Sunday, September 30, 2018

McGhee, Alison. DEAR SISTER

McGhee, Alison.
DEAR SISTER
New York : Atheneum, 2018
IL 3-6
ISBN 9781481451420

An 8 year old boy is not too excited about his new baby sister. His parents want him to write a note to her to put in her baby book. They do not like the picture he draws and want him to rewrite the note. Through the years, he continues to write notes that the "wardens' do not approve. As the years go by, the notes show a change in their relationship. Will he ever come to love his little sister?

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Maker, Martha. THE UN-FRIENDSHIP BRACELET

Maker, Martha.
THE UN-FRIENDSHIP BRACELET
New York : Little Simon, 2018
IL K-3, RL 4.0
ISBN
978-1-53440-908-8



Do you like to do crafts? Emily and Maddie certainly do. They love to create . They even have a craft room that they stock with supplies. They are so full of ideas. They are best friends and have made friendship bracelets to prove it. But a new girl in school may change all that. Bella becomes friends with Maddie first. Maddie wants to hang around with Bella and Emily feels left out. When her friendship bracelet falls apart, is this a sign?

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Rylant, Cynthia. ECCLESIASTES : TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON

Rylant, Cynthia. 
ECCLESIASTES : TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
New York : Beach Lane Books, 2018
IL K-3
ISBN 
9781481476546

You may be familiar with the text of this book. It is from the Bible but is also a well-known song. Cynthia takes this text and illustrates it as only she can. The illustrations are simple but bold. See what you think.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Rundell, Katherine. ONE CHRISTMAS WISH


Rundell, Katherine. 
ONE CHRISTMAS WISH
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018
IL K-3
ISBN
9781481491617

Theo is all alone. Well, he has a baby sitter but she fell asleep on her phone. His parents are working and there is no one around. When he sees a shooting star, he wishes with all his might. His wish -- to not be alone. He has spent the evening decorating the Christmas tree with the old, broken ornaments and it looks OK. But now, the ornaments are coming to life.  What is happening?

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Joyce, William. BUDDY

Joyce, William. 
BUDDY
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017
IL K-3, RL 4.4
ISBN 
978-1-48148-961-4


If you lived in the 1930s in New York City, you may have come across a smartly dressed women walking with a gorilla. Yes, I said gorilla. Gertie Lintz loved animals. Her home included chimpanzees, birds, and lots of other animals. When she adopted a baby gorilla, she fell in love immediately. Buddy was tiny and not very healthy. With the help of the other animals, she was able to raise him up to be a healthy gorilla.  Gertie didn't believe in cages and she raised her animals as humans. They wore clothes and ate at the table. When Buddy grew up, he was very big and sometimes got upset. What will happen when he gets too big to be safe?

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

DiTerlizzi, Tony. THE BROKEN ORNAMENT

DiTerlizzi, Tony. 
THE BROKEN ORNAMENT
New York : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018
IL K-3
ISBN
9781416939764

Jack wants to make this the best Christmas ever. When he finds an old ornament, he decides to unwrap it and put it on the tree. But, crash! It falls on the floor and breaks. His parents come running in and his mother is very  upset. He doesn't know why, but Jack knows that instead of making this the best Christmas, he has made his mother very, very sad.  What is going on? Why is his mother so sad? Can he make it right?

Monday, September 17, 2018

Calandrelli, Emily. ADA LACE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION

Calandrelli, Emily.
ADA LACE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young , 2018
IL K-3, RL 3.9
ISBN 
978-1-53441-685-7
Third grader Ada Lace is at it again.  She and her her best friend Nina are back in school and have a new social studies teacher. The teacher just loves group projects. Of course Ada and Nina will team up but why does Milton have to be in their group?  Ada really wants the project to be the best but Milton has a habit of pulling pranks. Their model of an old silver mine is very realistic. Hours are spent on getting everything just right. All the models have been locked into the teacher's storage room. Even though Milton promises that he did not rig the model to do something awful, can the girls trust him?

Sunday, September 16, 2018

White, Dianne. WHO EATS ORANGE?

