BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION TODAY

Join other beginning chapter book readers and Children's Librarian, Vivian, at Casa Verdugo this afternoon at 4 p.m. for a discussion of the book I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1913.  if you didn't get a chance to read it, check out a paperback copy of this popular new series, I Survived.  

Ask the reference desk about April's book club title.   

KEEP ON READING

Research shows that reading aloud is the single most important thing you can do to help prepare a child for  reading and learning.

ATTENTION: NO STORYTIME THIS FRIDAY

ON MARCH 21, 2014 THERE WILL BE NO BABY STORYTIME AT 10:30 AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY, CHILDREN'S ROOM.  WE WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEK, MARCH 28.  

PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED 1PM  WOODEN TRAIN TIME AND AT 3PM FOR THE ART CART.

EXPULSION BY APPLE

Sierra is the picture perfect student.  She is a member of the leadership club, sings in the school choir The Octaves, and has only received one B in her middle school career.  So why is she suddenly risking expulsion? She understands her school's Zero Tolerance policy.  No drugs, no weapons, no exceptions.  Except what happens when you accidentally take your mom's identical lunch bag to school and inside is a paring knife for her apple?  And you turn it in right away?  

For Sierra, this means a week-long in-school suspension which might lead to an expulsion.  This seemingly unfair act calls into question Sierra's sense of fairness and right and wrong. In Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills, Sierra learns that life and rules are not always black and white and people are not always what they seem on the outside.  For grades 6 and up.

MARCH TO THE LIBRARY

 "Catch the Read Aloud habit" 

Don't be a statistic, read aloud to your child every day.  

Read Aloud 15 MINUTES. Every child. Every parent. Every day.

BOOK GROUP MEETS TODAY

Our book group for beginning chapter book readers meet today at Casa Verdugo to read I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. 
Casa Verdugo, 3/12 at 4 p.m.  

If you can't come, pick up the book and meet us in two weeks for the book discussion.  
Central, 3/24 and Casa, 3/26 both are at 4 p.m. 

OBSERVE! OBSERVE! OBSERVE!

Wilmer Dooley doesn't just love science, he LIVES science.  His family's motto, as any good scientist family's motto should be is: Observe!  And Observe Wilmer does.  He observes his absent-minded scientist dad forgetting his pants and his mom creating interesting dinner concoctions everyday.  He has recently observed that all of the kids in his school have suddenly begun to change colors and bounce off the walls (literally).  Wilmer doesn't want to just know why, though, he wants to find a cure!  Which would be easy if his scientist father let him use his lab.  But instead he must sneak into his biology teacher's lab when she isn't looking and hope he doesn't get caught.  Either by her or his archnemesis Claudius.  


Can he do it?  Can he save the school and win the 6th grade science fair medal?  Find out in The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School by Fowler Dewitt for grades 5 and up.

WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE IS NOT WHO YOU ARE

That's what Laura Ebony found out during a two week forced stay with her grandmother.  Although she wants to be a fashion model and popular, she's more of an outsider, called Larda by her classmates and the popular girls.  She thought all that would changed this year until she finds out that her class will be going on a field trip to her family's "slave shack". A shack to Laura's mind that has nothing but bad memories and now the whole class will know about her family's horrible past.  

The Laura Line by Crystal Allen turns in another engaging coming of age story weaving in history, genealogy, self esteem and even baseball.  For readers in grades 5th -8th. 

WHAT LIFE LESSONS CAN A PERSON LEARN FROM BULLYING?

After a brief suspension, Julian Twerski is exempt from writing a Julius Caesar report.  Instead, his English teacher and father ask him to journal the events of his middle school life.  Since academic success comes so easily to Julian, he thinks this project will be a breeze.  When he starts, he focuses on journal basics: who, what, when, where, why and how.  He documents his time with his best buddies and his best friend's feelings towards a girl at school.  As the days pass, his writing starts to change when he journals about his discovery of first love, or his experiences with the neighborhood loner, Stanley Stimmel.   Julian reflects more frequently and more intensely about his interactions with his best buddies, Stanley, and the irresistible Jillian, and he learns a great deal about empathy, remorse, and heartbreak.  

