April Picks

Come and check out the new materials in the MCS Library!


 Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (Grades PreK-2)

“There’s magic in this bare brown tree. Tap it once. Turn the page to see.” Tapping the page, and rubbing and touching starts the fun of watching a bare tree sprout one leaf, then many, then buds, flowers, and finally apples. After jiggling, wiggling, and swishing the pages, the flower petals fall and apples appear; shaking the book causes the apples to drop with a “Plop! Plop! Plop!” Whooshing makes the leaves cascade, and clapping causes snowflakes to flutter down. The tree is bare and brown again, but “Be patient . . . Close your eyes and count to ten,” and the mystery begins again with two bluebirds building their nest in the spring. When each season changes, a full page of color introduces it—green flows to pink to red to orange to wintery blue and white. ~Lolly Gepson, Booklist


The Very Big Carrot by Satone Tone (PreK-1)

Detailed, saturated color illustrations with humorous depictions of six rabbits of varying shapes and sizes steal the show in this slight, lighthearted French import. The rabbits find a huge carrot, and they immediately begin coming up with ideas on how to best utilize the unusual find. Should it be used as a boat? A plane? In a garden? The pink-cheeked rabbits work as a team, whether carrying the carrot (note the shortest bunny), dancing in a chorus line, fishing, or watering their garden in spiffy straw hats perched on the tips of their ears. The tongue-in-cheek question-and-answer format will draw children into the story, though the small rectangular format dictates the book be shared with an intimate group or one-on-one. Pair this with Ed Young’s Seven Blind Mice (1992), both stories of animals that neatly combine cluelessness and vivid imaginations. ~Maryann Owen, Booklist 

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb (Grades K-3) 

Paul, a solitary goldfish, spends his days swimming in circles. His life is uneventful until another fish, Bernadette, drops into his bowl. Not content to simply go round and round, she encourages Paul to take a look at the world outside their watery home. She shows him ordinary household items, which when viewed through the curved glass bowl and through the power of her imagination, become transformed. A bunch of bananas turn into a yellow boat and a vase of flowers is an enchanting forest. Some of Bernadette's creative interpretations will make young readers giggle, especially when a blue teapot becomes an elephant and two fried eggs are the sun and the moon. As he eagerly examines the fascinating world outside, Paul becomes equally captivated with his new friend. The whimsical story is accompanied by striking oil paintings. ~Linda Walkins, School Library Journal


Henry's Map by David Elliott (Grades K-2)

Henry likes to keep things organized, so he decides to make a map of the farm. As he travels the barnyard drawing his own pigsty, the woolshed and sheep, the chicken coop, and the stables, the other animals are excited by his project and join him. Map finished, the piglet leads them proudly up the hill to compare the map to the farm itself-only to find that none of the animals are where they are supposed to be. "Where did we go?" they ask. They dash back to check each location, and when they arrive, they are relieved to find everyone in the right place. With appealing characters and gentle humor, this book will be a hit at storytime, or as an introduction to mapping lessons.~Kathleen MacMillian, School Library Journal


City Cat by Kate Banks (Grades K-2)

Cat travels through Europe, paralleling a human family's vacation. Rhyming verse follows the stray as she hitches rides and wanders through Italy, France, Spain, England, the Netherlands, and Germany. Flags dot the various spreads, giving clues to the locations, which are further described in the endnotes. Lyrical verse follows an interesting rhyming scheme and incorporates rich vocabulary, and lush illustrations capture the atmosphere of each location with plenty of details to invite close study. Children will enjoy the fanciful adventures of this intrepid feline as she explores rooftops, bridges, and ancient ruins, especially when compared to the rather boring, grounded meanderings of the human tourists. ~ Suzanne Harold, School Library Journal



Bluffton by Matt Phelan (Grades 3-6) 

Henry and his hometown of Muskegon, Michigan, may be ordinary, but neighboring Bluffton is anything but. The year is 1908, and vaudevillians have come to the resort town to relax for the summer. Intrigued by the visitors, Henry heads off to Bluffton and meets a young actor named Buster Keaton. The two boys quickly become friends, but each of them yearns for what the other has-Henry wants a life of show business and fame, while Buster wants a normal life filled with baseball and fishing. Phelan does an excellent job of showing an accurate portrayal of Buster Keaton, from his dangerous physical comedy routines to his alcoholic father; the facts flow so smoothly that it does not feel like historical fiction at all. Henry is undeveloped in the beginning and simply moves along Buster's story, but the character really comes into his own later on when feuding with Buster and trying to put on a show of his own. ~ Peter Blenski, School Library Journal



