Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Thumbs up for a book that makes me more interested in a science topic. I have actually been looking up information on eclipses. It's exciting that the United States will have a total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017. Cool! (I think if you read this book, that fact will seem cool to you as well.)

We all have a place in the universe. This book is about discovering that and about dealing with change. Thousands have gathered at Moon Shadow campground to see a total eclipse of the sun. It can be life changing. Although there are many characters you get involved with in this book, the chapters are divided between three teenagers-each chapter devoted to each voice- Ally, Bree and Jack.

Ally: Ally likes the simple things in life-labyrinths, stargazing, and comet hunting. Her home, the Moon Shadow campground, is a part of who she is. She refuses to imagine it any other way.

Bree: Popular, gorgeous (everybody says so), and a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide?

Jack: Overweight and awkward, Jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined.

(There, now you basically know how the inside of the jacket cover describes them.)

The author does a great job of separating each narrative well. Even though you might end one of Ally's chapters wanting to know what's going to happen next, but not reading about it until after Bree's chapter and Jack's chapter, you don't feel lost or confused. You do remember what's going on with each character and they intertwine well to keep the story flowing nicely. I found this book an enjoyable read!

Book Bloggers Christmas Swap

I was so excited to participate in the swap this year. I came home yesterday from a stressful snowy drive down from the canyon (really, white knuckles, white toes, the works) to find my present at the door. Yipee! 

I want to thank Michele from Indiana for my great gifts and the nice note. I received a very cute ornament, a fun sticky pad holder (how did you know I live my life through sticky pads?), some yummy and very cute looking flower suckers and some dip packets that I can't wait to try. Thanks so much Michele-only one "L" for making my day. I love the gifts!

Thanks for the Award!

Cari and Holly over at Book Scoops gave me this cool award. Thanks so much! I am very excited and feel so honored. Yipee!! (Check out their great blog.)

 

I now have the tough job of giving the award to some other cool book blogs. There are so many that I read on a regular basis that it will be hard to narrow it down. Here goes my choices for this "coolest" blog award.

Mommy's Favorite Children's Books- Sharing our family's favorite children's books, media, toys and games. She currently has a post on lunchtime reading with her boys.

Brimful Curiosities- Delightful tidbits for children and parents. This blog always posts a lot of giveaways. Her current post is a review and book giveaway of  The Tale of Despereaux.

Abby (the) Librarian- The blog of a new public librarian posting about good books, children's programing, and anything else library or kid-lit related. She currently has a review of the book Ten Cents a Dance.

On My Bookshelf...- A journal of the books I read or would like to read. Her current post is a review of Under the Night Sky.

The Reading Zone- Run by a 6th grade language arts teacher. Her blog focus is on reading, with a lot of writing and writing workshop thrown in. She currently has a review of the book Cracked Up to Be. 

Congrats to you all on the award. Please pass on the butterfly by following these rules.

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Award up to ten other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This is really not a review of the book, just my feelings after reading it. There are some great reviews out there if you are interested. Jen Robinson has a wonderful review of Chains. 

I really enjoyed this book! It's the best historical fiction book I've read this year. I became very attached to the main character-a slave girl named Isabel. Parts of the book were very sad and hard to read about. I was satisfied with how it ended and am looking forward to reading more about Isabel and Cruzon in Forge. 

Laurie Halse Anderson also wrote Fever 1793 about six years ago. Another great historical fiction read.

Thank You, World by Alice B. McGinty

This colorful picture book is divided into eight sections as you open up each full page. Every square represents a different country. The story follows eight different children as they experience the same things in life. "Thank you, sun, for waking up  the morning and coloring the sky." You get to see eight different sunrises. "Thank you, window. You welcome in the moonlight that yawns from starry skies." Here you see all eight children looking out the window of their own unique homes. Beautifully illustrated as it highlights: United States, Mexico, Bolivia, France, Mali, Saudi Arabia, India and China. Great and informative read!

My Daddy and Me by Jerry Spinelli

This is Jerry Spinelli's first picture book. It stars a dad dog and his puppy son. The book starts out with the puppy waiting for his dad to get home from work. The book goes through all the fun the two of them have together. Isn't that usually the highlight of any child's day--when dad gets home. I remember my sister and I used to sing a song, "Daddy is home..." and dance in the driveway when he pulled up. Even my own kids have mentally pushed me aside when their dad gets home. I say, "Hey, I'm the one who birthed you." But they are apparently sick of being with me too much. Plus dad is more fun--like how he doesn't follow all the organized rules that the mom has for great reasons. Enjoyable book!

