Book Review Bonanza

Yesterday, the winners of the 5th and 6th grade Book Review Bonanza were announced!

 

There were about 100 "book tickets" entered and 4 lucky students took home $20 worth of Buzz Bucks to use in the school store, The Buzz, on attire, snacks, or supplies. 

The kids seemed to really get into the whole process and I'll definitely be doing more with book reviews in various formats. 

Girls Who Read

What guys are really looking for.

NEW BOOKS

This week was packed with unpacking and processing hundreds of books. This is a simple, but long process that is always rewarding when you get to put out shiny new books for the kids to grab. This is the email I sent to all Middle School students and teachers:

Though, I'm sure there are many who don't give it a second look before hitting the delete button, there are plenty of students and teachers each time that giddily respond about how excited they are to checkout one, or more, of the books. I consider that a success!

Stuck in the Middle

I'm currently in the midst of a lot of projects. Why wait until one is complete to start another?! I began weeding my assigned sections this past week and whizzed through the 500, 700, and 800s in no time flat, thanks to the intense weeding that took place over the past two years by the entire staff. Though, a collection analysis recently done by Follett found that our collection is not as current as it could be, it's in much better shape than before. Also, there's some classics that will always have a place on the shelf. If they are still in good condition, why purchase a new copy every 5-10 years?

I also decided to dive back into the Harry Potter series with book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, since I stopped at book three years ago. Book four hadn't even been published yet. At the time, I thought there was a lot of high brow literature that I should be spending my time on. It only took me a decade to realize how wrong I was. J.K. Rowling's writing is a portal to wild imagination and multifaceted characters that I was wrong to discount just because I learned to drive and thought I was grown.

There were some other loose ends that needed to be tied up in the gifts department. We place a book plate at the front of a book for every $20 donation to the library. Often, they are given in honor or memory of a someone dear. I can't think of a better way to be honored. However, since there is a constant flow throughout the year, it's easy to get behind. So, with a new shipment of books on the way, here's to hoping all book plates are placed and everyone's donation information makes it online!

Last on the to-do list is making our library app available through the Apple Store. Currently, it can be accessed through a QR code and Android's Play Store, but since Apple requires forms to be completed that can only be accessed using a Mac, I'm at a bit of standstill. I'm on the hunt for a Mac and have one in my sights, so this issue should be remedied soon. I'll give you some more info later on the making of the app and how you can have it for your very own.

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt

Forget the big city, there is plenty happening around snake infested Sugar Man Swamp. Appelt's story takes place in South East Texas around Port Arthur and follows the journey of two families, one human and the other of the rodent variety, to keep their home. The Brayburns have been in the area since Audie first fell in love with the swamp and the creatures that it holds, a cryptid known as Sugar Man and a rare wood pecker know as the Ghost Bird. 

Audie's recent passing has left his daughter and grandson, Chap, in a sad state. They hardly have time to mourn when Sonny Boy Beauchamp, a rich city boy, and Jaeger Stitch, the reigning woman world gator wrestler, come into town with plans to erect Gator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park. This threatens to put the Brayburn's diner, known for its sugar cane fried pies, out of business and leave many other animals homeless. Two of these creatures are Bingo and J'miah who, along with their family, have called Audie's abandoned 1949 deSota home for decades. 

With the help of the local disc jockey, Coyote Jim, the Brayburns do their best to promote their cafe to raise the money needed to keep the land. However, the future looks grim as the ground breaking ceremony moves forward. Luckily, animals, people, and cryptids come together to ensure that Sonny Boy and Jaeger's drive away in their stretch Hummer empty handed. 

It took me about 1/4 of the book to begin to grasp what was going on as one character after another was dished out in minute chapters so quickly I didn't have time to swallow. Once I found the rhythm my foot tapped right along with the story. Though, the culminating event missed the beat with its predictability.