Kidz Read & Blog

Ali Reccommends~

2009-04-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Gone by: Michael Grant

Wow. That's really all I can say. WOW!

Gone is one of those books that you pick up thinking, "Hmm. This might be nice for a little light reading." And than you open it and get sucked into a worlwind of "What If's." "

What If" everyone over the age of 14 suddenly disapeared? "What If" you started developing mysterious "super powers"? "What If " all of a sudden there were no rules? No one to break up fights between angry kids? No one to put food on your plate every day? No one to keep things from getting dangerous, and bloody? Everyone but the kids are just Gone?

These are the questions that 14 year-old Sam and his fellow peers have to face and awnser, in this amazingly suspensful and captivating young adult novel. I reccommend this book to just about anyone. I warn you that if you have a weak stomach you might wantto skip over a few different pages. Grant does a marvalous job of illustrating what would very likely happen if you were to lock 400 kids in a small California town with no adult authority. Even with the surreal super powers that several of the towns kids have developed, Grant manages bot only to keep readers on the edge of their seats, but to make it realistic. No small feat, but one that he accopmlishes amazingly well in this dramatic page-turner. A great read for all ages. :)

Ali Reccommends~

2009-04-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Lock and Key by: Sarah Dessen

This over all was a great book. However I feel it important to start this review with th ething that I didn't like, so that I can end on a positive note. :)

There was a fair amount of language, some drinking, some drug use, and a few other things that aren't all that great.
However all of these things, while I don't really like them, give a very real elememt to this novel. Dessen does an amazing job of making her novels realistic and easy to relate to.

Ruby Cooper, a senior in highschool who has been living with her alchoholic mother, moving all the time, and with minimal contact to the outside world since first her father, than sister extract themselves from her life. When Ruby's mother suddenly go missing social services drop her off with a sister she hasn;t seen or heard from in 10 years. Lock and Key allows you to travel with her on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

It is beautifully and realistlically written to draw readers in and let them experiance a life most of us have never seen. Overall I give it a thumbs up. :)
~Ali~

Ali Reccommends~

2009-02-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Vampirates Series by: Justin Somper

Demons of the Ocean, Tide of Terror, & Blood Captain

The Vampirates series by Justin Somper tells the story of 14 year-old twins Grace and Connor Tempest. Their story begins in Demons of the Ocean when, after the tragic death of their father, the twins head out to sea. They are caught in a vicious storm and are seperated by the current. Connor is saved by Cheng Li, a young deputy aboard the pirate ship The Diablo. He is brought aboard and made one of the crew, where he enjoys an exciting life of piracey and adventure. Meanwhile, Grace on the other hand is rescued by 17 year-old Lorcan Fury, who pulls her out of the seething ocean and aboard the Vampirate ship The Nocturn. Throughout this series you get to journy with the Tempest twins through all of the excitment, and terror of their lives aboard two very different kinds of Pirate Ships.

Most recently I read The Blood Captain. While I was reading this book I was Grace and I was risking everything for the people I loved. I was brave and strong. Books offer great escapes and fantastic adventures, and this is one journey that you don't want to miss!

Happy Reading!

~Ali~

2009-01-29T15:56:00.001-08:00

Blog Poster

Ali Reccommends~

2009-01-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Maximum Ride: The Angel Expirament
By: James Patterson

The Angel Expiriment is the first installment in a five book series. It tells the gripping story of Maximum Ride, a twelve year-old orphan. Max and her "flock" of friends were the tragic victims a cruel genetic expirement. Scientists graphted avian DNA into thier blood, and the result was that they all grew wings.

This book is fantastic for a light read. I wouldn't reccommend it if you wanted to read something deep and meaningful, but if you just want to kick back and relax with a good book, Maximum Ride is perfect. It was reccommended to me by a good friend of mine, and now I'm reccommending it to you, my friends. :)

Happy Reading!

~Ali~

Ali Reccommends~

2009-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn by: Stephenie Meyer

This is a fantastic series as a whole, and even if you just read one of the books it would definatly be worth your time. Age is not an obstacle for this series of books. I have great friends who refer to themselves as "Twilight Mom", and another friend we refer to as the "Twilight Grandma". So as you can see, these are not exclusivley for teenagers. Sort of like Nacy Drew, the classics don't have age limits.