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann

The somewhat bratty little girl in the story eats so many pink cupcakes that she turns pink--and she loves it! "I'm Pinkerbelle!" The doctor informs her that she has a case of Pinkititis. To return to normal color she must stop eating anything pink and instead eat green food. But that is just asking too much, until she turns red, which makes her finally choose to eat the gross green foods. At the end of the book we find out that her brother could not resist the pink cupcakes. Cute read!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I know this book has been a best seller and lots of people enjoy it, but for some reason I just barely got around to reading it. I wasn't too excited to start because I'm not that found of comic/cartoon books. However, this is not really one. It's a fast moving story about a boy's school year life. He takes you through Halloween, Christmas, gym class, girls, friends, etc.  The cartoon pictures add so much to it. They are just as funny as the story.

I am wondering if there is something wrong with me. I found this book hilarious. There were several moments when I was laughing (screeching) out loud and a few times when I had tears from laughing so hard. (I hope there's another adult out there who feels the same way so that I don't feel like a complete idiot!)

Greg, the main character, tells about being in reading groups at school. "They don't come right out and tell you if you're in the Gifted group or the Easy group, but you can figure it out right away by looking at the covers of the books they hand out." The cartoon has a picture of two books: Einstein as a Child and Bink Says Boo.

I think this book is great for any person with a good sense of humor. Of course boys would love it, but girls too and even adults. I am enjoying the second book now and can't wait for the third one to come out in January. Thank you Jeff Kinney for making me laugh so much!

Here's a favorite part from the second book. 

Greg and his best friend, Rowley, watched a movie about kids that taught themselves a secret language that grown-ups couldn't understand. Greg and Rowley thought it would be cool to do the same. They decided to make up their own secret language. They tried it out at the dinner table with the two boys and Rowley's dad. 

Greg's cartoon bubble says, "Your-Pa Dad-Pa Smells-Pa Like-Pa A Woman-Pa!" Then the text says, "But Rowley's dad must have cracked our code, because I ended up getting sent home before dessert. And I haven't been invited to spend the night at Rowley's ever since."

Kids Sharing All Over the World

Kids' Space is a site where kids all over the world can share their own stories. They can upload their story as well as read other ones from kids all around the world. There is a feature called Beanstalk where they can pick a picture from the gallery and then write a story that goes with that picture. 

I enjoyed surfing around this site. I saw works of writing from kids in Hong Kong, Australia, Israel and even New Jersey. That was exciting! This would be a great resource for teachers. There are many activities you could do with the other writings, as well as have your own students publish their writing. What a great multicultural way of sharing!

The Dumpster Diver by Janet S. Wong

As he delves into the trash each weekend, Steve encourages his young neighbors (aka the Diving Team) to see the potential in what other people throw away. With a little bit of imagination, trash can be transformed into treasure-and as the Diving Team soon discovers, it might even help a friend in need.

The words in the story are typed on different things, such as school paper, paper bags, doilies, duct tape, etc. The words are scattered along the pages in a fun and quirky way. The illustrations are colorful and help with the story. Nice descriptive writing.

"Diving rule number one is: Keep your mouth shut. (This is especially important when the roaches start flying!)"

"And an old table plus two banged-up skateboards plus a ripped crib mattress plus a hand-held shower plus thirty-two screws and a roll of duct tape can become anything we want it to be."

There is an old lady in the book they call The Grouch. She thinks, "Steve is crazy, too lazy to work hard to make enough money to buy new stuff at the store like good people should." She's a funny character.



I loved this book! It reminds me of my son. He loved going into the big dumpsters to find treasures. One afternoon we couldn't find him or our daughter. Their bikes were gone, but they weren't anywhere around. We started to get worried and drove around the neighborhood looking for them. We spotted their bikes by the school's dumpster and recycling bin. They were nowhere to be found. We got out, called their names and two little heads poked out from the recycling bin. They had a bunch of junk that they tried to talked us into letting them bring home. They also smelled pretty bad. Later we found out that they had eaten lunch in there before. Yuck!

