School of Fear

School of Fear
     written by Gitty Daneshvari

"Everyone's afraid of something." So begins the experience of 4 middle school aged students whose parents send them to the one place they believe can cure them of their fears. But this might be the scariest summer of their lives!

The four will face their phobias at the very exclusive and private (they will soon see how private) School of Fear. But don't take it too seriously.

Written in similar style to Lemony Snicket, this book flew out the door at our fall Book Fair. It was one of the most written about "Can't Wait to Read" posts on our Reading Saves the Day website. Click here to see what students had to say before they read the book School of Fear and other books from the Book Fair. Our Wallwisher page also shares books that students recommend from our Book Fair.



ISBN: 978-0-545-28686-2

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
     written by Jeff Kinney

The hottest book at our Book Fair this fall wasn't even physically at the Book Fair! It hadn't been released yet...It was Diary of a Wimpy Kid...The Ugly Truth! Available as a pre-sale order we happily received orders for a case and a half of the books, with eager students waiting for their copy to be "Specially Delivered" to them in their class on release day. SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) was truly silent that day in our tween classrooms where everyone was devouring the book as quickly as possible.

In this installment of the Wimpy Kid Greg and his best friend Rowley are no longer best friends, at least for the time being. And Greg faces the "Ugly Truth" without his friend at his side for most of the book. He considers a replacement friend for Rowley, and questions why everyone seems to be having a better time in middle school than he is. His mom goes back to school which affects his home life, Advanced Health and Family Life is "disgusting" (Greg's words), with ancient movies to get through, that all ages can identify with.

There's a spokesperson contest, a family member's engagement and wedding to attend, boy/girl parties, showers at gym, a grown up's dentist and headgear to possibly "ruin Greg's life," the school Lock IN, and more!

As usual, these day to day experiences of growing up are full of fun, laughs, and silliness to make every reader smile and laugh out loud, whatever their age!  Check out your copy today!

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9793-6

Eat This Not That!

Eat This, Not That...for kids!
     written by David Zinczenko

Have you ever wondered about the food choices you make and whether they are healthy choices? This best selling book will help you better understand what goes into the food we eat and what choices could be better for you when you are out and about at your favorite restaurant or fast food place.

Did you know?
You watch over 26,000 TV ads in a year...and 22% of them are marketing food! The message sent most often is that junk food is instant happiness.But it really isn't.


The book shares basic rules to be successful at eating healthy...
Rule 1: Never skip breakfast, ever.
Rule 2: Snack with purpose.
Rule 3: Beware of portion distortion
Rule 4: Drink responsibly
Rule 5: Eat more whole food and less science experiments
Rule 6: Set the Table
Rule 7: Kick the sugar habit
Rule 8:Eat the rainbow

The book also compares good and bad food choices at favorite restaurants and tells you calorie count and more. There's also a section on how to make choices from a menu, and what to look for that could be empty calories or calorie deceiving.

Another section teaches you how to read the nutrition information on grocery labels, which cereals are the best and worst and other snacks and food choices. There are even sample menus and physical fitness routines to try out.


Watch the video below to get more details on what awaits you inside the book...and if you check this book out from our library, be sure to share what you learn with your family!

ISBN 978-1605299433

Star Wars:The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia

Star Wars:The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
   

Star Wars Clone Wars fans get ready! Here is the resource book for you. It's the encyclopedia to identify your favorite characters both good and eveil from the Clone Wars series. There are more than 200 Jedi, Sith, Senators, clone troopers, fierce creatures, droid, bounty hunters, pirates, and more.the characters are listed in alphabetical order for easy reference and are also listed in the front contents pages.

There are statistics on each character that include these elements: species, height and weight, gender allegiance, weapons, and features. There's also a quick overview to clarify what each character does, who they align with, and other explanations. Strengths and weaknesses are also discussed with examples of behavior easily recognizable to the Clone Wars fans.

This title will be placed in our Extremely Popular Binder to make sure that everyone interested in the book will have an equal chance to "win" it.
 ISBN: 978-0-7566-7019-1

Happy Reading!

