Spy X : Hide and Seek by Peter Lerangis

Their mom disappeared a year ago – on their birthday. They wonder if she might be a spy. Their father also has to move often for his secretive work. Twins Andrew and Evie worry about their mom often as they struggle to unlock the coded packages she sends to them. Now father is moving them to San Francisco and they fear their mother will never find them again. The Spy X series of mystery adventure books will leave you on the edge of your seat as you are moved along from one cryptic message to another. You can trust no one in this exciting story!

Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss and Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation by Linas Alsenas

Looking for unique holiday stories? Look no further than these two quirky Christmas stories.

In Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss the main character Noelle lives in a city where it is Christmas everyday. She gets bored with opening gifts and posing for pictures each day. Could you imagine if it was Christmas everyday? The one day she looks forward to most is "Un-Christmas Day." On this day her family undecorates the tree, she gets to go to school, and the mail is delivered. The colorful illustrations add character to this already charming story.

Mrs. Claus is tired of Santa always being the only one who gets to see the world in Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation by Linas Alsenas. She decides that she needs a vacation too. She takes the reindeer and sleigh off on her own world tour promising to be back before Christmas Eve. Santa worries about Mrs. Claus the entire time she is gone and as time passes he wonders if she will make it back. You'll have to read the story to see if she does...

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Yes! It did win! Flotsam is the 2007 Caldecott Medal winner! (January 22, 2007)
I can't recommend that you read this book, there are no words! For sure go to your library and LOOK through this book just as quick as you can. Inside you will find the magic of a wordless picture book as you create your own story when you 'dive' right into David Wiesner's Flotsam. The pictures are awesome and could most likely win David another Caldecott medal. Those will be announced Monday, January 22, 2007 beginning at 8:00 a.m. For me, the excitement is building - this could be the winner! Share Flotsam with a friend, a grandparent, a brother or sister. Create a story together then 'read' it again to create a new story. The possibilities are endless!

Gifts From the Sea by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock

Aquila Jane MacKinnon is like any other 12 year old in 1850, where she lives is not so common. She lives on an island, in a lighthouse! Quila, which is what her parents call her, enjoyed helping her Mama around the lighthouse and helping Papa tend to the light. Mama actually dies before this story takes place, but there are many references to their life together. Papa and Quila are saddened by Mama's death and are learning to live their lives without her. One day Quila finds something washed up on shore, it is two mattresses tied together with something sandwiched in the middle! Read Gifts From the Sea to find out what Quila found, and how she and Papa adjust to their new life without Mama.

Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo

The pig is back! Mercy and the Watsons are back in their third adventure. Mercy wakes up when she hears a SCREEEEECHH!! coming from the kitchen. Mercy knows that sound, it is the sound of her beloved toaster being dragged across the counter, someone is making toast! Mercy loves toast with butter! When Mercy gets out of bed she hears the Watsons snoring, so who is downstairs making toast? Mercy heads down the steps only to find the toaster missing and a strange little man standing in her kitchen. Who is this man and what happened to the toaster? Read Mercy Watson Fights Crime and find out. Also check out the first two books - Mercy Watson to the Rescue & Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. Kate DiCamillo is an award winning author - check out her web site.

Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson

Do you love fantasy and adventure? Then this is the perfect story for you. Join Clare and her cousin Duke as they venture into the world of river trolls, rock trolls, and blue-wing fairies along the stretch of the Mississippi where Clare lives. They get sucked into the adventure when Duke falls in the river and comes out with a horn instead of a nose! This story is the right parts fantasy, adventure, and humor. Check it out!