We first meet 17 year-old Bella Swan in Twilight, and follow the story of her other worldy connection with Edward Cullen through New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

When Bella Swan moves to Forks, Washington she imediatly becomes intrested in the reclusive, and goregeous Cullen family. Dr. Carlise Cullen and his wife Esme, along with their adopted children Edward, Alice, and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale have never really fit in. Too beautiful for words, and alarmingly graceful, they are just to good to be true. The people of Forks are wary of their mysterious and frightning perfection. All except Bella. She imediatly becomes entranced with the adopted siblings, 17 year-old Edward in particular.

Come along one her journey of self discovery, and breathtaking romance.

Meyer's elequent language and suspensful writing techniques will pull you in the moment you open the cover.

I highly reccommend this serie to anyone who is willing to take an adventure.

Happy Reading! :)

~Ali~

~Ali Reccommends~

2008-12-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Twilight by: Stephenie Meyer

This novel by Stephenie Meyer first took the world by storm in 2005 after a two year writing and publication period. The film version of this awe-inspiring novel has caused an entirely new wave of fans and obsession that has sent the entire series and author sky-rocketing to stardom.

I must confess that I have read this book at least 5 times in the last year and am completly in love with nearly everything about it. I finished Twilight in 2 days only coming out of my room for the neccesities (food, ect.). I nearly died of anticipation while waiting for the library to get the second book in the series in on an interlibrary loan, and repeated the process again with Eclipse, the third installment in this quartet of fabulously amazing novels. I also have to say that I threw my own Breaking Dawn party at the release of the fourth and final addition to this captivating series. I read the first 4 or 5 chapters of Breaking Dawn while walking through Wal-Mart "helping" my mother grocery shop, and finished the book within two days of picking it up at the library. (I had a hold on it for 3 months before it hit the shelves!) Through this book I have made some very valuable friends and become amazingly closer to pre-Twilight friends.

Now that you have been "inside my obsession", you can probably deduce that I highly reccommend the story of 17-year old Bella Swan and the mysterious Cullen family to anyone, and everyone, that can possibly get their hands on this book. Whether you like to read, or have never read a book in your life, this is a fantastic place to turn for an unforgettable adventure!

~Ali~

~Ali Reccommends~

2008-11-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Northanger Abbey by: Jane Austin

This may be one of the most delightful novels I've ever had the great pleasure to read! I could hardly put it down, even after I'd finished it!
Set in late 1800's England, this story tells of the adventures of the heroine, 17 year-old Catherine Morland. I highly reccommend this novel to anyone, of any age! The elegance with which Austin portrays this charming tale is utterly captivating. The smooth, and, at times amusing manner in which Austin again captures the hearts of readers throughout the ages, is highly commendable.
I stronly advise you to add this classic novel to your bookshelf as soon as possible.
~Ali~

Ali Recommends~

2008-10-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

To Kill A Mockingbird by: Harper Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird is the endearing story of young Scout Finch. This twist-and-turn journey will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning page after page, of this fantastic novel. I was constantly suprised by the never ending twists. I wanted to start all over again the minute I finished! Everyone should take the time to read this winning novel. It will change the way that you think about seemilngly ordanary societies. It taught me to always look for the bigger picture, because nothing is ever what it seems. I loved this novel and strongly recommend that you put down whatever book is in your hand at the moment and pick up this one. It's worth it!

Ali Recommends ~

2008-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Birchbark House (by Louise
Erdrich) tells the beautifully written
story of a young Native
American girl and her quest
to find herself.
Through laughter and
heart-breaking sadness,
Erdrich transports readers
into the magical world of the
Anishinabe people.
The Birchbark House colorfully illustrates
the winding, complicated, beautiful, and
amazing path that is life. It is simply the
deeply moving story of a child's journy to maturity.

I loved every minute of it and highly recommend
it to anyone looking for a novel that will open their
eyes and touch their hearts.

~Ali Wickham~

Summer Reading Program

2008-07-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are - it's summer again and Wednesday is Kids Day in the Library.

This year Ms Nancy and the Kids are learning all about BUGS! Using our Summer Reading Program - Catch the Reading BUG!

