February's Bibliography

(A list of all things referenced here in the month of February 2014)

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo

Bink and Gollie, two for one by Kate DiCamillo

Bink and Gollie: best friends forever by Kate DiCamillo

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

The Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

The Show Must Go On – Three Ring Rascals Series by Kate Klise

Ruby and the Booker Boys by Derrick Barnes

We Could Be Brothers by Derrick Barnes

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Library Sparks – March 2014

Flora and Ulysses: the illuminated adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes

Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes

This is my third Scholastic Book Fair this year. Yes, I’m that good. And that’s why I get paid The Big Bucks.

The House of the Scorpion has been sitting around my house for awhile. I wanted to read it because it’s a Newbery honor book, but I was a little nervous to start it because A Girl Named Disaster, also by Nancy Farmer, took me a month to read.


Anyway, I’m on page 80 and I started it at 9:00 last night. This book is Captivating! Nancy Farmer is a terrific writer.

This evening I will be introducing a Classic to Ramona. She’s already a big time Henkes fan, having already fallen in love with Penny.

Update: Ramona did not like Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. It kind of scared her when Lilly was naughty at school and wrote her teacher a mean letter. I shouldn’t be surprised. Ramona has a serious aversion to drama of any kind.

Thoughts on Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt is surprisingly folksy. It was strange to meet a more wholesome younger Gantos alter-ego after having previously read Hole in my Life and watching Jack go to prison. I would really love to re-read the whole Gantos cannon and really get down to the bottom of his disfunction.

I LONG to have a Flora and Ulysses tattoo. Is this possible?

At Barnes & Noble, scouting out the new books. We both prefer the library, but this is a good perspective from time to time.

Professional reading at Ramona’s gymnastics class. Really and truly, Library Sparks is a great resource, but only if you read it. My favorite columns are Toni Buzzeo’s Reader’s Theater and So Many Books…So Little Time.

Bedtime reading tonight was a Bink and Gollie marathon. Ramona is mining these books for vocabulary. Mom, what’s Destiny, Film, Inquire, Andes Mountains???
I really love Bink and Gollie. And Ramona, who is a “marvelous companion”.

Author visit day!! We had author Derrick Barnes visit us today. He is the author of the Ruby books and a new middle grade novel,”We Could Be Brothers” which is going on my to-read list. It’s so great to meet authors and always makes me so thankful for my very cool job.

Sunday Read - I revere Gantos. His books “Hole In My Life” and the Joey Pigza books are on my Best Books list. I can’t wait to read this 2012 Newbery Medal winner.

Valentine from my sweet husband. Love the Library

thoughts on The Moorchild

Abandoning books is hard for me. I need to be ok with walking away from books, because there is so much I want to read. I resisted abandoning The Moorchild because I so wanted to love this book. But it literally puts me to sleep. As soon as the author starts talking about the moor I just want to close my eyes and dream of moors.

I’m starting my first Kate Klise book today. She is very popular with my student readers AND she’s visiting our school in April!


Edit: I tried to read it aloud to Ramona. (She’s really game for listening to anything as long as it keeps her from having to go to bed.) But it was a bit over her head. She didn’t like it because “the characters were mean”. Once I began to read it silently I really enjoyed the quick and very sweet storyline. Plus, Sir Sidney has potential to become a much beloved storybook character.
Did I mention she’s coming to my school!!

The illustrations by Patrice Barton are wonderful. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig.

This is a hopeful story about a quiet boy who finds a friend.

thoughts on The Year of Billy Miller

The Billy Miller family reminds me of the Quimbys. So much of childhood drama comes from being misunderstood and the intense need for love. Cleary understood this as she was writing for children.

This book is worth the Newbery honor. It’s a really neat pick.

early thoughts on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"He was the loser Indian father of a loser Indian son living in a world build for winners.
But he loved me so much.”

This book is something you fall into and drown, love, and never quit thinking about.

My weekend just got SERIOUS. I had started The Moorchild this morning, but both of these books appeared before me at school today and I couldn’t ignore the cosmos.

I’m beginning a Newbery Honor book today from 1997, which was the same year E.L. Konigsburg won with A View From Saturday.

early thoughts on The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Almost immediately I see how this book is from the same place as Creech’s other Newbery winner “Walk Two Moons”. A quick shift in the sixth chapter reveals that this story is told by a very unreliable narrator and that this is a story where the journey is not just an epic sea voyage, but also an uncovering of the truth. Similar to Walk Two Moons.
If I taught children’s lit,Sharon Creech would be a whole course.

I’m begining a “Newbery” on this snow day.

I finished Pride and Prejudice this evening. Despite the fact that I was assured to the fact of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy’s eventual marriage, I was still quite anxious to find it all neatly tied up.
This book was fine, but it felt more like history than literature to me. I am now downgraded to having really enjoyed Austen when I was younger.

Happy Snowy Saturday from Bink and Gollie. (This is our Saturday morning read. Ramona and I are developing a deep and lasting love for B&G, tree houses and pancakes/peanut butter sandwiches)