Doss Library

Hey gang- I just found this great site and think that you should check it out. November's book was The Phantom Tollbooth written by Norton Jester and illustrated by Jules Fieffer. I especially liked listening to the author interview. I read this book when I was young and it made me want to pick it up again. Check it out! December's pick was Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu and January's will be Christopher Paul Curtis' The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. There are so many great websites about authors and books. What's your favorite?

Thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers that made this year's book fair so amazing! A special thank you to the chairs- Dandre Whitehead, Sheri Terrell and Brooke Denby! We couldn't have done it without you! We received more than twenty book donations that have already been processed and are ready for checkout. Amazing!!! Income from the book fair allows the librarians to expand the collection and to purchase materials for students and teachers. This year we look forward to allocating some funds to electronic books and hope to have these available for check out after the winter holidays. As with any technology, there will most likely be a learning curve, but we look forward to learning together and to keeping current with new ways to interact with books. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions, please feel free to comment here or send a private email. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Doss community and wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!

I am so excited that book fair is next week. Plan on coming to the grand opening from 5:00-7:00 on Monday night and be sure to wear your pajamas. There may be a sweet treat waiting for you there plus tons of amazing books from Book People. We will also have a special visitor. Jeff Crosby, the author/illustrator of Wiener Wolf will be with us in the Raven's Nest. Topher spoke to our PK, K, and 3rd graders yesterday and will be back tomorrow to talk to 2nd, 4th, and 5th graders. Stay tuned for more exciting book fair news...

Yes, I am wonderstuck! I just finished Brian Selznick's book my the same name and could not wait to share with you! I know that many of you have read Selzick's Hugo Cabret, the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner. Wonderstruck's format is the same, but the story is unrelated. The book weaves two separate stories together; one taking place in 1977 and the other in 1927. The first is told traditionally with text while the other is told completely in pictures. For more information check out Scholastic's promotional site. Happy Reading!

I hope that everyone has a book... or an e-reader, in their backpack! I must admit that I am enjoying my Kindle and wanted to let you know that I checked out three books from the Austin Public Library on it! How awesome is that? You need to have a library card so if you didn't sign up during Library Card Sign-up Month- do it now. You can download a book to your device from the comfort of your home. There are even audio books! Check it out online. Scroll down a bit and you will see "Downloadables". Click and you will be taken to a new screen where you can search for e-books and audiobooks that you can put in your cart and download immediately.

It looks like the Digital Bookmobile is coming to town. The schedule shows that it will be at Barton Creek Square Mall on November 5th and at Recycled Reads on November 6th. I think that I might have to check it out. If I do, I'll let you know what I learn. I also hope that you have visited Recycled Reads. It is APL's recycled bookstore and you will be amazed at the treasures to be found! All children's books (picture and chapter books) are 50 cents... yes, you read this correctly- 50 cents each. Adult hardbacks are $2.00 and paperbacks are $1.00. Store hours are limited-- Thursday through Sunday from noon to six o'clock so mark your calendar and plan a trip to Recycled Reads. You won't regret it!

Have you been reading a mystery book this month?!? I just finished The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin. This book is part of Cronin's J.J. Tully series, and I expect that the kids will really enjoy it! Once again, Cronin has written an appealing and witty book that should speak to most elementary age students. There are some clever lines and lots of fun to be had in this mystery. The main character is a retired search and rescue dog who decides to help a hen find her two missing chicks, but the villain has another plan. Check it out at the Doss library!

I just finished reading Doreen Cronin's newest book, M.O.M. (Mom Operating Manual). This book offers some humorous advice for the care of keeping of mothers. I read this book aloud to my sixteen year old daughter, a voracious reader who appreciates creative and spirited writing. We agreed that M.O.M is clever and fun. It will appeal to an older audience with its quick wit and wry humor. A safety alert symbol warns the reader to "avoid actions that could cause damage to your mothers well-being and general sense of enjoyment (and therefore your entire family's well-being and general enjoyment)." The book includes sections on daily care and maintenance, grooming, outdoor use, troubleshooting and resetting. This fifty-four page picture book ends with a final note to contact your mom directly if you have any additional questions or concerns. Cronin is the author of Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, Diary of a Spider, Diary of a Fly, Duck for President, Bounce, and many other wonderful titles. She will be at Doss on Friday, October 21st for the afternoon where she will do two presentations in the library. Autographed copies of several of her books, including M.O.M are available for pre-order through the PTA online store. I cannot wait to meet Doreen Cronin and to introduce her to the Doss Owls!

Hi Gang- Please check out the link to ReadKiddoRead on the right. This site may be just the help if you are struggling to find a good book. Don't forget to ask your friends, teachers and librarians for help too! By now, everyone should have their APL card so you now have two great resources for free books. If you find a great title or series, let me know and I will put it on my book order (if it's not already there). I was excited to see that the link to Anita Silveys's "Book of the Week: discusses Jack Gantos' book Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. I recommended this title to a teacher just this week. Happy reading!

