Our Top 10 of 2011

Once again Mrs. Wilson and I have selected the top ten books that we read this year. Some are from the Caudill 2012 list, some are by favorite authors -- some are old, some are new. If you have a top ten list, please share it with us. Have a happy holiday season and see you in the new year.

Mrs. Wilson's Top Ten Reads of 2011

1. Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael

2. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin

3. Three Black Swans, by Caroline B. Cooney

4. Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass

5. Powerless, by Matthew Cody

6. Greetings from Nowhere, by Barbara O'Connor

7. The Limit, by Kristen Landon

8. After, by Francine Prose

9. Project 17, by Laurie Faria Stolarz

10. The Accomplice, by Eureann Corrigan

Miss Hagensee's Top Ten Reads of 2011

1. Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld

2, Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare

3. Crunch, by Leslie Connor

4. One-Handed Catch, by M. J. Auch

5. Matched, by Allie Condie

6. The Water Seeker, by Kimberly Willis Holt

7. Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper

8. Mockingbird (Mok'ingburd), by Kathryn Erskine

9. The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, by Mick Cochrane

10. Night of the Howling Dogs, by Graham Salisbury

HIGH FLYING ADVENTURE

Starclimber is the third book in Kenneth Oppel's Airborn Adventures series. If you like adventure and suspense, these books are for you. In an alternate reality where airships have taken the place of our world's airplanes and cruise ships, the first book Airborn introduces us to Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on such an airship, and Kate de Vries, a wealthy passenger. These ywo young people survive air pirates and a crash landing to discover a mysterious creatures that live hundreds of feet in the air. The second book Skybreaker shows Matt as a student at the Airship Academy teaming up with Kate again to discover a long-lost airship that may have a treasure abroad. Now in Starclimber, these two young people are aboard a new ship that literally climbs its way into outer space. The ship is soon surrounded by strange life-forms and plagued by mechanical failures possibly caused by a saboteur. Non-stop adventure and suspense as well and some romance make this series fun to read. And don't be turned away by the length of the books, the stories will keep you reading.

TOO GOOD TO OVERLOOK

Now that I have finished reading all 20 Rebecca Caudill nominees for 2012, I can get back to some of the other books on my reading list. Having heard Sharon M. Draper speak at the Anderson's YA Literature Conference in September, I realized I had never read one of her books. Everyone at the Conference raved about Out of My Mind so I started with that one. Wow! The story is told by Melody who has a photographic memory but no one knows about it because she has cerebral palsy, can't speak or move on her own and is confined to a wheelchair. She, and the other handicapped students in her class, are treated like imbeciles until the day she gets a computer that speaks for her. Although her world suddenly opens up, her problems are not over yet. Out of My Mind can be found in the Fiction section with the call number DRA.

BIKES MORE IMPORTANT THAN CARS?

That's what happens when gas runs out across the country in Leslie Connor's book Crunch. This "crunch" time finds Dewey, his older sister Lil, his younger brother Vince, and the twins home alone without their parents who are stranded in Canada. Dewey and Vince, who are running the family's bike repair business while their dad is gone, are overwhelmed as everyone is now using bikes for transportation. To make matters worse bike parts start disappearing from the shop. Dewey takes it upon himself to find the culprit and keep the shop running. This is a great family story and a mystery with a scifi twist due to a future that could be ours. You can find Crunch in the New Book Display at the front of the IMC.

WHO WILL SURVIVE?

Three Rivers Rising, by Jame Richards, tells the story of the 1889 Johnstown Flood in a unique way. This is a novel in verse. Beginning in the summer of 1888, the poem chapters introduce us to various people whose lives will be changed by the flood -- if they survive. We meet Celestia, from a wealthy family who vacation at an elite resort on Lake Conemaugh. Also at the resort is Peter who works at the hotel. Celestia and Peter become friends, but their relationship lacks parental approval on both sides because hotel guests and hotel workers were not to socialize in the late 1800's. We also meet Joseph and Maura and their children. Joseph is a railroad engineer who is often gone from his family, but has a special whistle signal to let Maura know his train is coming in. Finally there is Kate who wants a career in the medical profession but is told she can only be a nurse. When the flood occurs, each of these people will be severely challenged to stay alive and keep their loved ones alive, too.

