Doss Library

Hi Gang-  I am really looking forward to reading about what you have been reading!  Please share, but make sure not to spoil the ending for your classmates (or me)!  All comments will come to be for approval so they will not be posted immediately.  An important rule here is to include only your first name and your last initial & this area is for the 2010-2011 5th graders only... everyone elses turn will come.  Of course, anyone is welcome to read the posts, just not contribute. 

I'll go first....

I just finished re-reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is a powerful book about a dystopian society. Though I don't usually recommend going to Wikipedia- there is a great explanation of what this is. I think that some of you would enjoy this book, but you should know that it can be quite upsetting and may be one that you put on your list to read when you're in middle school. 

I am eagerly awaiting your posts!  Well... I love to have your posts here, but I am also checking out the Reading Room on the Doss fifth grade blog.  Isn't it great that we're all using Web 2.0!?!

Wow!  What an amazing night at the book fair.  It was great to see families enjoying books together!  Great books, great music (thanks to Charlotte Glikman and Tim Doyle!!!), and great fun!  Thanks for all of your support!  I am looking forward to lots of browsing and to discovering new books together.  It's going to be a busy week!  I am currently reading Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.  I am only on page 38, but am very intrigued!  I think that it would make a great read-a-loud.  It should appeal to boys and girls who like fantasy.  Look for it at the book fair.

Funny Business is a collection of stories by a group of awesome authors including... Mac Barnett, Eion Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo & Jon Scieska, Paul Feig, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Adam Rex, and David Yoo.

Check out the book trailer for this one here.  This is terrific!!!!  Paperback copies of this are available at the Doss book fair.  Get first dibs by coming to the pajama party Monday night from 5:00-7:00. 

There are two series that you might want to look for at the book fair...

Secret series by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
A Whole Nother Story
Another Whole Nother Story

Amazon Best Books of the Month, December 2009: What's a family to do when its scientist-inventor-dad builds a time machine that governments, super spies with chimpanzees, and just about every evil organization in the world want to get their hands on--at any cost? Run for their lives, of course! In the very first chapter, the recently widowed Ethan Cheeseman, and his three "smart, pleasant, witty, attractive, polite, and relatively odor free" kids are roused from their beds in the wee hours of the morning by their trusty canine alarm system--their psychic and hairless dog, Pinky. They pack up the family station wagon and head out of town, eluding the bad guys by mere seconds. In this fast-paced and very humorous adventure, the Cheeseman clan hits the highway in search of a new home where they can settle down and be a normal family (whatever that is). Along the way, they use their smarts to outwit and outpace the bad guys. Every page of this debut novel, narrated by the unusual Dr. Cuthbert Soup, is full of snappy dialogue, unexpected twists and turns, and unsolicited advice on subjects ranging from how to choose a dog to timely advice on time travel. Middle grade readers who dig the tongue-twisters, quirky villains, hilarious hijinx, and brave and brainy kids of the Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch will find lots to laugh-out-loud about in a A Whole Nother Story. --Lauren Nemroff (amazon.com review)

Pseudonymous Bosch's Terces Society mysteries
The Name of This Book is a Secret
If You're Reading This, It's Too Late
This Book is Not Good for You
This Isn't What It Looks Like

From amazon.com-

Product Description

About the Author

Mysterious stranger? Anonymous author? Who is Pseudonymous Bosch and how does he know so much about our heroes and heroines? The truth will all be revealed---with time. For more info on P. Bosch, please read his first book, The Name of This Book is Secret.

I have not read any of these... Have you?  ~Mrs. Lang

I am looking forward to a great week at the Doss book fair.  I hope that you all enjoyed Topher's book talks last week.  His book picks are displayed near the check out area, but I thought that it would be good to post the list here.

Picture Books
Chicken Big by Keith Graves
Oh No! by Mac Barnett
A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black

Chapter Books
The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate by Donna St. Cyr
Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series by R.L. LaFevers
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Vordak the Incomprehensible by Vodak
Scumble by Ingrid Law
Nerds 2 by Michael Buckley
The Candymakers by Wendy Moss
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
The Witches Kitchen by Allen Williams

and there are many other great books to be found at the book fair this week.  Don't forget to come in your pajamas Monday night for the grand opening from 5:00-7:00!!!  It's going to be a great week!!!

