Super Charge Your Summer with Books

Summer is certainly a time to relax and enjoy the great outdoors, but it is also a great time to read.  In fact, students who read during their summer vacation are much less likely to experience the dreaded “summer slide.”  This happens when students, who have worked hard all school year to develop their reading skills, forget to practice and lose some of what they have learned.

During library classes throughout the school year students have also practiced some helpful strategies for choosing “just right” books.  These strategies include: pursuing personal interests, following favorite authors, exploring literary genres, and getting hooked on series.  In addition, students have learned how to browse bookshelves and carefully examine books to decide if they are interesting to them.  A student may recognize the author, make predictions based on the title, do a picture walk, find a summary, or read a page using the five finger rule.   These are sure-fire methods for finding great books to read.

As you can see, the students in the South Portland elementary schools are ready and able to make personal decisions of what to read this summer.  To guide their choices, the library department has also created some summer reading lists.  Please feel free to download or print these lists and use them to Super Charge Your Summer with Books!

Have a safe and happy summer,

Mrs. Kozaka

2009 5th Grade Summer Reading List

2009 K-4 Summer Reading List (page 1)

2009 K-4 Summer Reading List (page 2)

 

Last Mainely Girls Book Club of the Year

Cover art for \  The final Mainely Girls book club meeting of this school year is being held on Tuesday, June 9th.  At this time we will discuss the book “The Sisters Club” by Megan McDonald.  In this story, sisters Alex, Stevie, and Joey are spunky members of a family who is heavily involved in local acting groups.  According to Kirkus Reviews, “Using a combination of personal journals, family-life scripts, and first-person narratives from each sister’s point of view, McDonald paints the picture of an entirely normal family in a somewhat unusual line of work” (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2003).  Sounds like a fun read, huh?

Girls, please share some remarks about this book. 

 

A Girls’ Point of View Book Club

On Tuesday, January 27th, thirteen 5th grade girls met with me in the Small school library to kick off the start of our Girls’ Point of View book club.  This club, sponsored by the the nonprofit group Mainely Girls, encourages girls of all ages and abilities to read and discuss contemporary fiction that addresses the challenges and opportunities that they face. 

Our first book is Dillon, Dillon by Kate Banks.  The following is a summary:

During the summer that he turns ten years old, Dillon Dillon learns the surprising story behind his name and develops a relationship with three loons, living on the lake near his family’s New Hampshire cabin, that help him make sense of his life.

Common LoonThe Common Loons that are depicted in the story are fascinating birds, whose vocalizations haunt Dillon during his time at the lake.  Below are some links to audio recordings of Loon calls from the Science Behind Algonquin’s Animals website.

Yodel

Hoots

Wail

Tremolo

If you would like to learn more about the author, Kate Banks, please visit the MacMillan website.

Happy reading girls!  See you at our next meeting on Tuesday, February 24th.

 

 

Holiday Gift Ideas

Books are excellent gifts, but are often difficult to select.  To make this process a little easier, here is a list of online resources to help you find the perfect books for young family members and friends.

The ALA’s 2008 Notable Children’s Books on Booklist Online

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2008

Amazon’s Best Books of 2008: Editors’ Top 10: Picture Books

Amazon’s Best Books of 2008: Editors’ Top 10: Middle Reader

The Association for Library Service to Children’s Great Elementary Reads

The American Library Association’s 2008 Notable Children’s Videos

The American Library Association’s 2008 Notable Children’s Recordings

Happy reading, listening and viewing!  I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.