Spring Break Fever! Comment below

It's Spring Break! And you know what that means? Time to hit the beach, park, or somewhere fun with a great book and lemonade in hand. If you live in Cali. the weather is fine and the books are in line. There's my attempt at a rhyme, lol!
Comment below what your teen or tween is reading this spring or any moms out there who care to share... tell us too!

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

This was a well written read by Meg Medina that is perfect for 4-5th graders. Younger readers might enjoy it as a read aloud, however the serious topic of Alzheimer's Disease will need to be touched upon. I enjoyed the character Merci very much. Merci is finding herself with new school challenges and learning how to cope with mean Edna, as she learns of something very serious happening with her grandfather.Understanding her role in the family is something she struggles with and is very relateable.  She has spunk very similar to Ramona Quimby and loves her family dearly. Medina is a very skilled children's author who is descriptive in her word choice and entertaining at best.

Your Tween or Teen Doesn't Like to Read?

Hello parents and friends,
Lately I have been hearing from several patrons that their child just isn't interested in reading. This is hard for me to hear, especially since as a young girl, I often had my nose in a book. Sometimes it was a book, I was not supposed to be reading. My older sister Jacque often had a Harlequinn romance novel or the title, "Elvis and Me," on her nightstand and the ever curious child, I would take a look.
My mom never discouraged this completely, she would just say... "You're too young to read that book." Parents, you can make the judgement call on this, but be aware... wouldn't you rather have then see it in a book then actual live it or watch it on television?
Here are a few tips for those of you with teens/tweens who do not like to read:

1. Ask your child what movies they like and select a book similar to this movie. You can also select the movie adaptation of a book they are wanting to see.

2. Have the child choose their own books. Pick four or five books that you know are their reading level and let them have at it. Insisting that they must choose one.

3. Take your child to a local bookstore. Make a day of it! Barnes and Noble and other small chain bookstores often have a small cafe inside. Snack on a cookie or sip on a fresh lemonade while browsing for books.

4. Ask your friendly librarian!

5. Comment on this post for some suggestions.

Here are some of my favorites for reluctant readers of all ages: 

1. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick; Grades 4-7

2. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous; Grades 9-12 * Parental advisement on this one for content! 

3. I, Funny by Patterson; Grades 4-8th

4. If I Were You by Leslie Margolis; Grades 5-6th.

5. And of course the tried and true, Captain Underpants, Rainbow Magic Fairies, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
COMMENT BELOW FOR IDEAS AND THOUGHTS!

St. Patrick's Day School Age Craft and Storytime

Top of the mornin' to ya! We are gearing up for St. Patty's Day early and I have a fun easy craft for you to host with children ages 4 and up. Read stories such as:
The Story of the Leprechaun by Katherine Tegen
The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School by Laura Murray

You can create a fun cut out leprechaun as well.
For this craft aka art activity, I found a leprechaun template online, pasted him to green cardstock and will be adding small strips to the bottom with crepe paper in various colors: red, blue, green, yellow to create a windsock effect with tape attached to the back of the leprechaun.
* You can find the template here:
https://www.turrtle.com/leprechaun-template-printable/

I also found a template on Pinterest, "What's Your Leprechaun Name?" 
You can ask kids to take a look at the first letter of their name and birth month, according to the chart to create their leprechaun name. My name happens to be Ruxbin O'Wee!



Enjoy and comment below if you have questions
#stpattysday #leprechauncrafts #LauraMurray #KatherineTeganbooks #StPatricksdaycrafts

What am I reading this March and why you should care?

March is here, can you believe it? The weather is still cold and rainy, so what a perfect time to head to your local bookstore with a coffee and shop for books. Or.... perhaps you would prefer sitting at home, curled up with books you borrowed for free at the library. Well here are a few fun titles to try this month whatever your  preference may be.:

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Award Winning Author Meg Medina for tweens
The audio book is great by the way! 

Past Perfect by editor queen Leila Sales for grades 8-12

29 Dates by Award Winning Teen Author Melissa de la Cruz for older teens

Why should you care? Comment on this post, subscribe to my blog, and you will be entered into a contest to receive a free book!

