All posts by tpretz

I am the elementary librarian at The American School in Japan.

NEW series books: Gr. 2-4

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Are you looking for some new series books that are humorous?  If so, I recommend:

  • Yuck series by Matt and Dave
  • The Yeti Files series by Kevin Sherry

Have you read our popular Frankly, I Never…picture book series and are looking for some fractured folktale chapter books?  If so, I recommend:

  • Disney Chapter Princess series
  • Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski
  • After Happily Ever After series by Tony Bradman

Have you read all of Wendy Orr’s  rainbow Street Shelter series or haven’t been able to get your hands on the NEW Shelter Pet Squad series by Cynthia Lord?  If you love animal fiction, I recommend:

  • Pet Rescue Adventures by Holly Webb

if you are looking for something to replace the Heidi Heckelbeck series, the Just Grace series or Clementine, I recommend:

  • Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon

Who doesn’t like a good mystery…If you’re looking for a great mystery that isn’t 250 pages or more, I recommend:

  • The Milo and Jazz Mysteries by Lewis Montbomery

Featured Author – Kenneth Oppell

 

The Nest

The Nest is showing up on many Best of 2015 booklists.  If you are looking a for an eerie thriller that reads like Neil Gaiman’s Coraline or The Graveyard Book, then you are in for a treat.

Summer is usually a time for fun, but for Steve, it’s the season of worries….Steve worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, he even worries about the wasp’s nest hanging from the eaves. Then a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered. All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

The Boundless

If you’re a fan of fast paced action books with characters like Percy Jackson and Alex Rider, this is a book you should check out today!

The Boundless , like the Titanic is going on its maiden voyage and first-class passenger, Will Everett is about to have the adventure of a lifetime! When Will ends up with the key to a train car containing priceless treasures, he becomes the target of evil figures from his past. In order to survive, Will must join a traveling circus.  Can Will reach his father and save The Boundless before someone winds up dead?

 

Silverwing trilogy

If you like The Warriors series by Erin Hunter you might like Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwing Trilogy.  In this epic adventure full of suspense and plot twists, the main characters are all bats.  In the first book of the series, will the “underdog” prove to be a hero?

Shade is a young Silverwing bat, the runt of his colony. But he’s determined to prove himself on the long, dangerous winter migration to Hibernaculum. During a fierce storm, he loses the others and soon faces an incredible journey. Desperately searching for a way to rejoin his flock, Shade meets a remarkable cast of characters.  But which ones are friends and which ones are enemies?

Series Order: Silverwing, Sunwing & Firewing

Instead of….The Thickety by T. A. White

Tree Girl

Rowanna’s caretaker, Master Melwyn, has warned her again and again not to go near the trees that surround their seaside cottage.  Despite Melwiny’s warnings, Rowanna is drawn to the forest-especially the High Willow on its faraway hill. Are the trees really forest ghouls, as Mellwyn says? Or could they old the secret to Rowanna’s past and the mother she can hardly remember?

Are you looking for a fast-paced fantasy by an outstanding author? Then check out Tree Girl by T. A. Barron.

 

 

Upcoming Grade 2 Parent Presentation

Put This On Your CalendarGood Fit Books and Beyond

Are you wondering how to create a parent account at the elementary school library or put books on hold? Would you like to learn about the outstanding NEW series books that are available in our elementary library and where they are located?  Do you wonder what family read alouds and picture books your second grader might enjoy?  Come to the ASIJ Elementary Library on Monday, December 14, 2015 from 8:30 – 10:00 to find out the answers to all of these questions and more.  You are sure to leave the library with a bag full of great books and a better knowledge of what the elementary library has to offer.

Stay tuned for additional sessions for other grade levels in the new year.

Best Books of the Year

book-wrap-two

What better gift to give than one that can be shared again and again?  If you’re looking for a great book to read this winter break, I highly recommend the books on the lists below.

(More lists coming soon…)

Guide Book to Gift Books (2015 update)

This is a 27 page annotated listing of books that would make great gifts for children of all ages and is issued by the highly reputable Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.

Amazon Best Books of the Year

Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year

Kirkus Best Chapter Books of the Year

Kirkus Best Nonfiction Books of the Year

NCTE – Best Books of the Year

NSTA – Best Science Books of the Year

NY Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year

Parents’ Choice Awards

Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Books (Picture Books)

Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Books (Fiction Books)

School Library Journal (Picture Books)

School Library Journal (Chapter Books)

School Library Journal (Nonfiction Books)