There is some kind of attraction for kids to trash. I can remember being so excited to go to the dump with my dad when I was younger. One time I found a Barbie with no arms. That didn't matter at all to me. It was just so cool and my dad let me bring it home.

My "Best of" Christmas Book Awards

While still feeling too full from Thanksgiving I dug out all the Christmas stuff, including our Christmas books. Every year we get out a big basket and put all our Christmas books in it by the tree. Ahhh...Christmas stories by the tree lights. While going through the books I thought about what I like about each story. I decided to give some of them a "Best of" award. So here are my winners.

Best party planners: Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Best way to entertain a hyper critter: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

Best non-materialistic Christmas: Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Best use of holographic foils: The Christmas Star by Marcus Pfister

Best athlete: The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Best change of heart: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Best place to visit by train: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Best performance by juvenile delinquents: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Best wood carver: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

Best secret life by a relative: Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

Best angel tree top: The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston

Best visit to the museum: The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke

Try and give your own books some awards. Perhaps yours would even be different than mine for the same book. This would be a fun activity for students as well. 

I could have gone on and on with giving my books awards, but I had to stop myself. (Time to switch the wash and feed my family.)

Louder, Lili by Gennifer Choldenko

This picture book is about a very shy girl, Lili, who doesn't say much at all. When she does, she is hardly ever heard. She never speaks up for herself at school, so she misses out on a lot. She is partnered up with a very aggressive girl, Cassidy. Finally, something Cassidy does makes Lili finally speak up. In fact, she yells and everyone hears her. "Even the glue in the bottle stood still."

Lili's opportunity to speak out came when the teacher was absent and a sub was there. I found the sub amusing. (She was out in the hall on her cell phone instead of watching the students.)

I love that in this book you can see that kids, like adults, sometimes get to their breaking point, that final straw when it's time to let loose what you've been holding back. I think that can be very healthy-to stand up for yourself-as long as it's not something violent or naughty (illegal) that you do.

This would be a great book for any shy child.

And the Winner is...

Congrats to Sheri!
Please e-mail me at hennypenny1@live.com with your address information.

Enjoy the book and CD!

New Christmas Picture Book Giveaway

I'm giving away a brand new hard back copy of The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas. The book is written by Anne Muecke and illustrated by Nathan Hale. It includes a CD with dinosaur Christmas music and the story read by Al Roker. 

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all thorough the hall 

Not a creature was stirring, there was no sound at all.

The fossils were standing where they always stood

Looking out o'er a now fast asleep neighborhood."

Every Christmas Eve, the dinosaur fossils in the museum come to life to sing, dance, eat gingerbread, and be merry. And this year, a young boy who lives across the street gets to join in the magical festivities. 

The last four pages of the book have the words to the songs on the CD.  They go along with traditional Christmas songs. For example: 

Deck the Halls with Stegosaurus, 

Hark! The Pterodactyls Sing

All you need to do is comment on this post about something you are thankful for (since we are entering the week of Thanksgiving) and your name will be entered into a drawing. You have through Thanksgiving to leave a comment. I will draw and post the winner's name on the day after Thanksgiving. (Black Friday, November 28) 

Good Luck and Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Fluency - a sometimes neglected skill

Fluency is an essential part of effectively teaching reading. The NAEP reported that 45 percent of all fourth graders tested in the U.S. are not fluent readers. "Without that fluency, the world of imagination, humor, and drama contained in the finest books is no more a tangle of words." Lisa Blau.

The National Reading Panel (2000) defines fluency as "the ability to read a text quickly, accurately, and with proper expression." Fluency feeds into comprehension, so comprehension is being added to that definition. With fluency, one should be able to read the text quickly, correctly, with expression, and be able to comprehend what they are reading.

That makes fluency quite involved. The good news is that fluency can be taught.

"Massive reading does increase fluency, and thus there is something to be said for having students read a great deal in order to increase comprehension." Pressley 2002

"Effective teachers have their students spend enormous amounts of time reading easy texts that they can successfully read with fluency, accuracy, and comprehension." Richard Allington

Timothy Rasinski, a professor of literacy education at Kent State University believes that reading slowly interferes with comprehension. He sites that 90% of comprehension problems are due to fluency. "Fluent readers focus their attention on making connections among the ideas in a text. Between these ideas and their background knowledge, they are able to focus on comprehension."