Jane, the Fox and Me by Fanny Britt (Grades 4-6) 

Pubescent Hélène sees herself as fat and beleaguered by her more popular and social classmates, so she turns to Jane Eyre to find a model for setting her prospects both high and anywhere other than her immediate circumstances. Britt’s well-constructed narrative is achieved sensitively through Arsenault’s impressionistic artwork, in which we see that Hélène is a pretty-ordinary-looking little 11-year-old in spite of her self-image. While her everyday life—which has

become further burdened by an all-class camping trip—appears in a gray palette, when Hélène daydreams about Jane’s life, pastel washes and a vivid red appear. During the camping trip, Hélène comes across a red fox in the woods and begins to make some human friends. After a post–camping trip weigh-in, where she sees she’s perfectly normal, Hélène’s everyday world also takes on color. ~Francisca Goldsmit, Booklist 



Wild Boy: The Real Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure (Grades 4-6)

In the mountains of southern France, a filthy young boy lived like an animal in the woods. Twice he was captured, but it wasn’t until 1800 that the roughly 12-year-old child was caught and sent to an orphanage, where a “grim, narrow-nosed professor” tried to determine if he belonged to an entirely different species called Homo ferus. Thankfully, this unsympathetic relationship soon gave way to a Paris tutelage under the much kinder Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard at an institute for deaf-mutes. Part Tarzan, part Elephant Man, and part Helen Keller, this is a tale of finding humanity inside of savagery, for though the wild boy never learned to speak and was forever drawn to the woods, there is no doubt he felt emotion deeply. Losure smoothly navigates a story that, due to few records, is incomplete, clearly denoting speculation without ever losing narrative flow.~Paula Willey, Library Journal



Hold Fast by Blue Balliett (Grades 5-6) 

A tale of the bravery and selflessness exhibited by a father taking care of his children while his wife is away. Despite Mom's advance warning, the family finds itself ready for breakfast but without milk for cereal and tea, so Dad takes a trip to the store to get some. Upon his long-awaited return, he gives the children a fantastical and descriptive explanation of the adventures he faced while trying to make it back home. Not only did he embark on a time-traveling hot-air balloon ride with a stegosaurus, but he also confronted pirates, aliens, wumpires, and a volcano god, never losing possession of the milk. Gaiman knocks it out of the park again with this imaginative story. His outrageous plot is perfectly paced to keep advanced and reluctant readers enthralled, and his use of onomatopoeia and humorous descriptions will make the book hard to put down. ~Amy Shepard, Library Journal 

How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story by Tim Tingle (Grades 4-6)

Told in the words of Isaac, a Choctaw boy who does not survive the Trail of Tears, HOW I BECAME A GHOST is a tale of innocence and resilience in the face of tragedy. From the book's opening line, "Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before," the reader is put on notice that this is no normal book. Isaac leads a remarkable foursome of Choctaw comrades: a tough-minded teenage girl, a shape-shifting panther boy, a lovable five-year-old ghost who only wants her mom and dad to be happy, and Isaac s talking dog, Jumper. The first in a trilogy, HOW I BECAME A GHOST thinly disguises an important and oft-overlooked piece of history. ~Amazon

March is I Love Reading Month!

March is a month long reading holiday! Along with Dr. Suess's birthday, March includes Read Across America day and is also named as National Reading Month. So get ready to READ!

Here are some new materials to get you and your students excited about reading. Come and check one out today!


How Big Were the Dinosaurs by Lita Judge (Grades 1-3)

From a cowering Microraptor, who "would barely be able to look a chicken in the eye," to an Argentinosaurus towering over a squirming pile of surprised-looking elephants (17, all told), Judge poses 12 prehistoric creatures with modern people or animals in compelling support of the observation that dinos came in a great range of sizes. In her lively, engaging watercolors, the extinct exemplars also display great ranges of colors and patterns in their feathers or scales, plus distinct dispositions: a quartet of shy Leaellynasaura, for instance, anxiously tries to blend in among a flock of same-sized emperor penguins, while Ankylosaurus, plainly in a bad mood, scowls as it batters whole cars out of its way with its clubbed tail. Along with identification for each dinosaur, the author adds brief but memorable verbal comparisons (Torosaurus "had a 10-foot skull and horns that grew as tall as a first grader"). She closes with a rousing double gatefold group portrait and leads to further print and web resources. ~John Peters, School Library Journal


