Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene LathamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Thursday, December 6, 2018
Review: Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene LathamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Review: Oskar and the Eight Blessings
Oskar and the Eight Blessings by T.R. SimonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book will tug right on your heartstrings. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is just perfectly crafted. A great book for the holiday season or anytime that you need a reminder that there are good people in this world.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Review: Long-Haired Cat Breeds
Long-Haired Cat Breeds by Christina Mia GardeskiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm not a big cat person, but I did enjoy reading about some types of cats that I didn't even know existed.
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Review: Miniature Pinschers
Miniature Pinschers by Allan MoreyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a book our young dog lovers will adore! My favorite picture is the one on page 13. Too cute!
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Review: Octopuses
Octopuses by Elizabeth R. JohnsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just learned all kinds of new things about octopuses! I knew they had no bones, but I had no idea that they had sharp beaks and strong tounges that could break the shells of crabs and lobsters!!!
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Friday, October 5, 2018
Review: The Girl in the Locked Room: A Ghost Story
The Girl in the Locked Room: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing HahnMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Interesting twist on a ghost story.
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Thursday, October 4, 2018
Review: The Spirit of Cattail County
The Spirit of Cattail County by Victoria PiontekMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful writing! Magical realism for middle school at it's finest. Ghosts, family, friends.... this book has a little bit of everything.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Review: Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin
Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin by James L. SwansonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I learned a lot that I didn't know while reading this book. All of the information about Hoover, about Ray's multiple escapes, etc... were surprises to me. I like that like "Chasing Lincoln's Killer," this book was fairly faced paced and straight-forward. I'm not a big history buff by any means, but this book did pull me in. The pages where King was actually shot and dying were difficult to read; I had to pause there because it was a bit intense. I'd recommend this for any middle or high school library's collection.
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Monday, September 24, 2018
Review: Lucky Broken Girl
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth BeharMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A quiet and slow story- not for every reader, but I feel like it will find a home and resonate with some.
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Review: The Perfect Percival Priggs
The Perfect Percival Priggs by Julie-Anne GrahamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this book, Percival Priggs learns that he doesn't really have to be perfect all the time. I really enjoyed the quirky illustrations - there is a lot to be appreciated in the art in this book. I also enjoyed the use of alliteration - this would be a great book to use to teach that concept.
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Review: Penelope Perfect: A Tale of Perfectionism Gone Wild
Penelope Perfect: A Tale of Perfectionism Gone Wild by Shannon AndersonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A great book to share with the perfectionists in your life. I liked the rhyme and that the illustrations include a diverse cast of characters. Penelope (the main character) is biracial and adorably drawn. In the back of the book, there is an activity guide with discussion questions and scenarios to help kids think through situations that might disturb a perfectionist. Overall, this is book I could see being useful in every elementary school library.
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Review: Happiness Doesn't Come from Headstands
Happiness Doesn't Come from Headstands by Tamara LevittMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A quick little book about focusing on the things you can do rather than being consumed by what you can't.
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Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Review: Deep Water
Deep Water by Watt KeyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Watt Key does it again! If you have middle school readers that are fans of survival novels filled with action and adventure... look no further. I felt like I was out floating in the water with Julie and Shane, hoping and praying for rescue with each page turn. I've never been scuba diving, but I felt like Key described things well enough that even a non-diver like me could understand and picture what was going on.
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Friday, August 10, 2018
Review: The Night Diary
The Night Diary by Veera HiranandaniMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was well written and engaging- even to someone who knew nothing about this part of India's history.
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Friday, July 13, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Review: Because I Was A Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages
Because I Was A Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages by Melissa de la CruzMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of these inspiring women. Most of them were people I had never heard of before, but I found myself scribbling down lots of quotes from the book to look back on when I'm having a down day.
