Are You Ready?

On Wednesday, the Middle School students who do service in the library sat down and began discussing The Golden Compass. They recorded the lively discussion for the school community.

Here it is!

BHMS Library Podcast - The Golden Compass (mp3)

[Right-click the picture or link, to download the

mp3 to your computer, or just double-click to begin streaming it.]

Do you have any thoughts on The Golden Compass? Do you have something to add to the discussion?

Let us know in a comment!

Room 5 came to the library on Wednesday. We read That New Animal, by Emily Jenkins, and The Baby Goes Beep, by Rebecca O'Connell.
Room 5 has a few students who are beginning to read, which is exciting! Everyone joined in and read along with The Baby Goes Beep.

My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were the planets of our solar system....until last year.

Last year, scientists decided that Pluto doesn't count as a full-fledged planet. That means that any of our planet books that were published before mid-2006, are a bit wrong! It's a good thing that a few new planet books have come out since then.


When Is a Planet Not a Planet? -- The Story of Pluto, by Elaine Scott, is the best I've seen so far.
Here we have a remarkably in-depth account of planetary science and the history of astronomy, a clear explanation of what we know about Pluto and why scientists decided to redefine it as a dwarf planet, and beautiful photographs and images.

This promises to be a gripping read for curious Middle School and Upper Elementary minds wanting to know as much as they can about astronomy, planets, and the world beyond our stratosphere. It's very attractive and very readable. The pages are loaded with solid facts and terrific trivia.

For a much simpler account of the solar system and dwarf planets, take a look at Exploring the Planets In Our Solar System, by Rebecca Olien.

Want to know more about Pluto? Visit our databases, like Grolier Online and Kids Search, from home or school, to learn more. [Go to our library web-page, scroll down to Online Resources, and click whichever you'd like to explore. See Rebecca for passwords to access the databases from home.]

Check out NASA's Pluto page: Pluto

Anyway, it's time for a new mnemonic device!

M V E M J S U N

Leave your ideas in a comment.

Two Facts About Your Librarian

1. I'm a big fan of wordless picture books.
2. I'm also a big fan of robots.

One of my favorite new books is Robot Dreams, by Sara Varon.
It has robots and tells a wordless story! [Well, almost wordless... a few pictures have funny word details, such as titles of books, postcard messages, and shop names, but that's about it.]

A lonely dog builds himself a robot friend. When robot and dog get separated, we get to see the robot's dreams. We also get to see what the dog does to keep busy without his robot friend.
There are some moments in this story that made me really sad. But it was the kind of sad that made me want to keep reading.

I highly recommend this for Upper Elementary and Middle School students looking for a quick-to-read book, with super-appealing illustrations, that tells a sweet story about making friends and losing friends and finding friends.


Find it with the graphic novels-741.5!

A Leaf Man's got go where the wind blows...

When Room 3 & Room 5 came to the library this month, we read Leaf Man.

I could look at Lois Ehlert's leaf collages forever! In Leaf Man, you get to watch as Leaf Man shifts in the wind, from a man into chickens, ducks and geese, pumpkins and winter squash, fish and turtles, and a spotted cow. All the while, you wonder: Where does a Leaf Man go when the wind blows?

If you like Leaf Man, be sure to check out another book she wrote about autumn, Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf.

What To Do With Autumn Leaves

Kick them.
Catch them.
Pick them.
Snatch them.
Romp them.
Stomp them.
Hurl them.
Heave them.
If you want to,
Even leave them.

-Douglas Florian

That is a poem in Autumnblings, a collection of fall poetry with terrific paintings, by Douglas Florian.

Julie borrowed Autumnblings from the library, and did autumnal action poems with the Lower Elementary dance class. The class read some of Florian's work, and then composed poems of their own, packing them with action words. The class enacted their fall poetry through dance.

Really neat!

Little Room Yellow visited the the library on Friday. Everybody loved listening to Leonardo the Terrible Monster, a fun picture book by Mo Willems.

Poor Leonardo can't scare anyone. He's a terrible monster. At last, he finds the perfect scaredy-cat kid, Sam, to frighten. Sam bursts into tears and Leonardo is thrilled! But Sam quickly explains that he's not scared at all, he's been having a terrible day! Leonardo thinks for a moment, and realizes that he may not be a great monster, but he could be a great friend for Sam.

Little Room Yellow is filled with great friends: everyone listened intently, and some friends gripped each other's hands during the almost-scary (but also funny) part.

When the sixth graders and I met, earlier this week, we discussed what they like to read, what makes a good book, and we shared some of our favorite titles.

