Booktalking 2.0: Books for 4th and 5th graders

It is finally time to complete one of my favorite series of posts, my second series of grade level booktalk suggestions. It is always a pleasure to share books I've loved with the kids I hope will grow to love them too.

Here are the books I recommended to 4th and 5th graders this year:

 

For 4th graders:

The 14th Goldfish by Jennifer Holm: A girl named Ellie must deal with her scientist grandfather being turned into a teenager. The idea of an old man in a teenager's body holds definite kid appeal, and it is a very well written book. It is also a great example of science fiction, and of girls demonstrating a love for science.

Eat your Science Homework: Recipes for Inquiring Minds by Anne McCallum: This title fit the need for nonfiction title I thought kids this age would enjoy reading. It ties together food and science, two perennially kid approved topics.

Maryellen series by Valerie Tripp and Melody series by Denise Lewis Patrick: These new additions to the American Girl books allowed me to promote my library's popular American Girl Club.

For 5th graders:

VIP: I'm With The Band by Jen Calonita: Mac gets to live every teen's dream, going on the road with her favorite band. I like the humor in the book as well as the comic book elements that are included throughout.

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm: Sunny's family is going through a lot with her brother. To get her away from the situation she is sent to spend the summer with her grandfather in his Florida retirement community. While reading about Sunny's adventures in this community we slowly learn about her brother's behavior and drug abuse. This graphic novel treats a difficult subject matter in a way that makes it easy for kids to understand and enjoyable to read.

I Funny TV by James Patterson: Jamie's latest adventure involves creating a TV show based on his life. The behind the scenes drama is pretty funny, as the title suggests. Patterson's tween series continue to be extremely popular among kids in my community.

 

For both grades: 

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan: This Newbery Honor winner was one of my favorite books of 2015. It will appeal to fans of historical fiction as well as fantasy lovers, and has a ending that just leaves you feeling happy. It is especially terrific as an audiobook.

Voyagers series by multiple authors: The premise of this science fiction series is that kids are sent to space to retrieve a much needed new energy source for Earth. The kids I talked to loved the concept of going to space, and seemed eager to volunteer themselves if the need ever arose.


I hope these titles will come in handy to anyone suggesting books for this age group. For more suggestions see last year's booktalks for fourth and fifth graders. If you have additional recommendations I would love to hear them too. I'm already looking forward to posting about booktalking again next year!

Booktalking 2.0: Books for 2nd and 3rd graders

It has been a few months since I've last shared a post about my booktalks, so I figured it was about time. I am still enjoying visiting my local schools as much as ever. The recognition as kids come visit me in the library is also pretty much the best feeling in the world. It basically makes me want to jump for joy.

Here are the books I booktalked to 2nd and 3rd graders this year:

 

Books for 2nd graders: 

How to swallow a pig by Steve Jenkins: I continued to booktalk this nonfiction book that I previous used with the younger grades. They were also appropriately impressed and disgusted by the animal talents it details.

The Tale of Rescue by Micheal Rosen: A fictionalized version of a true story, this short chapter book is about a dog who rescues a family trapped in a snowstorm. Dogs are a perennial kid favorite, and an element of danger to talk up is always a plus. This one also filled a need for a shorter chapter book in my selections.

Frog and Friends Celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve by Eve Bunting: It was still the middle of the holiday season when I talked with this age group, so I continued to feature this seasonal beginning reader.

Books for 3rd graders:

Markus "Notch" Persson: Creator of Minecraft by Tamra Orr: The popularity of Minecraft in my community still hasn't waned, and the kids were thrilled to realize that there are books written about the creator's life. Including a biography also provides a little introduction to the genre before they are required to read them for a school report.

The Secret Cookie Club by Martha Freeman: Anyone looking for something similar to "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" for kids need look no further. After spending a summer at camp, four friends decide to stay close by sending each other cookies throughout the school year.  You get to see each girl's problems and perspective throughout the book and it definitely is a good representation of realistic fiction.

Maryellen series by Valerie Tripp (American Girl series): A new American Girl character seemed the perfect opportunity to bring in her book and promote my library's American Girl Club programs.

Books shared with both grades:

Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka: This favorite of mine was once again my read aloud pick for these visits. The first chapter is hilarious and has great kid appeal because it involves threats, name calling and the menacing Black Knight. It is always great to introduce new kids to a series that has been around a while, and this is a worthy choice for librarians and teachers looking to do so.

Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon: I always like to include books with strong female characters in my booktalks and this title definitely fit the bill. It is the first in the "Harriet Hamster Princess" series and details how Harriet grows up with a curse by an evil witch. The curse is meant to make her fall asleep forever at age 12, but backfires and renders her invincible in the meantime. She takes advantages of this as any Hamster Princess would do, by taking up cliff jumping and monster fighting.


Hopefully these titles will come in handy if you are booktalking or choosing books to read with kids. For more suggestions for this age group see last year's booktalks for second and third graders. I'll be updating you with my selections for fourth and fifth graders as soon as I complete a few last school visits. Thanks for reading!

Booktalking 2.0: Books for Kindergartners and 1st graders

I truly enjoyed sharing the books I promoted at two of my local schools during the last school year. I have been back at it again, so I figured I'd start a new series of posts to cover this year's books. Because the schools have been so accommodating, the booktalking visits have been speeding along at a little faster pace than last year. The pace has been fast enough that I should be able to update you all two grades at a time. Without further ado, here are the books I shared with Kindergartners and 1st graders.

Books for Kindergartners:

• Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio: This picture book chronicles the rise to fame of Bacon (the main character and "hero"). I like the retro style illustrations and the humor in the story. I am also all for anthropomorphizing food.
• I'm Cool by Kate McMullan: A picture book on about a Zamboni seemed like it would have natural kid appeal, especially in a town so close to Detroit (aka "Hockeytown"). Vehicles and sports are always a winning combination. 
• The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton: I wanted to include a picture book with a strong female character and this one about a warrior named Princess Pinecone fit the bill. As an added bonus it mentions farting. The first few pages made for a great read aloud; her big battle beginning was a natural cliffhanger.

Books for 1st graders:

• Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka: Jon Scieszka is one of my all time favorite authors, and this is the first in his "Time Warp Trio" series. I wanted to include something on the upper end of the difficulty spectrum for first graders and this seemed like it would work perfectly. Comparisons to the popular "Magic Tree House" series seemed fitting, because both involve time travel. The first chapter of this book was my read aloud selection for this age group. It involves the characters being threatened by the Black Knight and definitely grabbed the kids' attention!
• Don't throw it to Mo! by David Adler: This beginning reader is about a boy named Mo who loves playing football but isn't all that skilled at it. It also has a diverse main character, which I try to include in my booktalks as much as possible.
• Frog and Friends celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve by Eve Bunting: I've shared "Frog and Friends" books in previous booktalks with first grade because it seems to fit well from a difficulty standpoint. With the holiday season approaching I figured this latest addition to the series would be a good choice.

Books shared with both grades:

• We're in the wrong book! by Richard Byrne: Bella and Ben get bounced out of their story and into a variety of others. The tie ins to other stories (such as Red Riding Hood) make this a picture book with pretty broad appeal. 
• I really like slop! by Mo Willems: I love all things "Elephant and Piggie" so I am always happy to share a new one as part of my booktalks. The gross out factor of slop was definitely a point in this book's favor.
• How to swallow a pig by Steve Jenkins: This was my nonfiction selection for both grades. Animals are always a popular subject, and the kids seemed appropriately awed that a snake could swallow a pig whole. 

As usual, I've tried to include a range of difficulty levels and topics in my booktalks. I've also tried to include both fiction and nonfiction, and stick with newer titles as much as possible. Six books works well to fill my 15 minute visits to each class.

I hope these titles are of help for other librarians planning book talks, and anyone looking for book suggestions for this age group! I will be updating you on the titles I chose for 2nd and 3rd graders as soon as possible. 

Booktalks with Fifth Graders: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

This school year's adventures in booktalking have come to an end for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed these visits, and will definitely miss doing them in April. By the time my scheduled summer reading visits take place in May I will be more than ready to get back into the schools.

In case you've missed any of my previous booktalking posts, here are the links. Each post contains the books I recommended for each grade, as well as tips and tricks about doing booktalks for that grade.

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade
• Fourth Grade

Here are the books I promoted to our fifth graders:

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein: Kyle Keeley and his friends must solve the clues and find their way out of Mr. Lemoncello's state of the art library. I figured mystery loving kids might particularly enjoy it.

Frank Einstein and the Anti-Matter Motor by Jon Scieszka: Kids that love science would definitely love this one. As mentioned in previous posts, this has a great introduction for reading aloud.

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett: The humor appeal of this title can't be overstated. It tells the story of what happens when two "prank kings" meet up. I told the kids that if they liked pranks they would like this one.  

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: This is one of my all time favorite animal stories. It is told from the perspective of Ivan the gorilla, who lives in captivity in a mall exhibit. When a new baby elephant is brought to the exhibit Ivan starts to see his life a little differently.

El Deafo by Cece Bell: El Deafo recently won the Newbery Honor, and for good reason. It is the story of the author's life after losing her hearing at a young age. It is just an all around terrific graphic novel, one that would appeal to so many types of children. I found the most interesting fact to kids is that Cece's phonic ear would allow her to hear her teacher using the bathroom.

Kate the Great (except when she's not) by Suzy Becker: As I did with the fourth graders, I included this one as a read alike for "Wimpy Kid" and "Dork Diaries".


Tips and Tricks:

• One of my favorite things to do with older kids is promote those "secret" library services that many might not know about. For instance, some were shocked to hear they could place a hold on a book while it is still on order.
• When discussing library resources get the "We've got books!" message out of the way as soon as possible. I did this by asking each class to tell me all at once the first thing they thought of when they thought of the library. Every class answered "books", and then I could move on to some of our other resources before discussing each individual title.
• Find one funny or interesting element about each title to point out in your booktalks. This will probably be the thing most of the kids will remember when looking for that book. 

All in all this series of booktalks has been such a great experience. I'm looking forward to it being part of my yearly routine for a long time to come. If you have any other book suggestions or tips feel free to share them!

Booktalks with Fourth Graders: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

The school year has been flying by, and I've been continuing by monthly booktalking visits at my local schools. It has been such a fun way to build a love of reading within my community, as well as inform kids of all the library has to offer.

 In case you've missed it here are links to my previous posts about my booktalks. Each post contains the books I recommended for each grade, as well as tips and tricks about doing booktalks:

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade

Booktalks with fourth graders were in the works during February, but took a little longer to accomplish due to snow day cancellations. They have finally been completed, so I wanted to share my book suggestions and what I have learned.

Here are the books I promoted to the fourth graders: 

Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrick Henry Bass: Zombies are a big part of the appeal of this one. It is short and at the lower end of the reading level spectrum for this age group.

Frank Einstein and the Anti Matter Motor by Jon Scieszka: This one is pretty right on reading level wise for most fourth graders. I will probably never get tired of reading the introduction of this one aloud. The kids seem to enjoy it as well!

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett: A prankster named Miles meets the prank king of his new school. It is very funny, which is always a big plus. The kids were especially excited to learn that the pranksters succeed at pranking their principal.

Grace/Grace Stirs it Up by Mary Casanova: The American girl brand still holds a lot of weight with this age group. Including this one also gave me an opportunity to promote our library's Meet Grace event.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein: Kyle and his friends get to stay the night in the game maker Mr. Lemoncello's brand new library. They end up having to solve clues and find their way out. This book is worth including based solely on how awesome the library is.

Kate the Great (except when she's not) by Suzy Becker: This book is a great read alike for the ever popular "Wimpy Kid" and "Dork Diaries" series.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is a great age to promote any databases your library provides access to. Tweens are starting to write more difficult research reports and can always use more reliable sources.
• Use the popularity of certain series to your advantage by providing readalikes. It gives kids an easy point of reference and can immediately turn a book they've never heard of into a "must read". This is a big reason I included "Kate the Great".
• It may seem obvious, but make sure to provide program related handouts that apply to all ages. I make a single handout every month that covers all elementary ages. You never know which kids have younger or older siblings! 

I am currently in the process of visiting fifth grade classes, which will be my last booktalk visits of the school year. Can't wait to update you all!

Booktalks with Third Graders: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

A new month means a new post about the booktalks I am doing at my local schools!

So far I have been very pleased with the results of these visits. As the year goes on, I find the school/library connections I am making are getting stronger. I also have had many children come to the library and tell me they saw me at their school. Quite of few of them have been asking about the books I've promoted. I'm hoping that this is a sign that my love of reading is wearing off on them!

In case you've missed it here are links to my previous posts about my booktalks. Each post contains the books I recommended for each grade, as well as tips and tricks about doing booktalks:

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade

Here are the books I promoted to the third graders:

Cronus and the Threads of Dread by Joan Holub: Holub's "Heroes in Training" series is on the easier end of the spectrum for this age. I like to make sure I include a variety of reading levels for each grade and this one provided a much needed simpler title.

Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrick Henry Bass: This title has an African American main character, which adds a little welcome diversity to my selections. It also includes zombies, which are a perrenial kid favorite.

Amber Brown Horses Around by Bruce Coville: I try to include at least a few different genres at each school visit, and I figured this entry in the "Amber Brown" series would be a good example of contemporary realistic fiction.

Beforever series (multiple authors): This new "choose your own adventure" series from American Girl gave me an opportunity to promote our library's American Girl Club. There is one book for each of the original American Girls.

Frank Einstein and the Anti Matter Motor by Jon Scieszka: Jon Scieszka is one of my favorites and this is the first entry in his new series. Frank Einstein, kid genius, is trying to win the science fair and get money to save his Grandpa Al's store. The climax of the story is written as a cliffhanger in the book's introduction and makes a great read aloud.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is a great age to start promoting any of your library's digital offerings. We recently started lending music through Freegal and I got a great response from all the third grade classes when I mentioned it. Especially following the holidays it seemed especially relevant: when I asked who had iPods almost every kid raised their hands.
• Genres become more identifiable as you get into chapter books.This makes it a good idea to include a variety of genres in booktalks for upper elementary grades.
• As much as I hate to label books, at this age "boy" and "girl" books can be a little polarizing. This was as especially clear in the reactions of some of the boys when I mentioned American Girl. For the sake of balance I tried to include a mix of both.

I hope these suggestions, tips and tricks come in handy. As always any comments, questions or book suggestions are welcome!

Booktalks with 2nd graders: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

After previous visits where I booktalked to kindergartners and 1st graders, this month I got to visit the second grade classes at my local schools. These booktalks have become one of my favorite services to provide. I love making connections with my local schools, and of course discussing books with kids of all ages.

Here are the books I promoted at this visit:

Frog's Lucky Day by Eve Bunting: "Frog and Friends" is one of my favorite longer beginning reader series, so I had to include it. This is also one I included in my visit to the first graders last month.

Cronus and the Threads of Dread by Joan Holub: I really like the "Heroes in Training" series because it taps into the popularity of Greek Mythology. In addition to the "Percy Jackson" factor, the prologue I read to the kids included the word "underwear". Instant crowd pleaser for this age group!

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo: It is always great to be able to include a series starting book, especially among other books that fall later in their series. This book is about a friend of Mercy Watson's named Leroy and his horse Maybelline. It is the first in the "Tales of Deckawoo Drive" series.

Amelia Bedelia Shapes Up by Herman Parish: I wanted to include an early chapter book with a familiar character and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieska: A picture book seemed to be in need to fill out the range of reading levels among early elementary kids. This one is a little sophisticated for the younger kids, but seemed to work very well with this age group. I explained the concept of the book and read a few pages, which the kids seemed to find absolutely hilarious. 

Tips and Tricks: 

• Reading levels vary widely, especially among this age group. This means a particular book can work well with multiple grade levels. That's why  I've reused some titles with more than one grade.
• Humor is always important. See my above reference to "underwear".
• Books with familiar characters make great candidates for school booktalks because the kids already have background knowledge about these characters and their stories.
• This is a great age to start polling kids about the kind of books they would like to see at the library. They can provide great suggestions and help give you a feel for any gaps in your collection. 

In the new year I am visiting the third graders. If you have any book suggestions for that age I would love to hear them!

Booktalks with 1st Graders: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

Last  month I gave a series of booktalks to kindergarten classes in my local schools. This month it is the 1st graders' turn. My goal for these school visits is to promote the library and reading at all grade levels.

Here are the books I promoted at my school visits:

Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems: In the latest additon to Mo Willem's "Elephant and Piggie" series, Piggie has a surprise for Elephant. The catch is that Elephant must wait for it. I included this one for two reasons. 1. Mo Willems is awesome. 2. I wanted to use the opportunity to promote my newly rescheduled "Elephant and Piggie" party at the library.

