Summer Reading List

Happy May Day!  Spring has arrived and most of us are looking ahead to summer.  My thoughts go to gardening and then relaxing with a book in my back yard with the chickens and my flower gardens.

I'm sure many parents are thinking of activities for the younger members of their families who will soon be out of school.  I hope you'll include lots of time for reading.

Congratulations Teachers, you're almost done for the year.  Even though you're ready for summer break, over the summer you will probably doing some planning for next year.  I hope you'll read some new books this summer to introduce to your students in the fall.

So this is going to be my activity over the next few blog posts:  Making a Summer Reading List of Children's Books for readers of all ages to enjoy. 

When searching for titles I want to read I often start with award winning books.  Here are some of this years winners.

The Newberry Medal Winner for 2012 is: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.  The Honor Books are:  Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

The 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner is: Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson.  The Author Honor Books are: The Great Migration:  Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield and Never Forgotten by Patrick McKissack.

These books all sound fascinating and are now at the top of my list.

I invite you all to help me build this list by sharing your favorite children's book titles.  It can be books you've read, want to read or titles your children or students love the most. 

  

Sharks

Here is a new book that should keep the attention of most young readers, especially boys.

National Geographic Kids Everything Sharks by Ruth Musgrave is written for children ages 9 - 12. It includes great pictures, thrilling stories and facts about sharks.

Medieval Lesson for the family

I'm on a trip to Seattle, WA to visit my daughter. I checked out several audio books to listen to in the car. One was Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz.

This book is a series of 22 monologues written by Ms. Schlitz for her students. Each character tells a story about his/her life and are good portraits of what life was like in medieval England. I found it quite fascinating.

This summer as you vacation with your family, listen to audio books to help pass the time. The stories can provide opportunities for family bonding, laughter, discussions and education.

Travel safely.

Summer reading challenges

With school out for the summer, how will you keep your children reading? Set a good example. Find some time to relax and curl up with a good book in the backyard. Be sure to visit your local library and learn about summer reading challenges offered for both children and adults.

When my children were young they were allowed their very own library card when they could write their name well enough to sign their card. Our library had no limit on the number of books one could check out, so the limit I set was, "as many as you can carry". We would take home 4 stacks of books, spread them out on the cool wood floor of our living room and read the afternoon away.

Today I checked the internet for some summer reading programs. The Association for Library Services to Children has a list of Notable books. It includes many award winners.

About.com features the "Top 10 Summer Reading List for Kids and Teens: 2010".

Both Borders and Barnes and Noble have summer reading challenges for children that include opportunities for them to earn a free book.

Make reading a priority for your children this summer with quality books and memories they will treasure.

John Newbery Awards

My friend James Burke, asked me "what is the John Newbery Award". This Wikipedia site contains a great explanation. It also includes a complete list of the Medal and Honor Award books, a wonderful reading list.

Even though the official Awards are decided upon by a panel of librarians, each year there are Mock Newbery Award events that ask for participation from readers in the general public to read and choose their favorite books.

Here are three Mock Newbery Award sites that you can participate in throughout the year to choose the Mock Award winners for 2011. Allen County Public Library for teachers, librarians and adults, goodreads, and Wake County Library, a student club that welcomes participation from children outside their county. This could also be a model for a club at your school.

These all provide wonderful opportunities for lovers of children's literature to read and learn about books published this year.

Happy reading.

Newbery Award winners

I'm working on a new goal. I want to read every book that has received the John Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature. I recently finished Holes, by Louis Sachar. Now I'm re-reading Charlottes' Web by E. B. White.

How many have you read? What ones? What is your favorite so far?

Happy reading.

Books for Boys

Are you looking for books of interest to boys?

Here are three books that I think boys in a wide range of ages would enjoy: Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick, and The Heart of a Shepard by Roseanne Perry. All are available at www.amazon.com.

These books each tell the story of a young boy during a time of warfare and how it affects their lives.

Some possible topics for discussion or further studies:

1. the country in which the story takes place
2. the time period of the story
3. what kinds of weapons would have been used at that time
4. what medical treatment would be available for wounded soldiers
5. the relationship of the main character to his family and how it moves the plot