A few other ways to teach and increase fluency are:

Repeated oral readings

Reading just right books

Reader's theater

Poetry

Song Lyrics

Nursery rhymes

Timing readings and checking for comprehension

Scholastic has an article of strategies to help second through fifth graders improve in fluency.

Even very young children who are just learning to read can practice fluency. When they have sounded and blended their way though even a simple phonics book, they can get faster at reading it, use correct expression and be able to answer questions that test their understanding of the text. 

There really is a lot of information out there on the importance of fluency. Although sometimes not tended to as well as needed, it is really a very important aspect of reading.

Look Behind! by Lola M. Schaefer and Heather Lynn Miller

This picture book is about animal bottoms from A to Z. It tells (and shows) what kind of "butt" each animal has. Then it includes a paragraph about that animal and how it functions. I must include some text from the book for you to get an idea of what it's all about.

"F Fancy Butt" (a peacock)
"H Hairy Butt...Although the polar bear's fur looks white, each hair is actually clear."
"J Juicy Butt...The salamander's bottom looks extra juicy, but the poison tastes bad..."
"N Noisy Butt...Every time a cow breaks wind, it releases methane gas into the air."

Okay, you get the idea. The book does have colorful and fun illustrations and does give information about each animal. You might chuckle at one part and then say, "Ew, sick!" at another part. At our house, between the laughs and the gross-outs, there were some gasps because we really don't use the b-u-t-t word.

So I'm asking, if you have read this book, what do you think about it?
If you have not read it, are you interested?

I hope you don't think this review was a BUMMER!

A Poem a Day

The Library of Congress has a program called Poetry 180. It offers a poem a day for every school day. (Typical school year of 180 days.)

Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United States explains the purposes for the program.

"...Making poetry an active part of the daily experience of American high school students... The idea behind it is to have a poem read each day to the students of American high schools across the country."

Not only will high school students benefit from this program, but I believe anyone who loves to read poetry will enjoy it. 

The site suggests how to read a poem out loud, as well as other information, including a poetry and literature center. You will find a list of all 180 poems. One of my favorite ones is #56 Fat is Not a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen.

Enjoy!

City by Numbers by Stephen T. Johnson

 This is the companion volume to Alphabet City. Although City by Numbers was published in 2003, I accidently became familiar with it just the other night. I ran over to my neighbor's house to watch her sleeping kids for a minute while she picked up the babysitter. I found this book on the floor and enjoyed looking at it very much. 

The book is full of paintings that show the numbers from 1 to 21 in city details. I loved trying to hunt for the numbers. The number 2 is made by flakes of peeling paint, and the number 4 is found in the lines of the Manhattan Bridge at sunset. If you look at the cover of the book, what number do you see? I better not give any more hints because if you haven't yet enjoyed this picture book then you need to and you will need to discover the numbers on your own. The numbers are not very hard to find, but they are very interesting when you see them.

When my neighbor returned home, I was still looking at the book and said that she'd have to wait for me to leave until I was finished. (Thanks Christine, for having a great book lying around the house.)

Thankful for Thanksgiving Books

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

Poem about how children on a school field trip try to save the turkeys 

from the ax of Farmer Mack Nuggett.

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli

This book has been reissued with new art by Megan Lloyd, 

with wolves instead of people.

 Fun story about the disasters that happen with all the food.

 Thank You for Thanksgiving by Dandi Daley Mackall

Rhyming story about a family working together to get

 ready for Thanksgiving, and then giving 

thanks to God for their blessings.

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

A story about appreciating big and small things 

that occur in a young child's life.

The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli

A young girl compares her own family's chaotic holiday celebration 

with that of another "picture perfect" family. 

One is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox

A repetitious story about giving thanks for the little things,

like the leftovers that mouse gets.

Mary's First Thanksgiving:An Inspirational Story of Gratefulness 

by Kathy-jo Wargin

Mary is a modern pilgrim girl who recognizes her blessings from 

the story of the first Thanksgiving. 

A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

Mr. and Mrs. Moose invite their animal friends

 over for Thanksgiving dinner. They try to get scared turkey 

to come, but he thinks they want to have him for dinner,

 not come to dinner as a guest.

