Title: Who was Marco Polo?
Author: Joan Holub
Genre: Biography

Review:
This book is about the life and times of Marco Polo. Marco Polo lived from the year 1254 to 1332. When Marco Polo was fifteen he traveled from Italy (where he was born) to China! In China he met a man named Kublai Khan and became very good friends with him and then Kublai ordered Marco to stay in China 30 years. Marco was with his father and his uncle for that time period. Marco died at the age of 69 in Venice, Italy.

I liked this book because it had very good illustrations. I think the publishers of the “Who Was” series do a very marvelous job because they always give you so much information that you will remember it. Another great thing about this book is that it has a lot of expressive drawings. I, personally myself, didn’t know that Marco Polo was a real person. I thought he was just a name of a game that was played in a swimming pool.

I give this book òòòòò out of 5 stars.

Review by Graham W.

Hot Off the Presses!

The Willoughbys
by Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry's newest book has arrived! Meet the Willoughbys: Jane, who wishes for a longer name, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, the twins who have to share everything, including their one sweater, Tim, the oldest brother, very bossy, and Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby, the rottenest parents ever.


Do you love Lemony Snicket and the Baudelaire orphans? Do you like old-fashioned stories with a twisted-twist? The Willoughbys might be for you!

More Babymouse, Please!

From Lower Elementary to Upper Elementary, students are clamoring for Babymouse!
And guess who else has been reading Babymouse? Dane Peters, himself! Dane borrowed Camp Babymouse the other day, to see what the fuss was about. I think he's a new fan.


I'm pleased to announce that several more Babymouse books have joined the 741.5 shelf, including #8, Puppy Love. Come to the library, and check out our new Babymouse books!

Return of the Podcasters!

This week Julia and Clare discussed the Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini. Paolini recently announced that the third book, Brisingr, will be released later in 2008. The news rekindled reader-interest in the first two books, Eragon and Eldest. In their conversation, J. & C. tell you about the first two books, what the name "Brisingr" means, and more.

According to the experts, if you love "fantasy, war, elves, dwarves, dragons, magic, and things like that," the Inheritance Cycle might be for you!

BHMS Library Podcast -- The Inheritance Cycle (mp3)

[Right-click the picture or link, to download the mp3 to your computer,
or just double click to begin streaming it.]

Have you read Eragon or Eldest? Did you see the Eragon movie? Are you looking forward to Brisingr? Share your thoughts in a comment!

The BHMS library podcast is back!

Julia M. and Nathan returned to the library, before break, and discussed Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series. Fascinating stuff!

BHMS Library Podcast -- Keys to the Kingdom (mp3)

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

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

Share your thoughts in a comment.

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!

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!

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.

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.