I have been getting a lot of book suggestions from the blog (http://hooray4books.wordpress.com/) at Hooray for Books in Alexandria, VA (http://www.hooray4books.com/).  If you are lucky enough to live in the area – be sure to visit them, the staff is very knowledgeable and they have GREAT stuff!  Whenever we visit the DC area – we always stop in for some recommendations.  They introduced us to The Penderwicks and my daughter and I will be forever grateful! Okay – back to Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt.  I read about this on their blog.  It was in the teen section in our library.  I got it anyway, even though I…

It doesn’t matter what nationality you are.  And, I know that so many of us are pressed for time while raising our children.  Put down your phone, don’t go on the computer.  Sit down, and read with your children.  You have no idea what 20 minutes a day will do for your them!!!  You can thank me later! http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/20/opinion-prescribing-love-of-reading-to-young-families-should-be-mandatory/ Opinion: Prescribing love of reading to young families should be mandatory by Esther J. Cepeda 9:19 pm on 03/20/2013 CHICAGO — A few weeks ago, I approached an apocalyptic-sounding essay in The New York Times titled “The Country That Stopped Reading.” Finally, I thought, another pessimist to join me in bemoaning the awful state of reading in America. The…

So I liked The Candymakers so much, I figured I would try more of Wendy Mass’ books.  Good choice.  Over the past couple of months I have started books, but never loved them enough to keep reading.  That changed with Jeremy Fink. Jeremy receives a box about a month before his 13th birthday.  It was from his father, who passed away several years ago.  A friend of his dad’s had held it for safekeeping.  On the box is engraved “The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink to open on his 13th Birthday”  However, the friend who sent it lost the keys to open it.  So brings us to the adventure of finding…

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass I saw this book at my daughters book fair back in November.  She said she wasn’t interested, but I was intrigued.  So, I bought it for myself, and in the hopes that she would be interested at some point.  She is a chocoholic, like her dad, so I thought I, at least, had that going for me.  I loved it!  And, now it is on her list of books to read. At the Life is Sweet candy factory four twelve year olds are about to compete in the national candymaking competitition.  Logan, Miles, Daisy and Philip all have different reasons for wanting to win, and…

I am always looking for chapter books to read to my son.  He is picky.  Although, its like everything with him – tell him he has to take a shower and he whines and whines, then he gets in the shower and never wants to get out.   Once we start to read, he loves it. My mom got him Shark Attack by Abby Klein, illustrated by John McKinley, for Christmas.  He is on a shark expedition lately, so she thought this was a good choice.  Freddy is a 1st grader who loves sharks – he has a shark tooth for good luck, he has sharks on his clothes.  In…

“I can’t imagine any mother would feel her child is at risk in [our town],” she said. I have so many thoughts about the tragedy at the Sandy Hook School in Newtown – it has been very hard for me, as a parent and a former teacher.  I cannot begin to imagine what the families in Newtown are going through.  Our schools are making safety their 1st concern.  The above quotation is from an article published in the local paper.  Some parents were asked how they feel the security is in our schools.  While I do think that my children are safe to a certain extent; I know that they…

Our 2013 Printz Shortlist!

Have you ever read a book and been so in love with the character(s) that you just can’t bring yourself to read another book so soon.  I feel as though I am cheating on them, or I just want them to live on just a little while longer . . . I just finished Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.  Yes, its a grownup book, and yes, she is one of my favorite authors. Dellarobia is a young woman trapped in her life.  Upon her discovery of monarch butterflies on a piece of her family’s land that they are about to begin logging, she realizes that she is able to escape…

Home for Christmas by Jan Brett It seems that no Christmas can come and go without a new Jan Brett book.  And, thanks to my mom, we always have one!  My mother taught first grade for 30 years, and her favorite author/illustrator is Jan Brett.  So, I would like to say we are overrun by Jan Brett books – but that sounds negative.  My children are very lucky to have so many Jan Brett books, whether its Christmas or not.  Home for Christmas does not disappoint. Rollo was a wild troll who still had his tail (you had to do your chores and be kind to others to lose your tail),…

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly In 1899, Calpurnia Tate is 11 years old.  The only girl with seven brothers.  She likes adventures and watching the animals and insects in her backyard in Texas.  She and her grandfather discover each other and their likes and form a special bond.  All the while, Calpurnia’s mother is trying to make her into a “young lady”; teaching her to sew and cook and to look presentable – there is nothing Callie wants less. I loved this book – it did take me a while to love it, but I was sad that it was over.  Callie, although she complains about being…