Building Our House by Jonathan Bean (Grades K-3)

An author’s note reveals that this picture book is based on personal experience, as Bean’s parents built their own house when he was a young child. Here we follow a mother, father, two children (and, eventually, a new baby) over the course of a year and a half—through a harsh winter and plenty of lumber pickups—all the way to move-in day at their new abode. Told from the point of view of the oldest child, a girl, the challenges and rewards involved in constructing from scratch become clear. The kids are not exempt from the do-it-yourself action, and they happily help “fill the loud mixing machine.” Bean makes use of every inch of the tall trim size here, filling his pages to the brim with heavily lined illustrations of bustling people and activity—often as a series of four vignettes across a spread. What’s heartwarming throughout is the depiction of a tight-knit family (“My family makes up a strong crew of four”). The author’s concluding personal photos add to the loving feel. ~Ann Kelley, Booklist


The Black Dog by Levi Pinfold (Grades K-4) 

This fable about confronting and conquering fear should hook anyone who sees Pinfold’s cover illustration, which depicts a Gothic-looking house, a tiny child, and a paw print the size of a tank. The story begins one snowy morning when Mr. Hope looks outside to see a dog the size of a tiger. That assessment is upgraded to the size of an elephant when Mrs. Hope sees it, and the size of a Tyrannosaurus rex when little Adeline sees it. (A huge golden eye stares through the window next to where Adeline brushes her teeth.) The family’s solution? Turn out the lights, close the curtains, and hide beneath the covers. Thankfully, the youngest, Small, goes outside to meet the towering dog, whose big wet nose covers a full two-page spread. She gets the dog to chase her, using rhymes to convince the animal to get progressively smaller to fit through various obstacles: You can’t follow where I go, / unless you shrink, or don’t you know? Pinfold’s lavish, Van Allsburglike illustrations, which juxtapose tiny black-and-white sketches with big, detailed, frozen-in-time paintings, are quirky, funny, and often heart-stopping. Part David and Goliath, part Gingerbread Man, this UK import is a shot of courage for those who need it most. ~Connie Fletcher, Booklist


I'm a Frog! by Mo Willems (Grades PreK-2)

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.
Gerald and Piggie are best friends.
In I'm a Frog! Piggie has some ribbiting news! Can Gerald make the leap required to accept Piggie's new identity? ~Amazon


The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz (Grades 1-4)

Her name is Flora, and she's a pig. She's curious and longs to explore beyond the perimeters of the pigpen. She dreams of going to Antarctica with the sled dogs on the farm and becoming a sled pig. When she is put in a crate on board a ship, she sees the expedition as an opportunity while the crew views her as potential pork chops. Then they are shipwrecked and readers will root for spunky Flora as she discovers just how brave and needed she can be. Simple black-line drawings add a welcoming charm. Told in the voice of a seasoned storyteller, this novel has chapters that will work perfectly for sharing aloud with younger children or as a read-alone for more competent readers. Flora will encourage every listener to dream of being their best self. Move over Wilbur and Babe, there's a new pig in town. ~Helen Foster James, School Library Journal 
 

The Adbomniables by Eva Ibbotson (Grades 1-4)

It all began a century ago in the Himalayan Mountains. Lady Agatha, an English girl, is abducted by a yeti father who needs someone to raise his motherless children. Portrayed as lovable innocents, the yetis are compassionate by nature and willing to learn the essentials of civilized behavior that Agatha is equipped to teach, from table manners to hymns. One hundred years later, Agatha’s happy family of yetis faces discovery by sensation-seeking reporters. Two English children come to the rescue and, with the help of a friendly truck driver, make a difficult, dangerous trip to deliver their yeti friends to Agatha’s stately home in England. The children’s initial relief turns to horror when they comprehend the imminent new danger threatening the yetis. Who can save them now? Striking a fine balance between comedy and adventure, this imaginative story features a rich cast of idiosyncratic good guys, both yeti and human, and a number of truly hateful villains (all human, all inhumane). Expressive ink drawings appear throughout the book. An appended note comments that following Ibbotson’s death, in 2010, the novel was completed by her son and her longtime editor. Easy to booktalk, this captivating story is also terrific for reading aloud. ~ Carolyn Phelan, Booklist 


