All posts by tpretz

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

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Echo

I adored this book, in fact, I have adored everything I have ever read by Pam Munoz Ryan. She is one of my all-time favorite children’s authors.   If you are a fan of Pam Munoz Ryan’s previous books, this book does not disappoint, in fact, it is right up there with my all-time favorite, Riding Freedom.  Like most of her fiction, this book also has a historical fiction element, but unlike her previous books, this book begins as a traditional fantasy story. This book is thick, it is over 500 pages in length, but it is really,  four stories in one. Every story is a page-turner.  I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how the fantasy and the three separate tales of three children living in three different places and time periods would be woven together.  I am rooting for this book to receive a Newbery Medal this year.  Read it and see if you think it is worthy of a Newbery Medal!

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Read of the Day

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a perfectly messed up story

I used this 2016 Sakura Medal Contender as a read aloud for my kindergarten classes.   Louie sets out to tell a story, but gets interrupted by a plop of jelly landing onto the page.  Louie’s story continues to be interrupted by other messes and although the original story is never finished, Louie is satisfied in the end with his “messed” up story.

This book provoked laughter and a lot of discussion about book care and solutions for keeping books safe and dry.  Although, not my favorite 2016 Sakura Medal Contender, this book would make an excellent read aloud for librarians, classroom teachers and parents.

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Don’t Be A Bad Kitty

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During library lessons we’ve been talking about being responsible library patrons.  This Bad Kitty bookmark sums up a lot of our conversations about book care.  Next week in the library there will be a Bookmark Challenge.  Students will be encouraged to design their own bookmarks and if they feel they have a really outstanding bookmark, enter their bookmark in a design challenge contest.  All bookmarks in the design challenge will be due by October 9th.

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Gr. 4 Book Bingo

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Realistic Fiction – Rules by Cynthia Lord

Rules is the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine, who is torn between caring for her autistic brother David and doing what she really wants to do during summer break.

Mystery – Swindle by Gordon Korman

If you like books about kids taking matters into their own hands, you’ll enjoy this fast-paced mystery.  After being “swindled”, Griffin Bing and his team will do just about anything to get back his Babe Ruth baseball card.

Adventure –  Magic Pickle and the Planet of the Grapes by Scott Morse
A lunchtime accident in the lab creates the Magic Pickle, the perfect superhero, ready to save the world from all sorts of bad guys and fight for truth and justice!

Fantasy – I Freddy:  Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga by Dietlof Reiche

I, Freddy Freddy is not an ordinary hamster.  Freddy is a thinking, talking, reading, writing hamster.  In order to get out of the pet store, Freddy must come up with a plan.  What will Freddy do to get out of the cage that is holding him back?  If you have never picked up the first book in this series, give it a try if you like Fantasy and Humor.