Frog's Lucky Day by Eve Bunting: I love the "Frog and Friends" series by Eve Bunting and wanted to include a longer beginning reader in my visit with this age group. I would definitely say this book is on the upper spectrum of what first graders are usually reading. Frog and his friends must search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and also must prevent a fisherman from fishing at Frog's pond.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Turn the Page by Cynthia Rylant: Mr Putter and his cat Tabby visit storytime at the library. This is also a beginning reader with multiple short chapters. The library connection was a big plus for this one.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox: I wanted to include a nonfiction title, and thought this one would interest the kids. It is a true story of a 1,500 pound elephant seal who liked to sunbath on the road in New Zealand. The kids seemed to love speculating what happened when Elizabeth was returned to the ocean.

The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham: As a picture book suggestion I included this story of a girl who finds a door to the zoo in her bedroom.

Tap by Play by Salina Yoon: Readers must assist a creature named Blip in his quest to win the game before the time is up. A very interactive and entertaining picture book. It appeared to be the favorite of many of the kids.

Tips and Tricks:

• 15 minutes definitely remains the magical time period. 5-6 seems to be the magical number of books that can easily fit into this time frame.
• For series books, make sure to give a quick summary of what the series is about before introducing an individual titles. The kids in the classes I went to ranged widely in which beginning reader series they had read.
• Fun and interactivity remains key with this age group. Very glad I included "Tap to Play" because it fits both these criteria extremely well.

Next month I will be booktalking to the second graders. Any great books you can recommend?

Booktalks with Kindergartners: Book Suggestions, Tips and Tricks

Inspired by this post by Abby Johnson at Abby the Librarian I recently started a series of booktalks at local schools. My goal is to visit each of the two schools closest to my library once a month. Each month I will visit a different grade. The plan is to have each visit done in about an hour (15 minutes per class). I figured I'd start things off the kindergarten classes, because they are so cute.

It was pretty easy to prepare for these booktalks. I started by raiding our new picture book shelves and picking some of my favorite books. I did a different grouping of six books for each school, mainly because I wanted to allow the first class the chance to rush on over to the library after school and check them out. With older classes the prep of reading the books might become a bit too much to do this, but it worked well with picture books.

Here are the books I chose: 

• Draw by Raul Colon: Mainly chosen because I wanted to show the kids an example of a wordless book.
  
• My New Friend is So Fun! by Mo Willems: I have an Elephant and Piggie Party coming up, so I definitely wanted to bring along a book in the series as a tie in. Plus Mo Willems is one of my absolute favorites.
• Dog Days of School by Kelly DiPucchio: I figured a school related theme would work well with kids in their first few months of elementary school.
• My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown: Another book chosen because of the school tie in.
• Creature Features by Robin Page: I wanted to make sure to include some nonfiction, and love the illustrations of this one.
• Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton: It features a destructive dinosaur, so I knew it was going to be a kid pleaser.
• Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border: Cute book about Peanut Butter searching for a best friend (SPOILER ALERT: It's Jelly!). The kids all thought his best friend would be cupcake, so the title turned out to be a little misleading.
• Circle, Square, Moose by Kelly Bingham: I love metafiction, and this is a great example.
• Froodle by Antoinette Portis: A celebration of a unique bird who doesn't go along with the flock. It deals with animal sounds, so there is also lots of room for kids' participation.
• Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems: Another Elephant and Piggie Book included primarily for the purpose of plugging an upcoming program.
• The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak: This is the ULTIMATE read aloud for this age group. The kids expected a boring book and got me saying words like "Boo Boo Butt!"  Read the beginning of this one at both schools and the kids thought it was hilarious!
                                                                                      

Tips and Tricks:

• This may seem obvious, but make sure to provide handouts listing the books you told the kids about! This is especially important with little ones who might not remember the titles to tell moms and dads.
• Remind the kids that the books you are sharing are not ones they can take home from school that day. Definitely an area of possible confusion with this age group!
• Keep it short and simple. Abby is absolutely right that "15 minutes" is a magic phrase.
• Provide a brief review of library resources, because there will also be some kids who aren't familiar with all we lend. I was actually surprised how many kids at both schools seemed wowed at the mention that we lend movies, CDs, puppets, etc. 

I am so glad I started this series of book talks. I had a lot of fun with the kindergartners, and I think they did too. I've already gotten feedback from one parents that their daughter "dragged them to the library to checkout the whole list of books." I am counting that as a success!

First grade booktalks are coming up in a few weeks. Definitely open to any book suggestions or advice. As usual you can reach me here in the comments, by email at marrak at libcoop dot net, or on Twitter (@MsKellyTweets).