The Klutz Book of Brilliantly Riduculous Inventions

The Klutz Book of Brilliantly Ridiculous Inventions
     written by John Cassidy and Brendan Boyle

Klutz started its book series many years ago with a how-to juggling book that is still around today. (It's even still on our shelves for checkout!). One of the company's big ideas for success is actually about what most people think of as failures....the idea that you truly learn through mistakes because in order to learn how to make something better you have to work with its problems and solve them. (I really believe in this theory too!)

So this book is going to be one of my favorites from the Book Fair, because it's all about works in progress...inventions that need more "play" to become better. Klutz, and IDEO Toy Lab use the theory of "Play" in everything they do...and recently while online at a conference I was watching and listening to a presentation about "Learn by Design," the theory of "play," and how IDEO Toys work is currently being looked at by educational leaders....go figure!

Anyway, this book is hilariously full of inventions that you might recognize, but probably haven't seen in the stores. Take a look and let me know what your favorites are...here are some of mine:

Klutz Inventions Book Trailer from Roxanne Clement on Vimeo.


ISBN: 978-59174-905-9

Great Migrations

Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeasts, Butterflies, Elephants, and other Amazing Animals on the Move
     written by Elizabeth Carney

National Geographics for Kids is batting 1000, with more great books being published every day. We had many of these great books at our Fall BookFair, and you can be sure that every single one of them is being processed for our library collection!

This book has a focus on migration, and animals that must migrate in order to survive. It is directly tied to the global television 7 event series that began recently on the Nat Geo cable channel named after the book...or is the book named after the television documentary? Either way, the book, published to add to the television event was a stroke of genius, especially since I know how many of you look for books after seeing a movie or TV show that peaked your interest to learn more!

In this double page layout, you will see a two page photo of the animal species being highlighted, followed by another two page format sharing in stylized text major factoids and trivia important to know to better understand migration. Each animal species, and its need to migrate, influences the earth, the people who live in it, and most importantly impacts the delicate balance of nature that we are charged with to maintain and manage for earth's ultimate survival.


Inside the book you will read and learn more about Mali elephants, Red Crabs, Monarch Butterflies, Jellyfish, Zebra, Army Ants, Wildebeasts, and Sperm Whales.

The photography is breathtaking, and the facts presented are interesting, new, and thought-provoking.

Don't stop with the book.
Be sure to check out online:

Nat Geo site: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/great-migrations?source=redir_sub_migrations

Nat Geo Kids site: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

See below two of the many videos from the "Nat Geo Migrations" site to give you more information and the ability to see the beauty of our earth and its creatures.

ISBN: 978-1-4263-0700-3

World War II

World War ll: Fighting for Freedom
     written by Peter Chrisp

This book will definitely be placed in our Extremely Popular Book binder for checkout if my "military" readers have anything to say about it!

Peter Chrisp, the author, is a British children's author of over 60 books specializing in history. The book is organized and formatted as complete double-page layouts with tagged timeline and headings to lead you through the historical events of the war.

It begins with a map of the world in 1942 depicting allied and axis countries, control, and major battles fought...a visualization of the war with a detailed key to elaborate the map and its contents.

The first double page is tagged 1939-45: A World at War...an overview with illustrations and photos in sepia to add to the mood and feeling of the times. Next follows the tag 1919-1933: The Gathering Storm...a section that summarizes important events in the world leading up to the outbreak.

Other tags and content follow: Steps to War, Blitzkrieg on Poland, Home Front Britain, the Fall of France, the Blitz, Desert War, Pearl Harbor, Midway, What the Homefront looked like on all sides, the Holocaust, and so much more.

Also included are descriptions of day to day life with photos, new technologies developed, D-Day, the Atomic Bomb, and the end of the War.

The book is filled with photos that explain and help you visualize the content and better understand the deeper meaning of the history we learn in school. Viewing war from multiple perspectives is important if we are to understand how to stop it.

there's also a great glossary on the back of the book to define vocabulary and terms used that you need to understand if you are to really learn about World War II. Be sure to check it out!

