March Book Madness

I have discovered that I am not a creature of habit. Not in the way of "library events". I like to mix it up. Maybe I get bored? Maybe I like the element of surprise for the staff and students? For instance, last year I dressed up as a "different person" for a day. I made up this character. I called her Opal Hughes...or Mrs. Hughes, my second cousin twice removed.  (I think I was in the middle of watching Downton  when I came up with Hughes). It flowed and brought question to my student's eyes when I stated I was "Mrs. Hughes, Ms. Reynolds 2nd Cousin Twice removed." I adored their wondering expressions, especially on the little one's faces as I spat out my broken British accent. I even startled myself a little when I would look in the mirror. If my words don't give enough description I guess I'll let you peek.

All that to say, I did it once. (Had Mrs. Hughes sub for me that is) and the kids ask all the time when my second cousin twice removed will be back to sub. But, this dog is not fond of old tricks. I need something new all the time. Something unexpected. So, I decided to unveil March Book Madness. A world wide event (but not my invention). There is a weebly and everything. 

Found here ---> March Book Madness

It was a lot to put on alongside of the Mockingbird Book Program we do with Kinder-2nd through MISD. But, we managed and the whole school was involved. I didn't have all of the new books in my library, but between Amazon and our inner-school library loan system I was able to obtain them all rather quickly. I only had to order 3 from Amazon so it worked out quite nicely and didn't break the bank.

I only did the picture book bracket. Next year, I am considering the middle grade book bracket. That, is if I decide to forgo the event again. I created a bulletin board bracket on a large wall space in my library. Here she is:

On the left are books that were published in 2014. i.e. the new books. One the right are books published before 2014. Many classics! In the end, a new book will go head to head with an old book. 

Students voted by every Tuesday through the weebly site. I usually emailed the teachers a picture of the bracket and a QR code for the kids to and teachers to vote. 

How did I get all the kids to read all the books in a short amount of time? Well, I didn't. I left the books on my desk and had the teachers read them to their class at their leisure. They just had to read it right away and return it right away. Some participated and some did not. Honestly, I just wanted to expose the kids to new and old books. I read some to older grades when they visited the library. I read Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen to the entire school I looooooved their expressions and comments as I read it. Good book, read it! not the winner, but a great read!
The final two are shown in the picture above.


 Have you participated in March Book Madness on your campus? What were your strategies to get students and teachers reading the books? Maybe you just like to dress up as people you are not?

Counting by 7's

Counting by 7's is on the 2014 Bluebonnet Book list. I really enjoyed this one and can see it as a read aloud for 5th & 6th grade classrooms. Students tend to relate to books with kids seen as an outsider. In this case, Willow Chance is basically a genius, yet misunderstood by those around her. Willow finds unlikely friendships through a tragic experience. I enjoyed this book and if I had a classroom of my own, I would definitely be reading this one aloud! Several different scenarios are relatable for kids today. Loss of a parent(s), not fitting in, lack of friends, and adoption. This is another book in which I loved how the author made the library a place of refuge. If I ever fulfill my dream of writing a book, you can guarantee it will have a library in it. ;) Loved this book with lots of discussion possibilities! 

What were your thoughts on this book? 

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

I read this Bluebonnet book over the summer and admit I wasn't super excited about it.  But, when I got done reading it, I had no regrets. This book is a great chapter book for 3rd graders, but also a good fit for 4th graders. I also think it will be great for ESL students. Anna Wang is a 4th grade girl who is Chinese. Her mother speaks Chinese but as for her she doesn't know much. She goes to Chinese School on Saturdays to learn. 

My favorite part of this book is that Anna LOVES to read and the author actually goes into a little bit of detail about each book she reads. The cool part about it is that they are REAL books and they are REAL GOOD books like A Wrinkle in Time and My Side of the Mountain. If I were reading this book aloud to a class I would have all of the books in this book on hand for my students to look at and read. That is such a great feature to the book. I love it when authors have characters in their stories that love to read! 

Anna struggles with trusting her English School friends. She has been let down a lot. By the end of the book she has a true friend that pulls through for her. 

What did you think of The Year of the Book?