Falmouth's Mock Newbery Book Club

It's been a busy fall, and my focus has been on the Newbery Medal. I've had the pleasure of working collaboratively with the children's librarian from our town on a Mock Newbery Book Club. We believe it is the first Mock Newbery program in the state of Maine.

The book club was open to students in grades 3-6, and we had close to 50 students take part in the program. Louise is on the 2011 Newbery Committee, and the Mock Newbery Book Club was her idea. She wanted to find a way to share the excitement of the Newbery Medal with the community. Louise and I read widely over the year, and we created three Mock Newbery reading lists. Louise read hundreds of 2010 titles. I read about 70 titles from 2010, and I also read hundreds of reviews and followed Mock Newbery discussions on Good Reads as well as other Mock Newbery Blogs.

Each month, students in the book club read at least two books from the reading list. The book club met after school each month from October through December. One challenge was the size of the group. Louise and I split the group in two, and we each met with one smaller group. We had 25 students in a group, which was too large making it difficult to have in-depth conversations about the titles. Fortunately, the assistant librarian at school was really interested in the book club. She volunteered to stay after school and helped facilitate a group which brought the size of the discussion groups down to about 15.

Plummer-Motz Library web site

Another challenge was finding enough copies of books to satisfy the reading habits of 50 enthusiastic readers. Louise and I attended the ALA Annual Conference in DC, so we had a number of ARCs. I used book fair money to purchase copies of some of the books, and we encouraged families to use interlibrary loan at the public library. If we run this program next year, I'll need to set aside some library funds to purchase multiple copies of each title on the list.

Falmouth Memorial Library's Mock Newbery Blog

Just before our final book club meeting in December, students had the opportunity to nominate their favorite books for the Top Ten List. Here is the list in alphabetical order with my two cents about why the book was nominated by students.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (Kids loved that the story was told from different characters' points of view. The idea of kids in a candy factory is also intriguing to the under 14 set.)

Countdown by Deborah Wiles (Members really connected to Franny, and they loved the documentary aspect of the novel.)

Keeper by Kathi Appelt (Who doesn't love a mermaid story? Kids were mesmerized and loved the surprise ending.)


Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer (Students were in awe of Singer's ability to write poems that made sense forward and backward and told two points of view.)


A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole (Mice stories tend to be popular with middle readers, and Celeste lived up to readers' expectations. Our 3rd and 4th grades study John James Audubon, so many readers had background knowledge which made it an interesting read.)

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (This book has struck a chord with many readers in our school. Students really felt a sense of empathy for Melody after being "in her head." Whenever students stopped by the library to return the book, they would stay and chat about what it meant to them.)


Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schulz by Beverly Gherman (Kids loved finding out how The Peanuts started. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are still popular with kids today, and the text was really accessible to kids.)


The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (This title is a favorite of middle grade readers. It's such a unique book which is in tune to real kids, and students love creating their own Yodas.)

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord (Maine author, Maine setting- Kids in Maine enjoyed the story!)


Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (The boys in our group liked this book as much as the girls. One boy told the group that it's a great book, but don't judge it by its cover. Typically a cover with a girl standing on a beach holding a starfish does not scream out to boy readers, but word got around fast that this was a great book. The Diaper Gang was a big hit with boy and girl readers, and kids love any books with buried treasure.)

On January 3rd, our Mock Newbery Book Club members will be honored at a school-wide assembly. A passage from each book will be shared by guest readers from the community, and then members will vote. I can't wait to see which book wins!

I Attempt to Write Book Reviews

So, I made writing book reviews one of my goals for this school-year. I took the plunge last week and attended my first children's book review meeting sponsored by the Southern Maine Library District. The way the book review works is that publishers send new books to the examination collection at the Portland Public Library. Librarians meet once per month and select new books to read and review. Each month, the group meets to share their reviews and to select new books.

I left the meeting with 7 different titles that I had not read before. I decided to put my Maine Student Book Award reading on the back burner for a few days so that I could get a start on my review books.

Here are a couple of reviews I wrote last night.

The Red Umbrella. By Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. 284 pages. $16.99

Young adult readers will gain an understanding of the Cuban revolution in this debut novel by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Set in 1961 revolutionary Cuba, The Red Umbrella follows the life of Lucia, a fourteen year-old daughter of an affluent banker. When soldiers take control of Lucia's town, her carefree life changes drastically. Her family is watched, neighbors are murdered, and friends pressure Lucia to join the Jovenes Rebeldes (Rebel Youth). Lucia’s parents send Lucia and her brother to the U.S. in an attempt to protect the children from Castro’s regime. Readers will empathize with Lucia as she tries to adjust to her new life with a foster family in Nebraska while retaining her Cuban roots. Gonzalez uses Spanish phrases to weave this rich story about family, friendship and a teen caught between two cultures.

