Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
DIY Holiday Crafternoon
We love crafting almost as much as we love reading.
This Saturday afternoon a bunch of tweens and teens hung out
to make holiday gifts for friends and family!
Below we are making earrings from bike innertube tires, button bracelets and beaded bookmarks.
Smile, you're making a stuffed snowman
One of the cutest gifts ever-- a game and ornament all rolled into one. Notice the punch holes in the card. There are pearls(or you could use beads) in the box that you want to get in the holes. Hours of frustrating fun :)
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Where Do Presidents Come From?
Where Do Presidents Come From ?
By Michael Townsends
With election season upon us, this book is a refreshing look at
how government works for middle school to high school.
Written in graphic novel format, the colorful, cartoonish pictures could
even bring a smile to those who are not history loving fans...like my younger self.
The white spaces on the page are full of facts leading the reader to the pictures depicting other possibilities that may or may not work with government. I found myself smiling while reading this book, thinking this may lead to learning about the President and government. An example is Chapter 3, How Does the President Get Elected? Through facts and pictures we learn that aliens, sea turtles, robots, bunnies, dogs and other various animals can not be elected president because of the 3 requirements to become president of the United States.
The three requirements are:
1) You must be at least 35 years old (bunnies and dogs don't live to be that old)
2) You must have been born a United States Citizen (This robot was made in Japan)
3) You must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years (Sea Turtles and Aliens are out of luck)
Enjoyable and educational for middle to high school ages.
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Fault In Our Stars Booktrailer
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
The Great Hamster Massacre
The Great Hamster Massacre
by Katie Davies
Nine year old Anna and her little brother, Tom, desperately want a hamster.
Nanna, who lives with the family, explains the reasons why their mom won't let them have a hamster.
Their mom, in her younger years, accidently "lost" two hamsters of her own.
But after Nanna passes away, Mom decides to let Anna and Tom have two hamsters.
A new hamster chapter has begun.
What mom didn't expect was hamster babies.
And a hamster massacre.
Anna and Tom put on their private detective hats, using neighborhood connections, to get to the bottom of the story.
When I picked up this story I expected a goofy, light hearted story about hamsters. What I got was a goofy, light hearted story about hamsters that included the topics of death, loss and adult relationships. It was realistic in the fuzzy situations that life brings, told from a 9 year old point of view--which made it funny and understandable.
Depending on approach of loss, recommend to lower to middle grades.
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Fault in Our Stars
Add me to the list of thousands who are in love with "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.
I should preface this by stating I waited to read this story. I saw it's popularity ride through blogs, book circulation and friends who loved it also. I waited, like I wait to read most popular books, because I wanted to read it without the hoopla, without the anticipation of thumbs up or thumbs down.
But really that was a silly notion for this book. I'm just glad I didn't wait any longer.
The story centers around two teens, Hazel and Augustus, who meet at a Cancer Support Group. Hazel knows eventually cancer will kill her and Augustus lost his leg before remission. They are intelligent. Witty. And as you watch the two of them fall in love, the reader--or at least myself--fell in love with them too.
On the dramatic side--this book completes itself. It is a 360* with the characters, the story and the language. It is how we want to be loved and how we wish we could love, no matter the age. And the reader accepts what these teens know about life, because we assume if faced with death, we also would live this fully and freely...knowing living tends to get in the way.
And because people always ask, yes I did cry.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Big Mean Mike by Michelle Knudsen
Big Mean Mike is the meanest, toughest dog in the entire neighborhood.
He has the meanest bark. Mike has big, mean teeth and his black collar has mean, silver spikes. Clearly by the colorful, graphic pictures all the other dogs get out of his way when he comes around.
So when Mean Mike discovers a soft, fuzzy bunny in the trunk of his big, mean car, he sits it down on the sidewalk, speeding away knowing that bunnies and mean dogs don't go together.
As the story continues, the bunnies begin multiplying, not leaving Mike alone.
Like any good, tough guy, Mike eventually learns it is acceptable to be tough and caring.
I especially loved the large, graphic pictures throughout the entire story. With details of skullbones and spikes, the reader is not fooled by Mike's mean exterior, especially as the tiny, white bunnies keep popping up.
Picture book pre-k - 3. Would be a fun read aloud to grades 4-5 when dealing with friendships, bullying, self-image.
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