Shug by Jenny Han

It looks like there are some good books that are 2009 Caudill Award nominees. I read Shug by Jenny Han last weekend, and I thought it was so good! I talked to several Highland girls this week, and all of them really liked it too.

Here's what I wrote about the book on my LibraryThing page:
Shug (Annemarie) is getting ready to start junior high. When the story begins she has just discovered that she is love with her best friend, Mark. However, in junior high everything is different. Her parents are not getting along, her mom is drinking a lot, her sister is out of the house as often as possible, and she is worried about what will happen with her best friend Elaine, who is clearly meant to be in the popular crowd. I loved the story with her arch-enemy Jack. This was just an all around enjoyable, touching read. I'm glad it is on the Caudill list! The girls at my school are really going to love it.

Image Citation
"Shug cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 16 May 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/book/30408308.

Personalized Summer Reading Lists

On a daily basis, I help a lot of people find books to read. I love connecting students with books they enjoy. It is one of the best parts of my job! I've started worrying about what Highland students would do over the summer. We have a great public library in Libertyville, and I hope a lot of students will get involved in the summer reading program and talk to the fabulous librarians there too!

So, crazy as it may seem, I'm offering personalized summer recommended reading lists for interested Highland students. I'm just asking that students give me a little information to help guide me as I create their list.

Here's the form I'm asking students to fill out:

Name: ________________________ email: _______________________
LA/Lit Teacher: ______________________

What genres do you enjoy reading? (circle all that you like)
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Realistic Fiction
Science Fiction
Non-fiction
Biography
Other_____________

What were the best books you read this year?
1.

2.

What’s your favorite movie/TV show?


Any other information that will help Ms. Wyatt create a list for you. (For example, you love sports books, series, problem novels, a variety of books…)


Of course over the summer, you can always check this blog and my library thing page to see what I've been reading for other ideas. We'll see how this reading list idea works out!

300 students and a dog

Friday morning the entire seventh grade was in the Learning Center
to see Karen Land and her dog, Borage. Karen Land is a musher and has raced in the Iditarod several times. She shared stories of the race, showed us the gear, and even dressed Charlie up in some of the many layers a musher has to wear while on the race. Language arts and literature teacher extraordinaire, Carey Fox, arranged the event.

The Highland students really impressed me with all they knew about the race after their study of the Iditarod.

Comeback Season -- Could this be the year for the Cubs?

A big thanks to my friend and fellow librarian, Katie Kirsch, for getting me a copy of The Comeback Season signed by the author. If you are a fan of the Chicago Cubs, you definitely should check this book out!

Ryan's dad died suddenly when she was in elementary school. His loss has left her reeling for years. One of the things her dad left her with is a love for the Cubs. When Ryan ditches school to attend opening day, she runs in to Nick, a new boy at school, at Wrigley Field. They begin a friendship that turns to romance which helps both of them get through some tough times. Above all, they keep hoping that maybe this will be the Cubs' year.

Image Citation

"The Comeback Season cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 24 April 2008 < http://www.librarything.com/work/book/29732377>.

Dairy Queen and The Off Season

Over break I read The Off Season by Catherine Murdock. I won a whole box of brand new copies in a book club contest! This is the title the 8th grade Lunch Bunch is reading for our April meeting. DJ is the only girl playing varsity football around. Her life is going along smoothly, so smoothly in fact she feels like the other shoe is about to drop. And it sure does. On top of discovering her family's money troubles that may put the future of their farm in jeopardy, her kind-of boyfriend never wants be seen with her in public, her best friend has stopped coming to school, she hurts her shoulder, and her oldest brother has been seriously injured in a football game. DJ deals with all the turmoils with sincerity. This book was a joy to read!


The Off Season is the continuation of DJ's story. When I saw the first book, Dairy Queen, come back into the library last week, I just had to pick it up. I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed reading the first part of DJ's story too. Although I think I liked The Off Season just a little bit better.

I'm looking forward to the book club discussion of the book later this week!


"Dairy Queen Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 6 April 2008 <
http://www.librarything.com/work/book/29135398 >.
"The Off Season Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 6 April 2008 <
http://www.librarything.com/work/book/28485852 >.

2008 Caudill Award Winner Announced

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick was the 2008 Caudill Award winning book in the state of Illinois. At Highland, this book was the top vote getter as well.

There were 235 students from Highland who voted for the Caudill winner. Ten students read all twenty nominated books. Very impressive! Alas, I didn't make it to all twenty. Maybe next year... Speaking of next year, the list of 2009 Caudill nominees has just been released.

The last event related to the 2008 Caudill program is the Lake County Battle of the Books which will take place after school at the Warren Newport Public Library in Gurnee on Tuesday, March 18. Please let Ms. Wyatt know if you are interested in being part of Highland's team.

Image Citation
"Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Book Cover." Online image. Jordan Sonnenblick. 16 March 2008 <http://www.jordansonnenblick.com/index.php?r=drums>.

2001: A Space Odyssey

On Friday, the seventh grade Lunch Bunch Book Club met to discuss our latest book, Arthur Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I found it to be a really interesting discussion. We touched on how to write about the future in science fiction, the idea of "killing" HAL and if it is possible to kill an inorganic life, evolution, the ways in which 2001 was depicted, the idea of other life and the monoliths, and space travel - just to list some of the areas we talked about. Several members of the club continued on by reading other books in the series. We worked together to try to figure out the last few chapters of the book and what it meant for Bowman to become a Star Child.

My experience with 2001: A Space Odyssey illustrates one of the reasons I love book club. This was a book I would not have picked up on my own. I think I can say that for quite a few members of the book club. I found it was a pretty enjoyable read and gave me food for thought.

Image Citation
"2001: A Space Odyssey. Dust jacket from the first edition." Online image. 1968. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 1
Mar. 2008 .