Clemente!. By Willie Perdomo. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. Henry Holt and Company, 2010. 32 pages. $16.99

The life of baseball great, Roberto Clemente, is told from the point of view of a young boy who was named after the baseball legend in this picture book biography. The narrator highlights Clemente’s baseball and humanitarian accomplishments as baseball statistics take on a poetic form. Perdomo intersperses the text with Spanish phrases. Collier’s rich watercolor and collage illustrations bring a somber tone to the story, which ends with Robert Clemente’s untimely death in a plane crash. A timeline, author’s note and illustrator’s note provide more details for interested readers. Clemente! would make a welcome addition to any elementary biography collection.

Goals for 2010/2011 School Year

I like to begin each new school year with a goal or two in an attempt to keep things interesting and fresh. I try to stick to one or two specific goals that are attainable instead of coming up with a lot of unwieldy goals that I'll never accomplish.

This year I plan to focus my attention on these two goals:

1) To learn to write effective children's book reiews

2) To improve my movie editing skills using iMovie

Goal 1
I read a lot of children's books so that I can make recommendations to students, parents and teachers. Plus, I really enjoy reading children's books. I prefer children's books to adult books. However, I haven't written a book review since I was in library school. I read lots of book reviews in School Library Journal, Horn Book, and from Publisher's Weekly. This year, I'm going to try my hand at writing reviews of some of the books that I read.

I had a gift card to a bookstore chain, so I ordered up a copy of the revised edition of From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books by Kathleen Horning. I have an old copy of the first edition from my children's literature class at Clarion, but I thought the new edition may have some new insights.


I also plan to attend the monthly book review sessions hosted by the Southern Maine Library District. Librarians in Maine are invited to attend these free sessions. Attendees peruse the selection of new books then take home piles of books to read and review. The reviews are shared with the group during the next meeting. I'm hoping that these meetings will help me to learn from other librarians and will provide me with the deadlines I need to complete my own book reviews.


Goal 2
I had a chance to try using a Flip Cam and editing a short movie with my professional learning team last at school last year. Now I am hooked! My husband bought me my very own Flip Cam for my birthday in June, and I have been filming various family events (piano recitals, little league games, sailing trips, etc...).

I had the opportunity to edit a film for a colleague's retirement party, and I was amazed at all of the options available in iMovie. Now I just need to become a bit more comfortable with the editing process because I think creating movies could be an amazing teaching tool in the library.

I think I'll start small by filming some book talks and creating some book trailers then partner with teachers to create film in their classrooms. What better way to show what you know about a subject than to make a movie? The possibilities are endless!

The Last Day- June 29, 2010

Things were pretty much coming to an end in DC. I just had a couple of big items on my agenda before flying back to Maine. First, I wanted to hear Amy Sedaris speak at the closing session. Then I planned to don a red shirt and attend the ALA rally at the Capitol.

Amy Sedaris was a riot! She showed us one of her "Martha Stewart spoof" crafts. She made a twist tie out of tape and a wire because "twist ties are so expensive to buy these days." The she answered questions from the audience. She is so witty and spontaneous. At one point she called on a person from the audience, "Yes, you with the glasses. Oh, wait this is a librarian's conference. That's all of you!"

After laughing for an hour, we loaded the buses and gathered in front of the Capitol to rally for library funding and legislation. Did I mention that it was hot and humid in DC? We stood in the sun for an hour and a half and cheered as the ALA President and various authors and Congressmen spoke about the importance of libraries. By the time it was over, I was drenched with sweat. What a lovely image, I know!

I was invited to join the Maine librarians from the State Library and MASL (Peggy and Linda) when they went to speak with Rep. Michaud and Rep. Pingree. As we were entering the Capitol, a German tourist saw our red "Vote for Libraries" shirts and asked if we were trying to start a new political party in the U.S. Ha! We'd make a great political party. Linda said we could call ourselves the Librar-terians.

Both Rep. Michaud and Pingree were in meetings when we arrived, so we met with their staff and outlined the importance of funding libraries and making sure that schools have certified school librarians staffing their libraries.