How's Your Summer Reading?

Sorry it's been so quiet around here! I had the best intentions of posting regular reviews. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry...
Let's see if I can turn it around for the second half of the summer.

Things have been busy here at school. Camp is in full-swing. While songs and games, art, movie-making, and cooking swirl around me, I spend most of my time cleaning up the catalog and organizing our books and library materials, to get everything ready for September. [But don't you think about September yet!]
Outside of school, I've been enjoying the sun, playing toss with my cat, catching up on movies, sewing a bit, visiting friends, and reading as much as I can.

I've recently read Millicent Min: Girl Genius, Ivy and Bean, and The Wednesday Wars.
Stay tuned for reviews!

What has everyone else been reading?

According to some parents and students I've seen on the street, Babymouse is a popular choice this summer (understandably!), and some you are learning how to tie knots and hunt rabbit, with the Dangerous Book for Boys. I haven't had a chance to look at the Dangerous Book yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Summer Reading at the Public Library

Uncover the World!

Be sure to check out Brooklyn Public Library's summer reading program website.

It offers reading lists for all ages, reviews (written by readers of all ages!), and online events like live author chats, throughout the summer. It's also where you can find out what's happening at your local branch library, throughout the summer.

Look what I found on my desk!

I received a terrific terrarium from LE Atlantic, as a Happy End-of-the-Year gift. It's exactly what the library needed. I love it!

Already, over the few days it's been on my desk, it has started many conversations. There are small green shoots, with little brown seed-heads, growing out of the dirt; and the moss is lush. I don't think it's my imagination that the wooden cheetah is getting furrier...

I'll enjoy watching it over the summer!

Owen & Mzee come to the library!

A few elementary students know of my love for Owen and Mzee. If you're not already familiar, let me tell you a little about Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship.

Three years ago, when a big tsunami hit Malindi, Kenya, a baby hippo lost his mother. Naturalists found the baby, whom they named Owen, and brought him to a sanctuary for animals.
Owen, the hippo baby, wandered until he found Mzee, a 130 year old, grumpy tortoise. (Yes! 130 years old!) Owen started following Mzee. Much to the surprise of the naturalists and zoologists, Mzee didn't seem to mind. In fact, it looked as though Owen had chosen Mzee to be his parent, and Mzee had adopted Owen as his own. They walk about together, swim together, eat together, and even nuzzle each other.
If you find that hard to believe, you'll want to check out this book. The pictures are great!

A few days ago, Sophie, a big Owen & Mzee fan herself, gave the library a fantastic gift! She spotted these little guys, and knew that they belonged in our library. I agree--welcome Owen & Mzee!




Trivia: "Mzee" means "wise old man" in Swahili.

Newsflash: Kids Search is the cool way to research!

Did you know that BHMS has a database called EBSCO Kids Search?

Sophie and I decided to do a Kids Search public service announcement for all the eager researchers and readers out there who might not know about this tremendous resource.

Kids Search is a database of magazine articles, encyclopedia entries, and images.

If you’re looking for information about simple machines, dinosaurs, or even candy, you’re sure to find it at Kids Search! Actually, if you’re trying to look for information on just about anything, start with Kids Search, for magazine articles and encyclopedia entries.

Upper Elementary students are currently studying simple machines. We decided to use simple machines as an example.
Sophie went to Kids Search, and typed “simple machines” into the search bar.


Sophie: When I typed “simple machines” in the search bar, I saw all the different articles on simple machines. I chose How Do Simple Machines Work? from Weekly Reader (12/1/06; Vol.76, Issue12).


To see the article, I clicked PDF. PDF is the full color, scanned version of the article from the magazine.


Rebecca: So, when you choose PDF, it actually looks like the real magazine article. Sometimes you only have the option of HTML-Full Text; that will give you the article in writing, but you won’t see any pictures. I prefer PDF when I have the choice.


Sophie: The article shows pictures of, and describes, a wheel and axle, a wedge, a pulley, a screw, an inclined plane, and a lever.

Rebecca: It also shows pictures of each: like the base of a light bulb is a screw--I like that illustration, it helps me to visualize different simple machines in real life.
How can students use Kids Search generally?

Sophie: I think it can be useful because you can find an article about mostly anything on the topic you’re trying to look up.

Rebecca: I think so too. Basically any study unit can be supplemented with Kids Search--science, math, history, current events.
One thing I like about Kids Search, is that you can start reading something because you're looking for specific information, and then you might find something related that piques your interest. For example, at the bottom of this article is a little extra piece, about Mary Lou Hedberg and her successful experiment with simple machines.

