Girls Book Club

Shortly before Christmas break, I invited any interested fifth grade girls to come together once a week in the LMC and form a book club.  The girls bring their lunches to the LMC and read and talk about what they have read and share ideas and suggestions for books.  I took the original group into our tradebook room and let them choose a title or two that they and a partner would read.  A handful of fifth grade girls have lasted through at least one book and lived to blog about it.

If you are interested in what they are reading and how they feel about it, try this link: http://mvisgirlsclub.blogspot.com/  Other interested girls are welcome to join at any time.  We meet on Wednesdays during lunch in the LMC.

What about the boys?  I intend to invite them to start their own book club and will make that announcement next week.  It will be interesting to see how their choices and opinions differ from the girls.

A New Decade of Reading

Welcome to 2010!  I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but this year, I do have one to share:  I resolve to spend more time reading.  I know, I know...it seems strange that a librarian would need more time to read, but that is one of the ironies of this position.  The more time I spend doing my job -- teaching students and teachers, managing the collection, selecting materials, writing curriculum, planning promotions, and yes, writing blog updates -- the less time I have to actually read.  There's a ton of wonderful literature out there to be discovered.  I can (and do) rely on professional reviews to help me choose what I add to this collection, but there is nothing that can match a personal recommendation when it comes to putting a book into the hands of the right student.  So, this year, I want to spend more time actually reading the many titles I purchase.

Towards that end, I devoured two books over our recent holiday break: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  While Gaiman's book won the Newbery Award, I have to admit that I preferred Collins' sequel to The Hunger Games.  Gaiman's tale of Bod, the boy raised in the graveyard, was well-crafted and superbly paced, but it was, in many ways, predictable.  Collins' tale, however, has left me longing for more.  I never once doubted that Bod would win out over the forces against him, but the fate of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale in their unexpected rebellion against the Capital is still too close to call.  It will be interesting to see if my students agree with me.