Wolf and Dog by Sylvia Vanden Heede (Grades 1-4)

The wild clashes with the civilized in this quirky book of interrelated stories about a decidedly odd couple. Wolf and Dog are cousins, but they lead very different lives. The former lives in the woods and has no loyalty to anyone. The latter lives in a house with a master and takes pride in being responsible and orderly. These creatures share an ambivalent friendship that is chronicled in a series of scenes in which the two interact. At times their relationship is less friendly and leads to tricks and one-upmanship, but they manage to work things out in the end. Ranging from small inserts to full page, the color and line illustrations capture the differing natures of Dog and Wolf perfectly. ~Stephanie Whelan, School Library Journal 


The Windy City: Book 5 in the IQ series by Rowland Smith (Grades 5-6)

After Q and Angela help foil a Ghost Cell plot in San Antonio, they head to Chicago, the next stop on the Match tour. Since they've been busy fighting international terrorism, they're behind on their school assignments. Their parents tell them if they don't get caught up, it's off to boarding school. But who can concentrate on homework when there is a mystery to solve and international terrorism to thwart? Angela is obsessed with finding out more about the mysterious Boone. Q is more interested in not going to boarding school. But when Boone and his SOS crew are ambushed on their way to Chicago, it becomes abundantly clear. Someone inside their inner circle is feeding the Ghost Cell information. As they dig ever deeper to learn the identity of the mole, Angela and Q uncover the Ghost Cell's next plot. And it's much, much worse than a car bomb. They plan to unleash a chemical weapon over the skies of Chicago. And it's up to Angela and Q, along with Boone and Croc, to stop them. ~Amazon 


Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (Grades 3-6)

A tale of the bravery and selflessness exhibited by a father taking care of his children while his wife is away. Despite Mom's advance warning, the family finds itself ready for breakfast but without milk for cereal and tea, so Dad takes a trip to the store to get some. Upon his long-awaited return, he gives the children a fantastical and descriptive explanation of the adventures he faced while trying to make it back home. Not only did he embark on a time-traveling hot-air balloon ride with a stegosaurus, but he also confronted pirates, aliens, wumpires, and a volcano god, never losing possession of the milk. Gaiman knocks it out of the park again with this imaginative story. His outrageous plot is perfectly paced to keep advanced and reluctant readers enthralled, and his use of onomatopoeia and humorous descriptions will make the book hard to put down. Reminiscent of Roald Dahl's titles, it will sweep children away into an unimagined world and make them wonder if their own parents have ever had any secret adventures. Young's frequent black-and-white cartoons add to the wackiness of this tall tale.-Amy Shepherd, School Library Journal


Deep Down Popular by Phoebe Stone (Grades 5-6)

Sixth-grader Jesse Lou is consumed by thoughts of Conrad Smith, but in the small Virginia town where they live, Conrad is popular, while tomboy Jesse Lou has only “maybe-when-I-feel-like-it” friends. Then Conrad starts wearing a leg brace, which translates into loss of his popularity and gives Jesse Lou an opening. Soon she, Conrad, and quirky fourth-grader Quentin form a triumvirate and become involved in an outlandish plot to save Bailey Hardware from big-box store competition. Meanwhile, refreshingly honest Jesse Lou hopes that Conrad keeps limping. This is an ode to love in many forms. Jessie Lou has loved Conrad since second grade, and she learns someone has been in love with her, as well. There is also a sweet relationship between Jessie Lou and her grandfather, who knows how to turn a southern phrase, and between Granddaddy and his daughter, Jessie Lou’s mama. Jessie Lou tells her tale with the strong, rough-edged purity of a young poet, which she is; equally strong are the story’s underpinnings, longing and laughter, and a willingness to believe in something despite the facts, which tangibly manifests itself in a field of flowers that were never supposed to bloom. ~Ilene Cooper, Booklist

Author Visit: Ryan T. Higgins

On February 18th MCS welcomes Ryan T. Higgins, an author/illustrator residing in Southern Maine. He lives with his three dogs, three cats, two geckos, one tortoise, one son, and one wife. As a child, he lived on a diet of cartoons, cheese sandwiches, and climbing trees. At the age of four he decided to become a cartoonist and he’s been making his own cartoons ever since. In 2008 Ryan wrote, illustrated, and published his first book, Twaddleton’s Cheese. Last year he shared this story as well as his 2012 published book, Roger Goes Up, with MCS students. His latest book, This Book Does Not Have Words, will be the focus of his presentation to the students about self-publication and life as an author. Ryan will give a presentation, including an interactive art activity, to students in grades K-4 in the MCS Media Center. Students will have an extraordinary experience hearing about all the amazing things Ryan has been up to since he decided to publish his first book.

