Check them out and then vote this week on:
Grade 3-5 Elite 8 books
or K-3 Elite 8 books
and Series Elite 8 books!
The Patton School Library Media Center |
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The student vote on the Sweet 16 has been tallied and the results are posted on our: Tournament of Books page.
Check them out and then vote this week on: Grade 3-5 Elite 8 books or K-3 Elite 8 books and Series Elite 8 books!
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The March Madness Tournament of Books is about to begin! After studying circulation data and speaking to students and teachers, the selection committee has chosen the 16 books for the grade 3-5, grade K-3 and Series Tournaments. Now it is up to the students to vote! The schedule this year is: Round 1: Choose the Elite 8: March 11-15 Round 2: Choose the Final 4: March 18-20 Round 3: Choose the Semi Finals: April 1-5 Final Round: Choose the Champions: April 8 Check out the LMC Tournament Page for Brackets and to Vote (student's only!) Our Monarch Family Reading/Activity Night was held tonight!: Patton families came back to school for this special evening of reading and literacy activities with the 2019 Monarch nominated books. Families rotated through three activities of their choosing, which included:
of the Monarch nominated We are Growing by Laurie Keller. Take a look!
Save the Date for our Monarch Books Family Reading/Activity Night on February 28! Watch the video to find out more, and sign up for activities next week.
While we all huddle inside, here's a few books to help you stay warm! In Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher, the reader meets Joseph as he begins 7th grade, feeling like he is loaded with problems. He has ADD, attention deficit disorder, or as he explains, "though he can focus fine, he often gets distracted and focuses on the wrong things." This can make schoolwork difficult so he gets help in the Resource Room with Mrs. T. But this also means he is teased and actually bullied by a few students who call it the "retard room". Though Joseph believes this year will be more of the same, a few things are making a difference. First, Mrs. T turns out to be the coach, of the new Cross Country team that Joseph reluctantly agreed to join. He also meets Heather, a new girl, who is a fearlessly fast runner, but also does not seem to care what others think and seems to want to be Joseph's friend. Finally his ornery but lively and very funny Grandpa has moved back into his house, and is great company with good advice. Join Joseph as he learns about "personal bests" and how important they can be both in running and in life. Grades 4, 5. The Unteachables by Gordon Korman, are a small class of 7 students who the school has labeled "unteachable" and decided to put together in one class, plus one new girl who finds herself in the class by mistake. Their teacher is Mr. Kermit, who the school has lost faith in as a teacher, and he has lost faith in his ability to teach. Though he once loved teaching and was good at it, a scandal involving one of his student's cheating on a state test, years ago, changed all that. Now Mr. Kermit cannot wait until the end of the year when he will retire. But the year does not go according to either the students' or Mr. Kermit's original plan. As we get to know each of the student's through their own perspective, Mr. Kermit begins to also learn and understand them. And slowly feels a reawakening of his love of teaching and a belief in these students emerges. The year holds many turns and twists and surprises for the students, the school and the reader! Grades 4,5. Invisible Emmie is a clever graphic novel that deals very realistically with middle school friendships, activities and other school issues. Emmie basically prefers to stay unnoticed and be allowed to draw, which she loves, or be with best friend Brianna (a.k.a. “The Brain”). But when one of her drawings is picked up by a boy, the events that follow are unplanned, The story is told through expressive and funny panel drawings and a sideline written by Kate, a student who seems to be popular and perfect. Then comes the sequel Invisible Izzy Invisible Izzy follows Emmie's best friend Brianna who is tired of being thought of as only a "brain" and artsy dreamer Izzy. Again the drawings and text parallel two stories and fill the story with characters and situations full of humor and meaning. Grades 4-6. Wild Rescuers: Guardians fo the Taiga. The first in a fantasy series in which Stacy is the caretaker and protector of the taiga forest in which she lives and all the animals within. Though she does know English and has vague feelings about a previous life with humans all she knows for sure is that she has been raised by a pack of six wolves who communicate with her both telepathically and through body language. Together they guard the forest from environmental disasters and changes. The mystery of her upbringing will certainly be the subject of future stories in the series. For animal and environment lovers! Grades 3-5. A Long Line of Cakes by Deborah Wiles brings the reader back to the small town of Halleluia, Mississippi, at least if you have read the previous Wiles books that take place here, including Aurora County All-Stars, and Love, Ruby Lavender. This time our story is told by Emma Alabama Lane Cake, the only girl in the cake family of five brothers. The Cake's are itinerant bakers meaning they move from place to place opening a bakery to bring their luscious and special cakes, muffins and breads to a new town. Then