A young adult novel by Arvin Ahmadi. A view of life - lived by the kind of young people I see every week. The main character is Saakeet/Scott whose parents have taken great care to guide his life towards success. He is expected to intern in a laboratory during his summer break while his parents travel home to Iran. Instead He goes looking for "grit." He meets an interesting spectrum of people, builds quality relationships manages in adversity There is adventure a foundation

"The Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1)" by Mac Barnett with illustrations by Mike Lowery will make everyone laugh . . . right out loud . . even if they think they are all grown up and too cool to laugh. It's filled with historical facts (you can look them up.) There's plenty of fast paced adventure. You may decide to add a corgi to your family. This is written for fun seeking kids from 7 to 10-ish. Could be the best ever "let's get back to reading" book of all time. The

The first sentence captured my attention and I wanted to know Etty right away. This story has strong characters, excellent relationships and a modern take on life today. I'm gonna suggest Reading groups get copies right away and plan their Fall gatherings. "Etty Steele - Vampire Hunter" will inspire celebrations and costumes for years to come. Number "1" on the spine promises plenty more "Etty Adventure" to come. * Witches, Vampires and Fairies live in these pages and

On my way to the movie I'll return a library book. I'd added a copy to the project I've been enjoying. This one i had not read. Of course, if i want to encourage people to read, it's best to be able to discuss the joy of a story with them. Right? So, I borrowed this copy. Golly, how did I not read this sooner. It's a survival story. A culture story. An story of Indigenous life in this era. It made me cry. It was fascinating. Written by Jean Craighead George, an author whose

I have a book project . . . I'm sure I've told you lots of times. And I still read a LOT on my own. Thanks to Abebooks I've discovered Norman Lewis. I'd like to develop writing skill like his . . . wow. Let's see, the two project books this week were: Do you remember reading this? "The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where

I'm taking some classes. (Doesn't it ALWAYS seem I'm studying?) And Enjoying a reading project. Speaking of reading, I checked this out from the library last week because it's on a reading list. I figure, if I'm going to ask a student about the book they are reading, I should be familiar with it. I most enjoyed the different life style and situations found in this story, appreciated how people treated one another, even when it was challenging. AND - I wanted to cheer at the e

One of the things I do every Wednesday Morning is check the book shelves. Last week I discovered a delightful, new Early Reader called "The Pope's Cat" by Jon M. Sweeney, illustrated by Roy DeLeon Our Story Time children will grow into Early Readers, so I shared about the book. A few families decided to add these to gift baskets. Here's a comment from the publisher's: "This new fiction series is intended for Catholic schools, elementary school teachers, Catholic librarians, s

Apologies for not "checking in" lately. I'll try to make up for it by sharing some books with you, okay? First, i want to tell you about the Middle Reader "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis "It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him" He found some flyers in his mother's things that mention Herman E. Calloway and his band. Bud suspects this flyer is a clue from h

Wowzer! It's been so cold here, many of us needed to relax at home until our schedules kick back into gear. Last Story Time of 2017 was Great Fun. We read "and the train goes. . . " by william bee. This book is a story lady favorite. I cleared my personal bookcase to make room for new, stellar stories - keeping only "Must Haves." "and the train goes. . . " is considered a "MUST HAVE" because it's colorful, engaging, lively and LOUD . . (when story lady reads . . . giggle) AND

It's Memorial Weekend. Most of my neighbors have gone on holiday and it's super quiet. My Guard Dog has nothing to bark about. Here's a picture book celebrating life imagined. A true cacophony of JOY occurs when all the neighbors are home. The book? NOISY NIGHT by Mac Barnett - Illustrations by Brian Biggs #booktips #loveloveg

I've been busy and was surprised to realize eleven days had past since i shared something spiffy with you. We enjoyed our time together for Children's Week. Our super friend, Ms. N, made sure to hand everyone a surprise package filled with goodies to take home. What a good surprise. Tuesday Story Time has become a happy community of tiny folk with families. We sure can Sing! Wednesday Story Time is beginning the transition towards summer. Often we see Story Time returnees unt

Plenty going on this May I prefer to focus on our children Story Time on Tuesday Morning Subterranean Books Tuesday Morning - 10:30 AM and Catholic Supply of St. Louis Wednesday Morning - 10:00 AM Singing, Laughing, Dancing and Books!!! see you soon! love & love, -g- #booktips #loveloveg #family

I am sooo behind sharing great times a excellent books. Excuse me, please. Today i want to tell you about: We're All Wonders by R.J. Palacio Here: The book suggests a reading lever of 4 to 8 years old. Our story time has very young children, too and they "got it" The thing is, aren't we all Wonders? Meant to Stand Out? I'll return soon to share lots of the great stuff going on. Right now, you might want to check out this great picture book. love & love, -g- #booktips #lovelo

"MARLO" a brand new book made a big splash at story time today. Marlo and his rubber duck faced their bath time adventure together. Underwater there was no need for words. They swam past fascinating scenery, escaped humongous ocean monster fish that reminded us of the dinosaurs on our quilt. Found ourselves aboard a penguin pirate ship inside a whale. After a lovely celebration the whale spouted us high into the air, where it was time to get out of the bath. This book wor

That's the extent of my "public service announcement." This is the Sunday we turn our clocks forward one hour around here. No ulterior motive here. I'm not speaking/singing/telling anywhere this week. Not asking you to come cheer or sing along. Although, I DO hope you smile, where ever you are. I continue to agree with this: When told the reason for daylight saving time the old Indian said… ‘Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanke

I arrived early - which is normal for me - generally SUPER early. When hosts look around with that "Now, what do i do" look on their face, i either put them at ease, explaining I've brought a book and I'm happy to quietly read until it's time for whatever I'm there to do . . . OR, I ask if i may wait in their library, if it's the kind of place that has a library. You'd be amazed at all the libraries a person can visit. It's truly stellar. There I was, early at an elementary

So people are beautifully illustrated, and this picture book celebrates perfectly. "Tell me a Tattoo Story" by Alison McGhee and Eliza Wheeler is modeled after another classic picture book and is destined to be a favorite for this generation. It's a 'daddy to son' story that everyone will enjoy - it was great for us at tiny tot story time and will be even better cuddled up with ones who love you best at bedtime. It has already proven to be one of the best ever gift books for