A FAMILY OF THIEVES

Katarina Bishop tries to leave the family business and have a normal life in Ally Carter's book Heist Society. Katarina comes from a family of thieves. Her venture into a normal life is cut short when her friend, Hale, frames her for mischief at her new school and gets her kicked out. There is a good reason -- her father is accused by a powerful mobster of stealing the mobster's priceless art collection, Katarina and her group of teenage thieves have 10 days to return the collection before the mobster has her father killed. In a race against time can Katarina outsmart a super-secret master thief and pull off the greatest heist in her family's shady history? Heist Society is available in the New Book Display.
I noticed that now there is a sequel to Heist Society. Let me know if I should buy this new adventure of Katarina for the IMC.

TWISTS AND TURNS

In Lian Tanner's book Museum of Thieves, the twists and turns are in the Museum of Dunt. Staircases move around, rooms shift from place to pace, and Keepers are needed to hold the Museum together. This strange Museum exists in a city called Jewel where children are carefully protected -- so protected that children are chained to their parents or the Blessed Guardians until their Separation Day when they are free to move on their own. Goldie Roth can't wait for Separation Day but when it is abruptly canceled, Goldie escapes. She finds her way to the Museum. She learns that she is skilled in the ways of thievery which is a requirement to becoming a Keeper. While Goldie is still in training the Blessed Guardians invade the Museum and unleash a terrible evil force. Can Goldie and the other Keepers restore calm to the Museum?
Look for this book in the New Book section by the windows.

WORDS AND PICTURES

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a 533-page novel by Brian Selznick, is an incredibly imaginative book which tells its story through words and pictures. While we anxiously await the arrival of our copy of Selznick's new book Wonderstruck, you should take a look at The Memory Bank by Carolyn Coman and Rob Shepperson. These author/illustrators also tell a story in words and pictures. Hope Scroggins is a champion dreamer. When the World Wide Memory Bank starts running low on dreams,Hope is brought to the Bank. It is at the Bank that Hope finds out she has a little sister that her parents told her to forget!! Can Hope figure out what is happening to the Bank AND find her sister AND get a chance at happiness? Only the words and pictures of The Memory Bank can tell.

MORE NEW BOOKS

Among the 30 new books ready for student checkout this week is a personal favorite of mine by author Jill Wolfson. In Cold Hands, Warm Heart, Wolfson deals with the serious topic of teens waiting for organ transplants. The first chapter begins with the story of Amanda, a talented gymnast, who suffers a terrible accident during competition that leaves her brain dead. The family decides to donate Amanda's organs. Next we meet Dani who is waiting for a heart transplant. Amanda's heart become the long awaited transplant. Throughout the rest of the book we see Dani begin to have a normal life and Amanda's family deal with her death. This slim book carries a very powerful and moving story that I hope many of you will have a chance to read.

WILD THINGS

On Mrs. Wilson's recommendation I read Clay Carmichael's Wild Things as my next choice from the 2012 Rebecca Caudill nominee list. It seemed strange to start a book with the thoughts of a cat, but as I read further I found that I looked forward to the chapters told by the cat. I like the cat's voice! The story is about a girl Zoe who lived her first eleven years with a mom who had mental problems and a variety of stepdads. When Mom dies, Zoe goes to live with her step-uncle who was a famous heart surgeon and is now a sculptor in metal. The uncle's house is out in the country next to a forest that holds secrets. As Zoe explores the area and her relationship with her uncle, the neighbors, and the townspeople, she begins to unravel many of these secrets. The "wild things" in the story are sometimes unexpected, the title definitely fits.

IF YOU LIKED TWILIGHT...

