NEW BOOKS from Books of Wonder

We just got back from a fantastic trip to New York City, where I had to make a trip to one of the best places on this Earth...Books of Wonder bookstore. 

Here I am outside the store with my bag of goodies.  Hooray!

So without further ado, here's the loot:

I was good!  I wanted to buy the whole store, but the ol' pocketbook just won't allow that to happen!

A signed copy of this year's Caldecott medal winner, The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

A signed copy of Looking for Alaska by John Green.

A signed copy by Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.  (Which I finished yesterday and is WONDERFUL.  I'll post a review of it tomorrow or Sunday.) 

I also bought a professional development book about ways to incorporate families into reading.  It's got tons of great activities coordinating with a bunch of really great novels.  Hope to use that soon!

Because I spent over a certain amount of money, I got to get a free book so I chose Anne of Green Gables.   You can never go wrong with that book!

Anyway, I had lots of fun.  I can't wait to go back and check out what's new! 

Band Geeked Out by Josie Bloss

It's spring of Ellie's senior year and she has a lot of decisions to make, the biggest is what college to attend!  She's always planned on attending the local State school, marching in the band and becoming a band director. 

Then she is accepted into Covington, a competitive school across the country. 

It's no contest, until she visits Covington and finds herself fitting right and befriending her tour guide, a girl named Alex. 

When she returns home, she is in turmoil about what to do.  Throw in relationship troubles and parental pressure and Ellie's almost at the breaking point.

It's a hard decision...one that she'll have to make and it will determine her whole future!

What I Thought: 
This book is a sequel to the book Band Geek Love, of which you can read my thoughts here.

I think this book will really hit home with a lot of high school seniors about to enter a new and exciting stage in their life: college!  It's a time of transition and it can be very scary.  I think Josie Bloss portrayed these feelings wonderfully through her character Ellie. 

Recommended, but make sure you've read Band Geek Love first! 

Want to see more?  Check it out on Amazon: Band Geeked Out by Josie Bloss.

Reviewed from a library copy.

The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan, illustrated by Renee Graef

It is Easter Sunday and Katie is so excited!  This Easter will be especially special as a very special neighbor will join them!  One of Katie's favorite parts of Easter is placing flowers on the Easter cross. 

What I Thought:
This is a sweet story very much rooted in the Christian faith.  It's a story of kindness, compassion, sharing one's faith, and the meaning of Easter!

Just about each page has a "Faith Imprint" with a sentence about how the reader can participates in the book and are wonderful conversation starters for families!  For example, on page one when Katie realizes it is Easter, the faith imprint is "Share what the first Easter was like when Jesus overcame death.  Each of these imprints is also accompanied with a Bible verse.

 Recommended.

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan, illustrated by Renee Graef.

Reviewed from a copy provided by the Thomas Nelson Publisher Book Review Bloggers program. This book will be donated to my local public library. 

Back into it...

Time to fess up.

This semester was AWFUL.

It was stressful.  

Work was crazy busy.  

Don't get me wrong.  The class content and stuff was fine, I had a practicum that was fantastic, but put ALL that together and ice it with moving into a new house which needs organizing and decorating and yardwork...

I really wasn't in the mood for blogging.

So I didn't!  I've been reading....promise!  But just not blogging about them.

It happens.

Now it's almost May, and I'm finished with classes for the summer.  All I lack in this degree is one measly internship and taking my comps.

It's as good as done!

Now that I have some sort of a life back...I plan to return to blogging! 

Hopefully. 

Top 100 Books...How I Fared

Elizabeth Bird over on Fuse 8 (A blog from the School Library Journal) has posted her Top 100 Children's novels.  You'll find the list below, and those in bold are the ones that I've read.  (Or recall reading...I think I may have read some of those Roald Dahl books but can't really remember.  So I didn't count it.)   I've read 44 out of the 100.  Not too shabby, but could be better! 

It's a really great list and there are a lot of titles on here I definitely want to read...and soon!  I'm glad to see that some of my favorite books are on this list!

-----------------------          -------------------------        ----------------------       

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)


80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)