Sophie: Yeah, Mary Lou Hedberg is a kid who won an award for proving that using paddles with flat blades was not the fastest way to paddle through water! She figured out that the fastest way to get through water is a spoon shaped blade with bent handles. A paddle is a kind of lever; I never knew that!


You can use Kids Search at school or at home--wherever you have a computer.
Why watch tv when you can read magazine articles all night long?!?!

You can get to Ebsco Kids Search by going to our library homepage, scrolling down to Online Resources, and selecting Ebsco databases.

If you want to try Kids Search for school or for fun, email Rebecca for our username and password!

Shug

by Jenny Han



Shug is a great book about a teenage girl entering middle school. She has a great big sister and a mother who only cooks when her husband is home (which isn’t very often).
I think that any teenage girl with an amazing, caring, and sometimes annoying family would really like this book. Every girl in middle school should read this book.

Review by Sarah J

Shug trivia: Jenny Han is a local Brooklyn author!

The Day of the Dragon King

By Mary Pope Osborne


This book is a great book for people who love adventure stories. This book is about two kids named Jack and Annie who have a magic treehouse filled with books. The treehouse takes them to the places in the books when they point to a picture. In this adventure, they went to China to try and rescue a book before the emperor, called the Dragon King, burned all the books.
It is very exciting when they sneak into the palace and have to find the Imperial Library. Along the way they meet a scholar, a silk weaver, and a cowherd who help them find their way. Jack and Annie get chased by soldiers, but they manage to escape and rescue the book. I felt like I was in Ancient China when I read this book!

Review by Isabel, UE

The Tale of Emily Windsnap

By Liz Kesller



This fantastic story is about a girl named Emily Windsnap. She one day finds out she is a mermaid when she is taking swimming lessons with her class. Then one day as Emily was swimming by her house, she noticed another mermaid named Shona. They got to know each other and became friends. Most of the time Emily would sneak out and meet Shona at Rainbow Rocks and they would go on sneaky adventures. Emily always wanted to find her father who is a merman.
Her father’s name is Jake. When she would ask her mother about her father, her mother would not remember much about him. Emily soon found that her mother’s memory was getting zapped by her friend Mr. Beeston. Emily did all she could to get her mother to remember. She even took her to the place where she met him. Once her mother got her memory back, Emily and her mother both went on a search to find Jake.
Emily found out that her father was in a prison by great Mermer Reef. Emily snuck into the prison and got to see her dad. Her dad was so happy to finally see her, and he still loved Emily’s mom. Mr. Beeston has Emily and her mom arrested, but Neptune, the King of the Sea, felt bad for them and set them all free!

Review by Isabel, UE

Anyone checking in over Spring Vacation?

What are you reading?


I've been reading The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives this week.

A reader from LE highly recommended it to me, and so I bumped it up to the top of my reading list! I'm about halfway through, and enjoying it quite a bit.

Sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, find themselves living with a grandmother they never knew they had...in a peculiar enchanted forest... They're not sure what to believe. Fairies, pixies, and giants aren't real, right? So, what about the teeny flying things that glow and sing and bite at night? ...And how did a giagantic footprint left at the scene of a crushed house?

There's also the matter of the grandmother... Can she be trusted? Is she really their grandmother? ...Is she just a crazy old woman? Why does she have a room that's all locked up and off limits? And what are the strange noises coming from that room? What is she hiding?

The Sisters Grimm have some detective work to do.

I have a feeling readers in LE and UE who are looking for a magic-infused tale that weaves old fairytales into present-day reality, in a wacky way, will like this book. There's a bit of a mystery, too; so readers who like figuring out mysteries might try it too.

I'll be done by Tuesday, and will have it on my desk ready for the next eager reader!

NEW BOOK ALERT!
Look forward to a bunch of new books that will be arriving when we get back from break. I'm most looking forward to Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow--a book of nature poems just in time for Poetry Month!
And there will be a whole bunch of shiny new books about Maya, Inca, and Aztec history, just in time for your new unit, UE!

See you soon.

An Egg Is Quiet

This might be my favorite book in the whole school, right now. An Egg Is Quiet, by Diannna Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long, is a non-fiction picture book all about eggs. It tells you about all the different animals that have eggs, how animals take care of their eggs, shows what's inside eggs, and finally what comes out of eggs!

I could look at it for hours.

Did you know that ostrich eggs can weigh up to 8 pounds, while hummingbird eggs are as tiny as jellybeans?!