when Leo Meyer Lemon Cake, their father declares it is time to move, off they go again. Emma, who has lived in too many places and said good bye to too many friends immediately falls in love with Halleluia and the friends she and her brothers make there. These friends include Ruby, and House the stars of the other Aurora County books. Emma believes this town is special for the Cakes and the place they should finally call home. Read to find out if she is right and meet all the unique, quirky and compassionate characters that live in Deborah Wile's books! Realistic Fiction, grades 3-5. In The Secret of Goldenrod by Jane O'Reilly, we meet Trina, about to enter 5th grade, and her father, a handy man/construction worker. He has followed jobs all around the U.S., and Trina with him, as her mother has been off following her dreams alone for many years. The two are now moving to New Royal, Iowa to rehab Goldenrod, a very old, very large house, that will take about a year to complete. Trina is looking forward to being in one place for a whole year though is disappointed in the small, quiet and rundown town. Goldenrod however she begins to love and finds that despite its poor state, it was clearly once a beautiful, unique and specially built home. Trina also discovers that the entire town not only despise Goldenrod they are afraid of it, believe it is haunted, and attribute the town's bad luck to the sad things that happened to the family that built the grand home many years ago. Trina is determined to prove the town is wrong and though she believes there is magic in Goldenrod, it is not to be feared but celebrated. Can she convince everyone else? Magical Realism, grades 4-5. The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson is a fun mystery story told both by its many cartoon pictures and its words. Moxie McCoy, our heroine and narrator is serious about being a detective. She has read the full series of Annabelle Adams, girl detective books and solved many mysteries with her best friend Maude. But Maude has just moved away and Moxie is facing 4th grade without her friend and detective partner. And of course, the biggest mystery happens - the school mascot, a stuffed owl named Eddie disappears on the very day the student Owl Awards are to be presented. Moxie is sure she can solve the mystery and find Eddie. And though she is determined and funny, Moxie can also be impulsive and that often leads her to trouble. That is why Moxie is also intent on finding a new best friend that has all or most of the great and special qualities that Maude had. In the mean time could her younger, very smart brother Milton stand in and help? Follow Moxie and her brother and all the 4th graders, through this school year, and see if Moxie can find Eddie and a true friend (while she is not in the principal's office!) Realistic fiction/graphic novel, grades 2-4. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson- This special novel is part historical fiction, part realistic fiction and part mystery. It has two stories is one both taking place in the small Southern town of Lambert, South Carolina. In present day, Candice is a 6th grader on summer break in Atlanta when her mother announces they will spend the summer at her grandmother's former home in Lambert. Candice's parents are splitting up, she misses her grandmother who recently died and is not looking forward to this summer in Lambert. Then she finds a friend across the street, who is a real book lover as she is, and a mysterious letter in the attic. The letter originally written to her grandmother claims that the writer, a wealthy businessman in Colorado has hidden a fortune somewhere in the town and anyone who solves the clues gets the fortune. The writer does not explain his connection to Lambert. It turns out Candice's grandmother tried to solve the mystery years before when Candice was very young and failed . Candice and Brandon decide to unravel the mystery and find the fortune. They begin deciphering the clues in the letter which all relate to a group of students, teachers and coaches that lived in Lambert in the 1950's. Using library, historical papers saved by the once all negro high school, and interviewing old residents, they begin an amazing journey into the civil rights history of the town that even relates to current events. Read this one if you love mysteries, or history or just a great page turner! Grades 4-6. Naomis Too by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich & Audrey Vernick is the sequel to Two Naomis. Naomi E's father has recently married Naomi Marie's mother and the girls now live with the newly married parents and Naomi Marie's younger sister, Brianna. Naomi E sees her mother on some weekends as her mother's work hours are difficult. The Naomi's are about to enter Middle School, together for the first time, and in a new school for both. The story follows the girls' adjustment to school, more homework, new friends and activities which all students go through. But in addition, the two Naomi's are getting used to their new blended family, to less privacy, to the reactions from strangers to their family, and missing old friends and neighborhood as well. Go along for this realistic ride, that tackles some of the issues between races today and attitudes that blended families need to face and correct. Realistic Fiction, grades 4-5. The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell is a graphic novel that takes the reader into the imaginations of a neighborhood of kids on summer break. In each chapter a boy or girl