Painted, Glazed and all Fired Up

2007-07-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

We brought 15 mugs and plate to the library last Thursday. Each kid got one (and there were enough for a couple of adults to paint too). Then we took our painted dishes and mugs back to the Painted Dish where they were put in the 1,000-degree oven to bake. And they came out looking like this:

Kids’ Day In the Library

2007-07-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Becky and I went to the Painted Dish yesterday. It’s both a store and a craft studio in Santa Fe. When we walked in we saw hundreds of unfinished ceramics – dishes and cups and tiles and pencil holders and large bowls and teapots and then there are dozens of popular items like ceramics shaped like electric guitars and motorcycles and pop-figures. And there are the colors – all the colors in the rainbow and glitter and more. Then there are stencils in hundreds of different shapes and stamps – rabbits and geckos, bears and butterflies and more.

We were there to try our hand at the craft so that we could do a project with the kids at our library. We though it would be a good idea to try it for ourselves first – and we were very glad we did! Merri, the lady who runs the Painted Dish, gave us a quick lesson in the various stages of ceramics: things like glazing (painting on the colors) and firing (putting the painted ceramic in an oven at 1,000 degrees and baking it until the glaze and the ceramic become one). She talked about which colors shine through, and how to layer colors and different ideas about how to decorate our ceramics.

Then Becky and I each picked a bare ceramic and began to decorate our own. I chose a coffee mug and Becky chose a large cup. She began a design of Fleur de lis and I chose a stencil with a landscape of images including a wolf that looks a little bit like my dog Grreta, and some clouds and a big evergreen tree. We thought this was going to take an hour or two to paint, but two hours passed very quickly and soon it was time for us to go and we weren’t even finished with our project!

So we arranged for a Craft Kit of cups and plates to take home with us (and we included our own unfinished projects) and we brought it all home with us to do at this week’s Kids Day in the Library on Thursday. Each kid – or adult – will get a cup or a plate to paint. And at the end of the day, we’ll pack them all up and deliver them back to the Painted Dish, where they will bake them (they say: “Fire them”) in the 1,000 degree ovens until they are transformed into our beautiful ceramics.

Stay tuned – next week we’ll have pictures of our ceramic projects here!

RULES by Cynthia Lord

2007-07-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

RULES, by Cynthia Lord, is her first novel, though Ms Lord has been writing since she was four years old, writing fiction since she was in high school. Catherine, the main character, is a 12-year-old who has an autistic younger brother, David. Author Ms Lord and her husband have two children, one of whom is an autistic boy.

Catherine’s life is greatly affected by David. When you get to the end of the book, you can decide for yourself whether it is better or worse because of David. (This is my favorite kind of question – one that has no right or wrong answer!) A new family next door, with a girl Catherine’s age, gives Catherine the possibility of a new friend – and the complications that brings into her life. Jason, a boy who comes for therapy to the same clinic David goes to, also becomes a friend. This is surprising, because Jason’s handicap prevents him from talking.

You’ll find this book in the Irene Sweetkind Public Library. It won’t take you long to zip through it, and I hope you will read it. Let’s talk about it when you’re through with it.

Ms Dorothy

COME ON - I DARE YA!

2007-07-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

We're just getting started.

We printed up brochures; we ordered the books; we sent out announcements; we started the blog; and now we're waiting for people to join us.

What book are you reading?
Are you not going to start reading any new books until the new Harry Potter arrives?
What would you rather be doing but it's too hot?

Maybe Ms Dorothy can get us started - tell us about "Rules"

Mark Twain's: The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Welcome to the Kids Read & Blog

2007-07-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

~ 2007 Book List ~

Ms. Dorothy Recommends:

Hank the Cow Dog by John R. Erickson
# 1 The Original Adventures of हांक the Cowdog
# 6 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
# 45 The Case of the Falling Sky
# 49 The Case of the Booby-trapped Pickup
The Good Dog by Avi The Baby Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
True Confessions of Charlotte by Avi
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
Nancy Drew – A Novelization by D. Burr
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
L8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Invention of Hugo Cabret a graphic novel by Brian Selznick
Olivia Kidney and the Secret Beneath by Ellen Potter
Missing Magic by Emma Leybourn
Dangerous Book for Boys by C. Iggulden

From “We The People” Bookshelf
Miracle at Philadelphia by C. D. Bowen
Barrio Boy by ernesto Galarza Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Glory Field by Walter J. L. Latham
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
In the Year of the Boar & Jackie प्लेनेट by Bette Bao Lord
Johnny and the Bomb by Jerry Pratchett
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder