Our Roland Smith visit!!!!

Our visit with Roland Smith was the culminating event in our One Book, One School program this year.  The entire school read I, Q and were waiting with great expectations for the arrival of Mr. Smith.  He did NOT disappoint!   Roland Smith was engaging and witty and held the kids in the palm of his hand.  I highly recommend him to every middle school out there looking for an author to visit!

Another view with the cutie cute sea otter in the background. 

and then there's Megan....can I just say that I have the coolest kids ever at my school?  Seriously.  Megan took off on a theme from the book--origami cranes made from McDonald's wrappers and ended up starting a real trend.  The entire 7th grade made origami cranes...including some "super-sized" versions...that's Big Mac hanging from the ceiling in the pics of Roland speaking to the crowd.  This one was dubbed Mini-Mac.  She's also (on her own) making the coolest website ever to go along with the book.  When it is completed and up and running she's said I can link it...:)

The entire school made some amazing projects and really got a lot out of I, Q. 

and boy, is my waiting list long for part 2!

Check out Roland's blog here for a nice mention of our school...
His website here...
our local paper had a really nice article about it, too, but at this point the archives cost $$ to access.  Oh well. 

October beckons...

October is always a huge month for libraries that serve teens because of Teen Read Week, but this year our library is going to be even busier than usual.  Our One Book, One School author is coming to visit us next week (yippee!).  Yes, Roland Smith will be at our school on October 6th.  Then comes Teen Read Week, (which I am furiously planning) and the WrestleMania Reading Challenge kick-off!  After we survive that we have book fair and then the build up to the movie release of New Moon kicks off....yeah, buddy...love me some Twilight.  ;)

Yep, busy, busy, busy.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way! 

In other random news...I've been reading, reading, reading (have TONS of book reviews to put up) and finally caught the movie version of The City of Ember on HBO.  Loved the book.  So-so on the movie. 
And, the proud momma librarian is happy to say her first grade daughter is an excellent reader and is devouring Horrible Harry and Junie B. Jones books.  Had a high point last week in the library when a group of 6th graders broke out into spontaneous applause as I finished my booktalks.  Yes, these are the things that keep me going. 

Have a wonderful night everyone... and read on, dear friends, read on!

Young Samurai: The way of the warrior by Chris Bradford

12 year old Jack Fletcher is sailing with is father and the crew of the Alexandria.  They shipwreck off the coast of "the Japans" and the entire crew is killed by ninja--except for Jack.  He is then taken in and adopted by a powerful local samurai warrior named Masamoto--they are bonded over a common enemy, for Dragon-Eye has killed both Jack's father and Masamoto's eldest son.


Because he is considered less than by just about everyone because he is not Japanese, he must work even harder to prove his worth as a warrior as he is trained to become samurai. 


The author is a martial arts expert--and it shows...this book is at its best when the fighting is on.  Jack has trained hard, but must prove himself over and over again---especially to Masamoto's youngest son. 


I loved the book.  Yes, there are bits here and there that are choppy, but overall the book is a thrilling ride filled with ninja, martial arts, and learning the way of the warrior. Good stuff.


Because I always wanted to be a ninja (don't laugh!)when I was younger (okay, so maybe still today I think the idea of it is cool) I've included a video that I also posted earlier in my blogging days.  Enjoy.  ;)

One book, one school

Our One Book, One School selection is I, Q: Book One: Independence Hall by Roland Smith. 


I am beyond excited as our students are all receiving their books this week---thanks in part to a generous donation from our school PTA organization (you parents ROCK!) and the support of my principal and other administrators.


Our ultra-cool trivia begins Monday and teachers have loads of lessons planned touching a variety of subject areas using this book as a jumping-off point. 


The kids are incredibly excited about it, as well!  And the oh-so-fabulous Roland Smith himself will visit our campus in early October. 


Man, am I psyched.  Did I mention it is on this year's Texas Lone Star list?  Oh, yeah.


If you haven't read the book yet then grab it and buckle your seat belt, friends...it is one wild ride.  The first in the new I, Q series includes nods to the dapper 007 James Bond with international spies, magic tricks and sleight-of-hand, terrorists and rock star parents.  I simply cannot wait for the second installment, The White House to come out! 


I'll soon add posts with pics of our various events, but for now let me leave you with these...


Roland Smith's website

The Season by Sarah MacLean

If you think Jane Austen meets Nancy Drew sounds like an entertaining romp of a book then you'll adore The Season. 
As the back cover states, "Boys, ballgowns, murder...This year's season will be unforgettable!"


I have always loved historical fiction, murder mysteries and those lovely Jane Austen novels with strong female characters who still yearn for true love.  Well, The Season has it all---and does it quite well IHMO.  Just enough romance to make it interesting--not enough to make it a mush-fest. 

Alex, Ella, and Vivi are young ladies making their society debut--it is, after all, The Season.  Wanting nothing to do with becoming the prim and dutiful wife of some dreadful bore, Alex is completely uninterested in the balls she must attend.  When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a strange and highly suspect accident, she decides to help his son Gavin--a longtime friend of her family solve the mystery--whether he wants her help is another matter altogether. 

Did I mention Gavin is young, brooding and "devilishly handsome"?  A yummy recipe for romance, I say. 

Girls, grab this one.  You'll love it.  The perfect book to curl up and read on a rainy day with a bit of fall chill in the air.  Enjoy!

Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Just finished Sent today and I loved it. The sequel to Found in the new series The Missing is every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. Now you know I don't believe in spoilers (read the book yourself, I say!) but I will tell you that even if you haven't read Found you will enjoy it--maybe a bit less than if you read the first one, but enjoy it, nonetheless.

Jonah and Katherine are siblings in today's world. When last we saw them, they had just discovered that Jonah (and several other kids) were actually children that had been abducted from other times and places and placed in this century. In Sent, they, along with their new friends Chip and Alex, go back in time to the 1400's a time where being a royal was dangerous to one's health as people double crossed even (or especially!) family members in order to seek more power and wealth.

OOH, dontcha just love it! Well, what are you waiting for? Go to your library and get it. Pop the popcorn. Pour the cherry coke. And get ready for a lovely adventure.

Books, babies, and blogging...

Ah, a new school year. It is always a bit exciting to have a fresh start...a new beginning. Maybe this will be the year that I'll finally get my office totally organized, or maybe my non-fiction will get completely and totally weeded...you get the picture, and its all about the possibilities. Exciting, isn't it? Thank goodness I work in an enviroment that has fresh starts....can't imagine life without that night-before-the first-day anticipation. If I had to face life in a cube everyday, I'm not so sure I could be so chipper.

This summer was crazy-busy, but woot! woot! grad school is now done (masters in instructional technology, thank you very much!) and I can resume the business of reading for pleasure....and boy, has it resumed! I've got mounds of books to tell you about and stacks of plans for great events for this schoolyear. So, welcome back to a new school year filled with endless possibilities and welcome back to my blog. I hope you'll choose to check back in often to check it out (lordy, but I sound like I'm on Sonny w/ a Chance now, don't I? Did I mention I have a 7 year old, too?) By the way, speaking of new beginnings...that's my cutie cute baby Olivia in the pic.