but Fly Guy proves them wrong.
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long E LON
Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.
BIG GUYS
When wealthy, spoiled, thirteen-year-old Tad Spencer wishes he were someone else, he awakens as Bob Snarby, the uncouth, impoverished son of carnival workers, and as he is drawn into a life of crime he begins to discover truths about himself and his family.
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof.
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.
Afraid of getting maimed for making fun of Brick, the husky new kid in his fifth-grade class, Nick decides that even his baseball collection will not protect him so he signs up for karate class, despite his little brother's reassurances that Brick is not a bully.
Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery about the concept of revenge.
Summer vacation in their small Maine town does not look too promising until twelve-year-old Gina and four of her friends make a pact to become millionaires before school starts in September.
Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.
Eleven-year-old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals.
October 8, 2010
Locker Librarians
Check out these undercover librarians! Maeve and Madeleine have built a library in their school locker, complete with their very own circulation system! Maeve's mom said she worked on perfecting their check out system. So, if you can't find what you are looking for in the Lemme Library, head to the Locker Library. You are sure to get a great book suggestion!
 |
| What? We don't circulate girls... or do we? |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)