...I think you will like Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater, a love story with a werewolf. Grace has always been fascinated by the wolves that live in the woods behind her house. In fact she was bitten as a young child when some of the wolves dragged her into the forest. Now as a teenager in high school she meets Sam who has the same yellow eyes as her favorite wolf. Grace finds out that Sam is a werewolf who changes into a human in the warm months of spring and summer and turns into a wolf during the cold months of fall and winter. The story is told with alternating points of view from Grace and Sam. At the beginning of each chapter you are given a temperature reading which makes sense after you learn about when the humans turned into wolves. Shiver is currently in the New Book Display.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

There is a very bare looking tree on the bulletin board by the Exit Only door. We need your help to decorate it. I am featuring Book Award books this year and the bare tree is part of my plan. In first trimester the featured award is the the Newbery. Read any Newbery Medal or Honor book. Take a minute to tell me about the book - Did you like it? Do you think it deserved the award? What was it about? Then you get a fall leaf with your name and the book you read to add to the bulletin board. As we get closer to Halloween, there may be ghosts, witches, and bats to add to the display, too.

I am currently reading the 2011 Newbery Medal book Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool. It's a story that takes place in a small Kansas town in 1936 where Abilene has been sent to stay by her drifter father. Manifest is the town where her father grew up and Abilene finds a mysterious group of letters that connects to the time when her father was a boy. There seems to be a mystery developing and I can't wait to read more.

To help you pick a book for the Reading Tree, the bulletin has a pocket with a checklist of Newbery books in our library. There is another pocket with a checklist of Anderson's Mock Newbery books for those of you who prefer more modern books. (The Newbery Award goes back to 1922!) Please read and help us decorate the Reading Tree.

SUMMER READING PROGRAM

Since there is no more checkout for this school year, it seems heartless to talk about new books that won't be available until August. Instead here is a sneak preview of our Lakeview Summer Reading Program. This year our program is called Read S'More. I encourage all of you to do just that over the summer. I will post a Reading Log Form on the Lakeview Library webpage. On the Reading Log keep track of everything you read this summer. Use as many pages as you need. In August when we return to school, bring your Reading Logs to the IMC and you will earn prizes. To help you get started, there is a Summer Paperback Checkout for all students in grades 5, 6, and 7. You will receive details and more information when your classes visit the Lakeview IMC one last time beginning Wednesday, May25th.
This summer I will have a special blog where I will let you know what I am reading. Please respond to my blog with your summer reading plans and include suggestions for me to read. But I warn you, I already have 3 boxes of books set aside for this summer's reading.

FINALLY NEW BOOKS

Now that the library schedule has returned to normal, we librarians have been working on the last batch of new books for this school year. Check the New Book Display on Monday for these new items which include:

Bloody Horowitz, by Anthony Horowitz: The author of the Alex Rider books presents this collection of gruesome tales.

The Cruisers, by Walter Dean Myers: A school story about a mock Civil War where a group of students try to make peace with their alternative newspaper.

The Kind of Friends We Used to Be, by Frances O'Roark Dowell: A sequel to The Secret Language of Girls that shows how friendships can change over time.

Rebound, by Eric Wallace: A friendship/sports story where two boys, one in a wheelchair, find they have much in common.

Takedown, by Rich Wallace: A wrestling story where controlling one's temper can lead to winning.

NEW AR QUIZZES

During the last two weeks the IMC has been busy with inventory and MAP testing so working on getting new books ready for checkout has not happened. However the 7th grade did come to checkout books from the list of new Accelerated Reader quizzes. In preparing a display to assist the students in their selections, I realized how many great books we have added to the AR database this year. Here's just a few examples:

Adventure: Taken by Edward Bloor; Death Run by Jack Higgins; Tunnels by Roderick Gordon
Animals: A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole; The Mayor of Central Park by Avi
Fantasy: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett; Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Historical: Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller; Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White
Horror: Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck
Humorous: The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down by Henry Winkler; Science Fair by Dave Barry
Mystery: 39 Clues - Books 1-4; The Postcard by Tony Abbott; The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone
Realistic: After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick; Antsy Does Time by Neal Shusterman; Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
Science fiction: The Clone Codes by Patricia McKissack; The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Sports: Offside by Erik Esckilsen; Mixed-Up Doubles by Elena Yates Eulo; Beanball by Gene Fehler
Sports/Adventure: Getting Air by Dan Gutman
Suspense: Code Orange by Caroline Cooney; After by Francine Prose

