Ms. Nancy's Library & Technology Blog

We’ve started reading next year’s OBOB selections at our house.

Here are the titles (another 16…) for grades 6 through 8 (ORCA is short for Oregon Reader’s Choice Award):

“Bigger Than a Bread Box,” by Laurel Snyder, 2011

“Magyk,” by Angie Sage, 2005

“Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life,” by James Patterson, 2011 (2014 ORCA)

“Million Dollar Throw,” by Mike Lupica, 2009

“Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze,” by Alan Silberberg, 2011

“The Mostly True Story of Jack,” by Kelly Regan Barnhill, 2011 (2014 ORCA)

“Night of the Howling Dogs,” by Graham Salisbury, 2007

“The Notorious Benedict Arnold,” by Steve Sheinkin, 2010 (Sounds intriguing…)

“Okay for Now,” by Gary D. Schmidt, 2011 (2014 ORCA)

“Operation Redwood,” by S. Terrell French, 2009

“Second Fiddle,” by Rosanne Parry, 2011 (Local writer, really good.) (And I’m not just saying that because she used to volunteer with my students. ;))

“Stargirl,” by Jerry Spinelli, 2000 (Crazy about this book and the sequel.)

“TimeRiders,” by Alex Scarrow, 2010.

“The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle,” by Avi, 1990 (Avi writes a lot of books. He is what is known as “prolific.”)

“Uglies,” by Scott Westerfeld, 2005 (Love this one — scary.)

“Wildwood” by Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis, 2011 (2014 ORCA) (Tried, and failed, to read this. It’s… overly long, but some of the students seem to like it. The sequel just came out.)

So. Here is my secret evil plan, as previously stated… I will add blurbs about these as we read them, what say? I will also add links for the high school list, along with reviews. (The elementary list is already posted.) Yes? Yes! I don’t know where I’ll be working next year, so this is giving me something to do while that falls into place. 🙂

Happy reading, happy OBOB and ORCA and BCCCA, too! Bon appetit.

– Ms. Nancy

We’ve started reading next year’s OBOB selections at our house.

Here are the titles (wowza, 16 of them!) for grades 3 through 5 (ORCA is short for Oregon Reader’s Choice Award; BCCCA is short for Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award):

“Abraham Lincoln” by Mary Pope Osborne, 2011 (Cannot go wrong with MPO.)

“Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich, 1999 (I’m not crazy about Erdrich, but she does have her fans.)

“Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker, 2008 (I haven’t read this one yet, but one of my youngest students this spring loved the Clementine series, and got all of her friends hooked on Clementine, too. Lots of fun, seeing that happen.) (Updated on 7/19 to add: Sweet book and wicked funny, too, a la Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, for the younger crew. Little girl hero who doesn’t understand why people keep getting so aggravated with her. “What?”)

“Dear Mr. Henshaw” by Beverly Cleary, 1983 (I’ve read this before, along with “Strider,” the sequel. Such good books. And different from the rest of Cleary’s writing. I love all of her work and have since… well. Since I first learned to read and fell in love with my best friend forever, “Ellen Tebbitts.” That’s my middle name! It was meant to be! Also, did you know that it was her second book, after “Henry Huggins”? #librarianfunfacts Cleary always has written such strong characters for the boys as well as the girls. With “Henshaw,” she just nailed it. Wonderful, touching, funny and concise book, and it won the Newbery Award, ta-da!)

“Eleven” by Patricia Reilly Giff, 2008

“Gregor the Overlander” by Suzanne Collins, 2003 (aka, the lady who wrote “The Hunger Games” series)

“Inside Out and Back Again” by Thanhha Lai, 2011 (2014 ORCA) (Just finished this one earlier this afternoon. Oh. Man. What a beautiful read. And it’s written in free verse (poetry), so it is very easy to get into. Perfect for readers who may have a harder time with a long or longish chapter book. It’s Lai’s memoir of leaving Vietnam as a child, after the fall of Saigon, but she wrote it as fiction. Why? She is one of nine children, that’s why. In an author interview in the back of the book, she says “Each sibling would have sent ‘corrections,’ so I took the quieter way out.” Love that.)

“Into the Firestorm” by Deborah Hopkinson, 2006.

“Kenny & the Dragon” by Tony DiTerlizzi, 2012 (Spiderwick Chronicles author. I’ve never had a chance to read this one because it is always checked out.)

“Marty McGuire” by Kate Messner, 2011 (2014 BCCCA)

“Pie” by Sarah Weeks, 2011 (2014 ORCA)

“The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo, 2004 (Read this one a few years ago — so good. I enjoy all of DiCamillo’s books. And the movie is, of course, a delight.)

“Umbrella Summer” by Lisa Graff, 2011

“Waiting for the Magic” by Patricia MacLachlan, 2011 (2014 BCCCA)

“Who was Neil Armstrong?” by Roberta Edwards, 2008 (Another hit with the boys, especially when their teachers assign the often-dreaded “biography assignment.”)

“Young Fredle” by Cynthia Voigt, 2011 (2014 ORCA)

So. Here is my secret evil plan: I will add blurbs about these as we read them, what say? I will also add links for the middle school and high school lists, along with reviews. Yes? Yes! I don’t know where I’ll be working next year, so this is giving me something to do while that falls into place. 🙂

Happy reading, happy OBOB and ORCA and BCCCA, too! Bon appetit.

— Ms. Nancy

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

Turn on the sprinkler; eat breakfast; drink coffee; turn off the sprinkler; water the garden and weed; pick blueberries, raspberries and carrots; read, read, read.

Think about fixing lunch/dinner/snacks. Movie? A walk at sunset? Read, read, read.

Summer is good.

xoxo,

Ms. Nancy

PS — It’s not too early to get started on the 2013-2014 Battle of the Books. I’ll be starting “Gregor the Overlander” today.

Oh, I do love librarians…

(Photos by Steve Rawley)

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

School is almost out for my kids, my students, and me. This has been a long haul this year, but I think my students and kids are looking forward to school being out more than I am! Don’t laugh, but I miss school (especially my library) over the summer. Public library will have to do, and our own at home!

Have a great week, be well and have fun. As I tell the students every day as they’re heading off to class: Learn a lot, play hard, have fun! Go!!!!

— Ms. Nancy

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

“Answer to a Child’s Question”
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
 
Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove,
The linner and thrush say, “I love and I love!”
In the winter they’re silent – the wind is so strong;
What is says, I don’t know, but it sings a loud song.
But green leaves, and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,
And singing, and loving – all come back together.
But the lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
That he sings, and he sings; and for ever sings he-
“I love my Love, and my Love loves me!”