tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71681414855543715872024-03-13T06:17:41.664-07:00bklyn kids booksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-69456311072059634662013-12-01T17:11:00.001-08:002013-12-01T17:11:34.407-08:00Good StuffI still can't believe we have been meeting as a group for over a year. What started out as a whim has turned into a full-blown commitment to all these great people interested in reading cutting-edge kid lit. Thank you all for enriching my reading life and social life!<br />
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Eleanor and Park by Raibow Rowell was a great read. I urge all members to try to squeeze it in somehow. Full of romance, acceptance, culture clash, need, hope... All that good stuff that makes a great ya novel. Next book is Counting by 7s. OK, I read it super fast cuz it is also a Mock Newbery selection at BNS. I loved it--but as an adult... Will a kid get the nuance--the neuroses? Can't wait to discuss.<br />
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Hope you can all make it to Book Lovers Night At Lily!! It's a great way to support a local business and find great stuff for yourself and others on your holiday gift list. Trust me. Shopping with friends is sooooo fun. Especially when it involves wine.<br />
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Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sending you love and good chher.<br />
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Next meeting: January 6 at 7:30. Location?<br />
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XO<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-8536624271665526082013-06-19T14:18:00.001-07:002013-06-19T14:18:21.755-07:00Books Chosen! Meeting Date? Not So Much.The books for our next meeting are.....<br />
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<b>Wonder</b> by R.J. Palacio<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face.</span><br />
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<b>Three Times Lucky</b> by<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since.</span><br />
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These are both middle-grade titles (ages 9-12) and it will be so interesting to compare the two. Both have received a lot of kudos, but I'm really excited to see what you all think.<br />
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The bigger question is, when do we meet? I am available in July until the 20th. Is anyone up for meeting July 8, 9, 15, or 16? I'm hoping we can pull this off before September! Let me know.<br />
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As an aside.... At the last meeting, we were a small but committed group. Everyone had a lot to say about <i><b>Code Name Verity</b></i> and I think we all left each other feeling enriched by the complexity of the book and the depth of our conversation. Bravo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-73736391690360341172013-06-10T18:40:00.002-07:002013-06-10T18:44:19.366-07:00Wonder & Three Times Lucky for SummerWonder by P.J. Palacio<br />
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage<br />
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With the idea of reading a middle-grade book from a boy's and a girl's perspective.<br />
Date to follow!<br />
Who is available in early July?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-75174519841970864422013-06-10T13:55:00.001-07:002013-06-10T13:55:58.580-07:00THE BLOG LIVES!I really love this group and have decided to kick this blog up a notch! I urge you all to participate by commenting, posting, or reading. Tell us what your kids are reading. How do you feel about the book choices their schools are making? What are you reading aside from the book group book? What are you interested in reading?<br />
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I read <i>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</i> by Rebecca Skloot for my adult group. Highly recommended. I also read <i>The Alchemist</i> which my 11the grade boys at BCS raved about. Brings me back to my Khalil Gibran and <i>The Prophet</i> phase... It's a journey, people. It's a journey...<br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61S4ZwtFPlL._SY300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61S4ZwtFPlL._SY300_.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>
I've been working with kids on their PBATS (performance-based assessments) at BCS. Their thesis question is "How do people maintain their dignity in an oppressive society?" So we are looking at art, music, armed resistance, family life, quilts, Frederick Douglass, Dave the Potter, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, John Brown. I've been reading quite a few picture books about different aspects of American slavery and there is a lot of wonderful stuff out there. Keep in mind that just because they are picture books, they are not for little kids... maybe 3rd grade and up, but WOW! They are a great tool for older kids and grown-ups to fill in a lot of holes in their knowledge base. The John Brown book (left) led me to deepen my understanding of this controversial character.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3hTJf6Ue4CnWz34fX_WKk_fwW3KtlWMIAWRS_bUx8EH2uIsmO" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3hTJf6Ue4CnWz34fX_WKk_fwW3KtlWMIAWRS_bUx8EH2uIsmO" /></a>I read a darling biography of Jacques Cousteau called Manfish to my 3rd and 4th grade 12:1 kids at <br />
