In The Mood For a Good Snow Book?

With the snow we received yesterday and then again today, it makes me think of two books I have enjoyed that have the setting of snow. Check-out these two adventure books, wrap up with a warm blanket, and enjoy the adventure.


Stone Fox by John Gardiner is always a favorite. In this story Little Willy must save his Grandpa's farm and in order to do this he enters an adult dog sled race. This book does have a sad ending, but it is worth the read. Then, imagine how you might rewrite the ending.



Earthquack Mountain by Peg Kehret, is about a girl who goes to visit her cousin and finds that he not only dislikes her, but there is someone else sneaking onto the farm who will pose a threat to her and her cousin as well.

Survival by Kathleen Duey, is about two cousins who must survive a night in the Rocky Mountians outside Estas Park Colorado during a terrible blizzard.

Time Travel Titles

I think one of the most interesting books to read are books that are about characters that do time travel. I just finished reading a book called, The Orphan of Ellis Island A Time Travel Adventure by Elvira Woodruff. I found this book to be very interesting and it held my attention right up to the end. It's about a boy who is in foster care and has no recollection of his family as he is bounced from foster home to foster home. He feels like he never fits in. On a class field trip to Ellis Island the pressure of his classmates is more then he can bear and he hides out and falls asleep in a janitor’s closet. Here his adventure begins! Check it Out!

Other great time travel books are of course...Dan Gutman's books, Shoeless Joe and Me, Babe and Me and Honus and Me. If you like time travel books look into getting one of these books on your next check-out day.

Our Emergent Reader Section Is Growing!

Our Emergent Reader section has grown! Over the conference break Mrs. B and I went through the fiction section of the Library and found a few more books that could be moved to the Emergent Reader section. This section of the Library is new this year, and it is designed to help students make the move from the Everybody books to the Fiction books more easily. It is a way for students to find a good chapter book at their reading level and not get lost in the large chapter books. It is an area open to all students ready for chapter books. The Emergent Reader section is set up in ABC order just like the Fiction section of the library. The difference is that we have tried to group all the series books together and then also start a new shelf of various other books for the emergent chapter reader and place these books also in ABC order. There is a large variety of books sure to please any reader. There are books such as Cam Jansen, Magie Treehouse, A-Z Mysteries, Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones and Ready Freddy Books just to name a few. Be sure to check-out our new Emergent Reader section!

Ohhh, What's That Yummy Smell Coming From The Library?

Things were cooking this week in the library. Before the Thanksgiving break some of the 3rd and 4th grade classes that had been working on the recipes projects earlier in the fall were treated to a real cooking project. We enjoyed "HOT" ChocolateTurtle Waffles. When I asked where would be a good place to post the recipe several classes came up with the idea to post the recipe here on the blog.

Chocolate Turtle Waffles

1/2 Cup Butter (melted)

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

6 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Cup Flour

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Mix first three ingredients add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by small spoonfuls on warm waffle iron.

Frosting (optional but a must for a real turtle look)

Mix white frosting with green food coloring. Frost waffles, eat and enjoy!

The Stars Are On The Rise

We have many star students this week:

A-3...Wyatt, Felipe, Kaylee Rose, Brooke, Ashton

A-4...Makenna

A-6...Keagen, Blake

B-2...Kayla, Andrew, Stuart

B-3...Tamrat

B-6...Delaney, Preston, Alice, Sonia, Kyle, Donny, Sid, Brody, Zach,
Fernando, Gabe

C-2...Emma, Reed, Leah, Onie, Eli, Noah, Corrine

C-3...Gabbi, Samson

M-2...Katie, Marciela, Hannah, Alondra

We have one Shelf Elf award this week also.

A-4...Makenna...thanks MaKenna!

Thankful For Thanksgiving Books

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches I find many things to be thankful for again this year. How often we forget to express our thankfulness. I hope you spend some time with those you care most about to share what you are thankful for this year. I thought through this blog I would tell you about two Thanksgiving books that I am so thankful to have found in our library. They are both a delight to read in the humor they offer as well as the deeper lessons they convey if you take the time to listen to the words and find the meaning in these wonderful Everybody books.

The first is Tuck and Runt by Lisa Wheeler.

In this delightful story a family of turkeys is so proud of the oldest son and his gifts and talents that the poor younger brother is over looked for his fine qualities until it is almost too late. The ending will leave you with a delightful smile as Christmas is just around the corner and again the fate of the turkey is in question.