Sequels

This week's new books included a number of sequels. Book 2 in the The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix is Sent which continues the story of Found where children have been pulled out of their historical time period by people from the future because these children were meant to die. Jonah and Katherine are trying to return the children to their correct home in time and restore their timeline. In this sequel they travel to England in the 1400s to return the two princes in the tower who were supposedly killed by King Richard II. The popular book The Alchemyst by Michael Scott is followed by The Magician and The Sorceress. These books continue the adventures of the twins Sophie and Josh as they assist Nicolas Flamel. the alchemyst, escape pursuit throughout Europe from Dr. John Dee and Niccolo Machiavelli. Finally the second adventure of Daniel X, alien hunter, is called Daniel X: Watch the Skies. Daniel's first book written by James Patterson is The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Here we meet Daniel who is following "The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma" to track down and exterminate alien beings hiding on Earth. He is anxious to move up in the alien hunter rankings by going after the top-of-the-list bad guys.

New Career Books

Just before spring break I received information about a wonderful deal on books from a new company consolidating several publisher whose books I have bought in the past. With the 7th grade career project starting after break, I took advantage of this deal to order 50 new career books and 2 new career encyclopedias. Fortunately the books arrived over spring break and 7th grade students are using these books for their research. In order to make at least some of the new books available for check-out, I added them to the automation system by a procedure called catalog-on-the-fly. This process allows me to enter the minimum amount of information about the book into the automation. Then Mrs. Wilson processed the books to a shelf-ready status. The books were posted and ready to check out. Later I can go back to these records and fully catalog the books for next year's research. The students have found these new books very helpful in their research. The new career encyclopedias are Career Discovery Encyclopedia (copyright 2009) and Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (copyright 2011). The other books come from two series -- Careers in Focus and What Can I Do Now? All of the books have copyright dates no older than 2005. I was able to purchase a wide range of careers so that we have almost meet everyone's needs.

Thank You P.T.O.

The Lakeview P.T.O. sponsored a Book Fair this week. Unfortunately book sales were low -- maybe students were too focused on spring break. So instead of a cash profit for the P.T.O., the IMC was able to take a profit in books. The books we selected (listed below) will be the first books we work on after spring break. We hope to have them ready for the students before the end of April. Thank you very much for this donation.

767 Sports Questions Your Friends Can't Answer
Dolphin Song, by Lauren St. John
Eon, by Alison Goodman
Faithful, by Janet Fox
Guinness Word Records 2011
I Survived
Hurrican Katrina, 2005
Shark Attacks of 1916
Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader, by Kieran Scott
Last Leopard, by Lauren St. John
Scholastic Book of Firsts
Trackers 1 & 2, by Patrick Carman
Wish, by Alexandra Bullen

New Books for Persuasive Speech Research

This week Mrs. Wilson and I have been working hard to get all the new books for persuasive speech research ready for check-out. We are adding 34 new pro/con books to the collection. Since it is important for students to be able to find books on their topic even if there is only a chapter of information, I type into our automation system the table of contents for each non-fiction book. While this takes a lot of time, it is very valuable to the students. A keyword search will bring these books to the student's attention.
Students will be able to check-out these new books, but only one book at a time and only for one night. Check-out begins at 3 PM as the students are on their way to the buses. This is our general policy for books being used for research and insures that the books are in the IMC during the school day but still gives students an opportunity to continue their research at home. Some of the new title are: Is Global Warming a Threat?, Overweight America, Electronic Devices in Schools, Organ Transplants, Offshore Drilling, The Right to Die, Gun Control, Illegal Immigration, and America's Prisons. These books and the other new books present both sides of the controversial topic and are very helpful for persuasive speech research. If anyone has trouble finding a book for their topic, they should see a librarian for assistance.

What Happens When You Reach Your Limit?