"Someone to Love" by Melissa de la Cruz

Olivia, or Liv, as most of her friends call her, has a secret that she has been keeping. Tired of living as the daughter of a high profile politician, she tries to gain control of her life as she slips into the dark world of bulimia. Olivia is a true talented artist, who would love to attend art school even though she knows her father is opposed to it. She begins hanging out with a young actor and soon the two start dating, but Zack turns out not to be the "picture perfect," boy that she thought he was. As her eating disorder spirals out of control, Liv must learn to take control of her life or lean on those who truly care for her.

An important read for those who suffer bulimia, the author Melissa de la Cruz writes a powerful book for teens.

"If I Were You" by Leslie Margolis

     This is a fantastic middle school read that will take you soaring through the life of two young girls that are happy on the outside, yet yearning to be someone else on the inside.
The author depicts this "Freaky Friday," switch between two best friends in a detailed and entertaining perspective.
      Melody and Katie are two best friends who are at each other's throats. They think each girl has the best life and long to be on the other side of the fence. Both learn a lesson on  how the grass is not always greener on the other side. They magically switch bodies and soon delve into one another's relationships, family life, and deepest fears.
     Melody is beautiful but has trouble sticking up for herself; while Katie considers herself to be "plain but cute," with a permanent job of always babysitting her twin siblings for free. Each girl has to learn on living in  their best friend's world, while also working up the courage to mend their broken friendship. They must grow individually, within their own right and take a look at how they are making things hard on themselves.
This is a super insightful read for young teens. Margolis is fantastic!

"Ghosted" by Leslie Margolis

Leslie Margolis did a fantastic job with her book "Ghosted." This modern twist on Dickens, A Christmas Carol is sure to have middle school readers entertained and turning pages. Thirteen year old Ellie Charles, the main character seems to have her "mean-girl" persona up to par until she falls in the middle school gym right before her big winter dance. She travels back in time, explores the present and gets a peek of the future while being accompanied by a familiar yet unknown ghost. Will Ellie be able to change her awful self in time to change the future ? A must read for middle schoolers and fans of Meangirls everywhere.

DIY Gingerbread Display

Happy holidays everyone! I currently created a holiday book display with foam board gingerbread men and candy created with paper plates and cellophane. My lovely page Ariel created the gingerbread men with paint, foam board, and small paper bowls that she painted along with rope.
We displayed Christmas books from our holiday children's collection so that patrons can check out our collection. Inbox or comment here if you have any questions about the display!

"Front Desk" by Yang

This book for older elementary students was a great read. If follows the life of Mia, a young Chinese immigrant who moves to the U.S with her parents in hopes of gaining the American Dream; to be successful and free. Mia's parents work at a hotel in Anaheim, California and speak very little English. This leaves Mia to run the front desk and deal with crazy customers, a mean and stingy boss, and a boy her age named Jason, the hotel owner's son who loves to make life miserable for Mia and her parents. As we read along with her journey, we soon learn that Mia's perseverance helps her gain insight and help those around her.
This was a great easy read, however I did find that the ending seemed a bit unrealistic and rushed.
I think older elementary students will still enjoy it and it will help them be more understanding of people who are less like them.

Unicorns Dragons and Books Program

Today at the East Los Angeles Library, I hosted a Unicorn and Dragon themed storytime. The following books were read aloud:
Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey
Not Quite Narwhal by Jessica Sima
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
On display:
Dragon Nibblesome Knight by Woollard
Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Rubin
Creatures of Fantasy: Unicorns by Hinds

The plan:
Introduce unicorns to the crowd and explain where the mythological stories came from and how other creatures like narwhals have horns too.
I also printed out pictures of famous unicorns like, "The Last Unicorn," and the unicorn depicted in the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie.

I also did a felt board: Unicorn, unicorn what do you see?
- I simply glued a yellow horn to my horse felt puppet and added in the other Brown Bear, brown bear animals.

We created two different art activities... a paper bag unicorn with colored paper and a streamer rainbow tail, and a green paper dragon with simple paper and crayons.