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 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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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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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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I am so excited!!

Last year Savvy by Ingrid Law was one of my favorite books on the Bluebonnet List. I read it very quickly and recommended it to many students throughout the year. I was also was able to enjoy it with Bledsoe's 5th grade book club at the end of the year, their video was posted a few weeks ago, take a look. I have been looking forward to the companion book Scumble ever since I heard about it last March. It is finally here!!!

I am about half way through Scumble now and it is great! Ledger, Mibs cousin, is the main character in this book and it is about 10 years later or at least enough time has passed for Fish to be getting married! Ledger has been waiting for his 13 birthday and he had convinced himself that his savvy would give his super speed, or make him extremely talented at something athletic. BUT, that is not the case so far all he can do is destroy anything mechanical or manmade. He is a walking demolition machine, and he doesn’t know how to stop it. Many of the wonderful characters from Savvy make an appearance but the main show is taken by this new and intriguing boy, Ledge, as he tries to come to grips with his new Savvy and learn to Scumble.

If you loved Savvy then Scumble will become yoru new favorite book, and if you have not read either one come on it to the library and get it today!

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!

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.

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.

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...

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.