Saturday, August 26, 2017

We have several of Jon Agee's amazing picture books in our school library. I just purchased  Life on Mars and students will love it just like all of his other picture books. What I love about picture books is that everything, words and illustrations, are intentional. There is a reason , a big reason, why they are there. Why is  the title in red? Why is the black ground on the cover in black? I just love looking at all the illustrations. In this story,  a young explorer travels to Mars to find the existence of life and to prove everyone wrong. He brings cupcakes along for the ride. As he finds the planet barren, he goes along looking for life and spots only a flower which he decides to take back home. As he prepares to leave the planet, he finds that one of his cupcakes is missing! Readers are in on the joke in this fun picture book!

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Creepy Pair of Underwear  is the follow up collaboration between Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown. Anything that these authors create does not disappoint. Creepy Carrots was a sure fire hit and won the Caldecott Honor. Jasper Bunny is growing up and decides that he can pick out his own underwear. Not only does he pick out white underwear, he also picks out some creepy underwear, too. Thinking he is big enough for creepy underwear, he tries not to be scared of it when it glows in the dark. Hilarity ensues in the rest of the story as he tries to overcome his fear of his creepy underwear. I know Christie readers will love this book so much that I bought two!



Monday, August 14, 2017

Be A Friend is a story that celebrates individuality, imagination, and friendship.  In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Dennis is a quiet boy who likes to quietly express himself through mimes. His vivid imagination keeps him entertained,  but he is lonely without friends. He is not like the other kids. Joy is not like other kids either and notices Dennis. Over time she slowly makes her way to Dennis and their world changes as they become friends even though they are different. Readers of all ages will love this message.


Sunday, August 13, 2017

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is another Newbery contender. Clayton loves playing the blues with his grandfather. When his grandfather dies, Clayton feels lost. Clayton feels his grandfather is still close when he plays his harmonica and wears his grandfather's porkpie hat. But when Clayton's mother sells the rest of this grandfather's things in a garage sale, Clayton has a hard time letting it go and lets grief overtake him.  A powerful novel of loss, family and love that readers will not soon forget!


Saturday, August 12, 2017

Refugee is an amazing story of three different refugee children at different points in history-1939 Germany, 1994 Cuba, and 2015 Syria. Josef and his mother and brother are trying to leave Germany before being captured by the Nazi's. Isabel's family is looking to leave Cuba for a better life, and Mahmoud's family is leaving Syria after their apartment gets bombed. Words cannot describe each of these child's journey to freedom.. to find a country that will accept them and their family. These three different stories are unforgettable and will give upper elementary readers a glimpse into what life as a refugee is like. This is one of Mr. Schu's (Scholastic ambassador)  top 3 books of the year. A definite must read.


Saturday, August 5, 2017

Lately many Christie readers have really been interested in scary books or ghost stories. I have been researching some newer books that our library didn't have and Greenglass House popped up several times as a recommended read. I just finished this novel about a teenager named Milo who lives with his mom and dad in Greenglass House, a hotel for the town's smugglers. The story is set during Christmas vacation where the hotel is usually empty and Milo enjoys Christmas with his parents. All of the sudden one night, several guests all show up unannounced so this kind of wrecks Milo's Christmas vacation. All of these guests have an interesting story and things start missing from their rooms. Milo and a friend start investigating the missing items and many twists and turns happen before the end of the story.  I loved how there was a big time turn of events at the end of the story where you are asking yourself "How did I miss that?" This was a very different read from what I have been reading lately, and I think Christie readers will love it! The sequel will be out this fall, Ghosts of Greenglass House.




Orphan Island was all over Twitter earlier this summer as a possible Newbery contender, and the Frisco Public Library finally put it on Overdrive! This novel didn't disappoint, and I finished it in a day! Dinner was late again! This story definitely has a dystopian, apocalyptic feel. Orphan Island is a small island that is inhabited by  9 children. Every year a mysterious boat arrives dropping off a young child and then taking the eldest child off the island never to be seen again. Where does this young child come from and where does the eldest child go? Christie readers will not be able to put this book down as they learn about all the children on the island and the twist that comes at the end of the story.