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli is another delightful and thought provoking Everybody book about the true meaning of thankfulness at Thanksgiving.
In this story the Tappletons' experience one calamity after another. Each person in the family hides their secret until it is time for dinner to be served. It is only then that the Tappletons learn that Thanksgiving is more than the feast on the table.



I hope this Thanksgiving you find many things in your life to be thankful for and you share those thoughts with those around you. I wish you all the best this Thanksgiving.

Hold Your Breath Stories!

Okay, you guys are always asking me for scary stories, so here are three that are really full of adventure and suspense right up to the final chapters. If you want a thrilling chapter books to read, something that might give you a bit of a chill up your spine, check out these three titles by Willo Davis Roberts.

What would you do if you came home and found strangers ransacking your brand new home? One day when Kaci came home from school early she found she was not alone in the house. You will ride a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions with this book. You will be taken hostage by each chapter until you finish the book. Kaci wasn't afraid of a great scary story until she had to live one! Are you in the mood for a scary story?

What if the school bully was about to beat you up? What if before he gets a chance to beat you up someone kidnaps him and you see him being kidnapped right before your eyes. What if no one believes you when you tell them what you saw? What happens when witnessing a kidnapping gets to be as dangerous as being kidnapped? Those you thought you could trust the most were the ones you could trust the least in the end. Oh the mystery and intrigue of each chapter will keep you kidnapped in this book that is full of excitement and suspense!

Bad things always happen in threes right? That is what Rick's father has always told him so when his dad loses a truck load of TV's he is hauling, then he leaves after a fight with Rick's mom Rick wonders what is next? Number three turns out to be his mom being kidnapped. No one believes Rick so it is up to Rick and his little brother to find both the reason for the kidnapping, as well as, find their mother before it is too late. Don't let this book make you scared stiff.

It Was A Short Week But We Still Had Shinning Star Studnets

I commented to Mrs. B. that it was a short week but I saw many students going above and beyond in keeping our classroom neat, helping others with a good attitude and using kind words.

Manuel...A-3
Jonah...A-3

Addis...A-6

Marcos...B-1
Dallas...B-1
Chris...B-1
Bethany...B-1
Joe...B-1
Bailey...B-1
Taylor L...B-1
McKenzie...B-1

Andrew ...B-2
Stweart...B-2
Hunter...B-2
Kyle...B-2
Peter...B-2
Moises...B-2

Issac...B-3
Jesse B-3
Felica...B-3
Meagan...B-3
Noor...B-3
Alyssa R...B-3
Cristian...B-3

Stephen...C-1

Xavior M-1

Josiah...M2
Isabell...M-2
Cassie...M-2

Aliens Anyone?

I don't know what it is that pulls me to Dan Gutman books...maybe it is the aliens! I recently read two books by Mr. Gutman and loved them both. I finished one last night, way past my bedtime, as it was a page turner and the ending was a real surprise to me. If you are wanting a good book check out these two books.

Oh, The Lessons We Can Learn From Books

This week the younger grades continued working on ABC order. Some classes moved to the concept of looking to the second letter when the first letter of two words is the same letter. Other classes worked on the concept of which letter comes next?" or "Which letter comes before or after this one?"Our story for the week was Carlos And The Cornfield by Jan Romero Stevens. What a wonderful lesson of "you reap what you sow".

The upper grades continued with the read aloud from last week, Shredderman Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen. What a great book to address the issue of bullies. At times the classroom was so quiet as I read you wouldn't have even known I had students as they hung on to every word read. I know this is true, as Mr. Wittman paid a surprise visit and thought I didn't have a class when he dropped in as they were so quiet.

How Are You Peeling?

Sometimes we all just need a little help along the way. This week I was treated to a guest reader in class. Yes, Preston in B-6 asked if he could read our story for the day, "How Are You Peeling Foods With Moods by Saxton Freyhann and Joost Elffers". What a delight to hear a sudent do such a wonderful job reading. So how was I peeling....proud, very proud!

Shinning Stars and Shelf Elves

This weeks Shinning Stars go to the following students:

Abigail J... A-4
Marcos... A-6
Dana... A-6
Hannah... B-4
Preston...B-6
Dayonte... C-2




We had two more Shelf Elves this week as well! Thanks to the following students for helping us in the library, keep the library looking like a great library!

Kellie... C-2
Reed... C-2