stop and smell the books

It's been another busy week in the library! Between 6th grade coming to the library computer lab to begin their science literacy and the ongoing rollout of the 40 book challenge and Biblionasium, Mrs. Woody and I haven't had much time to stop and smell the daisies...or books?! So, it felt good to look down this morning and soak in the lovely view of a library packed with reading kids. A number of kids are already a few books deep into the challenge and the goal is to read one book this weekend!

40 Book Challenge!

Today, we kicked off the 40 Book Challenge for 5th graders! Teachers and students, alike, accepted the challenge to complete 40 books in various genres by the end of the school year. It's not a question of IF they will finish, but WHEN they will turn the last page on that 40th book. 

Everyone will keep track of their books by genre and number with the following sheets. In case you were wondering, yes, our theme is bowling this year!!

Students will move their bowling pin from one section to the next as they increase the number of books they have completed. These challenge boards will live in the each of the pods, so that we can all see the progress being made. 

 Here's to a long weekend and knocking out the first 2 books toward the 40!

First Days

The first day back was busy, full of smiles, and fun! So much fun, in fact, that I didn't find the time to post until today...the second day of school. Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Jenks got the year off to a comedic start while introducing new faculty and students and the theme for the year: gratitude.

I have a lot to be thankful for, but I don't always take the time to let those around me know how much they mean. I plan on doing a better job of writing notes and telling people in person or on the phone when I have the chance. I sent my first notes yesterday and I  think it made me feel as good as the people I sent them to. A kind word or note can make all the difference in the quality of a day for me, so it would be nice to maybe turn a day around for someone else.

When you think about it, life is simply a long line of individual days, so we might as well make the most of them. As for the coming days of this school year, I can't wait for all of the learning and memories that will take place. It's going to be a good school-year!

Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead

Georges (that S is silent), named after Georges Seurat, a French artist, is a loner. The name certainly doesn’t help. He finds somewhat of a place after meeting Safer, a boy who lives in the same apartment complex as him. Safer gives Georges the mission of uncovering the mystery that is Mr. X, a man that has been observed to lead people into his apartment, but never lead them out. Georges jumps in feet first. Being a detective of sorts offers much needed distraction from the fact that he rarely sees his Mom due to her odd hours at the hospital, he doesn’t have much of a place at school, and his Dad’s job prospects are few and far between.

Though, Liar & Spy lacked any real surprises, it does make us question how far we should go for a friend and how much we should ask of our friends. It’s good to realize that we all perceive situations, relationships, and stories differently based on our previous experiences and personalities. So, sometimes the mystery is not quite as dense as once thought. At times, the mystery is us.

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

This captivating work of art, The Goldfinch, begins and ends with a boy, Theo Decker, trying with all of his might to hang onto the only sense of belonging that he's ever known, his mother, by way of a masterpiece: The Goldfinch. When he narrowly eludes death, that finds his mother, due to an explosion in an art museum, he talks with an old man, Welty, during his final moments on earth. This conversation forever shifts the direction of Theo's life.

Since his father abandoned him and his mother to feed his gambling addiction in Nevada, Theo is left in the care of a wealthy family of a friend. He's a fish out of water in the posh home, surrounded by kids whose greatest concern is scoring a high SAT score. Theo's dad pops back into his life and whisks him across the country to live in the foreclosed desert of abandoned mansions that is Las Vegas with him and his drug-dealing girlfriend. Theo latches onto a worldly kid, Boris, who has been shuffled from one country to the next by his mine drilling alcoholic father. Along with many languages, Boris has also picked up a penchant for stealing, drinking, and living each day as though it could all be gone the next.

Theo eventually, miraculously, makes his way back to New York and to Hobbie, the partner of Welty, who  teaches him the antique trade of purchasing and restoring old furniture. He finds himself consumed by a swirl of unrequited love and an underworld of illegal art trade and theft.

This is one of the most gripping tales I've ever taken in. Evocative characters are staged around love, loss, and deceit with the dexterity of a master philosopher and storyteller. 

A Dog Called Homeless, by Sarah Lean

Sometimes, a dog seems like the only one that understands what you're going through. In Cally's case a stray wolfhound, that she calls Homeless, is the only other witness when the her mom's spirit appears. Since her passing, Cally has filled the void by trying to the be center of attention at school and home, so all are surprised when she accepts a challenge to remain silent. She no longer sees the point in explaining herself since no one believes her when she tells them that she has seen the ghost of her mom.

Cally works through feeling disconnected from her dad and moving out of her beloved house and into a new apartment with the help of her partially deaf and blind newfound friend, Sam, and his mom, Mrs. Cooper. She's free to be silent around them without ridicule and opens Sam up to a new sense of freedom from his mom. The pair ultimately find out the connection between Homeless and Cally's mom.

Dog lovers will adore A Dog Called Homeless and it's fitting for those coping with loss. Lean focuses on the fact that life can be hard at times, but a good friend and a good dog can make all the difference.

A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd

People fill their homes with their most prized possessions, but since Felicity Pickle has never stayed in one place long enough to call it home, she collects words; words that dance, laugh, and glow right before her eyes and are arranged in poems, on her shoes, and in the stories she tells her little sister, Frannie Jo. So, when Mama packs up to hit the road to a new town, school, and house, Felicity is ready for a place full of people she’ll never have a chance to really know; instead, they stop at Midnight Gulch, Mama’s hometown where everyone has a snicker of magic...or did at one time. Aunt Cleo wraps them in arms as warm as the quilts she makes.

Felicity’s problem with voicing the words she collects usually keeps her on the outside, but the magical people of Midnight Gulch, like her teacher, Miss Divinity Lawson, her friend, Jonah, and her Uncle, Boone, allow her to find her voice as she helps them to uncover the curse that has fallen on this magical town.

A Snicker of Magic is simply delicious. The characters are heartwarming and the plot is full of wonder. Lloyd plays on the heartstrings in all of us that search to find a place, person, or feeling like home, noting, “Home isn’t just a house or a city or a place; home is what happens when you’re brave enough to love people” (302).