The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli

Four characters, four lives, four library cards. Read how they are changed by having a library card. Mongoose. Brenda. Sonseray. April Mendez. One homeless and always causing trouble. One new to a rural town and missing walking to the neighborhood library. Another hanging with the wrong crowd doing petty crime. One a TV fanatic struggling through Great TV Turn-Off week. Four short stories. Four intriguing outcomes. Waiting for you to read. Use your library card today and discover what awaits you like these characters in Spinelli's The Library Card.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

This is a summertime story of four sisters. I don't know if you'll like to read it in the summer as I did or if it's better to read it now just as snow flurries are beginning to fly. Either way, you'll be taken on all the sisters' adventures when you read The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. The girls are with their widowed father on summer vacation at an elaborate estate. Of course the estate has a mansion and huge, award-winning gardens and an owner who is not very pleasant and is most annoyed by the girls. Her son, Jeffery, is enjoying every minute of time because he's usually not allowed to do many things. Join the Penderwick sisters and Jeffery while they have a wild summer vacation! Although this book did not win a Newbery Medal or Honor, it has been included on several best and notable book lists.

Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven

As we watch our Detroit Tigers play in the World Series, boys and girls are imagining themselves as great baseball players - some in T-ball, others in Little League. Read Let Them Play and learn about a time in our history when all people could not play. In 1955, an all-black Little League team in Charleston, South Carolina had no teams to play against because the white teams would not play them. The white teams left the Little League in protest. Sad isn't it? Hard to believe that could ever happen, yet it did. The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars, as the black team was called, were invited to the Little League Baseball World Series but only to watch! They hadn't officially earned the right to play because they had never played against other Little League teams. Check this book out at your library and find out how the crowd reacted during the 1955 Little League World Series and what happened when the boys returned home to Charleston. This story of hope, sadness, and happiness is rich with beautiful illustrations by Chris Ellison.

I'm Dirty by Kate and Jim McMullan

Clank! Rattle! Bang! Who's making all that noise? Backhoe Loader, reporting for duty. Cleaning up a mess? Easy as pie. Make that MUD pie. RRRRRRRM! RRRRRRRM! Who wants to be clean when it is so much fun to be dirty? Clunk! I love my job!
The words on the inside cover of I'm Dirty are enough to make you want to dive right into this messy book and follow the Backhoe Loader on a fun, muddy adventure. Be sure to check out the other books by these authors - I Stink! and I'm Mighty! Kate McMullan also writes the wildy popular Dragon Slayer's Academy. Visit Kate and Jim online. Well, as the Backhoe Loader says, "Have a dirty day!"

Oh No, Not Ghosts! by Richard Michelson

What scares you? With Halloween around the corner, this picture book brings all the scary characters of Halloween to life. The older brother in the story tries to convince his little sister to stay quiet and go to sleep...they promised their dad that they would not wake him up. They hear a noise! The brother tries to comfort his sister by telling her, "It's only the wind. Ignore that sound. You're safe. There are no ghosts around". His little sister screams "Ghosts? Oh no, not ghosts!" and on it goes. Everytime the big brother tries to calm his little sister by telling her how he will protect her, she screams even louder. Check it out and see what scary creature appears at the end of the book!

The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter

Our Detroit Tigers just won the AL Division in the fourth game against the New York Yankees. They are on their way to the AL Championship series! If you're not already a baseball fan, you will be after watching the Tigers or reading The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter.

A small rural town in California may lose its historic baseball field to big developers unless the local team can beat their rival in one all important game. This page turner is full of colorful characters, baseball heroes, local superstitions and folklore. The play-by-play baseball action will make you a fan if you aren't already.

Be sure to check out the John H. Ritter website to discover other baseball books he's written just for you! Oh, and don't forget to keep cheering on our Detroit Tigers. Go Tigers!

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems

He's back! Mo Willems' lovable Pigeon is back for his third adventure. This time the reader is asked to keep an eye on Pigeon while the bus driver from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! brushes his teeth. Pigeon gives every excuse NOT to go to bed, including "First of all, I'm not even tired!" and "It's the middle of the day - in China!". The reader soon sees pigeon yawning and fighting to stay awake. This is a wonderful addition to the Pigeon books. Enjoy all three, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!; Pigeon Finds a Hotdog; and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! Willems' Knuffle Bunny also makes its way into the story as the Pigeon's stuffed animal!