White, Dianne.  
WHO EATS ORANGE?
New York : Beach Lane Books, 2018
IL K-3, RL 1.9
ISBN 
978-1-53440-408-3


Who eats orange?  What types of foods are orange? Carrots, oranges, pumpkins. What about red foods? Like lobsters. What about yellow food? Corn. What color food do you eat?

Friday, September 14, 2018

Halligan, Katherine. HERSTORY : 50 WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO SHOOK UP THE WORLD

Halligan, Katherine.
HERSTORY  : 50 WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO SHOOK UP THE WORLD
New York  : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018
IL 3-6
ISBN
9781534436640

Come along and learn about 50 amazing women who changed the world. All through history, women have been told what they can't do. These woman didn't believe that. They wanted to show what they could do.  There are authors, poets, scientists, and activists. From ancient Egypt to the 21st century, women have been shaking up the world.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

McNamara, Margaret. ELIZA : THE STORY OF ELIZABETH SCHUYLER HAMILTON

McNamara, Margaret.
ELIZA : THE STORY OF ELIZABETH SCHUYLER HAMILTON
New  York : Schwartz and Wade Books, 2018
IL K-3
ISBN  
9781524765897
With the popularity of the Broadway play Hamilton, books are being written about Alexander Hamilton and his family. Not much is known about Hamilton's wife Eliza, but this book aims to introduce her. She was born to a wealthy family in 1757. She was expected to marry well. When she met Alexander, she knew that he was the one for her. She stood with him through troubled times. After his death, she did what she could for the poor of New York. Learn about this remarkable woman who had an effect on so many. 

Monday, September 10, 2018

Turley, Beth. IF THIS WERE A STORY

Turley, Beth.
IF THIS WERE A STORY
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2018
IL 3-6
ISBN 
978-1-53442-061-8

Hannah is a fifth grader who is just a bit different from most of her class. She is very bright and believes she contains magic. When she gets the note that says "Nobody like Hannah", things change. Her parents focus on her more and they tend to fight less. Most people suspect that Kimmie sent the note. Kimmie's mother has died and she now lives with her grandmother. Kimmie is angry all the time. And Hannah is the only one who can beat her in the spelling bee. The notes continue and we are introduced to Hannah's inner world where her stuffed animal can talk as can coins and street signs. The school counselor tries to help Hannah but she becomes more withdrawn. This is an unusual tale of bullies, family problems, and imagination.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Ward, Jennifer. MAMA DUG A LITTLE DEN

Ward, Jennifer.
MAMA DUG A LITTLE DEN
New York : Beach Lane Books, 2018
IL K-3, RL 3.0
ISBN
978-1-48148-037-6


What kind of animal digs a den for her family? And I say her since it is usually the female that digs the den.  You probably think of bears rights away. They spend winters in their dens. But there are so many animals that dig underground to keep their families warm. Some build dens in hollow trees or logs. Some dig in sand. Come along and see which mamas dig a little den.

Monday, September 3, 2018

McCanna, Tim. BOING : A VERY NOISY ABC

McCanna, Tim.
BOING : A VERY NOISY ABC 
New York : Simon & Schuster, 20158
IL K-3
ISBN 
978-1-48148-755-9


This is a very noisy alphabet! It starts out with a young boy and his grandfather in the garden. When the grandfather sneezes, the boy loses control of the bouncing ball and now he is trying to catch it. Join the chase and go through the alphabet as well.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Calkhoven, Laurie. LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

Calkhoven, Laurie.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
New York : Simon Spotlight, 2018
IL K-3, RL 2.9
ISBN
978-1-53442-242-1
Have you heard of the musical Hamilton? Or the man behind it, Lin-Manual Miranda?  Even if you haven't, he is someone who you should get to know about. Lin-Manual Miranda was born in New York City in 1980. Both his parents were from Puerto Rico and Lin-Manual grew up listening to the sounds of his Hispanic neighborhood. Lots of Spanish songs, Broadway tunes and hip hop. His love for music was so strong, he dreamed of being on Broadway himself. He attended a special school for gifted students and he dove into theater arts. In college, he wrote a play that he hoped would appear on Broadway. Through hard work and the help of friends, Lin-Manual did make it to Broadway. Follow his journey from birth to fame.