I just wanted to take a moment to give Kim Belew a shout out for organizing a great birthday book club week!!! The library has been busy with students choosing their books and getting them book-plated. All participants are checking out these new books and we are capturing the moment with a photo op at the door. It is so exciting to see these books in the hands of the Doss owls! I am so grateful to Kim and to all of the wonderful PTA volunteers who make the birthday book club a huge success. I could not do it without you! Thank you!!!

I just saw on Barnes & Noble's website that this book by Pseudonymous Bosch is in the Nook spotlight section for 99 cents. I am currently reading this title and am enjoying it! Of course, you can check it out at the Doss library, but I know that some of you have a Nook and it seems like a good deal to me!

Ironically, I received the following information in an email from BookPeople just this week and have been meaning to share with you...

The Name of This Camp is SECRET:

Pseudonymous Bosch Lit Camp!
secret secret 2 secret 3 secret 4 secret 5

BookPeople Literary Camps is proud to present a weekend camp based on the Secret Series written by anonymous author Pseudonymous Bosch.

Pseudonymous Bosch

The author, image unknown.

The Name of This Camp is SECRET

Saturday, October 1 - Sunday, October 2nd
10am - 3pm

Pseudonymous Bosch

The author Pseudonymous Bosch is in danger - most likely a future kidnapping victim. We (you campers) have to find him (Pseudonymous Bosch) before they (the villains) can find him and do something horrible, like take his sunglasses and sell them on eBay for $10 million dollars, or reveal the author's true identity. We'll have to dodge shadowy pseudo-mystical groups and spies of all stripes to foil the villains' plans and preserve what dignity the author has left.


Are you smart enough?

"YES!"

Are you tough enough?

"YES!"

Are you humble enough?

"Ohmygosh, YES!!!"



Saturday, October 1st to Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 at BookPeople.

Pseudonymous Bosch will be involved, but don't tell any of the villains. Registration is required.

Download your registration form. Once you've filled it out, please submit the completed form in person at BookPeople or fax it to us (Attn: Topher Bradfield) 512.482.8495.


WARNING... this message will self-destruct in 10 seconds.

Did I get your attention?  Well, I hope so!  This is actually the title of the first book that I read this summer.  I chose it because it has received the following accolades:
... Wow!  I also thought that the title made it a good place to start.  One Crazy Summer was written by Rita Williams-Garcia.  The story takes place in 1968 and tells of three African American sisters who leave Brooklyn to visit their mother in Oakland, California for the summer.  They live with their father and grandmother and the trip to California is strangely disconserting since their mother abandoned them many years earlier.  When the girls arrive in California, their mother does not greet them as one would expect and the story leads the reader through a tumultuous relationship and an interesting summer camp run by the Black Panthers.  Check out this book and take some time to research the true events surrounding this time period.

Hi Gang- Just wanted to let everyone know that I updated the links on my AISD teacher webpage.  I think that you might enjoy checking them out.  I will move them here and to wild4reading's posterous soon, but in the meantime, you can access them here.

Did you know that May is get caught reading month?  I will be looking for Doss readers this month and maybe you'll find yourself on wild4reading's posterous.  Thanks to Ms. G for taking the time to teach and tutor me!  You're never to old to learn new things!

I am also sharing this blog address with the Doss PTA in hopes of getting more traffic and followers.  I set up this blog last year in hopes of having a paperless and green summer reading program.  I mostly hoped that it would be a good place to share and respond to books and to encourage reading.  Though it's been a slow start, I am not giving up.  I ask that all comments be made with first name and last initial only,  I have set up the blog so that I have to approve all comments before they are posted.  I am open to suggestions and feedback look forward to some online sharing and collaboration!

Hope everyone has a very happy get caught reading month!!!!  ~Mrs. Lang

Hi Gang-  This post is for all 4th and 5th graders.  Phil's visit was awesome!  A very special thank you to Mrs. Breazeale and Mrs. Sheldon and the many PTA moms who made the Tuesday RAD event a huge success!  I hope that you enjoyed meeting Phil.  It was great to hear about the writing process from a successful author!  I am looking forward to hearing from you.... Please post a comment about a favorite book by Phil Bildner or a memorable moment from his visit.  I sure would like to hear from you!  Don't be jealous, but I am going to get to see Phil again tomorrow at the Texas Library Association conference.  I'll tell him that you say hello!

Well, I'm finally reading this book by Derek Landy.  I am only on page 57, but am already very interested...  Check out the website!  The first book was originally titled Skulduggery Pleasant, but the newer publication has been renamed, Scepter of the Ancients.  Book two is Playing with Fire and book three is The Faceless Ones.  Topher explained that subsequent books are not being published in the U.S.  We are lucky to have the forth in the series (Dark Days) because my husband was able to bring it back from the UK when he was traveling and we do not have Mortal Coil, the fifth book, but hope to at some point.  It seems that there will be others, but getting them is the challenge.  I'd like to hear from those of you who have read one or more of this series... but please don't spoil it for those who have not read them.