Ms. Nancy's Library & Technology Blog

“The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.”
— Frances Willard (1839-1898)

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Best,
Ms. Nancy

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

— Thich Nhat Hahn

Hope everyone is enjoying their week. I am. I’m midway through “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth in the Stephenie Meyer “Twilight” series. My own kids are reading Bailey School Kids and “Scepter of the Ancients,” by Derek Landy.

My students seem to be enjoying holiday books, books by Avi, Haddix and Colfer, and yes, books about horses and guinea pigs.

Always the horses and guinea pigs.

Happy reading.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

I always read through the Top 10 book lists, and this one jumped off the page at me (updated 11/27/09). Read through the descriptions. What does it say about today’s society — and our world — that these are the top picks?

Food for thought.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

1 CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) The protagonist of “The Hunger Games” returns. (Ages 12 and up) (12 weeks on list)
2 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up) (63 weeks on list)
3 MILLION-DOLLAR THROW, by Mike Lupica. (Philomel/Penguin Young Readers, $17.99.) In tough economic times, the pressure is on for a young quarterback with an unusual opportunity. (Ages 9 to 12) (3 weeks on list)
4 THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT, by Kate DiCamillo and Yoko Tanaka. (Candlewick, $16.99.) An orphan in search of his sister follows a fortuneteller’s mysterious instructions. (Ages 7 and up) (11 weeks on list)
5 TRICKS, by Ellen Hopkins. (McElderry/Simon & Schuster, $18.99.) A novel in verse about five teenagers who become prostitutes. (Ages 14 and up) (12 weeks on list)
6 THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, by Jay Asher. (Razorbill, $16.99.) Before she commits suicide a girl sends explanatory audiotapes to 13 people. (Ages 14 and up) (55 weeks on list)
7 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) To avoid a killer a boy takes up residence in a cemetery. Excerpt (Ages 10 and up) (59 weeks on list)
8 SENT, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. (Simon & Schuster, $15.99.) Kids travel to the 15th century, when they were members of the British royal family. (Ages 8 to 12) (7 weeks on list)
9 THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN SPORTS, by Len Berman. (Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks, $16.99.) Highs and and some lows, spanning the globe, with CD. (Ages 9 to 12) (1 week on list)
10 SHIVER, by Maggie Stiefvater. (Scholastic Press/Scholastic, $17.99.) Love among the lupine. (Ages 12 and up) (17 weeks on list)

Here is a fun way to check out eBooks for little kids. TumbleBooks is a great site — free and easy to use. They have selections for little kids, language learners, lots of new books, and audio books for bigger kids, too.

Have fun exploring the site, I think you will like it. You can also access it through Multnomah County Library:

* Click Databases
* Choose S-T
* Select Tumblebooks

I do love a virtual story time — brings back fond memories of the cassettes and books packaged together, when the reader would ring a little bell to let us know when it was time to turn the page. These were a big hit with my cousins, my sister and me. I played with the site today when the third-grade students, kinders and first graders were in the library. They seemed to enjoy it.

Happy reading!

Best,

Ms. Nancy

Our good friends at Marysville K-8 here in Portland, Ore., had a devastating three-alarm fire at their school today. The kids and staff all got out okay, but have no home for the time being. The powers-that-be are discussing housing them at Rose City Park School for the time being. We will have to see how things go.

In the mean time — thinking of you all, and so sorry about your school.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

Just came across this quote from Kanye West, singer/rapper and author of the newly-released book “Thank You and You’re Welcome”:

“Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book’s autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life.”

Oh my heck. Your loyal Library Girl, Ms. Nancy, would like to suggest that Mr. West do the following:

1) Go to his local library.

2) Apply for a library card.

3) Check out a stack of books.

4) Start reading.

Thank You and You’re Welcome.

Have a great weekend, y’all.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

“My alma mater was books, a good library.”
— Malcolm X

We’re still reading Halloween and autumn books this week, as well as mysteries and books about guinea pigs. We like guinea pigs. And kittens and puppies, too.

Some favorites:

Anything by Eva Ibbotson (who says that her kids taught her that children like to read about ghosts, wizards, and witches “because they are just like people but madder and more interesting”); “The Hallo-wiener,” Goblins in Green, and, for the big kids, anything by Christopher Paolini and Suzanne Collins. Whatever I don’t have in the library, the kids are finding at the Multnomah County Library, buying, or borrowing from friends.

I was also able to purchase a few extra copies of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. These books flew out of the door about five minutes after I had processed them and entered them into the computer.

It’s been a great week and we’re all looking forward to having some fun this weekend.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

One of my readers, Nan-from-England (formerly-known-as-Nan-from-Trinidad) and I have mutual admiration society. We have not yet met in person, due to the fact that I refuse to fly anywhere, but that does not slow us down. (When you see her name in the comments section, do not be confused. I am Nancy, she is Nan.)

“Things I’ve Found in Pockets” is the name of her blog. She calls it that because she has three amazing and creative young boys who love to leave lizards, nails, games and all sorts of things in their pockets for her to discover when she does the laundry. Their names are Max, Sam and Chas and their dad’s name is Sean. They are having fun, wet, and wild adventures in their new homeland. If you care to read along and see how they’re doing, they would love to have you as a guest.

Sam recently interviewed his 93-year-old grandma Margo about her experiences during World War II. He did a good job — it is a beautiful and touching interview. She is forthright and funny, too.

One of Nan’s latest posts is about getting their British library cards and includes a list of wonderful children’s books. (“The Boy With Two Shadows”, by Margaret Mahy; “When The Library Lights Go Out”, Megan McDonald and Katherine Tillotson; “Sir Gawain And The Green Knight”, the classic story retold by Michael Morpurgo, with beautiful watercolour illustrations by Michael Foreman.) (That is how you spell “color” in England — “colour.” Fancy that!)

Happy Reading to you, wherever you live.

Best,

Ms. Nancy

(from the book “Becoming Naomi Leon,” by Pam Munoz Ryan.)

1. Play. Do it every day and pretend often. Dress up and act out. Dramatic play will help you understand the concept of story.

2. Look. Take in the details of your environment. Listen to how people speak, notice names… and if something really strikes you, write it down; maybe you’ll be able to use it in a story later.

3. Read. Read books, newspaper, magazines, or comic books. Reading helps you think. And experiencing other people’s writing will help you develop your own writing and give you ideas for your own stories.

4. Write (or draw or carve or act). Don’t worry how it sounds (or looks) at first. A first draft is nothing more than something to fix, something to change, something to make better.

5. Rewrite. Don’t be afraid to change something once it’s on the page; creating anything is an evolution.

6. Be quiet. Spend time with your wandering thoughts and then write down what you are thinking. Let your brain be quiet and breathe some of the time, away from television and video games.

7. Check out “A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You,” by Ralph Fletcher. It talks about keeping a “writer’s notebook,” which Fletcher explains is “not a diary” but a place to write down imaginings, observations, doodles, keep interesting articles, copy quotes — a place to gather ideas and information so you don’t forget them. It’s an invaluable source for any creative act.

(“Esperanza Rising,” another book by Pam Munoz Ryan, is on the Oregon Battle of the Books list, just fyi. There are copies in our library…)