America's 10 Coolest Public Libraries

I found this article about the coolest libraries in the United States.

I thought, "Hey, my city library is cool! It's a pretty good size and good looking too. I wonder if it made the list."

Then I went to the article and clicked on the slide show of the ten libraries and right away I knew why my city library was not going to make their list. These libraries are amazing! Check them out.

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cecilia knows that she is not just another peasant girl; she is actually the true princess, in hiding until the evil forces that killed her parents are vanquished. A commoner named Desmia is on the throne as a decoy.

As she gets older, Cecilia finds it harder to study statesmanship and palace protocol secretly at night and then pretend that she has nothing on her mind other than scrubbing the gruel stains out of her best apron by day.

Cecilia knows that it is time to take charge. Along with her best friend, Harper, she flees to the capital city, determined to reclaim her throne and face the danger head on.

When Harper and Cecilia reach the famed Palace of Mirrors, they discover complications: Princess Desmia believes an entirely different version of the story.

I enjoyed reading Palace of Mirrors, but it wasn't my favorite by the author. It does bring back the character Ella Brown from Just Ella. However, she's not a main character in the book. I felt it was more of a fast moving, simplistic story with some predictability. Of course, there was some adventure and a touch of romance. Always a great combination for a good story.

My very favorite book by Margaret Peterson Haddix is Running Out of Time. I also really enjoyed her historical fiction book, Uprising, about the Triangle Shirt Factory fire. I did get very attached to her Shadow Children Series. I loved the first book, Among the Hidden. It was nice to see boys really get into those books as well as girls. 

Lessons from Enemy Pie

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson is not a new book. Most of you have probably read it. After reading it, you might have closed the book and thought, "That was a great story with a wonderful message." But are we living it?

For those of you not familiar with the story, here are some things that were written about it.

"It was a perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became Enemy Number One. Luckily, Dad has a surefire way to get rid of enemies--Enemy Pie. But one of the secret ingredients is spending an entire day with the enemy!"

"In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipe for turning a best enemy into a best friend."

Richard Irwin writes, "A morsel of hatred is turned into a dessert of love."

Enemy Pie shows how to handle relationships and resolve conflict through its clever message.

How appropriate is this for any aged person in today's society? I would love to see John and Barack make each other an enemy pie. 

On Derek Munson's website, he explains what the Enemy Pie Experiment is. When he does school visits, he does a reading of the book, then a discussion and then the kids use all kinds of things to create two enemy pies-one good and one bad. They then decide which one would be best to get rid of an enemy. (Sounds like fun.)

Wouldn't this wonderful lesson of spending time with our enemies, getting to know them, and perhaps eventually fostering a relationship with them be beneficial to all of us? 

So you don't have any enemies? 

Well, here is one definition of an enemy.

One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interest of another; a foe.

Maybe that person who offends me and hurts my feelings could be one. Couldn't I apply the message from this wonderful picture book to those around me whom I feel this way about? Couldn't the teenager who thinks their english teacher hates them apply this? What about that neighbor that gives you dirty looks all the time for no reason at all. Why not bake him a pie?

I'm not saying we all have to end up like the boys in the book, but isn't it worth a try, no matter how uncomfortable, to reach out and attain even a peaceful understanding of those who fit our own definition of an enemy? 

We don't have to add a new best friend, maybe we could just get rid of an old enemy.

Teens' Top Ten

Teen Read Week was October 12-18. 

More than 8,000 teens voted for their favorite books. 

The top ten are:

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James patterson

6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld

9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham

10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Did any of your favorites make the list?

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I really enjoyed this book a lot! I felt I knew the characters well and became attached to them. Even the villains were well written. Have to admit that I felt anger toward them. Inkheart is a big book with 534 pages. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy. 

Here's a little description about the story. 

Meggie's father Mo has an interesting talent. When he reads aloud, things and sometimes people come out of their stories and into the real world. But now the evil Capricorn wants to use Mo's talents to bring himself great wealth and power. 

Meggie loves books and is always comparing her own life to characters from well known stories. Each chapter starts off with a quote from a classic children's book as a way of introduction to the chapter.

The movie is coming out in January. Of course, when I watch the trailer, the characters don't look anything like how I imagined them when I read the book. 

Why do adults read children's literature?

