Jody Feldman . . .

author of the Golly Whopper Games is visiting on Friday December 4th!! We are so excited to have this wonderful author. Please check back for Projects that the Bledsoe Book Club is producing about the Gollywhopper Games as well as to see the details of her visit!

Bledsoe's Book Club

The students in the Book Club are currently reading through The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman. We just completed a brain teasers contest. Students worked in teams to solve word, number and logic puzzles. Everyone worked very hard and was able to experience the Gollywhopper Games in a new way!

Mrs. Eaton's thoughts on the book:

I like this book because of Gil's attitude throughout the story. He is a hard worker, he has goals and dreams of a better life for his family, and will do his best to win the games so they can start over and leave "The Incident" behind them. He does great job of standing up for himself and working well with people who are very difficult. I like the opportunity to solve the logic puzzles as I read and I can't wait to see if Gil is able to stay strong until the end and to find out if the family decides to start over or stay where they are! I think that the Gollywhopper Games is a great read and I recommend it to anyone.

Please let me know what you think about the books, and if you would recommend it to a friend.

Alvin Ho

I finished reading Alvin Ho by Lenore Look. It is about a 2nd grade boy who is afraid of almost everything. He wants to make friends and be able to talk in school he just can't. I really enjoyed this book because Alvin is very likable, he allows the reader to understand what is going on inside his head and why he reacts the way he does to the many scary situations he encounters. I also liked his father, he really cared about Alvin and wanted to help him.

I recommend this Bluebonnet book to both boys and girls who like reading about making friends and overcoming things that scare you.

End of Summer - August 6th

Hello Bledsoe!

My name is Mrs. Eaton and I will be your librarian this year. I can't wait to meet all of you and start a wonderful year of reading together. I hope you have been reading some intersting books over the summer. I have worked my way through the Bluebonnet Reading List and look forward to talking with you about your favorites.

Here is the link to the list of books: http://www.txla.org/groups/tba/nominees.html

Where does the time go?

I can't believe I haven't updated this in so long! I have been reading, just not blogging about it. I'll try to get my act together!

Oh, and I saw the release date for the last Percy Jackson novel by Rick Riordan. It's called The Last Olympian and it will be released on May 5th. Yay!

Just Finished...

Korman, Gordon. One False Note. New York: Scholastic, 2008.

Booklist reviews this book for grades 4-8.

Summary: Amy and Dan Cahill are in the lead to find thirty-nine clues that safeguard a great power, and are in possession of a coded sheet of Mozart's music that will help them find the next clue while their relatives follow in close pursuit.

Mrs. Wilson Says: Are you playing the 39 Clues game yet? If not, jump on the bandwagon - it's so much fun! Rick Riordan wrote the first novel in the series and this book, written by Gordon Korman, is the second. The 3rd title will be released next month. You can read the books, collect the game cards, and play online.

Already read One False Note? Leave a comment!

This book is on order at the Bledsoe Library. Check back the catalog soon to see if it has arrived. Also, look for the 39 Clues series at the book fair.

Searching for treasure? Try Gordon Korman's Dive series.

Just Finished...

Fleming, Candice. The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 2007.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 3-5.

Summary: An unlikely teacher takes over the disorderly fourth-grade class of Aesop Elementary School with surprising results.

Mrs. Wilson says: The good news is that this is a clever book with a neat concept. The bad news is that it took me for-ev-er to finish it because I kept getting distracted by other books that I found more interesting. I did like what I read, though. The 4th grade class in this school has such bad behavior that no one wants to be their teacher. A teacher (who must be 300 years old judging by how many different adventures he's had) tames the wild beasts. The best part of the book is that each chapter demonstrates a moral from the fables that Aesop wrote long ago (get it? Aesop Elementary?) in a funny and surprising way. If you like the Wayside stories, I think you'll like this book.

Find The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School? Leave a comment!

Want to read more stories about funny teachers? Try Dan Gutman's My Weird School series.

Just Finished...

Stanley, Diane. The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy. New York: Harpers Collins, 2008.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 4-7.

