Claudia Mills has been a prolific author for many years. One of my favorite is the Gus and Grandpa series for emergent readers. Friendships are important to children and here we read about the close relationship between seven-year-old Gus and his seventy-year-old Grandpa. Grounded in real life, Gus and Grandpa have many exciting adventures.
In her chapter books for students in grades 3 and up, Mills tackles some all-too-true dilemmas children face.
Dealing with overprotective parents is the topic in How Oliver Olson Changed the World. Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.
Kelsey Green Reading Queen shows the darker side to those with a competitive nature. When the principal of her school says he will shave off his beard if students read over 2,000 books in a month, Kelsey Green is determined to read the most books, thus getting her name on a plaque. In order to meet that goal, Kelsey reads very short books, not the longer ones she usually enjoys. Of course, by the end of the book Kelsey discovers what’s important: that reading for fun is a lot better than reading for a competition.
And, in her latest, Zero Tolerance, Mills places seventh grade honor student Sierra Shepard in a difficult situation. Sierra comes up against her school’s zero-tolerance policy after she accidentally brings a paring knife to school. While spending her days in detention with the so-called troublemakers, Sierra learns that the lines between right and wrong can be very blurry.
I have a few more books by Mills that are favorites. Stop in and ask me what they are.
Wednesday, September 11 marked the 12th anniversary of 9/11. Many of the students who frequent our Library, those in middle school, were too young to remember the actual day. They were shown a movie as part of a class and afterwards many told us they were “freaked out!” One 7th grader said that the movie was too upsetting and she didn’t like having those horrible scenes replaying in her mind. “I just know I’m going to have nightmares like forever.”
While it is important for our children to learn about historic events that shaped us, maybe the best way to introduce something like 9/11, something of that magnitude, would be best shared using a book.
The best book for children grades 3 and up is
America is Under Attack: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown.
The narration moves chronologically through the morning: from the plane hijackings to the crashes at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the field in Pennsylvania; from the rescue operations to the collapse of the buildings. What I love most about this book is that instead of using actual photos, the book is populated with Brown’s vivid watercolor illustrations which capture the emotions of that day, allowing children to absorb the information from a safe distance. We want our children to grow up happy and eager to face their world, not the opposite.
Other great books that show the healing side of the event include:
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy, in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
“A young man studying in the United States when the World Trade Center attacks occurred, returns to his homeland of Kenya and after relating the story to the Maasai of his village they present a gift to the American diplomat from Nairobi for the grieving American people.”
Fireboat: the heroic adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman.
“A fireboat, launched in 1931, is retired after many years of fighting fires along the Hudson River, but is saved from being scrapped and then called into service again on September 11, 2001.”
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
“This 2004 Caldecott Medal winner is a lyrical evocation of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers.”
Children are growing up too fast, being fed books and movies where the subject matter is far beyond their emotional development. Treat them like the children they are and slowly introduce these topics in a gentle, loving way.
Click here to read another point of view on sharing 9/11 with children.
It certainly has been a very busy week in Youth Services. While putting away the summer stuff and making new displays for back-to-school, we’ve had four classes from the Middle School visit for a tour and book talks, Connie’s Bookworms Book Club met for the first time Wednesday, and Lauren and I are planning our first Teen Advisory Meeting of the year (it meets next week Tuesday). Add to that the children, over the age of 10, who come to the Library after school. I tell you, "the joint is jumpin'."
Yet, with all the activity, I still found time to read a book!
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt.
Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is worried. He’ll do anything to save the swamp he loves, Bayou Touterelle, from being developed into a theme park. (Complete with a female world-class alligator wrestler, Jaeger Stitch). Read how Chap, two raccoons, and the ancient Sugar Man save their swamp. Add to the plot the search for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, the Lord God Bird. If Chap could prove the thought-to-be-extinct bird still inhabits the swamp, he knows he could save Bayou Torterelle. Told from multiple voices, this wild romp begins slowly, but picks up speeds as it races towards the final conclusion.
Appelt is the author of numerous books, including The Underneath, a 2009 Newbery Honor book.
Pair The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp with The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Portland, Maine writer, Phillip Hoose.
Go here to listen to an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.
We had an incredible summer in the Youth Services Department. Over 700 children signed up for summer reading. We had over 1000 children attending our summer programs and helped over 700 children find a great book to read. Busy, busy.
Now it is back-to-school time. As many of you know, the Library is the preferred hangout for afterschool. We strive to be a safe and welcoming environment, but because we are a public library, meaning people of all ages use us all day long, the heavy influx of students between 2:30 and 4:00 pm often far exceeds available seating space.
Also be mindful of the fact that we have a policy that states children under the age of 10 are not allowed to be in the Library without an adult. Please, click here, and take a few minutes to read our afterschool expectations. Thank you.
Today is the first day since June 17, when our Summer Reading Program began, that the children's room has been quiet. It was a wild and busy summer. We had a total of 712 children sign up (including those in middle school). 300 turn in their Reading Logs. Twenty teens attended their finale held on Wednesday, August 7, and over 500 came to the End of Summer Reading Ice Cream Party on August 14. The Friends of the Scarborough Library generously funded our summer program and events, plus they also scooped ice cream. The Youth Services staff thanks everyone who made our summer crazy busy. It sure was fun, but it is nice to have some quiet time to put the summer things away and ready the room for the school year.
What do you do when you wake up in the morning, looking for fun?
Do you brush your teeth, ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch
(You brush your teeth – sung by Raffi)
Did you know our first president, George Washington suffered all his life with problems with his teeth and worked hard to save them? Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora, in George Washington’s Teeth tells what really happened to George and his teeth. Hilarious, and fully illustrated by Brock Cole, history buffs, or those who find teeth brushing a bore, will find much to enjoy in this delightful romp about the father of our nation.
Pair this book with The Many Faces of George Washington: remaking a presidential icon by Carla Killough McClafferty. Though the content and language is far above the reading level of George Washington’s Teeth, the reason for selecting The Many Faces of George Washington are for the full color photographs that suggest what Washington might have looked like during various stages of his life because of the problems he had with his teeth.
In George Washington Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas; Painting by Layne Johnson, using diaries and letters about Washington’s efforts to create a self-sufficient farm at Mount Vernon mirrored his struggle to create a free nation.
See you soon!
Bridges and Tunnels: Investigating Feats of Engineering
By Donna Latham; Illustrated by Jen Vaughn
Have you ever driven across a long bridge or driven through a dark tunnel and wondered how they were built? New to our shelves, Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of Engineering explores the innovation and physical science behind structures our world depends on. The book includes trivia and fun facts illustrating engineering ingenuity and achievements, activities and projects to learn more about the engineering process and to embrace trial and error.
Pair Bridges and Tunnels with other books about bridges: Bridges! Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test by Carol A. Johmann and Elizabeth Rieth, The Brooklyn Bridge: a Wonders of World Book by Elizabeth Mann, Bridges Are to Cross by Philemon Sturges. For more in-depth information about this topic, watch the movies Bridges and Tunnels, both based on the books by award-winning author David Macaulay.
