This Made Me Happy

I love this photo from the well known website icanhascheezburger.com It just gave me warm fuzzies about doing storytime so I thought I would share it. Have a great library day!

Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer

Summary:

Vladimir Tod is at it again with his agnsty mood now with even more blood thirst then ever before. "Tenth Grade Bleeds" is the third book in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series. Vladimir has to face some of his biggest fears having a girlfriend, loosing his drudge, and fighting off the vampire Ignatius who is Vladimir's grandfather. The relationship between Vladimir and his Uncle Otis is strong until he leaves and becomes unreachable through letters and thoughts. Otis's lack of correspondence is a mystery until Vladimir is faced off with his arch nemesis D'Ablo. Will Vladimir finally end the battle between him and D'Ablo? Will he figure out what has happened to his missing uncle?

My Opinion:

I have to admit "Tenth Grade Bleeds" does start off slow, but quickly picks up and is definitely rewarding. Vladimir grows into a whole new mature vampire, which I have truly enjoyed. He goes from being an awkward agnsty boy vampire to a strong, confident, self-aware vampire. I can't wait until the fourth installment, because I find my self REALLY liking the more mature Vladimir! I am hoping the plot in "Eleventh Grade Burns" is a little quicker and develops faster. I would love to see Vladmir's character grow as he explores his vampire attributes, including his intense desire for human blood. Can't wait!

Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series by Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites

Ninth Grade Slays

Tenth Grade Bleeds

Eleventh Grade Burns

Monster Storytime on Friday October 23, 2009

I wanted to do a semi-Halloween themed storytime, so that is why I chose to do Monsters it was still somewhat ghoulish without being completely Halloween related. I was wondering how the kids would react to the monster stories, I was really hoping they wouldn't get scared and start crying. Which is the exact opposite of what actually happened. Kids found the monster stories to be funny and reacted with lots of giggles. I did talk with the kids before starting the monsters stories to discuss with them that monsters can be comical and friendly and that the monsters we are going to read about are goofy and playful rather than mean and scary.

Books:

There Was an Old Monster by Rebecca, Adrian and Ed Emberley

This is a great rhyming book for the kids, there is also a free downloadable song on the scholastic site, which I didn't use because we don't have access to laptops at our branch. The song is cute and would be great to use with the story during storytime. An old monster swallows all sorts of crazy creatures to make him feel better, until he gets eaten by a lion. The kids enjoyed the book because they can see all the weird beings in the monster's belly.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo trys to be a scary monster but he really is just terrible at being a monster. So he researched to find the kid who is the biggest scary cat in the school which is Sam. In the end Leonardo and Sam become friends. The book is illustrated very effectively with big images and small words and vice-versa.

Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks Illustrated by Sue Hendra

Monsters go around eating all sorts of things including trailers, boulders, and fish, but reply with "Fum, foe, fie, fee, monsters don't eat broccoli". In the end the monsters turn into boys and the big redwoods the monsters are eating turn into broccoli. The book is funny and makes eating broccoli fun too! Also the book uses a lot of grown up words like delectable, which helps kids learn new words. This actually happened. A little girl at the end said "broccoli is delectable". It was super cute!

Songs:
Teddybear Playtime by Hap Palmer

Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi

If You're a Monster and You Know

.....Make a Face.....

.....Flail your Arms.....

.....Growl.....

.....Stomp Your Feet....
Next Storytime I think I will finally do "All About the Library"~

Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

Summary:

The second book in the Morganville Vampires series "Dead Girls' Dance" leaves off exactly where "Glass Houses"ends. Claire Danvers a super smart sixteen year old who is going to college in Morganville and her roommates, Michael who is a ghost by day and human by night, Shane the hunky unemployed protector, and Eve the vampire hating goth. They all find themselves in the middle of a human-vampire war involving Shane's father Frank Collins and the vampire community including Eve's ex-boss Oliver and the reigning vampire queen Amelie. Will Shane get pulled into his Father's revenge war or will he be set free by his roommates Eve, Clarie, and Michael?

My Opinion:

I really enjoyed the first book of this series "Glass houses" and was excited to read the sequel, but unfortunately I was disappointed with "Dead Girls' Dance". I felt the plot never went anywhere and a couple of times I thought to myself "where is the story going?". For most of the novel I felt like Caine could have summed it up in a few chapters than dragging the story out to 200+ pages. I felt the book could have been saved if there was a little more action, I enjoyed the last 50 pages because finally the plot thickened and Caine had me on the edge of my seat. But again this didn't happen until the last 50 pages. Overall "Dead Girls' Dance" was unorganized and boring, missing its action and vampire mayhem until the last few pages. I am not sure if I will read the third installment "Midnight Alley" of the Morganville Vampires series, maybe if my pile of books to read decreases!

Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine
The Glass Houses

Dead Girls' Dance

Midnight Alley

Feast of Fools

Lords of Misrule

Carpe Corpus

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Summary:
Miranda Merchant loves science and all things logical which doesn't make her much different from her Mom who is a doctor. That is until she spends the summer at The Mariner her grandmother's house on Selkie Island. Where Miranda discovers her mother's family history, especially her striking resemblance to her grandmother. Miranda tentatively arrives at Selkie Island because of it's mysterious surroundings and legends but as soon as she sets foot in the old dusty Mariner, her uncertainty is washed away by the sea salt air and clear breeze. The summer wouldn't be complete without a boy crush, and Miranda has her eye on Leo a sun drenched blond who meets her on the beach. Leo doesn't seem to be the typical boy, there is something about him that stands out? She notices the colors red and gold painted on his house, sea figures adorning his porch, and he seems to appear out of no where when Miranda is on the beach? All signs showing Leo might just be a merman? Can Miranda look past her hard science and logic and really believe in such creatures?

My Opinion:
I was very anxious to read "Sea Change", but unfortunately I was very disappointed with the story. "Sea Change" had a great underlying story of Miranda falling for a merman, this idea in itself was very original, but Friedman really didn't develop the plot any differently then the other bazillion teen love stories. I was teased a little too much as a reader. Miranda never finds out if Leo is truly a merman and for me this was a disappointment. I know that Friedman left this affirmation out for the readers own imagination to run with the idea, but I am the type that loves to get to know other worldly creatures during a story. I would have been more curious about the story if Friedman included more of the myths and history behind the oceanic creatures of Selkie Island. For instance Leo's character could have been more developed by elaborating on these myths and histories. Overall "Sea Change" did include an average coming of age story with Miranda going from a closed analytical responsible teen to an open, self aware teen, leaving Selkie Island a whole new girl. I enjoyed the relationship and bond that formed between Miranda and her mother. Because of their experience on Selkie Island they both softened and blossomed into tranquil women. Having Miranda and her mom share in this change created a life long bond that will always stay in their memory whether they are on Selkie Island or in their native New York City.

Opposite Storytime on Friday September 25, 2009

Storytime this week was Opposites, overall it went well, although I think the theme would be more appropriate for older kids. This is hard during our storytime because we have all ages attend. We had a few today that were Pre-K that seemed interested but then the toddlers were easily getting distracted.

Books:

Big, Bigger, Biggest by Nancy Coffelt

A great book, which I feel illustrates opposites very well, while also learning about animals. The book is quite long for the little ones so I would use the book for older ages Pre-K and up.

Domino by Claire Masurel Illustrated by David Walker

A cute short book that is good for all ages. The illustrations are soft and super adorable. I had the kids count and bark during the story. "Domino" is very interactive.

Mimi's Book of Opposites by Emma Chichester Clark

Also a great book for the younger ages and illustrates opposites well. Sibling monkeys demonstrate opposite by doing the opposite of each other. Demonstrates brother and sister bonds especially the younger brother and older sister type. Simple and easy to read!

Songs:
Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi
Turn Around by Hap Palmer (Great opposite song)

Fingerplays:
I did the following "opposite" fingerplays!

Open, Shut Them- Action of Open and Shut illustrates an opposite!

Open, Shut them,

Open, Shut them,

Give a tittle Clap!
Open, Shut them,
Open, Shut them,
Hide behind you Back!
Creep them, Creep them,
Slowly upward, right up to your cheek.
Open wide you shiny eyes,
And through your fingers peek.
Open, Shut them,
Open, Shut them,
Give a little clap!
Open, Shut them,
Open, Shut them,
Lay them in your lap.

Eensy Weensy Spider- Doing different sizes of spider help identify opposites!
Eensy Weensy Spider
Climber up the water spout.
Down came the rain
And washed that spider out!
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain,
And Eensy Weensy Spider
Climber up the spout again!
(Then do "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and make really small movements with a small voice)
(Then do "Great Big Hairy Spider" and make really large movements with a large voice)

-Next storytime will be "All About the Library"-

August 4, 2009 Storytime

The storytime on Friday went well, I was nervous going back after having a month off but the kids and parents were very enthusiastic. I looked at my collection of storytime books I have been acquiring the last few months and decided to just do some of my new arrival favorites. Actually I find most of the time when you don't do a theme the storytime goes really well! Not sure why, but it is an interesting observation.

Here are the books:

Book One:

Little Beauty by Anthony Browne

An adorable book about the friendship of two unlikey animals a gorillia and a tiny kitten. Artwork is an added plus, perfect big clear pictures for the kids. 

Song One: I Can Dance by Ronno

Book Two:

Can You Make A Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
An interactive book, where children can participate with the actions in the book. Kids love the interactive part of the book a nice mix up from the sit still storytime routine.
Song Two: Do the Monkey
Book Three:
Put It On The List! by Kristen Darbyshire
All grownups will love this book especially moms. A family of chickens goes through a crazy week where they run out of all sorts of things including toliet paper. Finally Momma Chicken shows the kids to put it on the list any items that they run out of during the week. The book ends with the whole family going to the grocery store together. Super sweet and the kids laughed at the many funny parts.
Ending Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
Next Storytime: Opposites or Libraries