Author Visit: James Burks

On Friday, March 11th, we had a very special visitor at our school.  Illustrator turned author, James Burks stopped by to chat and have some fun.

First Up: Lunch with Read-a-thon Winners -
The prize for the top four readers in our first annual Read-a-Thon was to have lunch with James.  We started off with a Gator Pizza (pepperoni) and a Gabby Pizza (Veggies) and a cheese pizza just in case.  Around the table, students asked James lots of questions about how he came up with the idea for Gabby and Gator.  And of course, why does Gator like to eat dogs.

James gave us all kinds of secrets at lunch.  I had to sit on my hands so as not to grab my camera and take pictures of things I can't post yet.  The students were so excited.  They got to see a book trailer James made that won't be out until September, and a sneak peak at his new graphic novel to be released in 2012, and he even flipped through his journal.  He then showed the girls how to draw Gabby & Gator.  There is some surprising talent in this group.

Next Up: Special Edition Literacy Café:

After lunch, we invited a group of students to participate in a modified Literacy Café.  We rotated groups of students through 3 activities.

One activity was centered around No Name Calling and how to respond when you are bullied (one of the themes in Gabby & Gator is around bullying and standing up to a bully).  Children created their own comic strips talking about how to respond to a bully.  They also made Gator bookmarks saying "My name is _______. Not _______." They filled in the last blank with a name that they had been called in the past.  (In the book, Gabby says to the bully "My name is Gabby. Not Freak.").

In the book, Gabby is very pro recycling and loves playing the Tuba.  Gator enjoys dancing with her.  Our Café participants made musical instruments out of recycled materials.  Gabby would be proud.

Of course, the students loved learning about how James' creates his characters and were mesmerized by watching James draw.

No author visit would be complete without an opportunity to get a book signed by the author/illustrator.  James was kind enough to sign books for students and draw in each book.

If you want to know more about James Burks and his art and books, check out his website here.  You can find James on twitter: @jamesburksart and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/james.burks

I leave you with a fun little video from our event:

Book Review - Once In A Full Moon

Author: Ellen Schreiber
Publisher: Kate Tegen Books (December 28, 2010)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: For Review (Dark Days Supernatural Tour)

The story:

Celeste Parker has a pretty good life. She lives with both her parents in a four bedroom house in Eastside, the good part of town. She has two best friends with whom she is super-close and is dating the most popular boy in school, Nash. Sure, she’s not really in love with Nash, but it’s a nice, normal life.

Celeste’s nice, normal life, however, changes dramatically after a visit to the local psychic who warns Celeste, “Beware of the woods.. of the sounds of howling. There could be outsiders who will turn... underneath the glow of the full moon.” Celeste doesn’t really believe in the prediction until she gets caught in the woods during a freak snow storm and ends up surrounded by wolves. Things look pretty bleak for Celeste until Brandon, the sexy new boy in school from the wrong side of town, jumps in to save the day. The confrontation leaves Brandon with a gash on his hand and Celeste’s full attention.

The encounter in the woods changes both Brandon and Celeste forever. Is there any truth to the Werewolf of Logan’s Run legend? And, more importantly, can two people from such different backgrounds find enough common ground to fall in love?

The verdict:

Ellen Schreiber’s Vampire Kisses series is a big hit at my library with the tween set, and I know this one will be just as popular. Celeste is drastically different than Raven, but Once in a Full Moon has all the things that has made Vampire Kisses so popular: cute boys, romance, and things that go bump in the night.

What I like most about Once in a Full Moon is that there is a chapter entitled “Love and the Library.” (Hey, I’m a librarian. We eat stuff like that up.) What I like second most is the realistic portrayal of high school social structures and peer pressure. I think when most teens hear “peer pressure” they think drugs and sex, but this book shows how the opinions of friends often has a bearing on other actions.

As a librarian, I love having Schreiber’s books on my shelves. They’re my go-to recommendation for supernatural loving kids making the transition from middle grade novels to young adult. They have all the romance and horror these kids are looking for without the shock and blush factor of some other YA titles. Bottom line, Once in a Full Moon is a must have for any school or public library that caters to the late elementary to high school crowd.

Thanks to Miss Tammy for the guest review.  Tammy Blackwell is the Young Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky. When she's not reading, writing, or cataloging books, she's sleeping.  She is the author of the YA Novel Destiny Binds.

Early Readers? Transitional Books? Early Chapter Books? - Books for 1st to 3rd Graders (2)

Since a goal of mine is to read more books directed towards young readers grades 1st to 3rd, I will be doing occasional posts on what I am reading.  Here is the second installment in this feature and the focus is on early chapter books that appeal to boy readers.

Note: The challenge is to find books that appeal to an audience that is very diverse in their reading abilities.  In a first grade, a teacher may have children that are barely reading common sight words to others who are reading sizeable chapter books.  Parents and teachers will always need to match the right book to the right reader, but here are some of the books that I have been reading lately that might engage a child in this transitional period.

 Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald

I may just like Stink better than his older sister Judy Moody (though she is a lot of fun too).  McDonald must have liked Stink too since he is featured in several books.  In this first book, Stink is afraid that he is shrinking and that he will always be the shortest kid in his class.  Stink also admires James Madison and would like to see Madison honored as well as Washington on President's Day.  The Stink books have just the right balance of humor, lessons to learn, and silly behaviors to engage readers and to not be annoying.  

Frankie Pickle And The Closet of Doom by Eric Wight

In Frankie Pickle, I would almost describe it as graphic novel meets chapter book.  This is a great transitional book for 1st to 3rd graders who aren't quite ready to give up illustrations but want to feel like they are reading something more.  This book would even work with a struggling reader in upper elementary.  Frankie is a bit of a dreamer with an active imagination and he is often finding himself to be a bit like Indiana Jones.  In the first installment, Frankie learns that a messy room may not be as fun as imagined.

Roscoe Riley Rules #1 Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate

In some ways, the Roscoe Riley series is geared for the younger end of the 1st to 3rd grade age span, but there is plenty of humor for those in 3rd grade too.  Roscoe tries to be helpful during a school play but of course there are always surprises.  Great characters, lots of laughs, and a lesson or two to learn.  As a principal, I have a special fondness for Roscoe and the Roscoes in my life.  

Zac Power #1: Poison Island by H. I. Larry

Most boys will ask about action/adventure books and Zac Power is full of action. Zac and his family often find themselves in the middle of some place trying to save the day and stop a villan.  Though Zac loves this, he can't necessarily share about his secret life to his friends.  The book definitely had a Spy Kids/Incredibles feel to it.  At times, I felt that the transitions were a bit choppy, but I definitely could see boys enjoying this book and liking all of the technology devices and different adventures Zac gets himself into. 





What early chapter books do you enjoy?  Do you have any ones that boys are particularly interested in reading?  Tell me about them in the comments.

World Read Aloud Day Greeting!

My little friends and I want to wish everyone a Happy World Read Aloud Day!!

Book Review: Basketball Belles

Author: Sue Macy
Illustrator: Matt Collins
Publisher: Holiday House (February 2011)
Audience: Ages 7 to 11
Source: F & G from ALA MidWinter 
Non-fiction * Women's History * Sports

Description from GoodReads:
This dynamic picture book about the birth of women's basketball will keep young readers riveted. Raised on a cattle ranch, Agnes Morley was sent to Stanford University to learn to be a lady. Yet in no time she exchanged her breeches and spurs for bloomers and a basketball; and in April 1896 she made history. In a heart—pounding game against the University of California at Berkeley, Agnes led her team to victory in the first-ever intercollegiate women's basketball game, earning national attention and putting women's basketball on the map.

Let me start off by saying, I am not a sports fan - especially not a basketball fan - but this book won me over.  Well, I'm still not a basketball fan but I am happy to be a cheerleader for Basketball Belles: How Two Teams And One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops On The Map.  While at ALA Midwinter, I managed to come away with a stack of F & G's (Folded & Gathered - think Advanced Reader's Copy but for picture books) from various publishers.  As I read them, I made stacks - the "well it is okay" stack, the "I definitely can use this" stack, and the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack. There were only about 2 or 3 in the "Wow! Oh Wow!" stack and Basketball Belles was one of them. 

With Matt Collins amazing illustrations, I was immediately whisked back into the late 1890's.  Macy's story of Agnes Morley who was sent to Stanford in an attempt to make her "more of a lady" captured for me what it must have been like for a woman in that time period.  Having spent four years in the Amherst/Northampton area and surrounded by the rich history of women's colleges (Smith, Mt. Holyoke) it was exciting for me to read about this other piece of women's history.  By focusing on the April 4, 1896 historic game between Stanford and Berkley, Macy is able to delve deeply into what that experience must have been like for not only the players but for the spectators as well.  

Admittedly, despite Macy's well written text and powerful words, I had to read this story through several times because for the first one or two read throughs I was so caught up in Collin's illustrations.  Initially, I was just trying to imagine what it would be like to wear the kinds of clothes they had to wear in those days.  The long sleeve tunics and bloomers not to mention the shoes.  His attention to details fully enhances the text and captures the reader.


Skip the italicized part if you don't want to be spoiled (well we all know how the game ends...it was played after all in 1896), but this ending text very much sums up the book beautifully:

"Victory is ours!  We laugh and hug one another, beside

ourselves with joy.  We even give a cheer for the other team,

and they for us.  What a sight we all are!  Our hair is messy.

Our bloomers are torn.  Our faces are streaked with sweat.

This might not be what my mother had in mind when she sent

me to Stanford to become a lady. But I think that a lady can be 

tough and strong as well as refind and polite.  She can even

play basketball." - Sue Macy, Basketball Belles

As I mentioned earlier, this is a "Wow! Oh, Wow!" book for me.  I bought a copy for me, for a friend, for the school library, and keep shouting about it to anyone who will listen.  I hope that this book earns the recognition that it deserves.