Book of the Day: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book; it was an excellent choice for the Newberry Award. Grace Lin is an amazing author and the students are our school enjoy her books immensely. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the kind of book that you just cannot put down. Minli is a character who is easy to relate to and you desire her to succeed and her journey is exciting and magical. Thank you Grace Lin for another wonderful story.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means “quick thinking,” lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Along the way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her quest. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter. Grades 3-6. --Andrew Medlar

Book of the Day: The Sixty-eight Rooms

The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Have you ever been so enthralled by something, a book, a movie, a piece of artwork; that it magic pulls you in, you can imagine yourself living inside it, as a character in the story?  Ruthie has experienced the same thing.  She is generally disappointed in her boring life, her small, nothing special apartment, her cramped, shared bedroom, and herself.  On a school field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago she finally sees something special.  The Thorne Rooms, a set of 68 miniature rooms set into the walls of the exhibit.  She is amazed by the miniature furniture and dreams of what her life would be like if only she could live in rooms like these.  After Ruthie and her best friend Jack find a mysterious key, their combined curiosity; his for an adventure and hers to study the rooms further; take them to places they never dreamed possible.  Will they find answers in the rooms, will they be able to avoid being seen and thrown out of the museum?  Read the Sixty-eight Rooms and allow yourself to be pulled into the magic of the Thorne Rooms. Compare with The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.



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FLUSH by Carl Hiassen

Flush by Carl Hiaasen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Flush was not at all what I expected. Sometimes it is fun to pick up a book based solely on the cover or the fact that I see a lot of kids checking it out. It made me think that maybe I should check it out. I hadn’t read a review, asked anyone about it or scanned through the book at all. I simply started reading on page one, and I was intrigued.


The book opens with Noah’s dad is in jail, he is no criminal mastermind he simply gets angry when people disrespect nature, he occasionally takes things a bit too far. He, for instance, feels that sinking the boat of a man who continually breaks the law by dumping toilet waste into the ocean is perfectly right and justified. He is also able to take out his anger by punching holes in every door in the house, landing himself in the emergency room with 6 broken knuckles.


Noah, like his dad, is a lover of the Florida Keys and all of nature. He and his sister take on their dads agenda, to protect the ocean from the likes of Dusty Muleman, and earn back their fathers good name in the process. They have to deal with bullies, rough and tough body guards, and a mysterious pirate who keeps appearing right when they need his help; all while keeping their entire plan secret from their parents. To find out if they will succeed in showing who the true crook and lawbreaker is, and in saving their family read FLUSH, by Carl Hiaasen.






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The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale

The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you want to read a book with tears running down your face, while having to pause every few pages to catch your breath from laughing, then this is the book for you. You may think you know the story of the Ugly Duckling, but think again. Maynard Moose tells the tale of the Uglified Ducky, this happens to be a Baby Moose who wandered away and is raised by duckies. The moose, d’abandoned (abandoned) by his fambly (family), blunders into a ducks nest thinking it a snuggly place to nap. The mother duck considers him a distremely (extremely) uglified ducky and set about to teach him proper duck behavior. The hilarious story unfolds as the moose is unable to perform everyday duck activities such as swimming and flying. What makes this book even more enjoyable is the Glossary of Moose Words in the front and the CD included in the back. Author Willy Clafin is a gifted story teller and the book is 100 times better when he reads it with his voices and moosly pronunciations.


FYI: Bledsoe 4th graders were privileged to hear Willy Clafin at the Frisco Storytelling Festival, he was very entertaining to hear in person. It only made me enjoy his book more to know that the Maynard Moose stories are based upon those he made up for his young son.






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Kubla Khan: Emperor of Everything

Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kubla Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, is a lesser known emperor usually referred to in context of Marco Polo's travels. In Kubla Khan: Emperor of Everything Kathleen Krull presents a portrait of this ruler’s life, accomplishments and the lasting impact he had on the world.


Before Kubla Khan’s life the Mongolian empire had been no empire at all, warring tribes of Mongolians fought with each other, never united. When Genghis Khan was elected “the Khan, Khan of all Khans” he united the various tribes into a strong empire. After Kubla Khan came to power the Mongolians defeated China and Kubla Khan rose to the role of Emperor of China, where he developed the most ornate, over-the-top, and awe inspiring culture of its time. Under his rule the Chinese people had outlandish celebrations, studied the arts and sciences, developed farming techniques and created the first system of paper money. This book and its detailed illustrations provide an insightful peek into the life of an amazing Emperor.






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THe Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Such a great book! I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series and so have all the kids I've read it with as a classroom teacher and now as a librarian. I like this one so much more. It was less silly, a little more grown up which will be great for the kinds who have been reading since The Lightning Thief was released as they are now older. The cliff hanger ending mad me so mad because i have to wait a whole year for the continuation!!! But it has me hooked.




I like the characters a great deal. Jason, Piper and Leo are easy to relate to, they seem to think clearly and rationally and have good relationships with each other. I liked the twists on the gods and heores that were thrown in, and the addition of the Roman mythology. I appreciated seeing some of the solid characters from the Percy Jackson series reappear. All in all very enjoyable and an exciting begining to the next phase of heroes!




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Among the Hidden

I really enjoyed this book.  I listened to the audio book while driving around and setting up the library.  The main character, Nick, lives in the not so distant future when the government has outlawed many things including having more than two children.  Nick is a Third or Shadow Child.  His parents broke the law to have him and now keep him hidden.  A neighborhood is built near their house and it become harder and more important than ever that he stay hidden.  When Nicks starts to see Shadows in a near by house after he knows both parents and both boys who live there are gone he starts to wonder if there is another Hidden child living there.  He learns that some rules need to be broken when he sneaks over to the house one afternoon.  Read this book if you enjoy adventure and suspense, you will not be able to put it down and will race to the library to find the next in the series.  The author Margaret Peterson Haddix does not disappoint.

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...

Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. New York: MT Books, 2008.

Booklist recommends this book for grades 4-7.

Summary: Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, all graduates of the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and members of the Benedict Society, embark on a scavenger hunt that turns into a desperate search for the missing Mr. Benedict.

Mrs. Wilson Says: I like challenging books and I like long books, so take this review with a grain of salt. Because as much as I liked the book, I don't think everyone else will agree. Read on if a) you've read the first MBS book, b) you like solving riddles, and c) you have a lot of time to read. Still here? Okay, the riddles were fun and the action was way more intense this time, especially at the end of the book. Also, I really disliked Constance in the first book, but now I have a soft spot for her. Bonus: when you aren't reading the book, you could lift weights with it. Good exercise.

Find The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey at the Bledsoe Library.

Already read The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey? Leave a comment!

Have a taste for adventure? Try these books, too: Whales on Stilts! by M.T. Anderson and the On the Run series by Gordon Korman.