Read with the Sora App!

Christie parents, to access FISD audio/ebooks at home, download the free Sora app or go to www.soraapp.com. Choose Frisco ISD for your library and then your student's lunch number. No password is needed. Email Mrs.Tarpley at tarpleys@friscoisd.org with any questions! Up to 3 chapter books, picture books, non fiction, and audio books can be downloaded.

Some great Spring Break reads!!

I read some great books over the break, and I hope you did too! Below are some new reads and some oldies but goodies!!! I recommend them all!

I  could not put Dead City down.  My first year in the Christie Library, this series was never on the shelf, and now I know why.  This is the first book in a 3 book trilogy. Student by day, zombie hunter by night, Molly Bigelow goes to MIST  (Metropolitan Institute of Technology and Science) where she learns her mom  was part of an elite zombie hunting group. Some great twists and turns with this book!!

In Nic Stone's first middle grade novel, Scoob finds out  some really interesting and unsettling things about his grandmother when she takes him on a last minute road trip through the South. Scoob gets a big history lesson from his grandma as they visit places his grandma and grandpa visited many years before.  Scoob learns some things about his grandparents and the green book they used that he cannot believe!! This is an educational and powerful read!

I am about done with this older Bluebonnet book and what a gem it is! Those students that love reading about the Nazi's and WWII will love this book. Odette is a young French, Jewish girl living in Paris during WWII. As the Nazi's move into Paris, her mother takes her to live in the countryside where they can hide in plain sight. She goes to school and church like everyone else. Loved this free verse poetry story of a courageous and determined young girl.

Another wonderful book I read over the Thanksgiving break was Ban This Book. I have read several books by Alan Gratz lately, and I have loved everyone of them. He also wrote Refugee, Prisoner B-3087, and Projekt 1065.  In Ban This Book, Amy Anne finds that her favorite book has been removed from the library shelves along with many of some other favorites. She is very dismayed about this and happens to start a library out of her locker with banned books. Soon, everyone at school wants to check them out. Soon, she has to come face to face with her school principal and the school board to qualify why she had these books in her locker. This is a wonderful read for all students, especially as they go on to middle and high school where many schools do celebrate some type of banned books week.

After hearing about The Vanderbeekers of 141 St on Twitter about a million times, I thought it was time to finally read the book! I loved the book and am so glad that it is the first in a trilogy. The Vanderbeekers of 141 St live in a brownstone in NYC. The  Vanderbeekers have 5 children-4 girls and a boy. They love where they live until one day, they get a notice that they have to move out in about a week. Their landlord that owns the building is not renewing their lease and the children do what they can to stay. They do several funny things to get the landlord ( The Biederman)  on their good side so they can don't have to leave. In doing the  many things to stay, they find out some sad things about their landlord. I really liked this book, and I think Christie readers will too.

If you like scary books, then The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street is for you! I have been hearing about this book on Twitter for several weeks. so I just had to read it! I think those Christie readers that like ghost stories will eat this book up. Tessa moves across the country for her dad's job. She finds that the house she moves into is haunted by a young girl. Luckily, Tessa makes some great friends fast in her new school, and they try to unravel the mystery of this ghostly young girl. This has a great story that will grip readers the whole way through.

Another book with a winning message is The Bad Seed. This book is written by Mac Barnett's writing buddy Jory John (Terrible Two chapter book series). The book starts out with a seed so bad there is no way he can turn his life around. He has bad manners, a bad temper, and a bad attitude. He is just so bad!  This book shows that anyone who feels they have made too many mistakes can turn their life around. I am super excited about this book!It is a book that everyone can relate to.

I have been hearing a ton about After The Fall on Twitter. If this book doesn't win a Newbery or a Caldecott, I would be surprised. This story is a great read aloud for what happens when Humpty Dumpty gets back up after falling off the wall. We all knows that he falls off the wall, but what happens after he gets up?  The message is completely outstanding on how life begins after you get back up. I am super excited for Christie readers and teachers to read this book!