The Emerald Atlas - an oldie but a goodie

 

If you’re looking for an adventure , then this book might be right up your alley !  Siblings Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. 

  
Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about. 
  
Until now. 
  
Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world . . . a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is true—what they do can change history, and it's up to them to set things right. 

 

This is what I have been reading , what have you been reading?

Look at the books below ! I am so excited to get these wonderful books in our library! If you can't wait , your local library will have some of them! Some are not published just yet, but will be in  the fall!

Grover reading There is a Monster At The End of The Book

I love to hear Grover read!!

Click here to see the Grover read aloud

Read and Learn with Simon Kids!

Subscribe to this awesome Simon and Schuster Kids Youtube channel for read alouds, science lessons, history lessons, crafts and more!!

Click here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTjLHi6qZaLcm6ZrWW3JLiA

More library renovation pictures!

These pictures were taken on 6/24! Look how the library has changed! I love the blue walls!

Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day

Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day shows the ups and downs of a true friendship. Rita and Ralph are neighbors ( they each live on a neighboring hill) and do everything together. One day, a game goes wrong and each of them goes home angry. They each try to say sorry in their own way which doesnt work. But the next day is a new day, they meet in the middle to apologize and get their friendship back on track. A must for elementary readers! We have all been through something like this! Download it at the Frisco Public Library or your local library!

Alistair Grim's Odditorium

If you are looking for a fantasy chapter book, then this book might be for you! It had several starred reviews and has a sequel, so I checked it out from the Frisco Public Library as an ebook! I am so glad I did. Grubb is a twelve year living the miserable existence as a chimney sweep. He was abandoned as a baby and lives with his cruel master. One day as he is cleaning an inn, he stows away in a horse driven coach owned by a mysterious guest and once he emerges from Alistair Grim's trunk, he encounters the wonderful world of Odditorium, a place with all kinds of enchanted objects. Grubb then helps Grim and his colleagues fight evil from overtaking the Odditorium. Twists and turns and a great adventure!

The Undefeated

The Undefeated is the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor Winning poetry book of 2020! Earning both honors is rare. Watercolor illustrations by Kadir Nelson and poetry written by Kwame Alexander ( both of which have won numerous awards) makes this picture book a page turner. The poetry is like a love letter to black life in the United States and highlights the trauma of slavery and the civil rights movement. It depicts the perseverance of some of some of the world's greatest heroes. There are also references to Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and others. This book will be available in our library in the fall and it is available from your local library as an ebook!

The One and Only Bob

   

The One and Only Bob is the sequel to The One and Only Ivan, the best selling Newbery Medal  Award  winning novel by Katherine Applegate. The One and Only Ivan is a fiction based story on the real life gorilla , Ivan, who lived in a shopping mall with other animals for 27 years. The story is about how his life is shaped by best friends Stella and Bob. The One and Only Bob picks up a little bit later after where the The One and Only Ivan ends, and  in the newest installment, we find Bob living life well in his new home and visiting his friends Ivan and Ruby as they face a hurricane that has the potential of ruining their sanctuary. Wonderful story with a great ending!! The first several pages are included in the First Chapter Friday section of this blog and this book can be downloaded from your local library as an ebook!

The Stepmom Shakeup by Niki Lenz

                                                

                                                

The Stepmom Shakeup is Niki Lenz's 2nd book. Her first book is the belly laughing Texas Bluebonnet nominee, Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen. This book did not disappoint either. I needed a good laugh after the last few days' events and this book hit the spot! Grace Martin learns that her dad is ready to date again 3 years after her mother's death, and Grace just isn't ready for him to date. She and her friend Bea pull all kinds of pranks trying to sabotage his dates. Until she finally recognizes the woman who is right for her dad and then she devises all kinds of shenanigans  trying to get them together. I loved Bernice Buttman and loved this story,  too. Niki Lenz's books reminded me of The Terrible Two series so anyone that  needs some humor in their life will like this book! This book drops around June 20th. We will for sure have it in our library in the fall.  Look for it at your local public library this summer.

The Ickabog-JK Rowling's new read aloud... read aloud here!

I've been hearing about JK Rowling's new story. Lots of librarians are really liking it. I am going to try to start reading it this weekend! This book is not like Harry Potter and there isn't any magic in it. It is for ages 7 and up. Several chapters are posted every few days until around July 10th. The book publishes in November!! I've seen several comparisons to Roald Dahl's The BFG.