The reader cannot help but get drawn in to his reflections, regrets, and growth.

From first time junior novelist, Mark Goldblatt, Twerp sheds light on how a group of middle schoolers can be friendly towards some and be troublesome for others.  Twerp is best for 7^th grade and up.

DAYDREAM BELIEVER

Gabriella always seems to be in trouble for her daydreaming.  She daydreams and forgets to do chores and homework and pay attention in class.  She daydreams and forgets everyone and everything around her.  She forgets about her parent's divorce and the fact that she has no friends in her new neighborhood.  She forgets that she rarely sees her dad and that no one seems to understand her.  That is, until her new teacher takes a special interest in helping Gabriella harness her daydreams and explore what it means to have such a vivid imagination.  Maybe her dreams of being an author will take flight.


Join Gabriella in Nikki Grimes' novel in verse, Words with Wings for students in grades 4 and up.

CANDY NECKLACES, KIMCHI, & APPLE PIE LUCK

When Clara Lee wakes up from a dream about her grandfather's death, she's terrified.  That HAS to be a bad dream, right?  Luckily Clara's grandfather is a dream expert and tells her that her dream actually means she will have good luck.  And good luck seems to come her way all day at school.  She gets the best seat on the bus, a surprise candy necklace in her desk, and kimchi at dinner.  What more could she want?  

Clara hopes that her good luck will extend until she competes in the Little Miss Apple Pie contest so that she can represent her town on a parade float in the town's apple celebration.  Will Clara's good luck crown her Little Miss Apple Pie or will Clara earn that honor all on her own by overcoming her fear of public speaking?

Join Clara Lee as she explores what is means to be a fourth-grade Korean American in Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Jenny Han.  

For kids in grades 3 and 4.

READ ALOUD... TOGETHER

 



"Every time we read to a child, we're sending a 'pleasure' message to the child's brain,"  
Jim Trealease of author "The Read-Aloud Handbook." 

• Ribbit!  by Rodrigo Folguiera 
• Crankenstein by Samantha Berger 
• Tiptoe Joe by Ginger Fogelsong Gibson 
• Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A WATER MONSTER?

Official Apprentices' to do list: 

• Do not go beyond this point! 
• Cut Sasquatch's toe nails.
• Do not do anything else!!

Pearl's to do list: 

• See what's beyond those doors. 
• See what that big green thing is outside the window.  
• Get a leprechaun with a nasty cold becayse Ben's been taken hostage by the Lake Monster.  

And this is their first day as official apprentice's to Dr. Woo's Worm Hospital.  Oh, Dr. Woo will not be happy with these two apprentices that's for sure. 
The Lonely Lake Monster : The Imaginary Veterinary Book 2 by Suzanne Selfors for those who love animals (imaginary of course) and not following the rules.  

For readers in 2nd-4th grades. 

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER

At Ever After High, each student must prepare to fulfill their destinies by living the story their parents and their grandparents all lived out for them.  For Apple White, that story is becoming Snow White, eating the poisonous apple from the Evil Queen, and being woken up by Prince Charming and living happily, ever, after.  Sounds easy enough, but all the characters in the story need to commit to living Apple White's happily ever after and Raven Queen just isn't sure she can follow in her mother's footsteps.  She's just not evil.  She loves puppies and painting toe nails - not hurting people and taking power that doesn't belong to her.  High school is a long journey and Raven Queen only has a few months to decide.  Will she fulfill her destiny or discover what lies outside of happily ever after?

For students in grades 6-8, join Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale in Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends.
Read the another review of this book by Casa Verdugo's librarian, Vivian.  

ROBOT AND HUMAN RELATIONS

The Robot Wars have been over for several months, and the former United States is now divided into different districts. Trout St. Kroix awaits his father's return. In desperation, he asks a friend to make a plea to the public on the Net for any information regarding his father. An unexpected turn of events occur, and Trout finds that he has endangered himself and his older brother. When his brother is captured, Trout makes an adventurous journey to the Bot District where he learns more about his father's whereabouts. Will Trout ever see his brother again?