Here's another library "textbook" you should choose from our collection to learn about World War II... so Sign Up today in our Extremely Popular Binder to make sure you get your turn with this book!

ISBN 978-0-545-24984-3

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book
     written by Neil Gaiman

Did you get your copy from the Fall BookFair yet?

It has been a hot title at both last Spring and this Fall's BookFairs. And when you hear and see more about the book you'll know why!

Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" won the Newberry Medal and the Hugo Award in 2009.

The book opens with a disturbing crime and an 18 month old survivor of a family murder. "Adopted" by the ghostly inhabitants of the neighborhood graveyard, the toddler now named "Nobbody" ("Bod" for short)...grows up in the graveyard with ghostly mentors to guide him through his human life.

Through the years the murderer still hunts for him so "Bod" must watch his back and his ghostly family protects him. Follow "Bod's" adventures in the Graveyard Book.

You can actually listen, see, and read along chapter by chapter by going to Neil Gaiman's website.
During each stop in his book tour, Gaiman read a single chapter from the book and video recordings are available through his web page.

After previewing chapter 1 on the website I can say that it's definitely the way that I want to experience the book!

Our new BookClub may want to experience this book during our Library Lunches as a read-aloud along with our partners from Haight!

So don't spill the beans yet...but it's definitely a less scary way to experience this book...with the author guiding you through it!

Click Here to see and hear Neil Gaiman read aloud chapters from his award winning book "The Graveyard Book".
ISBN: 978-0060530945

Framed

Framed
     written by Gordon Korman

The "Man with the Plan" is back but in bigger trouble than ever before! This time there is a Super Bowl ring missing from the school display case and Griffin Bing is the prime suspect!

This is the third in the new series by Gordon Korman. Click Here to read the review for "Swindle," Book One in the series at my other blog, "So Many Books, So Little Time."  This series is widely circulated and very popular, and remember that Gorman Korman also wrote for the series "39 Clues," our most popular mystery/adventure series in our Library/Media Center collection to date!

All three books in the Swindle series are listed in our Extremely Popular Book Series so be sure to sign up today and get on the list for our random picks weekly. You might be the next lucky reader of "Framed."

Car Chases, court cases, anklet monitoring bracelet, kid jail, and Griffin Bing... need I say more?  This installment will keep you on the edge of your seat! Hurry up and reserve your copy today!

ISBN: 978-0-545-27081-6

Scholastic Book of World Records Ultimate Quiz Challenge

Scholastic Book of World Records Ultimate Quiz Challenge
     written by Jennifer Corr Morse

Here's the ultimate trivia and records Quiz Challenge book!
Take this book on the road, to parties, sleepovers, recess breaks, wherever you are with your friends and challenge them to a trivia quiz.

You can test your knowledge about animals, food, sports, toys, human body, science, entertainment, the world, and more...and the answers are in a special answer section so you can instantly determine whether you know your records trivia or not!

There are more than 350 exciting multiple-choice questions to challenge you with hours of reading fun! Illustrations and graphics support the challenge questions, but be sure to investigate your favorite topics and trivia by researching online or in books to discover even more interesting information to develop your knowledge base!
     

Scholastic has outdone itself this time by synthesizing trivia from their popular series of annual World Record Books to create the Ultimate Quiz Challenge! The book is organized by categories, and like all reference books it has a Table of Contents, Subject and Page Headings, and Index to find your favorite trivia content. The original series, the "Scholastic Book of World Records" has long ago surpassed our Guiness Book of Records series in circulation because at $10.99 it is more affordable and the size is easier to take along for hours of reading fun. The classic is still Guiness, but the take-along for Bay Farm school is Scholastic, and now the Ultimate Challenge will become another series must for our readers!

Be sure to check out the Book Trailer and see if you can measure up to the challenge with a sneak peak of the questions that await you! Coming soon to our Media Center Website we will feature our own Trivia Challenge Hunt with questions you create from your favorite Trivia and Record Books to challenge Bay Farm students!   



ISBN: 978-0-439-88971-1

Amelia Rules: The Tweenage Guide to NOT being Popular

Amelia Rules: The Tweenage Guide to NOT being Unpopular
   written by Jimmy Gownley

This is the sixth in the series of Amelia Rules graphic novel series written by Jimmy Gownley.