To visit Ryan's website, click here: http://ryanthiggins.com/

In order to share this new story with students, I have created a video of This Book Does Not Have Words, by Ryan T. Higgins. Read by the famous Mrs. Greenbaum! :) Enjoy!

Click here to watch 

This Book Does Not Have Words

February Picks

This month I would like to highlight some new eBooks and Audiobooks we have in our digital collection. These resources can be accessed from the Follett Shelf, which is linked to the Media Center homepage. Please come see me if you have any questions about how to read or listen to these digital resources.

eBooks:

These books can be read by all your students at the same time (on iPads or computers), and can also be used on Smartboards. Below are detailed descriptions of 5 of them...we have 31! Check them out!


A Butterfly's Life, by Ellen Lawrence (Grades 1-3)

Life Cycles series, this book chronicles the mysterious and colorful sequence of a butterfly’s maturation. Formatted as a series of late-summer diary entries written by an inquisitive young boy, the book describes events from two butterflies mating in his backyard through their fall migration south and eventual return the following summer. Photographs combine with kid-friendly maps and illustrations to display migration patterns and metamorphosis in a vibrant manner. The text, though written from the point of view of a child, is insightful and straightforward while still maintaining an age-appropriate reading level. Also included is a science lab that explains the process of growing butterfly-friendly plants like verbena and milkweed in window pots and transplanting them outdoors to provide food and nectar to growing insects. A list of science terms is explained through an illustrated glossary. This book explains a complicated process in a factual, understandable, and attractive style. ~Erin Anderson, Booklist  


Can You Tell a Frog From a Toad, by Buffy Silverman (Grades 1-3) 

Something small and green hops through the wet grass. It watches with big, round eyes. Then its long tongue shoots out from its mouth. It caught an insect! Did you just see a frog? Or was it a toad? These animals look very similar, but they are different. Read this book to become an expert at telling these look-alikes apart! Learn the fascinating differences between similar animals in the Animal Look-Alikes series--part of the Lightning Bolt Books collection. With high-energy designs, exciting photos, and fun text, Lightning Bolt Books bring nonfiction topics to life! ~Amazon


Meet the Planets, by John McGranaghan (Grades 2-4)

Soar into the Solar System to witness the first Favorite Planet Competition, emceed by none other than the former-ninth planet, now known as dwarf planet Pluto. The readers become the judges after the sun can't pick a favorite and the meteors leave for a shower. Who will the lucky winning planet be? Could it be speedy-messenger Mercury, light-on-his-feet Saturn, or smoking-hot Venus? Readers learn all about each planet as Pluto announces them with short, tongue-in-cheek facts. Children will spend hours searching the art for all the references to famous scientists and people of history, space technology, constellations, art, and classic literature. ~Amazon 


Disaster on the 100th Day, by Jean Robertson (Grades K-2)

In this early reader animals bring 100 things to celebrate the 100th day of school. Someone spills 100 marbles! ~Amazon 






What's the Difference? An Endangered Animal Subtraction Story, by Suzanne Slade (Grades 1-3) 

Similar in format to its companion book What's New at the Zoo? An Animal Adding Adventure (2009), this picture book introduces a dozen endangered, threatened, and recovered species while offering practice in subtraction. Each double-page spread includes a simple subtraction problem (“6 - 1 = ?”); a related rhymed couplet about a group of animals (“Six silly prairie dogs / frolic most the day. / One guards the colony. / How many dogs at play?”); and a paragraph of information about threats to the species and its current status of endangerment. An intriguing feature on the appended pages is a chart showing what happens to an ocean habitat when one species, sea otters, disappears from the area's food chain. The paintings clearly depict the animals and settings, although there is occasional awkwardness in figure drawing as well as the scale. Though not a necessary purchase, this blend of math practice and science facts may be useful to supplement classroom units in either area. ~Carolyn Phelan, Booklist 


Here are the covers of a few more digital resources on our Follett Shelf. 

