time cat is the book im reading now it is about a cat that takes its owner all arond the world
its preety good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Our first future Steven Spielberg!
Our first future Steven Spielberg...Check out this great new booktrailer created by one of our very own! Great job! Mrs. Finn is so proud!
The Boy Who Wouldn't Die by William Sleator, Book Trailer by Da1wad
The Boy Who Wouldn't Die by William Sleator, Book Trailer by Da1wad
Fun Game!
Try sneaking in a game or two of tic tac toe...without anyone catching you.......It's so much fun!
It goes real fast hope you enjoy! Happy Halloween!
YOU GOTTA TRY THIS AT LEAST ONCE!!!!! IT'S GREAT.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman
Violet by Tania Duprey Stehlik
Click on the title above to view this book trailer for the book Violet by Tania Duprey Stehlik! 
Saturday, October 24, 2009
If there are any girls out there who love american girl doll check out the Kit Series it is such a good series!!!!! When Kit's dad losses his job Kit's family gets stuck in the Great Depression Kit dosen't know what to do. So will her family be able to get through with money thay have or will KIt's dad have to go to Chicago,IL to find a job read the series to find out!!!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Great Book!!!
"Chew on This" is a great book! It is about fast food and how McDonald's and other fast food giants manage their business, slaughter their animals, treat their workers, and other things. It is very interesting, but it will make you never want to go to McDonald's again!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
I thought this recent write-up was wonderful. If you have not read any of Cynthia Voigt's books...this book is an excellent place to begin.
On Behalf Of Richie Partington...
For those of you unfamiliar with it, HOMECOMING is the first book in a seven-book series by Cynthia Voigt. I was turned onto the book when I first went to work in the bookstore fifteen years ago. I happily consumed all seven books like there was no tomorrow. The second book in the series (which is in so many ways the second half of the initial story) was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1983, the third book was awarded a Newbery Honor, and the fourth book -- which really serves as a prequel to the series -- ranks right up there with THE WEDNESDAY WARS in its showing on an achingly personal level how the Vietnam War forever altered the underlying fabric of America.
HOMECOMING is the story of the four Tillerman kids (Dicey, James, Maybeth, and Sammy) from Cape Cod, whose poor and troubled mother packs them up in the car one morning with the intention of driving to her elderly aunt's house in Bridgeport, but then abandons the children in a mall parking lot just inside Connecticut. After a day of waiting for her return, it falls to thirteen year-old Dicey -- who fears that talking with authorities might result in their being separated from one another -- to keep them alive and lead them by foot to Great Aunt Cilla's house in Bridgeport. When things don't work out there as hoped -- to say the least -- Dicey must then lead them further on, to the very place where they might well be able to learn how her mother became who she is.
HOMECOMING is an extraordinary read because it is a survival story in which we come to know so much of the inner workings of each of these four children who are four real individuals. There are potential dangers to be faced that are personified in the various adult characters the siblings meet, and the story is groundbreaking in its subtle explorations of what drives these adult characters. In addition, Voigt time and again provides exceptionally intimate descriptions of the places -- the beaches, the roads, the houses, the small cities -- that the children experience while on their quest for a home.
"If you took home to mean where you rested content and never wanted to go anywhere else, then Dicey had never had a home. The ocean always made her restless; so even Provincetown, even their own remembered kitchen, wasn't home. That was why Dicey always ran along the sand beside the ocean, as if
she had to race the waves. The ocean wasn't home, then, and neither was anyplace else."
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Captainesque weighs in on Clay
Recently asked by Mrs. Finn to read the book Clay (David Almond, 2006), I was tasked on the age appropriate question and readability. This blog offering captures my thoughts accordingly. A recommended age level is provided in closing.
As a whole, it is a provoking book that made me assess my scenario at home with teenagers. Initially, it took some getting used to as it is written with British style- both comedic and manner. Once I adjusted after some occasional re-reading of sections to better understand the content and flow, I settled in. Again, my parenting role surfaced. I believe this book is suited for 13 – 15 year old readers depending on individual circumstances and maturity. Another way to look at it, a possible read for selected 8th graders (e.g. Reader’s Club), post graduation summer reading lists before 9th grade or 9th graders. As a genre, having overcome the initial matters of style, I was reminded of a “lower end” Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger, c. 1951) and, albeit to a lesser extent, Ordinary People (John Vogel, c. 1980). What can I say, just call me an experienced reader!
A humble suggestion: Parents may take stock of the exposure their children have had to potential or actual dramas, peer conflicts (including bullying) and misbehavior through deception before sharing the book (with kids). To be more direct, there’s distinct adolescent behavior that crosses boundaries. Teenage characters in Clay are in a structured environment generally, as seen through school, family and church settings, however, the featured characters fight, steal, lie, etc. The term “troubled youth” may be a stretch with one exception, but the casual nature discerned through the read could infer such questionable activities of youth as acceptable without consequence. Moreover, on a much broader note, the debate of good versus evil and the depth of Clay’s origin may initiate questions.
As a whole, reading the book may generate questions and potential debate of a worthwhile nature. Is Davie “wrong” for some of his activities (e.g. lying to a priest)? Is Davie’s involvement at Crazy Mary’s house without any merit? How do you assess the Priest’s role in the book in terms of strengths and weaknesses? Is the central character, Davie, a “bad kid?” Captainesque’s bottom line: Keep the audience targeted to mature readers in the 13 – 15 year old range to answer those questions!
As a whole, it is a provoking book that made me assess my scenario at home with teenagers. Initially, it took some getting used to as it is written with British style- both comedic and manner. Once I adjusted after some occasional re-reading of sections to better understand the content and flow, I settled in. Again, my parenting role surfaced. I believe this book is suited for 13 – 15 year old readers depending on individual circumstances and maturity. Another way to look at it, a possible read for selected 8th graders (e.g. Reader’s Club), post graduation summer reading lists before 9th grade or 9th graders. As a genre, having overcome the initial matters of style, I was reminded of a “lower end” Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger, c. 1951) and, albeit to a lesser extent, Ordinary People (John Vogel, c. 1980). What can I say, just call me an experienced reader!
A humble suggestion: Parents may take stock of the exposure their children have had to potential or actual dramas, peer conflicts (including bullying) and misbehavior through deception before sharing the book (with kids). To be more direct, there’s distinct adolescent behavior that crosses boundaries. Teenage characters in Clay are in a structured environment generally, as seen through school, family and church settings, however, the featured characters fight, steal, lie, etc. The term “troubled youth” may be a stretch with one exception, but the casual nature discerned through the read could infer such questionable activities of youth as acceptable without consequence. Moreover, on a much broader note, the debate of good versus evil and the depth of Clay’s origin may initiate questions.
As a whole, reading the book may generate questions and potential debate of a worthwhile nature. Is Davie “wrong” for some of his activities (e.g. lying to a priest)? Is Davie’s involvement at Crazy Mary’s house without any merit? How do you assess the Priest’s role in the book in terms of strengths and weaknesses? Is the central character, Davie, a “bad kid?” Captainesque’s bottom line: Keep the audience targeted to mature readers in the 13 – 15 year old range to answer those questions!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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