Welcome back to school!

I'm so sorry that I didn't post much this summer. I was busy with traveling, house guests, and having a blast with Kenna.

I hope school is going well for all of you and you're finding great books to read during SSR. I'm currently reading Thirteen Reasons Why which is very sad. I'm sure a lot of you are reading Breaking Dawn and are exciting for the Twilight movie. Did you know they moved the premiere date up to November from December?

Let me know what you're reading,
Mrs. K :)

Twilight movie clip and more....

Hi Twilight fans!

If you are dying to know something about the movie, be sure to check out this link: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/05/27/twilight-stars-to-unveil-first-scene-at-movie-awards/

Also, the cover of Breaking Dawn has been released. What do you think of it?

Hope you're having a great summer,
Mrs. K :)

What will you read this summer?

I've signed up for two teacher reading classes and have made a list of 12 books to read this summer. I can't wait to dig into them! They are The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Fairytale Detectives, Keeping Corner, Here Lies the Librarian, Full Tilt, Hard Love, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, Zen and the Art of Faking It, and The Seer of Shadows.

What are your summer reading plans? You should definitely sign up at the Erie Public Library for their summer program to win some cool stuff!

I'll post anything of interest I find over the summer and look forward to hearing from you.

Mrs. K :)

Maximum Ride hits the big screen!

Eric Reed told me about the movie version of Maximum Ride. According to imdb.com, it should be released some time in 2008. I haven't read much of the series, but I bet it will have cool special effects. I also checked out James Patterson's website for more details and found the official Maximum Ride site.

Eric, anything else to add?

Mrs. K :)

Summer Reading

Need a good book recommendation? Check out these sites:
http://whatshouldireadnext.com/search

http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do

http://www.librarything.com/suggester

Friday, May 2 will be the last day to check out books.

Percy Jackson update!

I just got this info from Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series. Check out this cool site! I should warn you of the sound effects. They caught me off guard! :)

The new Percy Jackson site, compliments of Hyperion Books for Children, is now live! Check it out for:
1) Exclusive cool artwork of Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of the gang.
2) A previously unavailable selection from Battle of the Labyrinth, chapter 1.
3) An online sweepstakes contest with the grand prize: An all-expense paid trip for you and one friend to Camp Half-Blood in Austin, Texas this summer where I will be appearing in person!
4) More cool information about the tour and the series.A section with games and activities will be activated in May, so keep checking back!

Battle of the Labyrinth is released May 6 and I know our library will be purchasing at least two copies.

Mrs. K :)
PS I finished A Circle Unbroken and am now reading The 13 Clocks by James Thurber.

What are YOU reading? plus a question...

I haven't heard from you guys in a while and wanted to see what everyone is reading. I've lately been spending countless hours watching Kenna flip through Tails by Matthew Van Fleet. When she's sleeping, I'm reading A Circle Unbroken and catching up on magazines or sleep. I look forward to hearing what you are reading or just finished.

Question: What good vampire books have you read? I'm always in need of suggestions for people who loved Twilight and/or the Cirque du Freak series.

Mrs. K :)

Calling all Alex Rider series fans

A 5th grader asked me to start a discussion about the Alex Rider series. I haven't read any of them, but they sure check out fast. Here's a link to the author.

What do you like about the series? Is there any way they could be improved?

Twilight fans! Stephenie Meyer is coming to town!

Can't get enough of Edward and/or Jacob? Want to meet the creator of the Twilight series? Click here for more info.

5th grade recommendations

I just finished two books, The Trouble Begins by Linda Himelblau and Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm. The first one is about Du, a Vietnamese boy who comes to California to join his family. Since English is not his first language, he has a hard time adjusting to American life and his family is not the most helpful. It's a great read about what it's like coming to a new country and the hardships faced. The other book is a quick read about Ginny Davis' 7th grade year. The author tells her story through stuff; for example, one page is her report card, another is instant messages with a friend. Check them out!

What book would you like to recommend to 5th graders? When you respond, be sure to include the author. You can look at amazon.com if you forgot or need help with spelling.

Mrs. K :)

More Movie News

Diary of a Wimpy Kid!(FROM HOLLYWOOD REPORTER) – Fox 2000 is developing a live-actionfamily movie adaptation of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.The five-book series focuses on the awkward life of middle schoolstudent Greg Heffley. The storytelling alternates between handwrittentext and comicbook illustration. Fox 2000 has started work on a firstmovie with possibly more to follow. Former Buena Vista president NinaJacobson is producing the film, and the search has begun for ascreenwriter and director. Heffley's series started out as a Web bookon Funbrain.com in 2004. The first novel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, cameout last spring, and the second book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: RodrickRules, released this month. Both hit No. 1 on the New York Times'best-seller list. The third installment, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: TheLast Straw, is due later this year, with two more to be written.(Hollywood Reporter)

How do you think this will do as a movie?

Mrs. K

What are you reading?

I'm currently reading The White Darkness, the 2007 Printz winner and it is one bizarre book! Sym, the main character, thinks she is going to Paris with her uncle but he manages to kidnap her and go to Antarctica to find Symme's Hole. From there, it's one twist after another!

I just finished listening to A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life which I really liked. Simone is a teenage girl who reconnects with her biological mother. She is such a normal teenager which made the book seem fairly realistic to me.

What are you reading now?

Mrs. K :)

Upcoming movies

Did you read and like Coraline? I just found out it's going to be released as a movie next year. Click here for more details.

Even more books that will become movies:
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Tony Diterlizzi) Feb. 2008
Penelope (Marilyn Kaye) Feb. 2008
Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss) March 2008
Inkheart (Cornelia Funke) April 2008
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (C.S. Lewis) May 2008
Iron Man (Comic) (Stan Lee) May 2008
Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo) Dec. 2008
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - based on fourth book in series (August)
Twilight - Meyer(December)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas- 6/08
The City of Ember -10/08

I know I am excited for Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2? Which ones do you want to see?

Mrs. K :)

Colorado Blue Spruce Award

The winner of the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling, with 414 votes. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiement by James Patterson were the runners up.

I was sure that New Moon was going to be the winner. What about you?

The 2009 Nominees are up at this link. Which of them have you read?

39 Clues

Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series, is going to premiere a new series in September. It's much more than books as it involves online gaming. It sounds really cool to me! Click here for more info. 39 Clues in the News

Are you interested? I know I am!

Mrs. K :)

What are you reading?

Tell me what you've been reading, either for school or for pleasure. I'm currently enjoying Does My Head Look Big In This? It's about an Israeli-Australian teenage girl who is struggling with her religious beliefs. I thought from the title and cover that it would be a light read but it's proving me wrong. Never judge a book by its cover!

I look forward to hearing what you're reading!

Mrs. K

The Inheritance Trilogy

I know a lot of people who loved Eragon and Eldest have been waiting for this announcement! Brisingr will be released September 20, 2008. Check out Christopher Paolini's website for more information.

Percy Jackson fans!

Did you know there's a fourth book coming out soon? The Battle of the Labyrinth will be released May 6. Check out rickriordan.com for more details and to find otu about the movie version of The Lightning Thief!