Hey gang... I am happy that my mom is not the only one reading my blog now.  Ya'll rock!  Don't forget that your comments should be signed with your first name and last initial only.  Also, no spoilers please.  That means that I won't approve any comment that would spoil a book for someone else so be careful not to give away the ending.  Happy Reading!!!  Mrs. Lang

I hope that all of the birthday book club participants had a great time choosing their books! We had a wonderful week that reminded me how lucky I am to be a part of the Doss community! Kim Belew led a fabulous group of volunteers! She was amazingly organized and at this point there are only a few students (who were absent last week) that still need to choose their books. The pictures are being developed and the bulletin board will be going up soon. AMAZING!!! Please take a moment to share the title and a brief summary of your book. I think that it would be fun to hear about the new books in the library.

I am really looking forward to getting all of the wonderful, new books in circulation next week. The students will choose their books, we will book plates them, and we'll be taking pictures for the bulletin board and scrapbook. It should be a very busy and exciting week. We appreciate all of your support and are thrilled to be adding over 300 books to the collection through your donations! AMAZING!!!!

Have I got your attention now?????? The release date is October 12th. I cannot believe that I didn't know about this sooner, but it's very exciting news. Check out this deleted scene. I bet that there will be several Doss readers that are going to want a copy!

Hi Gang- I would like to generate some conversations about books here... I'll go first. I just finished David Lubar's Punished. If you are looking for a quick read with some silly humor, this book may be the one for you. Without giving anything away, the main character Logan is caught running in the library and is "pun"ished by Professor Wordsworth. Do you know what a pun is? Levar Burton used puns on Reading Rainbow. Here's something that he said on the show..."Humans aren't like bees, but if you COMB the shelves of a library, I'm sure you'll find some intereSTING things to keep you BUZZing." Read Punished and you will learn about puns and oxymorons, anagrams, and palindromes.

Wow.... what a great back to school event! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello. We are looking forward to seeing every class next week and the volunteer schedule is already getting filled up. If you'd like to volunteer, just let us know. We appreciate all of your help! A huge thanks to those of you who have signed up for the birthday book club. It's not too late to participate... This a an amazing fundraiser for the library. If you'd like more information about it, I'd be happy to explain. We have a wonderful scrapbook of last year's participants in the library, come by to see it sometime... it is absolutely precious! We will be starting the year by sharing How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills with our kindergarten and first graders. The second through fifth graders will be checking out books next week so the library should be very busy!

Hey everyone! Mrs. Willis and I are getting the library ready for the Doss Owls and we know it's going to be a great year! We have lots of brand new books for the Birthday Book Club participants to choose from so don't forget to sign up at Meet the Teacher. Please come by the library to say hello next Friday. We've missed you! Get ready to read!!! hugs, Mrs. Lang

Parents... Check out the Reading Rockets website. You'll find themed book lists, tips on helping your child find "just right" books and much more. This link will take you to the parent page. I am very impressed with what I have found and hope that you will be too. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July weekend! I hope to see you at the parade tomorrow morning! I have been reading some great books this summer and hope that you are too! I recently finished The Celestial Globe and Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer am listening to Lucky Breaks on CD in my car, reading a professional book called The Reading Zone, and am reading Betsy-Tacy. The Celestial Globe is the second book in the Kronos Chronicles and I am now looking forward to the third book in this series! Theodore Boone is John Grisham's new book for kids. I think that Mr. Grisham did a great job setting up the main story in this first book of a planned series. If you are interested in court cases and the law, this will be a perfect book for you. Lucky Breaks is the second book by Newberry winning author and librarian, Susan Patron. I am really enjoying listening to this one! Don't forget that having someone read a book aloud to you or listening to a book on CD or Playaway is another great way to "read". If you are taking a road trip this summer, check out an audio book from the library and bring it in the car. I bet the whole family will enjoy it!

