The Many Hats of a School Librarian

At first I was annoyed because I don’t really love more animal books for every state choice selection. And then I fell in love with the goat because anything that helps us through tough emotions is worth the patience. My dad had goats when I was young, too. I remember my mom getting so mad when one was on top of her car. Enjoy this lighter read with heart. 

Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautifully written to describe a grief journey in the voice of an 11 year old.   Great to recommend for students who are in a place to explore these feelings because they haven't felt them yet or because they have.  Know your reader before recommending.  Has a lot of reaction in language with simple text so possibly  good for a lower level reader in a higher grade. However, must have deeper or developing comprehension and inference skills.  View all my reviews

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu My rating: 3 of 5 stars I will change my review when I really read it. soon... View all my reviews

The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book would be so fun to read aloud to a 1st-3rd grade class. I know students would love to read them to themselves as well. The characters are really animated and the visualization is really funny to imagine. I think it is a series and I hope to get more of these books in the library. View all my reviews

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oh the girls in my school who like fairies will love this story of a real fairy, Flora, as she is forced to take an adventure she didn't plan to because of an accident with a bat. This fairy learns how to love the creatures she ends up to live around. View all my reviews

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow! This one was so great! I don't know how the MN students are going to choose for the Maud Hart Lovelace award this year! It was so interesting to get a glimpse inside the thoughts of someone who can't speak like I can. This was written a few years ago, so myspace was the web presence of choice and for the first few chapters, I was thinking about how iPads are probably now being used for communication much less expensively than before. I was so happy to follow along with Melody's journey in 5th grade. View all my reviews

Quarterback Season by Fred Bowen My rating: 3 of 5 stars If you like sports books, this is a good one. it it written in journal format and has lots of technical descriptions of football. It helped me understand a bit more of the game, but I would have liked it better if it was about dance :) View all my reviews

Heroes of the Surf by Elisa Carbone My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was enthralled! I couldn't wait to see what happened to Anthony, Pedro, and the other people on board the Pliny ship. The drawings were exquisite and the fact that it is based on a true story in the 1800's made me even more interested. I would love to recommend this book to picture book readers since the story is suspenseful, and there are longer paragraphs on each page. Historical fiction for second third and fourth graders. View all my reviews

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked this book, but it was really vague. It seems like it would be good to read around President's day to spark an interest about Abe Lincoln, but it doesn't really give enough history to be read without more information with kids in 3rd or 4th grade. The illustrations are fantastic. It can also be used with older kids as a jump to compare what our country was like then and now and talk about some of the social issues that we still face. View all my reviews

Look... Look Again! by John O'Brien My rating: 3 of 5 stars At first, I thought it was a weird book, but then I "got it." It would be fun for kids to read that like or are learning about play on words and figurative language. It's a book that has a title for each page and 4 cartoons describing the title more literally than the figurative way the phrase is usually meant. I recommend for 4th grade and up, the little kids won't get it. View all my reviews

The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a great book about sticking with something long enough to get good at it. It also helps to give background knowledge about some martial arts. I like that it is just another story based on the 3 little pigs. However, I question whether it's a good idea to talk about fighting at school. Is it different when we are talking about marital arts, or is it just fighting? View all my reviews

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked that this is a ghost story - but more funny than scary. It's a series; I wonder what the next books are about? It was cool how the story was told in letters. View all my reviews

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was giggling the whole time. View all my reviews

Born Yesterday by James Solheim My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a great book to show that writing about nothing in your day can really be something special when it's written down. My favorite part was when the baby ate some hair. My 8 month old daughter tries to eat my hair all of the time! It was fun to compare the baby in the book to my baby. If you have a little brother or sister, I but you will find this extra hilarious, too. View all my reviews

Cat Tale by Michael Hall My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is so great for homophones!!! View all my reviews

Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder My rating: 4 of 5 stars A friend told me that I would love this book and it raises some good ethical questions. I immediately looked forward to reading it since someone who knows me told me I would love it, but I also dreaded it because ethical usually means heavy and emotional. While I did cry (in the middle of Caribou Coffee - sheesh) at the beginning because the author painted such a perfect emotional picture of what parents separating could be like, the book wasn't heavy at all. Even though the Lead Character, Rebecca was clearly struggling with her home life, the book was filled with magic and wonder and hope. It felt lighter than the topic. It took about 1/2 the book before I found out where the ethical part comes in. I really liked this book and am excited to get my students and teachers reading it so we can chat! View all my reviews

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate My rating: 4 of 5 stars I would bet that my students would fall in love with Ivan like I did. It took my awhile to get into it, but Katherine Applegate's writing is so beautiful, I couldn't help but keep reading. This book shows, kindness, empathy, compassion, love, struggle, and art. View all my reviews

A Funeral in the Bathroom: And Other School Bathroom Poems by Kalli Dakos My rating: 3 of 5 stars Anything in the bathroom is funny, right? Maybe I should copy some of the poems and put them in the bathroom stalls at school. Especially the puzzle ones! View all my reviews

Suryia and Roscoe: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship by Bhagavan Antle My rating: 4 of 5 stars The real photographs of the animals in this book are awesome! I can't say I am a big animal fan, but learning just a little bit about some animals that I don't see except for in a zoo was kind of fun. This book will make you want to hug an orangutan or your dog! View all my reviews

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent My rating: 3 of 5 stars If you like dogs, you will love this book. It was a cool way to tell a story of how terrible dog fighting is and a recent case involving a famous NFL player who was part owner in a dog fighting ring. It tells you a lot about what happens when dogs are rescued. View all my reviews