Wow! Hard to believe it's October already. It's been busy at school/work. Lots of booktalks and conferences and planning sessions. I've been so busy doing talks about books that I haven't had much time to read any books!Read
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (Mock Newbery club)- glad I stuck with this one. As the story progressed I found myself invested in Homer and what was going to happen to him. I don't think it was distinguished enough for Newbery even though I enjoyed it.
Crow Call by Lois Lowry (Mock Newbery club) - good, especially since it's based on Lowry's life, but again, not distinguished enough for a Newbery.
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (TLC blog tour) - good but not great. Review on October 6th.
Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Lovelace (TLC blog tour) - enjoyed these and will be forwarding to school library.
Reading
Scat by Carl Hiaasen (Mock Newbery club) - I'm listening to this one. It's read by Ed Asner. I like it but reminds me of Hoot. The same kind of environmental premise. I'm not sure what I think of the side story of the student's dad being hurt in Iraq. We'll see how it pans out.
Breaking the Bank by Yona McDonough (blog tour) - interesting premise but easy to put down. Review October 5th.
Mrs O: The Face of Fashion by Mary Tomer (rvw) - I requested this one and think it is a great coffee table book. Look for more later in the month.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (Teacher Mock Newbery) - will put this aside since our meeting date has been changed.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - was supposed to finish this yesterday and give away but I'm having a hard time with it. I'm distressed by the excessive use of the word "ni*****". I was put off by the phrase "the warm bittersweet smell of clean Negro..." I'm only 1/2 finished so I'm hoping for redemption. Will giveaway when done.
All The Broken Pieces by Ann Burg (Mock Newbery Club) - verse novel. I'm really impressed by this one so far.
Mock Newbery Club
I'm learning about one of the many ways to run a Mock Newbery club by assisting the Children's Librarian at St. Joseph County Public Library, main branch. We've had an initial meeting where Kris explained how the club would work and patrons picked their first reads. We have our first book discussion meeting on Thursday, October 8. I can't wait!
Book Fair
We're running a book fair until October 15th. I'm using Lowry's Books and More to supply the books. They are an independent bookstore in
Three Rivers, MI, about 1 hour north of here. They send a great variety of books at all price points. I'll be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair at the beginning of December as a comparison. Book fairs allow me to raise money for book marks, book club purchases, giveaways, posters, and small decor updates. The money stretches my budget and it's not as restricted as money from the corporation. This year we were able to buy some "trees" and a wireless scanner. It will make inventory so much easier! Do you host book fairs? How has your experience been? What company do you use?
Dewey's Read-a-thon
It's almost here! I'll start at 8am on October 24th. Not sure what I plan on reading yet. I have a fair number of books on my piles that I want to tackle and challenges I want to finish. I do plan on reading more these next few months and spending less time online, this could be my kick-off!
Yes, to less time online. Online ate up my summer and a lot of writing hours. Of course, having written that, I enjoyed the contact with other writers and it has been helpful to connect with people who love writing and reading. Maybe giving up something else would be better.
ReplyDeleteWow - you've got so much going on! The Mock Newberry sounds especially fun. I'll be a cheerleader during the read-a-thon. Looking forward!
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