Peggy and Linda continued the schedule, and they went on to meet with Sen. Collins and Sen. Snowe. At that point, I left them to continue their work, and I ventured out into the heat with the hopes of seeing the pop-up book exhibit at The Smithsonin-American History Museum. Did I mention it was hot? After walking (and sweating) for a few blocks, I needed to find a ladies' room. I looked up and saw The Library of Congress. Now, I know that as a librarian, I am supposed to want to spend lots of time perusing the LOC. In actuality, I just wanted to find a bathroom. So, I went inside. The building is beautiful and ornate, and the restrooms are very nice too! They even have little shelves in the stalls so that you don't have to put your belongings on the bathroom floor.

I was too tired and sweaty to focus on any of the exhibits or to join a tour group, so I found the nearest exit. Now, most public buildings in DC require visitors to go through the screening process upon entering. The Library of Congress does the screening at the exit. They want to make sure tourists don't leave with library books stuffed in their backpacks. I walked through the detector and promptly set off the alarm. The guard called me back and had me pull my camera out of my purse. I walk through and set off the alarm again. This time, I pulled out my wallet. Again, the alarm sounded. The guard searched my bag and says, "Do you have any library books in here?"

I respond, "Sir, I'm a librarian. I don't steal library books." He let me go.

Now, again in my trip I'm torn. I really want to see some museums, but my body is worn out, I can't think straight, and my shirt is soaked with sweat. I decided to hang out in the air-conditioned Union Station. I made my way to the sale rack in the nearest Ann Taylor store and purchased a new shirt to wear for the remainder of the day. I couldn't picture myself sitting beside a stranger on the plane back to Maine in my current state, so a new shirt helped greatly!

I took the Metro back to the airport to catch my shuttle to the airport. I missed my guys at home and couldn't wait to get back to the mild temperatures of Maine. As I was going through airport security, I set off the alarm. The guard pulled me aside and thoroughly patted me down. She didn't find anything. I guess I just had an aura about me that set off alarms! It must be all of the positive energy (and sweat) from the conference.

Day 4- June 28, 2010

After three full days in DC I was beginning to get worn out. I'd been going to bed late and waking up early, but there's not much I could do about it. My body would not sleep for more than 5 hours. It was hot, and there was a lot of noise on the street at night plus my adrenaline was pumping. I know that I'm a total geek, but all of the recent events (Newbery/Caldecott awards, talking with authors, meeting librarians from all over the country who understand the job) make me wired. Thus, I couldn't sleep.

On the fourth day I decided to stop thinking about the school library and children's books for a couple of hours. I'm a big fan of Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island), so I went to hear him speak. Dennis was exactly how I thought he we would be. He's brilliant, yet down-to-earth. He's educated, yet tough (in a South Boston way). Dennis read from his latest book then took questions. I loved his comments about libraries:
"Libraries made me a writer. Libraries say to working-class and poor kids- you matter."

Dennis gave away free advanced copies of his new book. After having him sign my copy, I stood in line at the FedEx store in the Convention Center. I mailed a box of books home then hurried off to my next session. This session focused on how school librarians help teach reading and support teachers and students with reading. The presenters were dynamic and knowledgeable, but I was starting to fade. I already knew about comprehension reading strategies from my days as a teacher, and I needed to find some food. It's easy to keep going to new sessions and forget to eat or drink water.

I snuck out of the session early and walked down to Chinatown for a bite to eat. After lunch I went back to the hotel for a power nap. Do you spot a trend here? Now it was with mixed emotions that I took my power nap because I missed seeing John Grisham speak about his new children's book. However, I had to listen to my body, and I couldn't keep going.

The nap helped a lot because I had enough energy to do one last sweep of the exhibit floor during the closing hours. Exhibitors don't want to pack up all of the books they brought, so they sell them at a deep discount (hardcovers are $5 and paperbacks are $2). While I was snatching up bargains, I saw Barbara Christiansen signing copies of Django, so I picked up copy for the library and chatted with her.

The day was coming to a close, but I had one more important event. Natalie Merchant was hired by Baker & Taylor to perform for us. I scored a seat in the third row. For an hour and a half I forgot how tired I was and enjoyed the concert. She was amazing!!! The concert went long, so I missed the last shuttle. It was worth it. I took the Metro back to the hotel and began packing for my last day.

Day 3- June 27, 2010

I was up early and at the shuttle stop by 7:00 this morning. I wasn't going to mess around looking for a coffee shop near the hotel again, so I went to the Starbucks inside the convention center.

My first session today was about how to motivate students to read for pleasure. Again, I took lots of notes and now have a million ideas for school. I want to write a grant to purchase software so that I can make READ posters of my students that look just like the ALA READ posters.

