Bluebonnet Voting Party

One of my favorite book lists is the Texas Bluebonnet List put out every year by the Texas Library Association. It is a selection of 20 books, fiction and nonfiction, chosen by librarians and teachers in the state of Texas.  Students in 3rd through 6th grade who read 5 or more of the books from the list get to vote on the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award.

In my library, we made the Bluebonnet list a huge deal! Students that read 5 or more are invited to join the Bluebonnet club. I host a special party on our voting day, complete with decorations and cookies.

The winning book for Texas will not be announced until sometime in February, however, I counted the votes from our students, and ROLLER GIRL by Victoria Jamieson came in first place. The students don't know it yet, but I have a signed copy of this book that will be raffled off at our Reading Night in March!! 

I can't wait to hear the announcement next month for the winning BlueBonnet Award Book! 

Now, I'm off to plan a Making Inferences lesson for 3rd grade next week and Civil Rights Movement for 4th grade.  

Super Summer Readers

Last week, I said goodbye to an amazing group of 5th graders. I also completed my first year as a librarian. I enjoyed every minute, and I know that I made the right move in my profession.

The last week I saw classes in the library, we discussed summer reading. This summer, students will not log minutes read. Instead, we will log days that we read and take pictures of ourselves reading with our family. Students are encouraged to post the pictures of themselves reading on Twitter with the hashtag #gisdreads. I will be looking for Hillside students this summer. And I will be posting my pictures as well.

Outgoing 5th graders were given the Lone Star Reading List to begin reading this summer. There are quite a few titles on this list that I cannot wait to read either. 3rd and 4th graders were reminded about the Bluebonnet List to read over the summer. Don't forget to fill out a Bluebonnet Book Response Form.

This summer, I will be posting my book reviews, as well as book recommendations. STAY TUNED!


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ECHO by Pam Muñoz Ryan

This book! It is hard to put in words how I feel about ECHO by Pam Muñoz Ryan. This book is why I love reading! Winner of the 2016 Newbery honor, ECHO will make you feel every emotion and you will fall in love with each character you meet in this novel, and they will live in your heart forever.

I hope I can do justice to this book in my summary and book review, but here goes.....

First, let me say that I love books, REALLY love books. However, rarely do I just really rave about a book the way that I have raved about ECHO. When I first held this book in my hand knowing it is a 2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet book, I was not sure of how I felt. First of all, rarely do the larger books ever win the Bluebonnet award because so many 3rd - 6th graders don't want to read a book this size. So, typically the smaller books win the award. My hope is that with enough book talks I can encourage my students to read this book.

ECHO is divided into four parts. The first 3 parts introduce you to characters that each come across a harmonica with a magical background. We meet Freidrich, who lives in Germany and is witnessing the rise of Hitler's power. He witnesses cruel injustices happening to his friends and his father and must escape to survive and save his father. Next we meet Mike and Frankie, orphans living in America just before World War II. Mike, only 11 years old, must take care of his younger brother, Frankie and ensure that they not be separated.  The final main character that we meet is Ivy, who is the daughter of a migrant farmer in California. Ivy has to deal with moving to new places, as well as injustices at a new school because of the color of her skin. 

All three main characters are linked by the great musical talent, and in part four we see how their lives are connected by the simple harmonica that they have each come in contact with. 

”Your fate is not yet sealed.
Even in the darkest night, a star will shine,
A bell will chime, a path will be revealed.”

From the very beginning of this book to the last page, ECHO was inspiring, heartbreaking, and enchanting.  The historical content is well told and detailed, and while the book does not contain a lot of historical detail, the historical setting is very important. Each character lives in a time of great historical struggle and some of the darker eras in our history. The reader will be inspired by Ryan's strong characters and the way they overcome the struggles of their time.

CIRCUS MIRANDUS by Cassie Beasley

Micah Tuttle, 10 years old, lives with his Grandpa Ephraim. Micah loves to hear his grandpa's stories of a magical circus, Circus Mirandus. Unfortunately, Grandpa Ephraim is sick and dying. Great-aunt Gertrudis has moved in to take care of Grandpa. Micah hoped she would be as fun as Grandpa Ephraim, but Great-aunt Gertrudis does not approve of the magical stories and forbids Micah to go into Grandpa's room. She doesn't want Micah to annoy a dying man, and she doesn't want Grandpa telling silly stories to a child. 

Micah and Grandpa sneak around Great-aunt Gertrudis to see each other and Grandpa continues to tell his stories about Circus Mirandus and the LightBender. Micah seeks out the magical circus and takes along his skeptical best friend, Jenny. Micah believes the LightBender can heal his grandfather and prolong his life. 

Beasley, Cassie. 2015. CIRCUS MIRANDUS. Dial Books.  

Review

I found myself very intrigued by the characters, especially Micah and his grandfather. Their relationship is fantastic and you fall in love with them immediately. Aunt Gertrudis is a very cruel character, such as the stepmother in Cinderella. She is over the top cruel and abusive to Micah, but the author portrays her very well. The reader will definitely be angry with her on many levels. I am still undecided about Jenny. I could almost do without her in the story. She is very skeptical and refuses to believe in magic. Her scientific reasoning for every magical event is borderline obnoxious. 

This is a wonderful fantasy book and will have young readers clinging to the pages until the very end.  Circus Mirandus is a place that kids and adults will want to explore. 

2016 Texas BlueBonnet Nominee