BNS. They enjoyed it a lot. Nothing quite like getting a group of fascinatingly different types of learners who all engage in the story in different ways.<br />
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Went to a NYC DOE library conference with Susan last month. Saw Joy who was there with Brooklyn Public Library Summer Reading! Some schools are doing amazing things with technology -- predominantly with personal devices like iphones. The future is here. When will New York City public schools catch up?<br />
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For those of you who really enjoyed <i>Please Ignore Vera Dietz</i>, I highly recommend another A.S. King book called <i>Ask the Passengers</i>. <br />
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Remember Veronica Rother and <i>Divergent</i>? Did anyone read <i>Insurgent</i>? Someday, maybe. Anyway, the third book in the trilogy is coming out in October and will be called <i>Allegient</i>! Is that a real word?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_HxdH9rzrOs7UcVNVoTzbp-KoQHcgLo3afIXjjbrwWucJciWGhUHXKAoeHplpfRwvihyphenhyphenRYrMnmRUejNiHupOaQaT6xRUCWlPaJKH7LL77RZX9Lkeq2WtA8RoO8g97NOV01gfgz5ZIHc/s1600/IMG_1021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_HxdH9rzrOs7UcVNVoTzbp-KoQHcgLo3afIXjjbrwWucJciWGhUHXKAoeHplpfRwvihyphenhyphenRYrMnmRUejNiHupOaQaT6xRUCWlPaJKH7LL77RZX9Lkeq2WtA8RoO8g97NOV01gfgz5ZIHc/s200/IMG_1021.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kris and Jack</td></tr>
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I saw jack Gantos with our old friend and infrequent member Kris Hartley-Manieri on May 11 at the 92nd Street Y! He is charming and Kris has a HUGE crush on him. So psyched a sequel to <i>Dead End in Norvelt</i> is coming out -- <i>From Norvelt to Nowhere</i>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-27132766616181836472013-06-10T13:19:00.002-07:002013-06-10T13:20:49.336-07:00Recap of What We've Read -- One Year Later!I think it's time for a little recap of what we as a group have read in the year+ we've been getting together. What a great list. Every one of those titles has taught me something. I'm talking teen angst, social history, parenting, gender roles, race, heartbreak, and survival. Next time we are ALL together, meaning no one is sick, everyone has a babysitter, no one has a business commitment, lets discuss what the group has meant to us, what we like, what we don't like, and what we'd like to read in the future. Thank you all for being part of such a great collection of women readers.<br />
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Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos<br />
Divergent by Veronica Roth<br />
Fault in Our Stars by John Green<br />
The Apothecary by Maille Meloy<br />
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray<br />
Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson<br />
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky<br />
Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd<br />
Aristotle and Dante by Benjamin Alire Saenz<br />
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King<br />
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth WeinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-17499757231354268082013-06-09T15:21:00.000-07:002013-06-10T13:56:55.550-07:00Code Name VerityIt's June 10 already! Time to talk about <i>Code Name Verity</i> by Elizabeth Wein. Word on the street is that a some of us (me!) had a hard time getting into this book and for the life of me, I can't quite put my finger on what was bugging me. Soooooooo, I'm very eager to discuss this!<br />
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Here are a few short reviews of the book that will spur some discussion. The Brits, the Scots, and the Canadians sure loved this book. You?<br />
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See you at my house, 706 Greenwood Ave., at 7:30.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: orange;">It has been a while since I was so captivated by a character ... <i>Code Name Verity</i> is one of those rare things: an exciting - and affecting - female adventure story.--<i>The Guardian</i> <br /><br />[a] tale of espionage, torture and female derring-do.--<i>The Times</i> <br /><br /> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;">This is a remarkable book, which had me horrified and totally gripped at the same time, and although it is billed as a Young Adult title, don't be put off - it is a very grown-up story.--<i>The Daily Mail</i></span><span style="color: orange;">This is a rich and rewarding adventure story with multi-layered heroines and complicated emotions. All 450 pages really do fly by. Expect to see Wein's name in the running for the Older Readers Category of the Scottish Children's Book Awards next year.--<i>The Scotsman </i></span><span style="color: orange;"><br /><br />It's a compelling, uncompromising read which makes few concessions to the age group it's written for - either in subject matter or narrative technique. The bits about flight and women in the war are well researched and the terrifying, but exciting, atmosphere is good.--<i>The Independent </i><br /><br /> ... a rare young adult novel entirely about female power and female friendship...