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Hungry for a good book? Listen to an excerpt from this grade 6-9 BES nominee via TeachingBooks: Book Reading | Slider - https://t.co/r3Hwih7FeB
— CCPS Library Media (@CCPSlibraries) June 27, 2018
Review: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo CartayaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Este libro tiene SABOR! It grabbed my attention from the first line, "I'm officially resigning from love." And, it held my attention page after page. I love that the spanish was just a regular part of the writing. Not every phrase was in italics and translated- sometimes you can get the feeling with out exact translation... abuela would approve. This book has the perfect blend of friendship, family, love, and community. I can't wait to hand it to some middle school readers.
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Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Friday, May 11, 2018
Review: Strange Weather
Strange Weather by Joe HillMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The first two short novels ("Snapshot" and "Loaded") were phenomenal. "Aloft" was just okay. I can't pinpoint what I didn't like, but I had to force myself to finish that one. "Rain" was back to great and made up for the miss with "Aloft". Hill is such a fantastic writer. His ideas walk the border of insanity and his wit is just snarky enough.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Review: Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree
Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree by Mary Ann FraserMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved the word choice... "under a butterscotch moon."
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Review: Five Little Ghosts
Five Little Ghosts by Patricia HegartyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked that the ghosts enjoyed lots of different activities- everything from using their imaginations playing dress up to taking a bubble bath!
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Review: Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Stephen SavageMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simple clear illustrations make this a perfect book for a read aloud since children will not need to be close to see the pictures. I love the variety of exclamations used through out the book. This will be a fun book to read around Halloween!
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Review: Santa's Christmas Train
Santa's Christmas Train by Helen Foster JamesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Main characters are white, but at least there was some diversity in the other children on the train. Cute Christmas time story.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Review: Auma's Long Run
Auma's Long Run by Eucabeth A. OdhiamboMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Heartache and sadness is plentiful with in these pages, but there is also a goldmine of determination and bravery. Auma's story will inspire others to not take thier education for granted. She models balancing self-worth and familial obligation. The writing is clear and honest. Readers will cheer Auma on even beyond the final page.
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Monday, February 5, 2018
Review: Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura AtkinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the format of this book, and I feel like it will make it quite accessible to readers. The book alternates between poems focusing in on specific moments of Fred's life, and then pages of factual information with photographs, illustrations, and timelines. I am definitely interested in reading more books from the Fighting for Justice series.
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Thursday, January 25, 2018
Review: What Do You Do with a Problem?
What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi YamadaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a gorgeous, gorgeous book! Kobi Yamada has gift for carefully crafting books that make you think. Mae Besom's illustrations move you through darkness into the final gloriously lit pages.
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Review: What Do You Do with an Idea?
What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi YamadaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful, inspirational, exquisite. This book just made me beam.
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Review: The Dot
The Dot by Peter H. ReynoldsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
When you need to be inspired... pick up this book.
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Review: Beautiful Oops!
Beautiful Oops! by Barney SaltzbergMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a fantastic book! This has definitely slid its way into my list of favorite books. It's the perfect little gem to have available in a makerspace or to give to someone who struggles with being perfect.
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Monday, January 8, 2018
Review: Juan Pablo and the Butterflies
Juan Pablo and the Butterflies by J.J. FlowersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Amidst a horrible situation where two Mexican young adults are struggling to make it to America and safety from the vicious drug lords that are trying to find and kill them, there is a bit of magical realism woven into the mix. The writing is beautiful. There are some very intense situations (murder, almost rape, drugs) and quite a few profanities (including the f-word multiple times). The sense of hope that pervades the pages though makes the rough spots bearable.
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Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Thakkar's Thinkers: Take Note: How do you teach note taking?
I think it's fantastic that this librarian shared her note taking with her students. It's always good for them to see evidence that we are practicing what we preach. :)
Thakkar's Thinkers: Take Note: How do you teach note taking?: How do you teach note taking? I usually don't teach it very well, assuming many things from the students. And then getting bogged d...
Thakkar's Thinkers: Take Note: How do you teach note taking?: How do you teach note taking? I usually don't teach it very well, assuming many things from the students. And then getting bogged d...
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