I left that session a bit early so that I could secure a place in line for the Harper Collins Fall Book Preview. I'm glad I did, because it was packed. I was there early enough to receive the goody bag filled with galleys and advanced readers' copies. I have to say that I wasn't blown away by any upcoming books. It seemed like they're really putting their money into mediocre fantasy series. There was one new Patricia Reilly Giff series that would be perfect for my struggling 3rd grade readers, but the cover looks too young. I think it will be very hard to sell the book to the targeted audience. I'm thinking about writing a letter to the publisher about book covers. A struggling reader does not want to walk around with a book that has a "babyish" picture on the cover. It's not rocket science, people!

Verizon had set up a Thinkfinity Suite for teacher librarians, so I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did. The suite was a room filled with free food (pizza, desserts, coffee, soda) and Thinkfinity reps demonstrated a free online resource for educators. I kept waiting for the catch, but there wasn't one. There is no fee and no subscription plus I had a really good brownie! I can't wait to share this resource with the teachers at school in the fall.

Next up was a book signing by Deborah Wiles. Deborah's book, Countdown is one of my favorite books this year. I tweeted about the book on Twitter, and Deborah responded to me. I was looking forward to meeting her in person. There was quite a long line, but I did have a chance to meet Deborah. She signed a copy of the book for me and she remembered my comments from Twitter. She was so sweet!

After being at the convention center for over 6 hours, I decided to head back to my hotel to drop off my treasures and take a power nap. Once I regained my energy, I met up with Louise and Andi from Falmouth Memorial Library on the exhibit floor. We decided it would be fun to attend the Annual Book Cart Drill Team competition. I'm glad we did. It was a blast, especially since Jon Scieskza and Mo Willems were the emcees.

A group of us took the shuttle to Pennsylvania Ave. to grab a bite to eat. After a nice meal with friends, I took took the shuttle back to the Convention Center. My plan was to take the shuttle to my hotel and call it a night. I was surprised to learn that the shuttles were done for the night. Across the street I saw a bus idling. It was headed to the Hilton for the Newbery and Caldecott banquet. Why not? I hopped aboard and decided to check out the banquet. I didn't have a ticket, but I had heard they allow people without tickets to sit in the back and listen to the speeches.

I found a great seat and met a very cool librarian from Virginia. We chatted for over an hour. She was an ALA veteran, so she had some great stories. The Newbery and Caldecott speeches were inspiring. I know that sounds corny, but there's no other way to describe them. I left the Hilton in such an uplifted mood. I think I have the best job in the world! The shuttle buses were filled with people in their cocktail dresses and suits. Lots of authors and illustrators filled the seats around us. I chatted with a personable woman in the seat next to me. She told me that she was in a writing group in Vermont with Karen Hesse. We mostly talked about the weather and New England. As she was getting off I found out I was sitting next to author and illustrator Barbara Christiansen who won the Schneider Family Book Award this year for Django.

I don't think I'll be able to top this day!

Day 2- June 26, 2010

The conference sessions began today, and I needed to be at the convention center at 8:00 am. The hotel restaurant doesn't serve breakfast until 7:30 on weekends, so I made a point to look up nearby coffee shops before leaving the hotel. After walking quite a distance, it turns out the coffee shops aren't open early on weekends either. Bummer!

I took the shuttle to the Convention Center and began my busy day. My first session focused on how to teach 21st Century Skills in elementary school through college. The presenters made me think about how I teach research skills and how to make sure students are using higher level thinking skills and not just "answering the questions." My favorite idea from that session was that school librarians need to be "Super Librarians." We need to be able to teach students how to be 21st Century learners, we need to be able to integrate technology, and we need to teach students how to use libraries.

Next, I did a loop through the exhibit hall and picked up more ARCs. While I was on the exhibit floor, I chatted with Marilyn Singer, who is a lovely person. I bought a copy of Mirror Mirror, which she signed. I also met Russell Freedman and bought his WWI book for the Plummer-Motz kids.


I then left the convention center and walked to a local restaurant to attend a luncheon with Cornelia Funke sponsored by Little Brown. Cornelia was promoting her new fantasy novel which comes out in the fall. I met some great people (reviewers, librarians, publishers) and left with a free copy of the new book.

After an amazing meal, I made it back to the Convention Center in time for a session on using iMovie and Powerpoint to create booktrailers. This is a personal goal for the upcoming school year. I want to find creative ways to sell books to kids, and I don't have time in a 30 minute class to "book talk" all of the great books we have in the library. I took lots of notes, and the ideas are still swirling... I plan to bring my ideas to our reading PLT (professional learning team) in the fall.

