“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…

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2012.html?ref=review Happy Reading!

My 6,128 Favorite Books – Interesting article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444868204578064483923017090.html I especially liked the part about going back to a book that he read many years ago, only to find a metro card, or a message from a friend who has passed away.  You can’t get that with an e-reader, nook or kindle. Happy Reading!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart I took this book with me on vacation last week.  I wanted to read it to see if it would be something my daughter would like.  I finished it in a day and a half.  I loved it.  I loved the characters, I loved their relationships, especially the forming and bonding of new friendships. The four main characters, Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance are selected by Mr. Benedict to go on a mission.  They are selected because they each have a special gift/talent.  Mr. Benedict has selected them to be spies at a school called  the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (L.I.V.E.).…

I had read some Lois Lowry books before, but I was not aware of just how many she has written – and so many different types.  What an amazing writer and such a creative mind. My daughter and I read Anastasia Krupnik out loud a couple of years ago (for obvious reasons).  My daughter enjoyed it, but didn’t really want to read the rest in the series.  We were at the library one day about a month ago, and she decided to get it to read on her own.  This year, she has lots of reading time in her classroom (love that).  She brought it to school to begin it…

The Moon Over High Street by Natalie Babbit I saw this book recommended somewhere, so when I saw it in the new book section at the library, I immediately picked it up.  It was a very quick, enjoyable read. Joe Casimir is a thirteen year old boy who lives with his grandmother.  They are planning a trip to Midville to visit his Aunt Myra, whom he does not know.  His grandmother falls, so he has to go alone, until she can make it down herself.  While he is in this  strange town, with all new people in his life, it is as though he has come home.  Mr. Boulderwall, a…