The series follows Amelia and her friends, self-acknowledged nerds who are now 5th graders beginning to address peer pressure, the need to be popular, boys, and school life as a tween.       

Rhonda is the first of the friends to realize the  need to look around herself to see what life is truly like as a nerd "super hero" and whether there need to be changes in order to fit in... even cheerleading!



See the publisher'sBook Trailer by clicking here.

ISBN: 978-1-4169 8610-2

Bone: Handbook

Bone: Handbook
     written by Jeff Smith

Fans of the Bone series will love the ultimate guide to everything you need to know about the award winning and best selling books. Inside you will learn about the author Jeff Smith, the characters from the series, background trivia (including Fun Facts sprinkled throughout the book, cover art, history information about the Valley, the mythology, even how the comics are colored by Steve Hamaker who has worked with Jeff Smith for over 12 years now.

Did you know that Bone has won 10 Eisner awards...the oscar award for comics?
Find out all about the direct connections between the series and the author's real life, including seeing the very first Bone story created by Jeff Smith when he was about 10 years old!

Did you know that Jeff Smith developed carpal tunnel from drawing Bone?

Did you know that Thorn was the most difficult character for Jeff Smith to draw?

Did you know that Smiley Bone is a tribute to the character Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons, and that Gran'ma Ben is a tribute to Popeye himself?

Throughout the book woven between the trivia is the story of  The Kite. You can also learn how to make Cheese and Bacon Quiche from the book Crown of Thorns, peanut and pickle sandwiches (author Jeff Smith's favorite sandwich), and one of Smiley's and Bartleby's favorite meals a Blank Sandwich!

 This comic series is one of the most popular and circulated series in our graphic novel section of our library, but it seems that every day someone is just discovering the series; and it is almost impossible to check the books out in any kind of order, so having the Handbook available for readers to gain background knowledge as well as a chance read one of  Jeff Smith's Bone tales is too good to resist.

Since I haven't had time to read the series, this book provided me  with information to understand more about the series and its popularity. Bone : Handbook, will definitely be entered into our Extremely Popular Binder for checkout and I'll have to get a couple of additional copies to assure everyone getting a turn to check it out!


ISBN: 978-0-545-21142-0

100 Most Disgusting Things on the Planet

100 Most Disgusting Things on the Planet: Prepare for the Worst!
     written by Anna Claybourne

Although I could barely get through this book, I know it will be recommended to the Extremely Popular Binder just based on the front cover! Inside are the most disgusting things in nature and humans that you could possibly encounter someday, or even today!

Each item in the book is assigned a yuck rating...see if you agree after reading about such disgusting things as maggot cheese (there really are maggots in the cheese to alter its taste....yuck!), plants that kill, bloodsuckers, tips on the best way to eat eyeballs, and much more!

This is one of those little books from the BookFair that we will probably never see on our library shelves because it is so disgusting that everyone will want to check it out! 

 So sign up today!                                      ISBN: 978-0-545-19775-5

Listen to the Wind

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg &Three Cups of Tea
     written by Greg Mortenson and Susan L Roth

This is the picture book version of the story "Three Cups of Tea", also written by Greg Mortenson. It's the true story of the author's life altering experience after getting lost climbing the second tallest mountain in the world located in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, the people who rescued him and nursed him back to health, and the children who need his help.

He learned of the desperate situation the community was in.  He vowed to help build a school for the students who used sticks to write their lessons with in the sand. He was advised by a village elder that he should "Listen to the Wind." He even helped the village build a bridge so that the equipment and building material for the new school could actually be moved into the area.

This story is the picture book re-telling of Greg Mortensen's "Three Cups of Tea."  Included at the end of the "Listen to the Wind" is a "scrapbook" of real photos and details from the original experience to help the reader better understand the experience.

The artwork in this book are colorful collages artfully created from torn paper, fabric, even computer chip pieces formed into collages and photographed by the illustrator Susan L Roth. She was inspired after viewing village artifacts.

