Drop Everything and Read Silently, at Camp!

I wanted to add this brief post:

Partnerships between libraries and camps (March Break or summer) can work wonders. Today, I led a Drop Everything and Read Silently session at my camp, and it was amazing. It was boy-heavy, so we had plenty of nonfiction and fiction choices (I never thought I would top 50 books out of the library at a time, and have been proven wrong). Needless too say, it was a real success. Kids browsed books quietly, or played a quiet game. They even had additional requests for me, which I filled tonight. I am really pleased with the way it ran. They behaved so well that they scored an additional gym time session with extra time added on.Tomorrow, there will be a few graphic novels and magazines.

So, if your library does not have a formal partnership with your town's camps, you may wish to consider this as an additional outreach opportunity.

Pirate Books -- Kid Lit

Pirate Book Reviews! These are samples of books I am making available to the kids in my March Break program.

Series Information
Allison Lassieur and Liam O'Donnell. The Real World of Pirates. Mankato, Minnesota: Edge Books, 2007.

My Review
Take a trip back to the Golden Age of Piracy and learn about what it took to become a pirate back in the 1700s. From pirate gear to pirate treasure, this series of short books describes pirate life using clear vocabulary and vivid illustrations. In addition, each book is sprinkled with trivia facts about pirates. Did you know that Blackbeard wove hemp into his hair and lit it on fire to frighten his enemy? Great for nonfiction-loving reluctant readers.

Book Titles

The History of Pirates: From Pirateers to Outlaws
The Pirate Code: Life of a Pirate
Pirate Gear: Cannons, Swords and the Jolly Roger
Pirate Hideouts: Secret Spots and Shelters
Pirate Ships: Sailing the High Seas
Pirate Treasure: Stolen Riches

Book Information
Lock, Deborah. Pirate. DK Publishing, 2005.

My Review
In the tradition of DK books, opening this book is like having a museum in print format. It's filled with pirate information in bite-sized facts, with many informative photographs of pirate artefacts.


Book Information
Havercroft, Elizabeth. A Year On a Pirate Ship.  Minneapolis, MN: Orpheus Books Ltd, 2008.

My Review
This book discusses pirates in more of a story format, with some "Where's Waldo?" style item-finding throughout the book. Not a book to work with if you need solid facts, like dates and/or names.

Upcoming Pirate Blog Posts

If you love the action of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and can't wait for the next film to come out, then check out the next few blog posts. During March Break, I am teaching a full-day program on pirates and lost treasures for my local museum. In my quest to become a pirate-ology expert, I am reading several brief books on pirates. Interested in learning about any of my pirate activities? I will post a list of activities with comments, and a handy list of resources at the end of March Break.

Rome Antics by David Macaulay

Book Information
Macaulay, David. Rome Antics. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

My Summary and Review
A pigeon carrying an important message takes the reader through ancient and modern Rome. The simple story line is just a frame for the intricate, detailed and majestic line drawings of Rome's treasures. Reader: I challenge you to identify all of the sites within Rome that are drawn by Macaulay's masterful pen. At the back of the book, readers will find a detailed bird's-eye view of Rome, and a list of all the locations that the pigeon has visited.

Other books by David Macaulay include Cathedral and The Way Things Work. His books have won many prestigious awards, including the Caldecott Medal and Honour Awards, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

The Art of Reading

Book Information
Reading is Fundamental. The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary. New York: Dutton Books, 2005.

My Review
This book is a treasure trove.  It highlights books that inspired forty well-established illustrators. From well-known classics (including Charlotte's Web and The Outsiders) to lesser-known books (especially The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber), readers get a snapshot of a variety of books. Equally important, through the short essays and through illustrations that each artist creates about their chosen books, young readers can see how reading provokes thought and motivates achievement.

Reading Is Fundamental is a literacy-focused nonprofit group whose goal is to achieve a reading America, inspiring children to become lifelong readers. Their services include free books and resources for children and families that need them the most. Their website (www.rif.org) features a variety of activities, book lists and articles about literacy.

My Notes
My favourite illustration was Kevin Hawkes` Freddy the Detective, in which Freddy is shown holding a magnifying glass. Readers can see that Freddy`s shadow is in the shape of a boy wearing a Sherlock Holmes outfit. As Hawkes described it, the shadow represented himself as a boy, searching for clues for the next Freddy mystery.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Book Information
Tanigawa, Nagaru. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010.

Book Summary and Review
The superpowerful, superpopular Haruhi Suzumiya is back at it in another light read from Sneaker award-winning author Nagaru Tanigawa. One confusing December day, Kyon wakes up in an alternate reality in which the superhero team "SOS Brigade" has not been formed. Who has caused this change, and how can it be fixed?

With a driven plot and manga illustrations, complete with Haruhi's usual craziness, this book is a really fast read.

National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention

Book Information
National Geographic. National Geographic Concise History of Science and Invention: An Illustrated Timeline. Washington, D.C.:National Geographic, 2009.

My Review
This highly entertaining and informative book has something for everyone. It's full of quick facts for fast readers, and there are many in-depth articles for amateur historians and scientists. Large glossy photos of extraordinary images (including bacteria, early planes and original automobiles) are found throughout the book. This book is an excellent choice for a casual flip-through or for a thorough read.

My Notes
The timeline's only obvious fault is that the section dedicated to North American events skips the birth of Canada in 1867.