Duck and Goose by Tad Hills

In this colorful story Duck and Goose both think that a polka-dot ball is an egg. First, they fight over who it belongs to and then finally decide that maybe they can care for it together. Then a little bird flies along to inform them that the "egg" is not really an "egg," it is a ball. Even though it is just a ball, Duck and Goose decide that they will play with it together. This delightful tale is bound to become a classic and is perfect for conflict resolution.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Wow! If you're looking for an adventure story that is extremely suspenseful, you need to read this! Alex Rider is just fourteen years old when he's asked to continue the spy work that his uncle was doing when he mysteriously died in a car accident. Alex finds out that his uncle Ian Ryder, who he thought was working as a banker, was really a British intelligence spy for MI6. Just like the James Bond stories and movies, Alex is equipped with several spy gadgets that will help him escape from many tight situations. This book is a thriller to the very end. You'd better get reading it fast, this one will soon be released as a movie October 6th! You can keep reading more of Alex Rider's spy adventures because Stormbreaker is just the first in the series of six titles.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Have you ever loved a toy, doll or stuffed animal very much? Did you ever wonder what you would do if you lost that special toy? Or what your special toy would do without you? Then you'll want to read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. Edward Tulane is a china rabbit loved by ten year old Abilene. Edward has the most elegant of clothes and lives a fanciful life with Abilene. His life changes when he falls overboard into the ocean after two boys grab and toss him around while the family is traveling on a ship. His miraculous journey begins from the bottom of the sea and ends with a change from the bottom of his heart.

If you're a fan of author Kate DiCamillo, you will not be disappointed reading about Edward. It could easily earn her a third Newbery Medal or Honor. She has won the Newbery Honor for her first book, Because of Winn-Dixie and the Newbery Medal for her third book, The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. Be sure to check out the video of Kate DiCamillo and illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline discussing The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at the Edward Tulane website.

Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney

After learning about the Seven Wonders of the World, Eben McAllister wanted to leave his small town, Sassafras Springs, MO, to see the World. When he informs his Pa of his plan, Eben’s Pa challenges him to find Seven Wonders right in his own small town. If Eben can find seven wonders in seven days in Sassafras Springs, his Pa will buy him a train ticket out West to visit his cousins and see mountains. This story takes place in small town Missouri in 1923. This is a wonderful, wholesome story about the wonders that surround us in our own town. Join Eben on his journey around Sassafras Springs and see what he discovers.

John, Paul, George, and Ben by Lane Smith

Looking for fun facts and silly nonsense about some of the Founding Fathers of our country? Well, look no further than this colorful book by Lane Smith. You will learn about John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson too, although his name isn't in the title. Reading this story is laugh out loud funny and at the end you can use the true/false quiz "Taking Liberties" to help discover the difference between fact and fiction.

The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick

Skiff, a twelve year old boy, has a plan to catch the biggest tuna. Then he will be rich and can show his dad that he did it himself. But his problems are plenty - their boat has sunk at the dock, his dad is not able to help him, a bully is sabotaging his fishing nets, and the best fishing for big tuna is miles from shore. In this exciting adventure you'll be right there with Skiff as he meets each challenge. You won't know if he gets that big fish or if the fish gets him unless you read The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick.

Welcome!

We started this blog in 2006 for our students we hope you enjoy it! 




Updated - July 2012


Who are we? We are elementary school librarians in Brighton, Michigan. Did you know that school librarians have several titles? We are teachers plus librarians, so some people call us teacher-librarians. We are also called media specialists, School Library Media Specialists, or SLMS. We hope you enjoy our choices. We are very excited to welcome two new members to our elementary team this fall. Mrs. Hratchian - who will be at Spencer Elementary and Mrs. Fribley - who will be at Hornung Elementary. Mrs. Adams will now be at Hilton full time and Mrs. Spencer will now be at Hawkins full time. HAPPY READING! ~Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Spencer, Mrs. Hratchian and Mrs. Fribley