uses their imagination, cardboard and creativity to create a fantasy character. Each chapter also gives the reader a little about their home life, struggles and their likes and preferences for fantasy. Some are sorcerer's, some are princes, others are robots, or flying dinosaurs, gargoyles or mad scientists and together they play out many fantastic adventures that bring them together and take the reader on a fun wild ride. Graphic Novel, Grades 3-5 Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. Max (Maxine) Einstein is a homeless very smart 12 year old orphan who never knew her parents. Suddenly she is taken by two mysterious agents and offered a chance to participate in a global organization to help change the World for the better. They have recognized her talents and together with seven other children about her age (but with College degrees) they are taken to headquarters in Jerusalem to begin their projects and inventions. But wait, there is also an evil billionaire who wants Max's help and his agents are watching for their chance to get her to their side. This fast paced adventure is full of Einstein quotes, travel across the World, high tech inventions and science! Read to find out where Max ends up and the impact she makes on problems on our Earth. First in a series. Adventure, grades 3-5. In Kindergarten, students have graduated to checking books out from the many shelves that have great fit books. In order to learn what shelves hold what books such as where are the books about sports, animals, Superpets, Star Wars, dinosaurs, dogs etc, students completed two "shelf scavenger hunts". In pairs they found the place a type of book is located, chose one, and gave it to a teacher. Later they could check out one of those books or find a different one. In First and Second Grade, we delved into several Monarch Award books. We read and discussed After the Fall by Dan Santat which tells a different and more complete version of Humpty Dumpty, and then students completed a related activity. First graders used pictures from the story to retell it and compared After the Fall to the original Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, while second graders watched another version of Humpty Dumpty in a "Fixed Fairytale" video and compared and contrasted it with the After the Fall version. Next we read Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari with first grade, who loved the beautiful and action packed pictures of a mother coyote searching for food for her pups who are sleeping and playing. Students drew pictures comparing the coyote family activities to their own family. Second graders read and discussed a non fiction Monarch Award selection, John Deere, that's who by Tracy Nelson Maurer and we examined real photos of John Deeres' first plow and an 1820's blacksmith shop like Deere's when he created the new plow. Next students chose another picture biography about an invention to read in groups. Students learned and laughed with the Whole Story of the Donut, Balloons Over Broadway, Pop! the Invention of Bubblegum, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Earmuffs for Everyone or Miracle Mud, and then compared the inventor and invention they read about with John Deere and his plow. Third graders are celebrating Illinois' bicentennial with research on what has been Born, Built or Grown in Illinois, contributing to its rich history. Students chose their topic - people who have contributed to Illinois (Born), important buildings or inventions (Built) or beautiful natural sites and agriculture (Grown) to study and then will create individual Google Tours to share their learning. Fourth graders read two Bluestem Award nominees, both literary non fiction, I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes her Mark by Debbie Levy and Game Changer: John Mclendon and the Secret Game by John Coy. Students discussed, compared and contrasted the characteristics, goals and methods of Justice Ginsburg and John Mclendon in helping to right wrongs in our country and bring about more equality. Fifth graders study the three branches of government, learning the responsibilities of each branch and the checks and balances on all of them. In LMC, students researched how a law is passed in the Legislative branch, and once they understood the steps, created an infographic to show that process. The Third Mushroom by Jennifer Holm brings back Ellie, her scientist grandfather, and her friend Raj, in a new adventure with middle school issues, friends, pets and more science! Ellie and "Melvin" pair up for a science fair project which is really testing an unusual specimen secretly sent to Ellie's grandfather without explanation. They test it first with fruit flies and then Melvin tests it on his self! Read to find out what they learn about the specimen, and each other, friendship, Ellie's grandmother and how hard change can be. Through it all the reader is treated to great characters and lots of humor. Science Fiction, grades 3-5. Mac B. Kid Spy, Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett is the first in a series. The author, Mac Barnett, writes as if he is telling the reader about his own childhood in which he was a normal 5th grade boy until he became a spy! He is called by the Queen of England to find the crown jewels that have disappeared. He takes on the case when the Queens sends him a plane ticket, disguises and money and he even gets a Corgi when he gets to England. This fun story, which takes Mac to England, France and Russia, is full of great illustrations and lots of silly plot twists and turns, until Mac solves the case and gets home eagerly waiting for his next case. Humor, grades 3-5. In Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech, Louie's uncle brings Louie an infant donkey who is an orphan. Louie desperately wants to try to raise and keep the young donkey he names "Winslow". But the donkey is frail and nobody believes Winslow can survive. But with some support from his parents and a strange new girl in the neighborhood, Nora, Louie helps Winslow who begins to thrive, and eventually helps Louie through the loss of his older brother who has enlisted and is in the army far away. A sweet and interesting story about raising young animals and friendship. Realistic fiction, grade 3-5. Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older, is a very unique mix of historical fiction and fantasy that keeps the reader turning pages anxious to know what happens next! Set during the Civil War in New York City, we meet six young residents of the Colored Orphan Asylum during the night the New York Draft Riots begin, true events in which mobs attacked black businesses in response to unfair draft laws. The orphanage is burned but one group of boys and girls led by 12 year old Magdalys who are away when it was set afire, decide to find and save the other orphans. They are fighting against the Kidnapping Club who kidnaps and sends blacks to the South and slavery. Most of this is true historical events but then comes the twist - dinosaurs are alive and well in this story and used by humans for a variety of tasks, including in battles, as transportation, and business. And Magdalys discovers a special talent to communicate with the dinos! More adventures to come! History, Adventure and Fantasy, grades 4-6! Front Desk by Kelly Yang is based on the author's own story of coming to California from China when she was about 9 years old and growing up in the motel that her parent's managed. LIke Mia in the story, she often manned the front desk, meeting and checking in guests and getting to know the regular guests as her extended family. Their life is hard, with racist attitudes in many forms and from many people, including fellow students at school, surrounding business owners and even the police. But Mia's strong will to do right, and to correct wrongs, carries her though hard times, especially when she learns her love of writing letters could be used as a force to change people's minds and hearts. Realistic fiction, grades 4-6. In Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl by Debbi Michiko Florence we meet third grader Jasmine as her school is announcing a Talent Show starring all the students. But everyone seems to have a talent except Jasmine. One of her best friends dances, others play the piano or juggle, and the class bully plays the violin "perfectly". But then Jasmine's mother introduces her to taiko drumming, a Japanese art form. She has less than a week to learn the basics of taiko and how to play a short song but she is determined. This is part of a realistic new series that makes the reader feel they know every character and understand their joy and worries! Great illustrations in every book, and in this one there are instructions how to make a hachi-maki headband too! Realistic fiction, grades 2-3. Blended by Sharon Draper is Isabella's story... or is it Izzy's? She is the daughter of a white mother who calls her Izzy, and an African American father, who calls her Isabella and when they divorce, Izzy is shuttled between her parents weekly. One week with her dad, a wealthy corporate lawyer living with his black girlfriend and her son, and the next week, with her mother, a waitress, living with her boyfriend, who is white. That weekly split in her life is hard and Izzy struggles to keep her life in order and please everyone. However both parents love and care for her deeply and Izzy likes and respect their new "friends" and her "kind of" step brother very much as well. But as in current events today, there are racial tensions in her city and even in her middle school. All this combines to make it quite a challenge for Izzy to understand who she is and even if she identifies more as an African American or as white. Read to understand the challenges of being biracial in today's world and more simply, how it feels to be the child of a family that has split up. Realistic fiction, grades 4-6. Charlie Collier Snoop for Hire, The Copycat Caper by John Madormo. Charlie Collier loves to solve mysteries and brain teasers too, and he is really good at it. He knows that some day he will be a real detective but in the mean time, while in Middle School he is doing his best to get ready. He has opened a detective agency headquartered in his garage, and his best friend Henry and popular girl Scarlett have joined. They are open for business to any student who brings in a mystery and have even solved some real crimes in the town where they live. But now a school play is taking up more of his time because he has taken the part of a detective opposite Scarlett. His parents are happy he is involved in something other than solving crimes but Charlie misses his agency. When there is a rash of mysterious thefts at various town businesses, Charlie thinks he has an idea and a lead on who and why is behind the crime. Read along and see if you can solve the mystery with Charlie and his friends, or at least a brain teaser or two! Mystery, grades 4-6. Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins. Meet almost 5th grader Nory Horace who lives in a world where everyone has some magic, and some people have very special powers. Your might be a Fuzzy who has talents with animals, or a Flare who has fire talents or a Flyer who can fly or a Fluxer who can turn into an animal! That is what Nory believes she is and desperately wants to pass the test to go to the best magic school, Sage School, just like her older brother and sister. But in 5th grade you have to pass a test to enter it and Nory's magic is kind of "wonky". She often does not become just one animal but instead she changes to a combination of two animals - like a skunk and an elephant or a beaver and a kitten! And then she sort of loses control. Follow Nory as she learns to understand herself and even meets friends with similar wonky magic. A fun, fresh and unique fantasy and beginning of a new series! Grades 3-5. Much is going on in the LMC these past few weeks, Here's just a taste: In Kindergarten - we started reading the Monarch Award nominated books for 2019. We began with the Gerald and Piggie approved We are Growing, about individual blades of grass, all growing, and then each student created their own blade of grass and told their "somethingest". Next we read A Creepy Pair of Underwear and each student drew their own pair with googly eyes added. In First Grade we read Scaredy Squirrel and then students created their own daily routine just like Scaredy did! Next we began our first research project - about animals. Students practiced taking notes with an information book about squirrels, recording a fact about their body, what they eat and habitat and then finding a super special fact! Next students selected an animal to research on their own. In Second Grade, classes are learning about Arlington Heights history. With Nearpod, we learned about how the Potawatomi were in this area first, and then William Dunton started the village by donating land and letting the railroad come through his land. We learned how the library was started and what were some of the first businesses. Next students chose one person or group that was important to the Arlington Heights community in history and reflected, using Seesaw, on what that person or group did for Arlington Heights. In Third Grade, classes are studying many aspects of weather in science. With LMC we studied the weather instruments-anemometer, rain gauge, barometer and weather vane to learn what each one measures and how that helps us know what weather is coming. Then students followed step by step directions to build one of the instruments in groups. Now classes will put the instruments outside and take some measurements and keep weather data! In Fourth Grade, students wrapped up their geology science unit by Skyping with a National Park ranger to determine what park she was at - by asking questions about how the land in the park was formed. One by one pairs of students asked about tectonic plate movement, deposition, erosion and volcanic activity and then determined the ranger was in Yellowstone National Park! The ranger than shared interesting insights about the Park and being a National Park Ranger. In Fifth Grade, students have been studying space issues in science. In LMC students first researched the positive results of our space exploration to date and then some of the dangers and the costs of further exploration to Mars. Then we assigned groups of students one side of the issue and held debates with the question Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost? Here is a look at more of the action and learning!
For the four weeks we read Wishtree, classes discussed the book, listened to staff readings of the chapters and participated in the animal scavenger hunts and trivia question contests on morning announcements. In LMC several grades worked on different research and projects that related to the story, the setting, Wishtrees, or the animal characters in Red. In Kindergarten students drew Red and labeled the Wishtree animals and Red and coded the Beebots to find their way around the tree. In first grade, students also used the Beebots to code their way from animal to animal in Red, and researched crows to compare the real bird's habitat, food and actions to Bongo in Wishtree and decide what is the same and different. Then they created a Pic collage with their favorite characters from the story. In second grade, students are studying habitats so we researched Red's habitat, the Woodland or Forest to find out what is the weather, and what plants and animals survive there. Students also chose one animal to research in PebbleGo and Facts4Me and shared their facts with the Chatterpix app, and brainstormed new animal names following the "rules" for naming them outlined in Wishtree. In 3rd grade, students "saved" Red by solving the clues to a Breakout box, which required knowing the details of Wishtree and finding books related to those details. Students also researched the climate zone that Red would live in.
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December 2021
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AuthorI am the Library Media Center director at Patton School in Arlington Heights where I help students from kindergarten through 5th grade find terrific independent reading for enjoyment and information, and teach students the skills to use information and technology safely and productively and to connect, communicate and share with others. I have four grown children, a large black dog, (flat coat retriever) and a small striped cat. I am an obessive Chicago Cubs fan and I love to run. Patton LMC Summer Reading Blog |