If you are a teacher, changing your name is very difficult during the school year. I can recall every teacher I ever had who changed their name after they married. Can you? I have many friends who seem to maintain two identities: their professional name pre marriage and their married name. Unfortunately in our district emails invariably revert twice a year back to maiden names and teachers must go through procedures to get the changes re-instated.

In addition to changing driver’s licenses, you must get new social security cards, fill out ten pages of forms (okay, maybe just 4)… Read More

My physical education teachers asked me earlier this school year to start gathering materials so they could do a major Olympics unit right before summer break. Since budgets disappear long before then, I needed to start searching early. Fortunately Heinemann-Raintree (part of the Capstone Publishing group) came to my rescue with some titles I thought you would want to be sure to add to your collection. The Olympics series includes:

• Great Olympic Moments
• High-Tech Olympics
• The 2012 London Olympics
• The World of Olympics
• The World’s

A strange phenomenon is happening with my students. Reading “Ms Chen’s Special Books” has become so popular that entire classes of third graders are jumping through hurdles to earn the rights. They’ll check out their two library books quickly, then spend twice as long choosing from my review titles. They make teachers wait and still won’t leave the library after an hour because they are negotiating with their friends who gets which title first.

I love nonfiction publishers like ABDO who send boxes of books to review. The students are so excited to open the boxes, make lists of… Read More

I love the end of one year and the beginning of another. Especially the countdowns of the top 10’s and top 100’s. Whether it’s music, TV episodes, or books, these countdowns help us recall our favorites and gain a sense of our entertainment history.

Some classrooms keep track of every book title they read aloud. Students are encouraged to flip through these lists and re-read their favorites. Some students are joining shelfari, librarything, and goodreads so they can track what they’ve read.

One best list I want to make sure you see is Edward T. Sullivan’s picks of… Read More

Henry’s Heart: A Boy, His Heart, and a New Best Friend by Charise Mericle Harper is a book for individual reading, not storytime. Throughout these pages exploring Henry’s heart, there are tiny drawings and even tinier messages spread throughout. Some of the illustrations reflect a child-like attempt at drawing with the stores alongside a road at the top of the page being upright while at the bottom of the road being upside down.

The innocent appeal of this title lies in how the author incorporates factual information about the… Read More

Just look at the cover of this book! It’s irresistible. a Crocodile Smile, innocent (?!) eyes, GLITTER, and the words “Uh-oh, here comes trouble!” Who could resist? Not me, I had to drop everything I was doing to pick up this title.

Catherine Rayner uses soft colors and simple layouts to create a delightful title that will be enjoyed by preschoolers and kindergartners again and again. The vocabulary delightfully rolls off your tongue. Teachers looking for examples of figurative language will appreciate phrases like “Solomon splats and slops” and… Read More

I’m fortunate to have Laurie Travis as my library assistant. Laurie recently earned her MLS from Trevecca. While I know Laurie will be snapped up as librarian by some smart principal soon, I’m happy to share her part-time with another elementary school in Nashville. Laurie has been helping me sort through many review titles. She chose the titles below to take to the other school. In return, I asked her to make review notes.

Cool Theme Parties by Karen Latchana Kennedy- series – Checkerboard How-To Library ABDO

Two page layouts and great graphics make this very kid friendly… Read More

I wish everyone could have two weeks vacation time at Christmas. Teaching is the best profession while I’m on winter vacation. Curling up and reading, visiting bookstores, visiting public libraries, drinking coffee leisurely at Waffle House while I’m reading on my new Kindle Fire. WhooHoo! My new Kindle Fire! These are the times I love being a librarian.

Last night at midnight I was curled up on the sofa with the laptop beside me blogging and playing Facebook games, my Android phone on the pillow so I could keep texting my friends and checking app’s, and the Kindle Fire… Read More

What’s cooler right now than zombies? If you said nothing, you’re right. While vampires, the ultimate forbidden love,  make for good romances, there’s nothing like a zombie invasion to get your pulse pumping. There is absolutely nothing about a zombie to love and everything to fear. Such is the case in Charlie Higson’s The Dead, a prequel to his first zombie novel, The Enemy.

Unlike many series, either book can be read as a stand-alone.  Although it’s somewhat preferable to read The Enemy first, it isn’t necessary. Each… Read More