Summary: Eighth-grader Franny and her friends investigate why most of the students at their exclusive boarding school are brilliant, beautiful, and perfectly behaved.

Mrs. Wilson Says: If someone offered you a chance to be a more perfect version of yourself, would you take it? You'd be even better looking, even smarter, you'd never get in trouble, and you'd always be happy. Sounds pretty great, right? Well, what if the same person who could make you perfect also began to make decisions for you...would you still take the deal? This is a fun read about friendship and "being the best we can be," and stars Franny and Beamer from The Mysterious Case of I.M. Fine.

Find The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy? Leave a comment!

Want to read another book about a really smart kid? Try Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee.

Editorial Comment

I've just realized that there are very few books I dislike. I guess the closest I've come to giving a bad review (so far) is for Stolen. Even though I didn't think the book delivered with the "scary" plot, I recognize that parts of it are good and I believe that there are kids who will enjoy this book.

I always finish books--even books I dislike. Maybe I'm optimistic that something great will come out of the book and I'll miss it if I quit reading. And I suspect that deep down I feel sorry for books that I consider rejecting. (Where did I get the idea that books have feelings? Do I need psychotherapy?) I recently read a ridiculously long book that Stephen King said was solid gold...and hated every moment of it. But I stuck it out. It took For-Ev-Er.

So...all this is to say that I'm sorry if you don't like a book that I've reviewed as decent. I'm trying to gauge what a rather large population of students, parents, and staff will find "good." Just doing my best, man.

Just Finished...

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Rat. New York: Little Brown, 2008.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 3-5.

Summary: In the Chinese Year of the Rat, a young Taiwanese American girl faces many challenges: her best friend moves to California and a new boy comes to her school, she must find the courage to forge ahead with her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator, and she must learn to find the beauty in change.

Mrs. Wilson Says: I was excited to read this book because: A) I loved reading the first book in this series, The Year of the Dog--a Bluebonnet nominee last year. B) Grace Lin is coming to our school this March!!! I saw her speak at Frisco Reads in October and I know that she's going to knock everyone's socks off. Like the first book, this book is semi-autobiographical and shares what happens from one Chinese New Year to the next. Pacy is the main character (she's known at school by her American name, Grace) and she finds that The Year of the Rat--traditionally known to bring changes--has brought some unpleasant changes to her world. One of the reasons I love this book is because Lin writes honestly: Pacy really struggles with the changes and she doesn't always react in the best way. She has to work through her mistakes to come out on top.

Find The Year of the Rat at the Bledsoe Library.

Find many books by Grace Lin at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read The Year of the Rat? Leave a comment!

Want to read another book where kids learn about themselves? Try Lost and Found by Andrew Clements.

Just Finished...

Vande Velde, Vivian. Stolen. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2008.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 5-8.

Summary: A girl finds herself running through the forest at the edge of a village with no memory of anything, even her own name, and later learns that she might be twelve-year-old Isabelle, believed to be stolen by a witch six years before.

Mrs. Wilson Says: The cover of this book looks scarier than what is actually inside of it. Don't get me wrong, the very beginning of the book and the end of the book are thrilling. But most of the book is taken up by Isabelle simply thinking about her true identity. So, if you want to read a quasi-scary witch tale badly enough to muddle through the middle, then go for it. Read this book.

Search for Stolen at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read Stolen? Leave a comment!

Want to read more magical tales? Try The Anybodies by N.E. Bode and Septimus Heap by Angie Sage.

Just Finished...

Harper, Charise Mericle. Still Just Grace. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 2-4.

Summary: Seven-year-old Grace gets so involved in working with Grace W. and Grace F. on a school project that she fails to understand why she and her best friend, Mimi, are drifting apart.

Mrs. Wilson Says: This is the sequel to Just Grace and I liked it just as much as the original (and I crack myself up). Grace shares her signature drawings and funny lists. She still has her empathy superpower so she's always looking for ways to help, and in this book she just might be able to solve her name dilemma.

Find Still Just Grace at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read Still Just Grace? Leave a comment!

Want to read more books about best friends? Try the Ivy + Bean books by Annie Barrows or the Allie Finkle books by Meg Cabot.