In Kristen Landon's new book The Limit, we found out how one possible future deals with families who spend more money than they earn. Matt and his family seem to be always buying things, but one day on an ordinary shopping trip, they find that they are over their limit. At home they learn the consequence -- Matt is taken away from his family and put in a workhouse until his family can reduce their debt under the limit. At first things at the workhouse seem pretty good. Matt, a math and computer genius, tests to the top floor where he is challenged to do computer work for various companies along with keeping up his computerized school curriculum. Top floor residents can order anything they want -- food, clothes, things. However, Matt soon realizes that something is very wrong. Some kids get terrible headaches or are removed from the top floor. Matt finds that he cannot get any e-mails from home or even leave the top floor. Can Matt discover what is really happening in the workhouse and help his family get out of debt?
This book and many other new books are available in the New Book Display section by the windows. Come an have a look.

Mysterious Package

Three men are waiting at 221B Baker Street in London for Professor Sigurdsson, but the professor never shows up. Instead a mysterious package is delivered by an unusual little man shortly followed by monsters who are apparently after the package. A dangerous flight to an old-fashioned ship saves the men, but the adventure has just begun. This is the start of James A. Owen's book Here, There Be Dragons, the first book in the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. John, Jack, and Charles, the three waiting men, are brought together in this wild adventure to protect the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of all lands that have existed in myth, fable, and fairy tale -- and the lands are real. Join the adventure! You can find this book in the New Book display area by the windows.

Do You Know a Football Genius?

I do -- Troy from Tim Green's book Football Genius. I heard Tim Green speak at the Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast last Saturday. The ex-NFL player, now a lawyer and children's book author, talked to us about he started his writing career. He told us how he modeled his main characters, Troy and Tate, after his own children, how he read chapters aloud to his children and their classmates asking for their help in making the book appeal to kids. Green is an energetic speaker and had us laughing at his early writing problems. His books read the way he speaks to audiences -- a winning style. Chapters are short so the action moves along quickly. Troy and his single-parent mom are each dealing with problems in their lives. Troy is a second-string quarterback on his football team because the coach's son Jamie is first-string and Jamie is a lousy football player. Troy's mom is dealing with a new job as PR assistant for the Atlanta Falcons. Troy does a few stupid things that, unfortunately, get his mom in trouble at her job. Oh, yes, and Tony is a football genius because he is able to figure out what opposing teams will do before they do it. If you are in the mood for a great football and family story, try Tim Green's Football Genius or the other of his books we have at Lakeview, Football Hero.

An Animal Story with an Historical Twist

A Nest for Celeste, by Henry Cole, tells the story of a mouse looking for a home. Celeste, a very accomplished and self-sufficient mouse, is chased out of her snug mouse hole by two large gray rats. Now she has to find a new home and avoid the family cat. Visiting in this house outside of New Orleans are John James Audubon and his assistant, Joseph, who are observing and drawing the local birds. Add to this mix a hurricane and Celeste is having a difficult time. The story is based on an historical event where Audubon did stay at a New Orleans plantation while preparing his famous book on birds. What really makes the story come alive are the incredible pencil drawings that illustrate the book. Henry Cole has been an illustrator for many years before writing this book, his first.

A New King Arthur Book

In a beautifully written novel in verse, Lisa Ann Sandell tells the story of Elaine of Ascolat, the Lady of Shallot from the famous poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Song of the Sparrow is Elaine's story as she joins her father and brothers in the war camp of Arthur after her mother is brutally murdered by invading Saxons. Growing up with only men and warriors around her, Elaine finds a place for herself tending to the wounded and mending torn clothing. When Lancelot brings Gwynivere to camp to marry Arthur, Elaine rejoices for she now has a girl to be her friend. Unfortunately Gwynivere is cold and cruel. It isn't until both girls are captured by the Saxons that they make any kind of bond together. In a daring escape from the Saxons the girls are able to warn Arthur of a coming attack leading to a victory for the Britons.

A Continuing Trend

Over the last few years I have noticed a number of young adult books where the author has taken classic fairy tales and folktales or works of literature and retold, updated, or found a new slant. Three of the new books we prepared for check-put this week fit in this new trend.

