Back to School Art Activity

Hello fellow readers! Our library hosted a very cool art activity where we created pencil pouches out of duct tape and zip lock bags. My very talented aide Cristina created these fun pouches by making sheets of duct tape and then sealing them together with washi tape. For the ziplock bag, you simply cover the ziplock bag with the sheets of duct tape. The smaller ones were created with a simply fold. You can check out YouTube videos on duct tape wallets for directions.  The duct tape was purchased at our local Dollar General and we had about 30 guests attend our program.

Belle Epoque

As we reach the end of summer reading, I came across a historical fiction read from our prize bin that I would like to share with you. This book is a great read for 7-9th grades as it touches upon beauty, bullying ( in a different form) and social class. I also think it a great Girl Empowerment Book.
Our protagonist works for a company in France during Belle Epoque. The agency glorifies what we would call a "DUFF" today. The girls are hired to make the rich and beautiful even more rich and beautiful. Maude, the main character learns a lot about herself and the true lesson is that beauty is more than skin deep. Fans of the Luxe series will enjoy this one.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Teens and summer readers:
Reading about someone with a disorder can open up your eyes to what we think we know, but really don't. I recently read a story about a girl named Mel who had bi-polar disorder. The story starts off slow, however it then rushes to a heavy turning point where she must come to terms with how important taking her meds are and friendships that went down after her brother's death.
If you have a friends with bi-polar disorder... this is a good one to read and share. This character in particular, tried to hide her problems and it only made things worse. How can you help a friend with bi-polar disorder? Just listen.

SUMMER READING IS HERE!!!

Welcome back ! Summer reading programs are soon to be in full swing at your local libraries. Whether you live in Texas or California or practically anywhere all public libraries offer a free summer reading program for children, teens, and adults. YOU CAN WIN PRIZES JUST FOR READING...

Here's a great summer review:

Riptide by Scheibe
For Grace Parker summer means a surf competition and fun with her best friend and secret crush Ford. Her parents however, have a different agenda in mind... get into an Ivy League school and stay out of trouble. Grace has to struggle with going after what she truly wants, even if it means standing up to abuse at home and revealing some true raw feelings. A great teen read for those who love the sand, surf, and some family issues.

Oh Yeah Audrey! by Tucker Shaw

Being a strong Audrey Hepburn fan, I caught myself sidetracked by this light fluffy book. I enjoyed the premise of Gemma and her trip to the glamorous side of New York. I also enjoyed the Audrey fandom and her idea of having a Hepburn themed tour of New York. So... what didn't I enjoy? I found the ending to be a bit rushed and Dusty's character to be a bit flat. All along you know that he is too good to be true, but finding out about him seemed a bit rushed. Also, I wanted Gemma to have the conversation with her dad or at least a text!

I'm wondering ... Do I feel this way because I have watched Breakfast at Tiffany's a million times? Because I'm a 40 year old woman? or because I've been reading non-fiction lately? Perhaps this book may be better off in the hands of a teen. What do you think ?  Be ready readers for a strong beginning and an ending that falls a little short. Three stars...

Get Smart on Art Program 2017

Some of you may know that I currently host a monthly art activity program titled "Get Smart on Art" for the Los Angeles County Library. This week we discussed the life of Leonardo Da Vinci and children were taught how to create a one point perspective piece. I was amazed at the talent portrayed during the lesson. I gained the idea from a great website that teaches children how to create art pieces inspired by famous artists. Thank you elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/ for the idea!

New reading for 2017

Hello fellow readers! I have been trying to catch up on my teen reads this month as we enter 2017. I found a great teen read at a book sale for fans of Audrey Hepburn titled, " Oh Yeah Audrey!" and another that I have been finishing titled, " The Secret Language of Sisters." The latter is a shocking fictional story about a teen who is in a coma due to texting while driving. Let me know what your teens are reading here!
This year, I'm going to try to play around with my blog and gain some more readership. I'll need to ask my hubby f

or help in how to gain an audience. Happy reading everyone.

Holiday Ornament Craft

Hello everyone... with Thanksgiving on its way and Christmas waiting in the wings... I thought I'd share my new art activity for the upcoming season. Create fun Christmas tree ornaments with green popsicle and glittery stick-ons. If you're a librarian or a busy teacher, use your older students or volunteers to paint the popsicle sticks a lovely shade of green. We used acryllic paint and the hot glue gun to place sticks together.
Here's what you need:
- Popsicle sticks ( box cutter to cut one end shorter than the others for the base of the tree)
- Sparkly stickers or rhinestones
-Paper stars ( printed from Word or you can use an Elison die-cut for these)
- Brown paper for the stems
Place the pieces together in a triangle and glue the ends with a hot glue gun. (I recommend teens and adults using the glue gun of course! )
Use white Elmer's glue for the sparkly ornaments and allow time to dry.
Hang with a ribbon and enjoy on your tree!
Also, here's some fun holiday books that you can enjoy this season:

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera--- A holiday book like no other! Filled with a great lesson and a fun read aloud for all ages.
Grades K-2nd

Saranormal by Rivers-- A great book in the series based on a character who has paranormal talents and is haunted by them during the                                                      wintery season. 
                                          Grades 4-6th.

Fall Reads

Hello fellow readers,
Don't be afraid to share you favorite books for tweens, teens and young adults with me on this blog. This fall, I'm trying to catch up on some great reads I learned about from my recent visit at the CLA Conference and also from my library's YA Meet and Greet.

Here's a few covers I'm interested in reading... What are you reading this fall? Comment below...

Create a Frankenstein for Halloween

Hi Friends!
I found a super cute Frankenstein craft. There is a lot of pre-cutting needed but if you have older teens or volunteers at your school or library ... this is a great project for them.  The template is located here: http://fromabcstoacts.com/frankenstein-sun-catcher.
I made the craft more cost effective by not using contact paper. This will create a sturdy Frankenstein instead of a suncatcher. You can take the green paper away so that light flows in, just keep in mind that it may be harder for little ones to glue the pieces this way.

Here's what you need;
-  Green tissue paper
-  Glue and Black Crayons
-  Black and White Cardstock
-  Printer

Directions: 
Pre-cut the green tissue paper into 1-inch squares. Various shades of green are fine.
Print out the template and begin gluing the squares to the frame of Frankenstein boxed shaped head.
Carefully attached the squares line per line. Similar to how you would add fringe to a pinata.
Glue eyes, bolts, eyebrows etc...
Draw some scars and a smile for scary fun!

The Flipside by Shawn Johnson

This book, written by Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson was absolutely fabulous. Charlie, is a championship winning gymnast who also uniquely attends public school. As she juggles both worlds, she has made an earlier decision to keep both lives a secret from some of her closest friends. Although, her best friend Gwen and family warn her that these two worlds might collide one day... Charlie decides to take some risks that almost end up costing her everything she has worked so hard for. Mix in a cute boy, his snide ex-girlfriend, friendship issues, and behind the scenes gymnast issues for a "hard to put down" teen book. Teens and readers should take a look at Shawn Johnson website for more fun and some interesting YouTube videos that tell about some of her struggles. What a great role model for teens and young adults!