Teens and parents will want to read the original story we also have in the library, a world-wide best seller "Three Cups of Tea" and the new addition "Stones into Schools." Since the first school, Greg has overseen the construction of fifty-seven additional schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with more than 24,000 students now attending those schools at the time of the printing of this book. I was fortunate to attend one of his book signings recently and heard from families whose relatives are there how much of an impact one person can make. The profits of his books and appearances go directly into building additional schools. One person can make a difference!

ISBN 978-0-545-28940-5

Every Minute on Earth

Every Minute on Earth
    written by Steve and Matthew Murrie

Inside this book are over 200 pages full of fun facts about things that happen on our Earth every 60 seconds. Making every minute count, the authors researched online, in encyclopedia, magazines, textbooks, and fact books to locate the trivia featured in the book.

More than 200 facts about Earth, space, human body, technology, animals, food, pop culture, and sports appear within the book. It's one of those books you will pick up and just start flipping through.


This is another Bay Farm "text" that provides lots of information designed to peak your interest in something that you will want to pursue further with more specific reading to learn more!

Happy Reading!

ISBN: 978-0-439-90887-0

Weird But True! 2

Weird But True 2
      written by National Geographic

National Geo Kids is at it again. Weird But True was so popular (especially at last year's Spring Book Fair where it made the hot table and was one of our top sellers/readers), that the followup Weird But True 2 has been published and was at our Fall BookFair... again at the hot table and over 100 students from grades 1-5 signing up online to take a chance to win it at our Book Give Away.

Take a look at the Book Trailer on our Book Fair website to see what all the fuss is about.

Weird But True2 Book Trailer 




ISBN 978-1-4263-0688

Book Fair Book Give-Away

We gave away over $300 worth of books during the Book Fair. You can see the online signup we used by clicking here. Watch the Book Trailer that shares the titles we gave away. they will be featured here so remember to sign up to be notified when new postings happen. Remember, all the titles you see will be entered into the Extremely Popular binder so that you can sign up for your chance to check out one of them soon! And when you read one of the books be sure to talk about it on our website, here, or on the Voicethread we will be creating together soon!

Ready, Set, Read!

Our Fall BookFair may be over but the reading has just begun! Be sure to check back here to find out about the terrific titles we have added to our Library/Media Center shelves from our Book Fair profits! Here's the link to our Reading Saves the Day website where you can learn more about the great titles from the BookFair! As you get a chance to read these titles be sure to comment on what you have read so others can learn more about the new books in our library...but don't spill the beans!

And Happy Reading!

Can't Wait to Read it!

Can't Wait to Read it!

Click Here to go to our BookFair website to see student comments about books they can't wait to read!

During the last few days of the fair, students chose a book from the BookFair cases, read the back/jacket, then after a demo on how to use Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Scholastic's book reviews and ratings, students used these sites to read more about their chosen book.

Then they used our website comment box to write a "Can't Wait to Read it" Review. Using Wallwisher they commented in a twitter like manner the title of a book they can't wait to read.

Take a look! Not bad for a first time ( and voluntary response) assignment!

Scholastic Book of World Records 2010

 The wait is over! This year's Scholastic Book of World Records 2010 is here! Look inside and you will see a Table of Contents full of interesting trivia, famous people, and historical events. Major contents headings include Pop Culture, Sports, Science, Nature, Money, Human-Made, and US. The book has a Table of Contents, Index, and Page topic headings to help students navigate the content of the book. Each year Scholastic publishes a new version for the year that you can use to compare against other years in the past.

Take a look at the category Pop Culture Records...further broken down into Television, Movies, Music, Magazines, Theater, Art. You'll be able to see who is the highest paid movie actor, most popular TV show, the show that won the most Emmy Awards,  the actor who has won the most Oscars, MTV awards, or has the highest average Box-Office Gross, and top recording artists.

Read about the world's largest diamond, largest library in the world, and the world's longest insect migration, just to name a few. More than 300 Amazing records are in this book!

Scholastic Book of World Records
by Jenifer Corr Morse
ISBN: 978-0-545-16065-0