Great books for Moms

Hello all! Happy Memorial Weekend. The weather will be wonky this lovely three day weekend, so what a great time to catch up on reading for us women- whether we are moms, aunties, single or the like... married without children. You can read by the pool or indoors when the rain comes down on Sunday
( according to Dallas Rains aka So. Cal's Weather Dude).

 Here are a few of the picks on my list for adults... Some older teens may enjoy these books also! 🙋

Teen Summer Reading

Can you believe it's almost Memorial Weekend? In California, that means it is time for sun, surf, sand and summer reading!
I've been listening to a fantastic teen audio book titled Rules of Summer, by Joanna Philbin. The perfect summer read about a teen named Rory who escapes to work for The Rule Family, an elite family who lives near the Hamptons. What I love about this story, is that it gives the perspective of two different teens; one working as an assistant who doesn't come from much and the other a spoiled rich girl, who is part of the Rule family and has been in plenty of trouble and is about to stir up more. Both delve into steamy summer romances but can the two teens live under the same roof in peace?
This author has written multiple summer themed books that you should check out.
Make sure you take advantage of your summer reading program at multiple libraries throughout the nation. You can win prizes, free books, and enjoy free movies as well. Most programs start in June.

Rules of Summer- Book One 

Happy reading!

Mad Hatter Tea Party Library Program

As most of you know, we threw an amazing Mad Hatter Tea Party with the help of our creative part-time staff. Our library program was a success!

Here's the agenda
1. Children listened to the picture book version of Alice in Wonderland
2. I then printed out pictures on cardstock beforehand and shared information about the author, Lewis Carroll, how Walt Disney was inspired to create the movie Alice in Wonderland, and small tidbits about the ride at Disneyland.
3. Children were asked to make a house with playing cards at four different tables in groups. * This proved to be a little difficult as the table cloths were slippery. This activity would be better on the carpet with older kids.
4. We then created our Mad Hatter hats out of paper, felt, feathers, and random stickers.
5. Children played a Red Queen tossing game and could take their picture with our lovely Chesire Cat as a backdrop.
Everyone had a great time. Comment below if you have questions or would like to see more.


#madhatterteaparty
#childrensbooks
#aliceinwonderland

See You on a Starry Night by Lisa Schroeder - Tween Book Review

I've read many books by tween and teen author Schroeder and this one didn't disappoint. This is a great title for young teens that are dealing with divorce for the first time and navigating the waters of moving to a new school or town.
The main character Juliet has recently moved to San Diego, after her parents recent divorce. She still has time to adjust and relax before school starts up again. She meets a quirky friendly gal named Emma who suggest they send a message in a bottle across the ocean to see who will answer. They are surprised that this individual wants to start a club based on making wishes happen for people in need. Juliet soon discovers that she too has wishes to still strive for and things to overcome as she deals with her new beginning in a new town. Schroeder's writing is poetic, entertaining, and detailed. The series will continue in her upcoming book, "Wish on All The Stars," which will be released in July 2019! We can't wait!

Photo by: Lisa Schroeder

Free audio books

The other day, I was having a conversation with a young mother about audio books and was surprised to hear that her family pays for them through Amazon and other online forums. Did you know that your local library has FREE audio books and e-books for children, teens and tweens? Yes, of course you may have to hold popular titles ( and wait a bit for them to arrive) but the great thing about this is that you get an email when the book is available and you don't have to return them... they return themselves! Oh and did I mention... it's free!!!
A couple of things to remember:
1. You should have a library card from your local library in good standing. 
2. Usually you have to download a free app like Overdrive or something similar
3. Books can take up a lot of your phone's memory, so instead of downloading them use the read in browser feature. 
Have fun! Comment below if you have any questions!

How to throw an Easter Egg Hunt at a Library

Hello all... we just finished an amazing egg hunt with about 458 guests at our library. Decorations were made by our talented part time staff, Mari, Kayla, Lesley, Leslie, and our volunteers assisted with the painting.
We ran four different rounds with four different age groups... Did we have enough eggs? No. However to minimize, we did an egg exchange where kids could exchange two eggs for candy ( lets not do chocolate next time; it melts) and one egg for a pencil, eraser, sticker or ice cream.
The kids had a good time with a few that didn't get eggs, so we just handed them something small like a sticker as a fill in prize.
Next year... I think we need to do sign-ups. LOL
Happy Wednesday everyone.
Questions? Comment below

Friday Funday!

Hooray! It's Friday. My favorite day of the week. Well, at least when I have Saturday off it is. I just completed a class visit, and have begun gearing up for an upcoming Mad Hatter's Tea Party happening in late April. I just wanted to share my paper tea cups with you and this fun picture book based on Lewis Carroll's  "Alice in Wonderland." What sort of things are you planning in your classrooms or libraries? Comment below.

Books I Want to Read and Review

Hello! Happy Tuesday everyone! There are a few books that have been popping up in my feeds that I am eager to read. Many of them are for older teens and some are at the middle grade level... Tell me what you're reading and comment below.
Here are a few of the well done covers from my picks of the month. Oh, and did I say...COMMENT and let me know what you're reading? Well! Do it...

Lucky by Rachel Vail

This is a book that has been out for sometime, but is still noteworthy and fresh. Rachel Vail writes a fantastic middle school story about what it is like to have everything you could want and more, only to then suddenly have your world rattled. Our main character Phoebe is planning an elaborate graduation party with a group of her popular rich friends, when suddenly her mom loses her job and Phoebe struggles to put up with a happy face that everyone always expects from her. With the help of her sisters, her friends, and some inner strength... she learns the true meaning of what money can't buy. Will it cost her friendship? Will it cost her love? Or will it be one of the toughest lessons she will ever have to learn? Read up to find out. 
This is book one of the Avery Sisters... I just might read the rest. Comment below!

A great book for middle schoolers and young teens.

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.