My favorite page is about how colorful eggs are--it shows all of these eggs, from birds and fish and bugs, laid out in a rainbow. Really amazing! Sylvia Long is one talented artist!

It's still at my desk, instead of on the shelves, because I like looking at it all the time! Come see it and take it home.

The Homework Machine

If you had a machine that could do all your homework for you, in minutes, would you use it?

I just finished reading one of our new books, The Homework Machine, by Dan Gutman, and I loved it.

The D-squad is a group of four fifth graders whose desks are grouped together by their teacher. They couldn’t be more different. Ordinarily, they’d never be seen in public together. There’s Brandon, the natural genius—he’s always been the smartest in the school; he gets top marks effortlessly, but he’s a little awkward…he doesn’t have too many friends, and he’s fine with that. There’s Kelsey, the slacker—she doesn’t care too much about school, dyes her hair wild colors, and does just enough work to barely pass…that’s good enough for her. Snikwad is the cool kid, new to the school—he’s never done well in school, and doesn’t plan on changing that. And then, there's Judy, a model student, who works really hard at it—she puts in lots of homework-time after school, and sometimes wishes she had more time for other things, like dance classes.

When Snik grills Brandon about how he gets his homework done and how he got to be a genius, Brandon nonchalantly reveals that he’s invented a homework machine. That’s right: he figured out how to revamp his computer to do his homework for him. Snik doesn’t believe him, and insists on seeing it for himself. Brandon shrugs and says sure, come over and see.

Before long, the D-squad is going to Brandon’s house everyday after school. They’ve made a pact to keep this a secret. They hang out; Brandon’s mom brings them snacks; the computer churns out their homework; and they say goodbye.
Soon the D-squad is making perfect marks. Sweet Miss Rasmussen isn’t even suspicious; she’s just overjoyed that they’re getting along and doing so well.

Of course, while they’re busy getting their homework done, they accidentally get to know each other—they could even be called friends.

Miss Rasmussen might not be suspicious, but the rest of the class is. Rumors are circulating…something’s up: why are these four hanging out so much?

Things begin to unravel when a mysterious, creepy man starts IM-ing the D-Squad, asking about the machine; and they realize that even when they unplug the machine, it stays on…like it has a mind of its own.
Oh, and I almost forgot: the police are on their case.

Will the D-Squad remain friends? Does the Homework Machine Survive? Did they do something illegal?? Are they going to jail? Will the creepy guy track them down?—What does he want?

Read this book! Good choice for UE!

Book Review: Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan is a heartfelt story about a girl who lives in Mexico and has to move to California. This book is best for girls who are into some tragedy and a little bit of adventure. Each chapter's title is a name of fruit in Spanish. In the back of this book there are fun arts and crafts, recipes that are mentioned in the book, and a Q&A with the author, Pam Munoz Ryan.

Review by Sarah J.

All About Babymouse
Book interview with
Rebecca & Sophie

REBECCA: When did you start reading Babymouse?
SOPHIE: I was in BookCourt and I wanted to get a new book, but I had nothing in mind. I was just looking all around, and couldn’t find anything. Then I looked at the top of the shelf and I saw Babymouse!

REBECCA: What do you like about Babymouse?
SOPHIE: I think that Babymouse is just a typical girl…but then when you get to know her in the book, she daydreams a lot. And, like, when she’s walking down the school hall, in her mind it’s the yellow brick road.

SOPHIE: Who introduced you to Babymouse?
REBECCA: You did!

REBECCA: Babymouse is a little different from other books. It’s a graphic novel. It’s as much about the pictures as it is about the words. What kind of reader do you think would like to read Babymouse?
SOPHIE: In my mind, I feel like, I don’t really love graphic novels. I feel like Babymouse is different from other graphic novels, partly with the story. I think it’s good for all ages—anyone who can read! Someone who likes funny stories and who wants something quick and easy to read, should try Babymouse.

REBECCA: Is Babymouse a series by any chance?
SOPHIE: Yes, Babymouse is a series! And there are five books. Our library has Babymouse: Queen of the World, Babymouse: Our Hero, and Babymouse: Rockstar!

REBECCA: Which is your favorite?
SOPHIE: The first one—Queen of the World.

REBECCA: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Babymouse?
SOPHIE: My tip for anybody who starts to read Babymouse is when it’s black and white it’s her real life, and when it’s pink and white she’s daydreaming.


Babymouse trivia: Jennifer and Matthew Holm are siblings! Jennifer writes the stories and Matthew draws the pictures.