I read an article about this subject that was written five years ago. It starts out by saying:

"...more adults pick up books aimed at young readers. Are we yearning for old-fashioned stories, seeking spiritual solace, or merely dumbing down?"

Okay, that last part didn't sit too well with me. I'm glad the investigative writer posed another theory. 

"More and more adults are realizing that some children's writers are maybe providing something that adult authors aren't." Says David Almond. "One of the things I've found is that when you are writing for children you can be very direct about things that you're really interested in. The power of narrative becomes very important. A discipline comes with making sure the page keeps turning."

Jonathan Stroud continues this line of thinking with, "A lot of adult fiction hasn't got such a strong narrative drive. A successful book for children must have a strong narrative, otherwise the kid is not going to read it. The kid is not going to be impressed by trendy, pretentious, hifalutin stuff which some adults will be enraptured by."

That's a little more like it!

I really respect this quote that I found from an adult who enjoys reading children's literature.

"I have read books for children and teens for years. I enjoy the clean writing style, the unpretentious language, and the strong narrative line. I enjoy their subject matter more too, where I don't have to worry about graphic murders and explicit sexual scenes dominating the book. I also find more treasures, more books that will stay with me for years, more worthwhile reading than when I read bestsellers aimed at adults."

I really must agree with that one. I can relate on every level. I actually did not get hooked on children's literature until I was an adult. It all started when I read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I loved it and couldn't stop there. 

Did Harry Potter help add more adults enjoying children's literature today or did Stephenie Meyer?

Are you hooked? What did it for you?

By the way, this is in no way bashing adult books or the people who read them.

Halloween Books

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

A witch wants to bake a pie, but her pumpkin is stuck on the vine. Some graveyard friends try and help, but they can't get it to budge. Finally the bat has a great idea. Fun rhythmic story.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

This little old lady gets the scare of her life from the objects that are following her.

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins because she was forced to eat so many as a child. To her surprise she ends up with pumpkins growing in her yard and turns a disaster into a celebration.

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini. 

This book is fun to read aloud with your best witch voice.

 See how the farm animals trick Gritch the Witch to save themselves from being eaten.

The Hallo-Wiener by Dave Pilkey

Hey bullies, don't pick on Oscar the wiener dog because he might end up saving your life.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler

This skeleton can't get rid of his hiccups no matter what he tries. 

Then he sees his reflection in a mirror and screams in fright. 

The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson.

The Herdmans are back and still causing havoc for the 

Halloween activities in this chapter book. 

Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw

The sheep go trick-or-treating but wolves are lurking in the woods. 

On their way home, their costumes help to scare the wolves away.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I first found out about this book from Stephenie Meyer's web site. She raved about it, saying that she's told total strangers about it in Target and that she took it out to dinner with her to read it under the table. I guess that got me interested. I went and bought the book and read it.

Yes, I really liked it a lot. Very well written characters and a unique story line. It grabbed me and keep me throughout the entire book.

Here's a little bit of what the jacket covers says.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

The book does end by wrapping something major up, but...here's where I was a little sad. I read the last sentence of the book and then it said-
END OF BOOK ONE

What? Oh my gosh. I must read the next one right away, however, I had no idea it was just released in September. How long must I wait? In a way, I wish the author would have just written a few more chapters and concluded everything nicely. Now I have to wait to find out more.

I loved the book and the characters a lot, so of course I will keep reading, but sometimes I really get sick of series. Some series that have too many books in them end up losing me. I did that with the Maximum Ride books and the Shadow Children series. How about having a limit on a series to just three books? They would be three really great and exciting books and then it would all end there.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters are sisters who secretly get to escape their home in Transylvania once a month and enter the magical world of the Wildwood. It had plenty of adventure, fantasy and a perfect amount of romance. This book is up for the 2009 Beehive Awards in the young adult category. (The Beehive Award is from the Children's Literature Association of Utah.)


Here is a little bit about it from the author's web site.

When her father falls ill and must leave their forest home over the winter, Jena and her oldest sister Tati are left in charge. All goes well until a tragic accident allows their over bearing cousin to take control. The appearance of a mysterious young man in a black coat divides sister from sister, and suddenly Jena finds herself fighting to save all she holds dear. With her constant companion Gogu by her side, she must venture to realms dark and perilous in her quest to preserve, not just those she loves, but her own independence as well.