                                            

                                                      https://www.theickabog.com/home/

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

I checked this ebook out of the Frisco Public Library because I had heard such great things about the story. The author,  Christina Soontornvat, is an Austin based author that attended Frisco Librarypalooza last year. She has some earlier chapter reads that I have heard are good, Diary of an Ice Princess series and the The Changelings duology. Kirkus Reviews also gives this book a great review. I have never seen Les Miserables or read it, but this book is an almost complete retelling with a Thai flair. Pong escapes a Thai prison because he was born there, not because of anything he has done. Nok, a daughter of the prison warden, goes on a mission to find him and return him to the prison to restore her father's good name. This book has some twists and turns and some great realizations for both Pong and Nok. It's also an engaging adventure!

Lift by Minh Le and Dan Santat

Illustrator Dan Santat has another winning story under his belt. This time , Ming Le is the author and Dan Santat is the illustrator. This new picture book is told in a large graphic novel format of a young girl who loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building when she and her family use the elevator. One day, her younger brother beats her to it, and she can't get over her disappointment because that was her job. Then one day she finds an elevator repairman working on the elevator and notices  a discarded elevator button panel in the trash.  She takes it and places it on wall next to her closed and you have to see what happens next! Love the girl's imagination in this story!! A definite must read! 

2 great Bluebonnets I just finished....

I just finished these two bluebonnets that I really enjoyed. You can  never go wrong with a book by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I  have loved everything I have read from her, and this new story didnt disappoint. All I will say is that she is the queen of time travel/other dimension stories and if those stories are for you, this book is an ebook on Sora and The Frisco Public Library. I really enjoyed it. The sequel was published last month.

 A Wolf Called Wander is a heartwarming story of Wander who gets separated from his wolf family and struggles to survive on his own. More than anything , he would like to belong to another wolf pack. This reminded me of another book that I dearly love , Pax (by Sara Pennypacker). I really enjoyed this book, too. It is also available on Sora and The Frisco Public Library. Since both books are on the Texas Bluebonnet list, I would think all local libraries will have them as a book or ebook. Or even as an audiobook if you would like to listen to it!

Ogilvy

Ogilvy is a book on the new Texas 2x2 list. Ogilvy moves to a new town and is excited to head to the park to meet the new bunnies. Everything is going well until the bunnies ask him what he is wearing. Is it a sweater or a dress? Does it matter he asks? Yes , they say. If you are wearing a sweater you can do art and climb rocks, but if you are wearing a dress, you can knit and play ball. So, what does Ogilvy do? You have to read to find out! This book has a great message , and I just might read it to several grade levels when school starts back in the fall! Another favorite!!

New Pictures from the library renovation taken on May 8th.

1. Panoramic view of the library from outside of the library door.




2. View towards the entrance to the library from the middle of the library. The entrance to the library is the opening to the left along with 2 niches you can see on the right.

Planet Omar - Accidental Trouble Magnet

Planet Omar is a wonderful diverse story for early readers. Omar moves with his family to another part of London and is nervous starting a new school. Omar makes a friend right away but also catches the attention of a bully right away. All of this while getting used to a new house and a nosy, prejudiced neighbor next door. The illustrations give the story a Diary of A Wimpy Kid feel along with all of Omar's thoughts and actions which makes the story fun to read!

The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard , illustrated by Oge Mora ( Caldecott Honor winning artist)

In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. When she turned 15, she was freed. At 20, she married and had her first child. At 68, she was still working and raising money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. At 116, she learned to read! This story proves that you are never too old to learn. Caldecott Honor winning illustrator Oge Mora partners with new author Rita Lorraine Hubbard to tell the story of our nation's oldest student!

Look at what is happening to the library!!

I have been taking some pictures of the library as it is being remodeled-take a look!!!

1. April 15th- the workers are starting on the library!


2. April 22nd- I took this picture laying on my stomach under the drape were the library doors used to be. You can see that the smaller two classrooms and the circulation desk are gone!


3. April 24th - this picture was taken as a panoramic from the outside library door. You can start to see the library office being framed. The big black drape is where the library doors were.


4. April 30th- the picture was taken from the outside library door. The front entrance to the library will not have doors and is to the right of the blue machine.  The two smaller rooms you see behind the worker will be two glassed in green screen rooms! The front of the library where the doors were are just to the left of those rooms.