--<i>New York Times </i><br /><br /> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;">[It] does more than stick with me. It haunts me. I just can't recommend it enough.'-- Maggie Stiefvater, bestselling author of </span><i><span style="color: orange;">Shiver</span></i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-63409212691914504492012-04-24T11:34:00.002-07:002012-04-24T11:34:09.962-07:00The Fault in Our Stars<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of us have become hard-core John Greene fans after reading The Fault in Our Stars. We all agreed Hazel and Augustus were amazing characters whose life predicament made them wise beyond their years. Susan commented that she thought it was a book about living, and I agree. This book squeezed a lot of love, hope, and dreams into a little ya book.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next Book</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">THE APOTHACARY</span></span> by Maile Meloy </span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mysterious apothecary. A magic book. A missing scientist. An impossible plan.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's 1952 and the Scott family has moved unexpectedly from Los Angeles to London. There, fourteen-year-old Janie gets a homesickness cure from the neighborhood apothecary and becomes fascinated by his defiant son, Benjamin Burrows—a boy struggling with his destiny, who isn't afraid to stand up to authority and who dreams of becoming a spy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Benjamin's father disappears, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's ancient book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping those secrets out of the hands of Russian spies. Discovering transformative elixirs they never imagined could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending nuclear disaster.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Maile Meloy</span> is the author of the story collection <i>Half in Love</i>, and the novels <i>Liars and Saints</i>, shortlisted for the 2005 Orange Prize, and <i>A Family Daughter</i>. Meloy’s stories have been published in <i>The New Yorker</i>, and she has received <i>The Paris Review’s</i> Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award, the Rosenthal Foundation Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2007, she was chosen as one of Granta’s Best American Novelists under 35. She lives in California.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 17 at 7:30. Location to be determined....</span></h2>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-73652803997838788432012-03-13T12:38:00.004-07:002012-03-13T13:07:00.678-07:00Can I Move to Norvelt?<span><span style="font-size: 100%;">I was so fascinated by the community of Norvelt. Was there once such a place? </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">I did some digging and discovered that, indeed, a homestead movement was spearheaded by Eleanor Roosevelt as part of the New Deal. Originally called Westmoreland Homesteads, Norvelt was established in 1934 and was made up of 250 homes. The town provided housing, work, and community to unemployed workers and their families during the Depression. The thought that America was once this compassionate to those in need brings tears to my eyes. Check out the link for more info and pix!</span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; "><a href="http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2D6">Explore Pennsylvania History</a> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168141485554371587.post-62851088387397065992012-02-12T16:06:00.001-08:002012-03-13T13:18:20.672-07:00First Meeting Huge Success!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5OdupmIdg-tLR9wztaZtiM0Q35_UZrZVzhgFuyYn2NkfD1SOy7vDDTlPqAzhhygGfH4dpA966DCpC7NV_Z3rSfhuhYj7WRtJONbPopRyK950NR5JEizFB8NJMIeLqQ22YqFY3mXsQhs/s1600/gantos.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5OdupmIdg-tLR9wztaZtiM0Q35_UZrZVzhgFuyYn2NkfD1SOy7vDDTlPqAzhhygGfH4dpA966DCpC7NV_Z3rSfhuhYj7WRtJONbPopRyK950NR5JEizFB8NJMIeLqQ22YqFY3mXsQhs/s320/gantos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708419982230296882" border="0" /></a>Some hardcore kids book fans made it to 706 Greenwood last Wednesday night. Thanks for coming Cathleen, Gbemi, Erin, and Kristine! I know so many of you are trying to fit this group into your schedules, so know that you will have a solid and enthusiastic bunch to welcome you when you are able to join us. Wednesdays are hard for a couple of people, so the next meeting will be on a Thursday. Erin will be hosting on March 15. Details to follow.<br /><br /><div><i>Dead End in Norvelt</i> by Jack Gantos was SOLD OUT following his Newbery Medal win last month! Because most of us were unable to get our hands on it, we decided to discuss it at the next meeting. I was lucky enough to finish it, and adored it. I was then psyched to read a memoir of his teen years called<i> A Hole in My Life</i>. What a great book to recommend to older teen boys! Amazing. </div><br /><br /><div>I am so happy more of you are determined to join bklyn kids books. I think it is going to be incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 130%; "><span >Next Meeting MARCH 15, 2012!</span><br /></span></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2