Belle, by Cameron Dokey, is from the Once Upon a Time series where classic fairy tales are retold. Belle, of course, is the story of Beauty and the Beast. Not the Disney version, but a beautifully told romance about true love.

Birdwing, by Rafe Martin, is a continuation of the Grimm fairy tale "The Six Swans." The tale tells of six brothers transformed into swans and how their sister has to remain silent and sew six shirts to change her brothers back. The spell was broken except for the youngest brother who remained with one arm enchanted as a wing forever. Martin's story tells what happened to this brother after the end of the fairy tale.

Enter Three Witches, by Caroline B. Cooney, is a different view of the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Creating a minor character, Lady Mary, Cooney tells the murder of the King of Scotland and the rise to kingship of Macbeth from the sidelines. Each chapter begins with a quotation from the play.

If you are interested in these retold fairy tales or works of literature, you can get a list from the Lakeview IPAC by typing "Based on Fairy Tales of Legends" or "Based on Works of Literature" and searching them as a subject. Lakeview has quite a nice collection.

New Books Ready to Go

Since the IMC staff was relatively on their own this week, we got a lot of new books ready for checkout. It was rewarding to see several empty spots on the new book display shelves as students started to grab up the new books. Some of the new fiction titles still available are: Firestorm, by David Klass, a heart-pounding action book with fantasy and environmental themes (I want to read this one.); Miss Spitfire, by Sarah Miller, an inspiring look at teaching Helen Keller through the eyes of Annie Sullivan; and Ghost in the Machine, by Patrick Carman, a journal noting the search for answers to the strange happenings in a small town.
If you prefer nonfiction you might want to look at: Storm Scientist, by Timothy R. Gaffney, which looks at the study of storms through the careers of scientists; John Madden's Heroes of Football, by John Madden, a history of football, its special teams, and important players (Mrs. Wilson liked this one.); or Trouble Begins at 8, by Sid Fleischman, a biography of Mark Twain which focuses on his life in the wild West. All of these books are currently available on the New Book shelves by the windows.

TEST, by William Sleator

All the MAP testing over the last 2 weeks has reminded me of this book by William Sleator. Imagine a future world where a Test determines if you live a life of the rich and powerful or sit in traffic with everybody else. Ann is sure she won't pass the TEST and will never escape the traffic. But then strange things begin to happen to her. A black motorcycle follows her home. A boy reveals a source of test answers. What is going on? Join Sleator, a master of thrills and suspense, on this frightening ride into a future that could happen. Test can be found on the new book shelves by the windows.

The Dark Side of Immigration

We hear a lot about immigration issues in the news these days, but these are not necessarily new problems. Ann Bausum in her book Denied, Detained, Deported; Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration tells some of the cases where the freedom promised by the Statue of Liberty didn't happen. The book begins with two poems -- one by Emma Lazarus from 1883 which proclaimed "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" and a 2008 poem by Naomi Shihab Nye telling the story of what it really is like to be an immigrant in our country. The rest of the books tells individual stories of people who were denied the right to freedom in the United States. At the end of each story Bausum relates the problems of that story to our immigration issues of today. So while this is an historical view, there is relevance to today. Also there is an extensive timeline at the end of the book which chronicles immigration trends and legislation beginning in 1788. Denied, Detained, Deported is one of the Anderson's Book Stores Mock Siebert (for nonfiction) 2010 list.

Vietnam War Tragedy

All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg, tells the story of a Vietnamese refugee who comes to the United States after the Vietnam War. Young Matt Pin is adopted by an American family who have a younger son Tommy. Matt remembers a tragedy that happened to his Vietnamese family before he came to America but he refuses to talk about it. Slowly his story is revealed as he deals with prejudice from the other kids at school, attending Vietnam Vet meetings, learning to play the piano and baseball, and always fearing that his new family will send him back to Vietnam. The story is told in verse, beginning at the end of the war when Matt's American father leaves his Vietnamese family behind and follows Matt's progress in America. This book was an nominee on the Anderson's Mock Newbery list in 2010. This powerful story was an excellent candidate for the list and makes an emotional choice for a book to read.