Audiobooks: 

These audiobooks are hosted through Catalist Digital. They can be listened to on the iPads and on computers. Each audiobook has 1 copy available and can be "checked out" by the student for two weeks. After those two weeks it will automatically returned and the student can renew it if needed. I tried to purchase a variety of audiobooks at a multitude of levels to accommodate for all our students. These are just 5 of the titles...we have 38!


Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen (Grades K-3)

A girl and her father go owling on a moonlit winter night near the farm where they live. Bundled tight in wool clothes, they trudge through snow "whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl"; here and there, hidden in ink-blue shadows, a fox, raccoon, fieldmouse and deer watch them pass. An air of expectancy builds as Pa imitates the Great Horned Owl's call once without answer, then again. From out of the darkness "an echo/ came threading its way/ through the trees." Schoenherr's watercolor washes depict a New England few readers see: the bold stare of a nocturnal owl, a bird's-eye view of a farmhouse. In harmony with the art, the melodious text brings to life an unusual countryside adventure. ~Publishers Weekly 


The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo (Grades 3-6) 

A charming story of unlikely heroes whose destinies entwine to bring about a joyful resolution. Foremost is Despereaux, a diminutive mouse who, as depicted in Ering's pencil drawings, is one of the most endearing of his ink ever to appear in children's books. His mother, who is French, declares him to be "such the disappointment" at his birth and the rest of his family seems to agree that he is very odd: his ears are too big and his eyes open far too soon and they all expect him to die quickly. Of course, he doesn't. Then there is the human Princess Pea, with whom Despereaux falls deeply (one might say desperately) in love. She appreciates him despite her father's prejudice against rodents. Next is Roscuro, a rat with an uncharacteristic love of light and soup. Both these predilections get him into trouble. And finally, there is Miggery Sow, a peasant girl so dim that she believes she can become a princess. With a masterful hand, DiCamillo weaves four story lines together in a witty, suspenseful narrative that begs to be read aloud. ~Miriam Lang Budin, School Library Journal


Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements (Grades 4-6)

A forced pen-pal exchange turns into an opportunity for real communication between Illinois sixth-grader Abby Carson and Sadeed Bayat, the best English-language student in his Afghan village. When Abby's first letter arrives in Bahar-Lan, 11-year-old Sadeed is asked by the elders to compose his sister Amira's reply; it isn't proper for a boy and girl to correspond with one another. But soon Sadeed can't resist telling Abby that it is he who has been writing to her. The third-person narrative alternates points of view, allowing for inclusion of intriguing details of both lives. Never a scholar, Abby prefers the woods behind her family's farm and the climbing wall in her school; in the afternoons, Sadeed works in his father's grain shop. In spite of their differences, Abby and Sadeed connect through their imaginations, and their earlier readings of Frog and Toad Are Friends. They learn, as Abby reports, that "people are simple, but the stuff going on around them can get complicated." ~Kathleen Isaacs, School Library Journal 


Spirit Animals: Book 1-Wild Born, by Brandon Mull (Grades 4-6)

In the world of Erdas, when children turn 11, they drink Nectar in order to see if they will have a spirit animal. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan are chosen, and, with their spirit animals-a wolf, a leopard, a panda, and a falcon-they must summon the Four Fallen, Great Beasts that gave their lives many years earlier to defeat the Devourer. Now the Devourer is back, and the children have to use their animal powers to defeat it. Minions of the Devourer are hot on their trail and will do anything to stop them from succeeding. ~Kira Moody, School Library Journal


Navigating Early, by Clare Vanderpool (Grades 5-6) *Now a Printz Honor winner!*

When his mother unexpectedly passes away and his father returns from serving in World War II, Jack Baker's life is turned upside down. He's moved from his home in Kansas to a boy's boarding school in Maine. He meets a unique boy named Early Auden who has an obsession with pi, seeing an unending story in the mathematically significant number. Caught up in their own sorrows, the boys take a chance during a school break to head off on a quest along the Appalachian Trail. Early's telling of the pi story seems to oddly mirror the strange characters and happenings that the boys encounter in their journey. This is a journey of loss, discovery, and deep-rooted friendship and love. ~Deanna Romriell, School Library Journal 


Here are a few more covers of the books in the current digital audiobook collection. 

January Picks: Award Prediction Edition

Every year I enjoy predicting what children and young adult books may be winners of the Caldecott and Newbery awards. The winners will be announced at the American Library Association on January 27th, but before then feel free to come to the MCS library and check out some books that COULD be winners! Also, learn about some new audio books that have been added to the collection, in both MP3 and Catalist Digital format. 