A librarian friend forwarded Al Roker's Book Club for Kids... Check it out! I am not familiar with this title, The Jaguar Stones: Book One: Middleworld, but it does sound interesting. I would love to hear how your summer reading is going! Please post a comment here!

Umbrella Summer is the second book that author, Lisa Graff has had nominated for the Bluebonnet award. Her first was The Thing About Georgie. (Did you read it?) I found Umbrella Summer be a pretty quick and easy read about a very difficult topic. The main character, Annie, is a very cautious eleven year old. Her older brother died about one year ago and this story looks at how Annie relates to her world after the tragedy. I had saved this book for last since I am usually hesitant to read sad stories. While Umbrella Summer is a sad book, it is also hopeful and uplifting. It always surprises me when students ask me to help them find a sad book... but it actually does happen and I would add this book to the list of my recommendations. In fact, I would also suggest it to those who like to read realistic fiction and stories about friendship. There are several story lines in Umbrella Summer that revolve around a variety of characters and their relationships. I especially like the ending of this book... but I'm not going to tell you what happens... you'll have to read for yourself!

I just finished my 19th bluebonnet book! The Cabinet of Wonders is the first book in The Kronus Chronicles trilogy and was written by Marie Rutkoski. I am going to come clean here... I try so hard to keep up with all of the books that the Doss Owls are reading that I rarely read the second book in a series. However, this is one of the exceptions. I just placed a hold on The Celestial Globe so that I can pick up this second book of the planned trilogy at the Old Quarry Branch of the Austin Public Library (APL). If you've never put a book on hold and want to learn how to do that, ask the public librarian to show you how to set up an account. I put books on hold all the time and receive an email from APL when my book is ready to be picked up... it is so convenient! Anyways, back to the book... I think that it would be a great read-a-loud for a family. It has a little bit of something for everyone... magic, mystery, history, and suspense! The characters are interesting and though several people have told me that they found the book difficult to get into... DON'T give up!!! I found that the excitement builds and wish that I had The Celestial Globe now! Bummer!!! Check out the mini book trailer on amazon.com. You can see it if you scroll down a bit and look for the Amazon video in the box where it says "Check Out Related Media". Cool!!!

14 Cows for America is a nonfiction picture book and a bluebonnet nominee. It tells the story of the Maasai people and their gift to America after 9/11. I think that after reading the book it would be worthwhile to discuss the facts surrounding the story... great information can be found at the publisher's website.

If you do not have access to the book, you can watch a video of it being read on vimeo. Don't forget- Read 5, then decide. All students who read 5 or more bluebonnet books and turn in the appropriate paperwork, qualify to vote in January and to come to the breakfast.

Well, I went to the link that I gave in an earlier post and found that is is no longer correct. The new link for bluebonnet books and the Texas Library Association can be found here. I apologize for any confusion or frustration that the broken link may have caused! The reason that I went there was so that I could talk about another bluebonnet book. I am currently reading The Cabinet of Wonders and thought that I better share some information about the other books that I have read since this one is going to take a little bit longer to read.

I read Home of the Brave a few months ago. I was worried when I first saw this book because though we all know that we are not supposed to "judge a book by its cover", we do this anyways. I was concerned that students might not want to try this book because of the cover... Don't let that happen! This book is written in free verse (like a poem) and is a wonderful read! I am always amazed that authors can write a book in this way. Though Katherine Applegate does not use many words to tell this story; she is able to convey intense emotions and creates a thought provoking story. I hope that both students and parents take time to read Home of the Brave. This book would be a wonderful book club selection. If you want some information about starting a book club, let me know. I have some ideas that I'd be happy to share. I have been in adult book clubs and a mother-daughter book club, and know that some of you are doing this too. Check out the kidsreads.com ideas for bookclubs... Awesome! This site also has links to authors, book reviews, and different booklists. Stay cool & keep reading!

Me again... I read 11 Birthdays on the way to Chicago and really enjoyed it! The cover of this book might appeal to girls more than boys, but everyone should check it out. It is about two former friends named Amanda and Leo. The story begins at the hospital on the day they were born. They are birthday twins-- they share the same birthday, but are from different families. I think that Miss Murr and Mrs. Means are birthday twins. Do you have a birthday twin? I don't want to give too much away, but after ten years of celebrating their birthdays together, something goes wrong and the day of their 11th birthday is well, VERY interesting! Read 11 Birthdays to find out what happens to Amanda and how she solves her dilemma.

Sorry it's taken me so long to post... I was in Chicago for a few nights for a quick trip. I know that lots of you have already read Dying to Meet You and I hope that you'll post a comment about it. It is the first book in the 43 Old Cemetery Road series. For those of you who haven't read it yet, you should definitely check it out. The story is told through a series of letters and the layout makes it really fun to read. There are some fun sketches and a few pages of the story are told through newspaper articles... cool! The characters are very likable and interesting! Which character did you like best? I am really looking forward to the next installment in this series! What do you think?

I am making good use of my first official day of summer vacation. I finished Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet this morning (and started... and finished, Dying to Meet You- more on that later). Calvin Coconut was a quick read and lots of fun. The story takes place in Hawaii at the beginning of the school year. It is the first in a series and we have the second and third book in the library already. Has anyone read it yet? If you like realistic fiction and enjoy funny books, this would be a good choice for you! Check it out and let me know what you think.

The Austin American Statesman's Summer Reading program is explained on the back page of today's (Monday, May 31st) Classified section. The school with the highest number of students in the program will receive $500 from A+ Federal Credit Union to purchase library books and Spike (the RR Express mascot) will visit the winning school. Last year's winner was Oak Hill Elementary School. All participants must subscribe to the paper so this is not a free program. Details are available online

Participants of the "Hit a Home Run for Reading" program will receive 4 tickets, fun prizes, and a t-shirt. Today's poem is "Lyin' Larry" from Shel Silverstein's poetry collection, Falling Up. Check it out.

Hi Everyone... I am reading Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow by James Rollins. It's on the Bluebonnet list this year. I am going to post a blog entry about each of the twenty Bluebonnet nominees. I hope that you will post comments, but no spoilers please... we don't want to ruin the ending for anyone! All comments will come to me to be approved before going online. Please use your first name and last initial only. I have linked the blog to my teacher webpage and want to maintain everyone's privacy (of course, I'll know who you are!!!). Anyways, I think that this book will appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure. It has a perfect a mix of science and history that should appeal to a broad range of interests. If you liked the Indiana Jones movies, you'll like this book! I think that this book will be enjoyed by both students and parents... give it a try. If you've already read this one, share some thoughts with us, but remember the rules. Have a Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Hey there... I am really having a great time with the blog, but haven't heard from any of you yet. I do hope that this website will get you "talking". Check it out...

http://www.mackinbooktalk.com/

You will want to scroll down to look at the 2010 2x2 and 2010-2011 Bluebonnet books. I love the author information that is provided as well as the "Read More" tab! My reading list just keeps growing and growing! I hope that yours is getting long too!

The 2X2 Reading List is a project of the Children’s Round Table, a unit of the Texas Library Association. The 2X2 Committee‘s charge is to produce a list of 20 recommended books for children, age two to grade two. This list is a great resource for our younger students.



Current List

All 3rd through 5th graders are encouraged to participate in the Bluebonnet Program. Students must read 5 of the 20 nominated books in order to vote in January. Of course, we encourage them to read more. Efforts small and large are rewarded at the bluebonnet breakfast in February. The chosen books include both fiction and nonfiction and a variety of different reading levels. Books are chosen by the Texas Library Association. Check out the book list at their webpage.

Students must turn in one of the following:

• an AR record with a passing test score
• a summary of the book
• a reading review... found on Mrs. Lang's teacher web page
• http://www.austinisd.org/schools/staff.phtml?teacher=621&opt=handouts

Happy Reading!