Later that evening, I met up with Peggy (FMS librarian) at the Newseum for ALA's Scholarship Bash. ALA took over the museum for the night, desserts were served, and we drank wine and looked at exhibits. What an interesting place! FBI exhibit included the Unibomber's shack, Patty Hearst's wool jacket, and other creepy artifacts. There was an amazing Berlin Wall exhibit complete with guard tower, sections of wall, and Lenin statue. The 9/11 exhibit was so powerful and sad.

The shuttle delivered me back at the hotel, and I thought about the day. I had never attended anything remotely like this ALA Conference. When I was a classroom teacher, I went to quite a few conferences and workshops on topics like assessment, literacy, differentiating instruction and classroom management. These were usually held in dark rooms that served bland, banquet food. Sometimes we would get free pencils or little pads of paper. At the end of the day, I would leave the conference feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. My head would be filled with thoughts like, "I need to do more. This job is too huge. How will I ever find time to fit this all into the school day?"

My ALA experience is so different. Here at ALA we have vendors and publishers wining and dining us. I ate scallops and risotto with one of my favorite authors, publishers gave me free copies of books to read, and everyone is celebrating the importance of libraries. I felt like Sally Field, "You like me. You really like me!"

The job of the librarian can be demanding and stressful at times. There is so much more to the job than people on the outside realize. It's way more than just checking out books! Here at ALA, we are being told that we are important to children, to parents, to teachers, to authors and illustrators and to the whole community.

Day 1- Part II

My rest in the hotel room did give me my second wind. I stopped by the hotel bar for a glass of wine and a light dinner. While I was eating, I saw Garrison Keillor cross the road near my hotel. It was my first celebrity siting of the trip. We're big NPR fans in our house, so seeing Garrison on the street is like bumping into Tom Cruise. I know I'm a geek. Did I mention that I'm at a librarians' conference?

The Exhibit Hall officially opened tonight, so I decided to check it out. The exhibits are hundreds of booths set up by different vendors and book publishers. Many booths have free Advanced Reader Copies of books that will be published soon. I scored about a dozen ARCs and a subscription to School Library Journal for Half price.

After an hour in the hall I was beginning to get overstimulated, and my bags were full. I left and went to check out the Kid Lit gathering at a pub down the street. It was sponsored by a group of children's book authors and illustrators from the area. I mingled and chatted with lots of people including Karen Cushman! I'm a huge Karen Cushman fan, so it was bit surreal to be sipping my beer and chatting with her about the DC weather.

When my glass was empty, I decided to call it a night. I timed it perfectly and was able to take the last shuttle back to my hotel to rest up the next day.

Day 1- June 25, 2010

I'm in DC, and I'm exhausted! I woke up at 3:00 am and was out the door by 4:00 to catch an early morning flight. I am happy to report that my flight was uneventful. After leaving my luggage at the hotel, I hopped on a trolley for a tour of the city (National Archives, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial). I was starting to melt in the 90 degree weather, so I took a break and picked up my conference material at the convention center.

Right now I'm relaxing in my air-conditioned hotel room trying to catch a second wind before the Kid Lit gathering at a local pub. I don't know if I'm going to make it to the dance party later since my first session tomorrow begins at 8:00 am, and I'm running out of steam.

Next up, I'm going to check out the hotel food then stop by the exhibit hall in search of some ARCs (advanced reader copies) to bring home.

Preparations Are Underway...

I fly out of Maine early Friday morning for my first ALA Annual Conference. This year the conference is being held in DC. I'm using my last few days to read advice from the pros. Stephen Abram had an extensive article full of conference advice. http://stephenslighthouse.com/2006/05/30/conference-tips/ I learned a lot from Free Range Librarian's blog as well. http://freerangelibrarian.com/2010/06/19/ala-conference-survival-tips-35-conferences-later/

At this point I have a box of business cards, a couple of sheets of mailing labels, and I've started to pack. I'm nervous about my choice of shoes. Everyone says to go for comfort, but I like to look good too. I've typed out a rough itinerary to keep me on track, and I'm trying to make time for sightseeing and some down time.

It's perfect that the new season of Top Chef is set in DC. What better way to prepare than to watch Top Chef and dream about the amazing restaurants? Of course, most of my meals will probably consist of snack food and pre-made sandwiches.

First Post

Here it is: my first post on my new blog. I hope this will become a venue for reflecting on what I've learned in this interesting and complex world of libraries. I'm completing my third year as a school librarian, and I can' t believe how far I've come in 36 months!

As summer approaches and the school year comes to a close, I'm eagerly anticipating my first ALA Annual Conference. The Flip cam arrived in the mail today, and my conference badge arrived last week. I'm ready for Washington D.C.!

I check Twitter every day for tips and useful tidbits about ALA 10. My next step is to use the online event planner to map out my schedule.