CALDECOTT:

Locomotive by Brian Floca

All aboard! From the creator of the “stunning” (Booklist) Moonshot, a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads. It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country! ~Amazon

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark lives in the same house as Laszlo. Mostly, though, the dark stays in the basement and doesn't come into Lazslo's room. But one night, it does. This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark. With emotional insight and poetic economy, two award-winning talents team up to conquer a universal childhood fear. ~Amazon





Journey by Aaron Becker

A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all. ~Amazon 


If You Want to See a Whale by Erin E. Stead

If you want to see a whale, you will need to know what not to look at. Pink roses, pelicans, possible pirates . . . If you want to see a whale, you have to keep your eyes on the sea, and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . .~Amazon








NEWBERY:

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Black's tale of friendship and the trials of growing up is set against the backdrop of a spooky ghost story. Zach Barlow loves to make things up. He and his friends Poppy and Alice spend every afternoon concocting new adventures for their dolls and action figures. However, Zach's recently returned father is less than thrilled about his son spending his time playing with dolls instead of taking part in more age-appropriate activities, such as basketball. When he commits a drastic act to force Zach to give up his play-acting, it precipitates a series of events that send Zach, Poppy, and Alice on a midnight quest to lay to rest the soul of a murdered girl, a soul that now inhabits a bone china doll.  Along the way, the trio uncovers secrets about the past and one another, and discovers that they are capable of more than they ever realized. Nick Podehl expertly voices the three friends as well as the unforgettable characters Tin-Shoe Joe and the pink-haired librarian, Miss Katherine. Black has written an adventurous ghost tale that fans of Mary Downing Hahn and Peg Kehret and devotees of the author's previous novels will love.–Michaela Schied


The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

Billy Miller is starting second grade, and though his teacher, Mrs. Silver, tells the class it is the Year of the Rabbit, Billy’s father tells him it will be the Year of Billy Miller. Billy isn’t sure. He’s even more worried when he gets off on the wrong foot his first day, but as the months go on, Billy begins to shine. There are some wonderful moments here: when Billy brings his teacher silver items—coins, a paper clip, a little rabbit—to show her he’s a nice boy; when he agonizes over how to tell his father that Papa is a babyish name; and a triumphant ending when poetry and self-confidence intertwine. But the school year also seems rushed, and some intriguing characters, like the annoying Emma, are barely touched. Harkening back to writers of an earlier era, like Eleanor Estes, Henkes never compromises his language. Words like replicated, diligently, and frustrated appear—and that’s on just one page. Since this is so age specific, older readers might pass it by. That would be too bad, because this is a story with a lot of heart and sweet insights into growing up. ~Ilene Cooper, Booklist 
 

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn't kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now. Suddenly Willow's world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read. ~Dial Books for Young Readers 


Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

In her first book since the Newbery Medal winner, Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool delivers another contender in Navigating Early. Jack and Early, outsiders at their boarding school in Maine, form a friendship that sets them on an epic quest across land, sea, and the depths of their own hearts looking for Pi—the young seeker whose tale Early reads in the numbers following 3.14, convinced that he is lost. On their adventure they find pirates, a ferocious black bear, and finally, resolution and connection in the aftermath of a haunting loss. Vanderpool works magic in this multilayered novel of two stories —that of the boys, and that of Pi--and they dovetail beautifully throughout, culminating in an incredibly touching and gratifying ending. --Seira Wilson


The Real Boy by Anne Ursu 

The Real Boy, Anne Ursu's follow-up to her widely acclaimed and beloved middle-grade fantasy Breadcrumbs, is an unforgettable story of magic, faith, and friendship. On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy named Oscar. Oscar is a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the village, and spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it. But now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the forest will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it. ~Walden Pond Press 



NEW AUDIO BOOKS

Chapter Books
Big Nate Series, by Lincoln Peirce
     Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
     Big Nate Flips Out
     Big Nate Goes for Broke
     Big Nate on a Roll
     Big Nate Strikes Again
Ghost Knight by Oliver Latsch (GSF list)
Island of Silence by Lisa McMann
Murder at Midnight by Avi
Midnight Magic by Avi
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck

Picture Books
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Make Way for Duckilings by Robert McCloskey
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak