Geo Librarian

Welcome to My Favorite Reads Giveaway.    This giveaway hop is being sponsored by  I Am A Reader, NOt A Writer & Rachelle Writes. For this giveaway I am offering: ONE BOOK by one of my favorite authors or  ONE of my favorite reads so far this year. Favorite Authors include: Brandon Mull Shannon Hale Jessica Day George Kate DiCamillo Cornelia Funke Sarah Eden Michael Buckley Sara Pennypacker Grace Lin Favorite Reads so far this year (I have so many yet to read, sigh): TO ENTER: You must be at least 13 years or older. You need to fill out the form below. I will email the winner at the end of the contest and he/she will have 48 hours to respond before I choose another winner. This is open to anyone that Amazon or The Book Depository will ship to. Thanks for visiting! Be sure to visit the other giveaways! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything recently.  I've been meaning to but the end of year craziness has kept me busy.  Especially with the school's centennial celebration and end of year reading carnival. I'm going to try to get a couple of more posts up this week, especially with the My Favorite Reads giveaway coming up, so be sure to check back later this week as I highlight my favorite graphic novels and favorite picture books. Also, I want to mention a fun giveaway being hosted by Jennifer A. Nielsen at her website, the author of the fabulous The False Prince , see here for my review.  She is offering THREE signed copies of The False Prince , along with a grand prize of a copy of the book and a Skype visit. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on her post and guess what the main color will be for the second book in the series. This is a great book so I encourage you to enter.

The winner for my LDS Author's Giveaway is... STEPHANIE W. Congratulations! And thanks to all who participated. The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond.

PULSE OF HEROES by A. Jacob Sweeny Thalamus Press, 2010 ISBN: 9780615414164 Grades 10 and up Reviewed from e-book copy sent by author. Book synopsis comes from Goodreads. My review is solely my own. Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially school and relationships. Her great aunt from the old country says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school becomes interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town. After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever. Elliot is no ordinary human. In fact, no one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the

DOG IN CHARGE by K.L. Going, illustrated by Dan Santat Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3479-1 Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy. Book synopsis comes from Goodreads. When the going gets tough, Dog . . . takes a nap Dog can Sit . He can Stay . He can even Dance . But when he's in charge, can he keep the cats in line? All one, two, three, four, five of them? With slapstick silliness and utterly earnest charm, Dog will quickly wiggle his way into preschoolers' hearts. I had a good time sharing this with the kindergartners I see every week.  It made for a great discussion of feelings and nonverbal communication.  Plus, it's just a fun story.  I imagine a lot of parents feel like dog, after a day of running after children who make one mess after another, only to have the child or children turn around and do something sweet.  I know in my job that is often the case.  I get really frustrated and than one child does something nice making the frust

It's time to announce the winner of my Children's Book Week Giveaway. Thanks to all those who participated.  I enjoy reading your comments. The winner of TWO CHILDREN'S BOOKS of their choice is.... STEPHANIE!!! Congratulations!

With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic being memorialized this year, there has been an influx of new books on the topic, both fiction and nonfiction.  This is a perennially favorite topic among my students so I'm sharing some of the ones I've read.  Today I'm highlighting two nonfiction books, later this month I hope to highlight several fictionalized stories.  See here for another nonfiction book on the Titanic. ICEBERG, RIGHT AHEAD! The TRAGEDY OF THE TITANIC written by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson Twenty-First Century Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-7613-6756-7 Grades 3 and up Reviewed from personal copy. Only 160 minutes passed between the time a sailor on lookout duty uttered these chilling words and the moment when the mighty ocean liner Titanic totally disappeared into the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic. This century-old tragedy, which took more than 1,500 lives, still captivates people in the twenty-first century. Seventy-three ye

WINTERLING written by Sarah Prineas Harper, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-192103-2 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from personal copy. With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land. Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter. I have to confess that I picked this book up because of the cover.

  Welcome to my LDS Authors Giveaway.  Being LDS and having a special fondness for LDS authors I am excited to participate in this giveaway.  This hop is being hosted by The Book Bug and I Am A Reader, Not a Writer. For this giveaway I am offering  ONE BOOK BY AN LDS AUTHOR!   Here are some suggestions. Here are some websites you can use for ideas as well. LDS Authors Whitney Awards LDS Storymakers LDS Fiction  RULES: Must be over 13. Fill out the form. Winner will be contacted with 48 hours after the end of the giveaway.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Thanks for stopping by! Good Luck!  Be sure to check out the other giveaways listed at the bottom of this post.

Once again I have some picture books to share.  I used these books with four classes of kindergartners.  Each book works well as a read-a-loud and one even got the kids giggling madly. BABY BEAR SEES BLUE written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff Beach Lane Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4424-1306-1 Grades PreK-2 Reviewed from personal copy. Explore the world of color with Baby Bear! Baby Bear has so much to learn about the world! From the moment he wakes until it’s time to curl up and go to sleep, he explores outside with his mama. They see green leaves, blue jays, brown trout, and—best of all—a patch of yummy red strawberries.From bestselling picture book creator Ashley Wolff, here is a clever concept book that combines engaging and intricate linocut illustrations with a story that enthusiastically encourages children to identify a variety of vibrant colors. Young readers will delight in this chance to join Baby Bear as he discovers the colorful wonders of his lively, leafy

Welcome to my Children's Book Week Giveaway!  This giveaway is being hosted by KidLitFrenzy , Classic Children's Books, Mymcbooks & I Am A Reader, Not a Writer .  For this giveaway I am offering: Choice of TWO children's books  from The Book Depository. The rules are as follows: You must be 13 or older to enter. Fill out the rafflecopter form. The winner will be notified on Monday, May 14th.  They will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose another winner. Thanks for participating and good luck!

I've got some winners to announce for a couple of giveaways. First, the winner of the signed book, Return to Exile, and bookmark is: Dana Cuadrado The winner of my Fairy Tale Giveaway is: Lori W. Thanks to all who participated.  It was fun for me to here about all the different fairy tale-based books there are available now.  I'll have to find time to read some of these.

Of all the top lists I've created this far, this one is the least definitive.  There are so many great picture books out there and I am always discovering new ones.  I've tried to include a variety of topics and illustration styles, but I'll admit right off the bat that I have a particular place in my heart for gorgeous, elegant illustrations.  Both Ruth Sanderson and K.L. Craft are particularly good at this style of illustration.  I had a hard time choosing from among their books, as you can see I am highlighting two of Ruth Sanderson's. So, here we go, in no particular order. All summaries come from Goodreads. MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey It's not easy for duck parents to find a safe place to bring up their ducklings, but during a rest stop in Boston's Public Garden, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they just might have found the perfect spot--no foxes or turtles in sight, plenty of peanuts from pleasant passers-by, a