Book of the Day: Dear Anjali

Dear Anjali by Melissa Glenn Haber


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The topic is challenging but it is an honest struggle and the main character Meredith is very relatable. She feel that she is an outcast and Anjali is her only friend. When Anjali suddenly dies Meredith vows to write her every day, it is her way of keeping Anjali close, and she really really needs someone to talk to. In her letters she tells Anjali about her family and school, how hard everything is without her there and most importantly how much she needs her friend now. Anjali is the only one who could tell her what to do about Noah Spivak! The boy she has had a crush on for years is finally becoming her friend. But is she betraying Anjali who liked him too? As she learns more about Noah, Anjali and her enemy Wendy, Meredith is left feeling betrayed herself. Was Anjali really her best friend forever or is she really all alone in the world. This book is definitely for mature 5th graders or middle school students who will be able to relate with Meredith as she struggles to figure out who she is and how to deal with her friends death.




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Book of the Day: Confessions of a Former Bully

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Katie is a bully, or maybe I should say she used to be one. She got in trouble too many times for the way she was hurting Monica and her consequences included meeting with the counselor and finding a way to make up for the hurt she caused. Katie realized that there was a lot she didn’t know about bullying and that her way of making up for her actions was to write a book about bullying. This journal format book, complete with sketches and “Quick Fact” cards taped in, is a heartfelt introduction into a child’s reaction to bullying. Katie explains it like it is, why kids bully, what you can do if you are a bully or a victim, and how to get help for yourself and your friends. This is the perfect book for any elementary school kid, teacher and parent.




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Book of the Day: Any Which Wall

Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Friends, magic, wishes, and old fashioned fun make this book a winner!  Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan are wasting away their summer waiting for something exciting to happen when on a bike ride they discover a large dark wall, in the middle of a corn field.  In a very Narnian event the children rest against it and in doing so mistakenly active the wall which whisks them immediately into a nearby soda shop.  This happens to be the exact wish of Susan as she sat down to rest and they realize the potential of the wall.  If you could wish to visit anywhere at any time in history where would you go?  A deserted island, a famous American city, the old west, ancient Egypt? The way the four children relate to each other is a throwback to the Pevensise’s on their visit to Narnia or the Penderwick girls.  There is nothing brand new here but the book has a wonderful old time feel and is a purely enjoyable read.



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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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Book of the Day: The Lacemaker and the Princess

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dim lighting, a demanding grandmother, tiny stitches, a tired back and fingers. This is the life of eleve-year-old old Isabelle. She lives in the time leading of up the French Revolution and is suddenly plucked from her life of hard work and thrown into the lap of luxury. She is rescued, by Marie Antoinette, from being trampled in a crowd and Isabelle becomes playmate to a princess. She is given new clothes, a new name and all the food she can eat, but what of her family living in near poverty without her help with the family lace-making business? Then Isabelle begins to hear whispers that all is not well with France, the people are unhappy with their King and the royal family. Will her position as the princess’s closest friend put her and her family in harm’s way? Which side is right, she loves and understands the princess but her family is starving, is that how the royal family should care for their people? This story is based upon the true friendship between the princess and a commoner; many events are true to history. This story is a fine introduction into an intriguing time period and an enjoyable read.




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Umbrella Summer

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Annie Richards is an extremely cautious girl; she walks her bike around town and wears her helmet, bike pads, and all necessary bandages at all times. And she is an expert at diagnosing and addressing her various ailments. It is important to Annie that she be careful and always prepared. She was not prepared for her brother to die, everyone thought he was fine too, but Annie knows better.


When she forms an unlikely relationship with her new neighbor, the one who moved into the haunted house, she begins to discover that her self-preservation routine may be more harmful than she realized. With the healing of time, friendships, and a classic tale of a pig she begins to confront her grief and move back toward her life.


I cannot remember the last time a book made me cry, both when I read it and when I shared the story with friends. Annie is a raw and touching character whose pain is so real. Umbrella Summer is very deserving of its place on the Bluebonnet Nomine list.






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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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An end and a begining...

Tonight was Meet the Teacher and I was so happy to see all the smiling faces coming in the doors of Bledsoe.  So many that were glad to be back and see all their favorite teachers and some excited new faces as well.  As I thought about the great things that are going to happen in the year to come I wanted to share one of the highlihgts of the last year. 

Book clubs, getting to sit down with a group of kids who were excited about reading and stories was a highlight of many days.  5th grade last year worked very hard on a few different book projects but this one is by far the largest and best!  They all worked together with the final editing and voice over done by Dylan and Lora.  They completed it in May, just before they left for their last summer before starting middle school. 

Enjoy and I hope that this coming year we will continue to enjoy books through Book Club and find even more creative ways to share what we thought about them using various tecnhology!

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.

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

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.

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