J.V. KADE write a suspenseful sci-fi story that will have readers cheer for Trout and for the robots. Click on the link BOT WARS and reserve a copy today. 

For 5th grade and up.

FAIRY TALES WITH A TWIST

Legacy Day is fast- approaching!  It is the day when the children of classic fairytale heoes and heroines have been waiting for- to sign the Storybook of Legends.  They each must commit to carrying on their parent's fairytale tradition.  When Apple White, Snow White's daughter, learns that the Evil Queen's daughter, Raven, has no interest in carrying on the Legacy she becomes mortified and will do everything she could to change Raven's mind, even try to be the best of friends. 

The STORYBOOK OF LEGENDS by SHANNON HALE is fun, and is filled with memorable characters but there's no denying that Raven will win reader's hearts as she goes through a journey of self discovery.

MRS. NOODLEKUGEL-- BABYSITTER FOR HIRE

 

Nick and Maxine are naturally curious about the little house next to their high-rise apartment building.  When they decide to pay a visit to the sweet lady next door, they discover that she has some lively characters living with her.  Nick and Maxine are surprised with the day's events but when they return home, their parents have an even bigger surprise for them. 
For more Mrs. Noodlekugel adventures, reserve a copy of Daniel Pinkwater's Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice today. 

For 3rd grade and older. 

OOH-YUM-YUM!

Alfie and his sister Emilia have the best great-aunt Zia ever.  When she visits, she makes them feel loved, cooks delicious foods, and adds a little magic to their lives.  Zia's magic lands Alfie and Emilia in the middle of Paris and straight into a French Cooking School where they must pass their lessons and eat delicious foods while trying to figure out how to get back home to America before Alfie's big soccer game on Saturday.

In the spirit of the Magic Tree House series, kids in 3rd and 4th grade can become a foodie along with Alfie and Emilia in Giada De Laurentiis's new series, Recipe for Adventure.  The first two books, Naples! and Paris! can be found in the J Paperbacks under the letter D.  Each book also comes with two recipe cards in the back for you to enjoy the same Zia creations as Alfie and Emilia.

MATH ALL THE TIME

Who says math is only used during math class or that math is dumb? Well, Logan and Bennedict found out the hard way that math is everywhere, in every subject and it certainly isn't dumb.  In Numbed by David Lubar, the boys return from a math field trip completely unable to solve the most ordinary and mundane math problem such as adding and subtracting;  trying to figure out what time it would be 2 hrs. from 4:15 or if they have enough money for a sticky bun.  

A fun short follow up to Punished!  but you don't need to read it in order to enjoy this book.


A beginning chapter book for readers in 2nd-4th grades.  

FALLOUT AND FORENSICS

The last review by Mr. B. of the Grandview Branch, who is now retiring.  He will be missed. 

Forensics and CSI fans, rejoice; this is a thriller just for you. On Saturday morning, thirteen year old Oz Keiller discovers a body in The Cold Case (walk-in freezer) at his mom’s restaurant. Oz’ older brother Dave, chef and now acting manager while mom is out of town, is arrested when his personal chef’s knife is found in the bushes outside the restaurant and identified as the murder weapon. The news that the dead man ate dinner in  the restaurant Friday night, and that he was the reporter who years ago had labeled Oz’ late father a traitor for selling nuclear secrets to the Russians leaves Oz as angry and hurt as he is shaken. No one had ever told him about his father’s case.  

After he pulls himself together, Oz calls his best friend Rusty, a girl obsessed with forensics techniques. Over the next four days, while attempting to clear Dave and to prove his father’s innocence, Oz witnesses another murder; and he and Rusty dodge spies, politicians, police, reporters, blackmailers, the killer, and uncover evidence solving a related “Cold Case.”  Julia Platt Leonard’s thriller, set in New Mexico, pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the last pages when Oz discovers a surprise conspirator.

Age: 11-14