Recent Reads for May 18

Belle Prater's Boy

Set in small town Virginia, this is a heartbreaking and remarkable read of loss and family.



Jamestown 1607

This is a good overview of the Jamestown settlement, but it didn't engage me, for some reason.



Empire State Building

Now, this is a pretty cool read. As you can guess, it's about the incredible construction of the ESB. The pictures of the workers casually balancing themselves are unbelievable! I didn't know that the construction of the building inspired such hopeful pride in Depression-era New Yorkers.



Cowboy: An Album

A great read for young buckaroos interested in the cowboy lifestyle. They'll quickly learn that it wasn't all fun and games; it was often a lonely and dangerous lifestyle.



Inside the Alamo

Having lived in Texas for two years (and still able to recite the Pledge to the Texas Flag that everyone said at school events and meetings), I thought I knew quite a bit about Texas history. Inside the Alamo, crammed with amazing details and illustrations, proved me wrong!

Middle of the Week Roundup

(Rummages through book bag)

Oh, yes. Won't you try these on for size?



Tap Dancing on the Roof

Everyone's heard of haiku, but sijo? What's that? Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park explains it all for you in Tap Dancing on the Roof. Sijo are Korean poems that have an unexpected twist at the end of the poem. If you're looking for creative writing ideas for your classroom/writing group/etc, pick this one up.



Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

Walter Dean Myers undoubtedly drew upon his Vietnam War experience while writing this striking poem about a soldier in the midst of the Vietnam War.

The Way I Feel-Sometimes

Beatrice Schenk de Regniers artfully captures the many emotions and situations children face in everyday life. Delightful.



Don't Forget Your Etiquette

Etiquette rules turned upside down! Not for the prim and proper among us.



What is Goodbye?

And now for something completely different....What is Goodbye is a heartbreaking story (in poems) of a sister and brother dealing with the devastating loss of a beloved older brother. Nikki Grimes consulted with child psychologists and experts in child bereavement while writing this, so the emotions and actions of the family are true and realistic. The book ends on a tender and uplifting moment one year after the tragedy, when the family gathers for a new family portrait. A true treasure of a read.

Happy Birthday, Fauquier County!

It's a big weekend for Fauquier County. We had today's parade (narrated by Willard Scott)and activities in honor of the 250th anniversary, and tomorrow is Gold Cup!



Speaking of Fauquier County history....you really should read Annie Between the States. It's a terrific YA Civil War novel set in and around Fauquier County (mostly Upperville and Warrenton).



I recently read Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. No one has it checked out right now, and I want to change that! It's a beautiful and heartbreaking (but uplifting and inspiring) story of 13 women who trained with the NASA program in its infancy, but were denied the opportunity to go into space. The majority of the book is centered around Jerrie Cobb (the lady in the upper right hand corner of the book), who is probably one of the most fascinating women I've learned about in recent years. It's not a perfect book, of course, but pretty amazing.