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| In This Issue
| - Back to the Books - New Books for the School Year
- Organizing My Classroom Library
| - A Paranormal Book for Boys
- Review of Mirror Mirror
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| Last week I was walking through the store and there, in the seasonal section, were the school supplies! My first thought was, “No, it’s too early for that.” But then I realized, it is the middle of July and time to start getting excited about going back to school! I started to look forward to the familiar scent of freshly sharpened pencils mixed with disinfectant and the clean white notebooks just begging to be filled with students’ thoughts and ideas. Even though I am no longer a teacher, I still love shopping for school supplies. In honor of all of the teachers preparing for the 2012-2013 school year, we dedicate this issue to you. We offer suggestions on terrific new books and ideas for your classroom library.
Congratulations to our May Question of the Month winner Darin Johnston of Elgin, IA and our June Survey winner Patricia McGonagle of Lincoln, MA, both winning Booksource Gift Certificates! Thank you both for your great ideas and thanks to everyone who participated! | | | | | Back to the Books! - New Books for the New School Year | | | By Cheryl Dickemper, Booksource Collection Development Manager
Those first few days of a new school year are usually hectic—it takes a couple of days for everyone to begin settling into new routines and for the real work of the year to begin. If you are looking for some fun read-alouds to help with the transition from unstructured summer fun to the classroom, or maybe some great books to get students in a positive mind-set for the new school year, we have some suggestions for you! Kindergarten, Here I Come! by D. J. Steinberg (Grade K) 
The audience for this one is obviously limited to kindergartners, but this little book of fun poems covers a lot of the experiences that kids will have during their kindergarten year and is perfect for providing some reassurance and getting them thinking about all of the cool stuff they are going to be doing throughout the school year. Topics covered include the first-day jitters and the Hundredth Day of School.
The Hueys in The New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers (Grades P-3) This clever picture book is a great read aloud for young  kids. In the right context, it could be appropriate for older elementary students as well. The Hueys are cute little egg-like creatures that are all the same. They look the same, think the same, and even do the same things. Until one day one of them knits himself an orange sweater and becomes “different.” What happens next is a sociological study in nonconformity that will be fun for younger readers, but may be especially relevant to some of the older kids who may be agonizing over what to wear the first few weeks of school. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
by William Joyce (Grades P-3)  In this beautifully illustrated book, Mr. Morris Lessmore loses his precious collection of books in a terrible gust of wind, but then is led to a magical library where he is welcomed as a caretaker of the books that live there, and where the books care for him as well. The story is a touching fantasy about the important relationship between books and readers; the books sustaining readers and the readers giving life to books. What better way to get your students excited about the books they will read this school year (or get them talking about what they read over the summer)?
Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli (Grades 2-5)
This chapter book, which takes place the year before Spinelli’s book Fourth Grade Rats, is a humorous take on those “new-school-year resolutions.” George, known as “Suds,” is beginning third grade in Mr. Simm’s classroom, and Suds is determined to win the class halo for being kind and having good behavior. This, of course, is not as easy as it might sound for Suds.
School Days According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney (Grades 2-5)  If you are an elementary teacher and have not yet met Humphrey the Hamster, consider yourself introduced to a new friend. Humphrey is the class pet in Mrs. Brisbane’s room, and he is befuddled when school starts up again and the classroom is filled with strangers! Narrated in Humphrey’s voice (interesting for sparking discussion about point of view), these funny books deal with familiar school situations and serve well as read alouds. Many students, nervous about making new classroom friends and keeping their friendships with classmates from last year, will identify with Humphrey’s feelings about starting school. (Some students may even be inspired to go back and read the first six books in this increasingly popular series.)
Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Grades 4-7)
 August Pullman is starting fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and like every other kid in fifth grade, he really just wants to fit in. The problem is that Auggie has never actually gone to a regular school because he has a facial deformity and has been homeschooled his entire life. “Fitting in” is not an option for Auggie. The first-person narration shifts between Auggie and other characters in the story, making this another interesting choice for looking at how point of view affects the way a story is told. I suggest this for the beginning of the school year, first because the Newbery buzz is already heavy, but also because this is such a poignant story about bullying and human interaction that it may change the way students see and treat one another. | | | Organizing My Classroom Library | | | By Chris Basta, 5th Grade Teacher, Hindley School, Darian, CT
From Fountas & Pinnell to Richard Allington, most literacy researchers agree that having a well-stocked, easily accessible classroom library covering a wide range of topics, interests, genres, and levels is of paramount importance to creating a literacy-rich, learner-centered classroom. As a veteran elementary school teacher, I have been working toward this goal for many years—ever cultivating, pruning, and reorganizing my collection of high-quality children’s books. In preparation for the upcoming school year, I was challenged with the task of leveling my classroom library (to the best extent possible) by my school administrators. I came to the conclusion that it might also be a great time to update my classroom library management system. Too many books have disappeared from my shelves without a trace over the years—it was time for a 21st century solution!  While I have been purchasing books from Booksource for many years, a colleague recently shared information with me about the new Classroom Organizer. After talking to other teachers who are experimenting with the tool and exploring the website for myself, I decided that Classroom Organizer might be the technological advance for which my classroom library has been desperately waiting. I was determined to give it a try. I began the process of experimenting with Classroom Organizer by re-evaluating the categories in which my books were currently divided. I tweaked them slightly and then had a team of students sift through each category—they removed damaged books for repair or discarding, they grouped multiple copies and author sets, and suggested new sub-categories. Next, I modified my Classroom Organizer’s settings to match our categories and procedures for check-out. I then began to enter each book’s ISBN into my Classroom Organizer one book at a time, one bin at a time, one category at a time. I used various resources to determine the level of each book as needed. As I completed a bin, another team of students placed labels on each book and bin and placed the bin back on my bookshelves in the appropriate location. 970 books later, my entire classroom library was online and ready for check out. During the last few days of my 2011-2012 school year, my students piloted using Classroom Organizer for checking out books. The students were enticed by the new use of technology. They were thrilled to be able to search through a 970 book collection with a few strokes of a keyboard to find a ‘Just Right’ book to read alone or with a partner. My expectations of this online tool by Booksource were far exceeded. I was excited to be able to track the location of my books by using the Student Reports feature. No more books will disappear into the void—I will always be able to see who checked out a book last. I have used the classroom library reports feature to examine the range of levels in my classroom library. I was able to confirm that the majority of my collection matches the text level band of a typical fifth grade classroom, while I also noted areas/genres that could use more titles. This in turn aided me as I placed an order for new books for the coming year. Having an accurate inventory of my collection will help me continue to refine my collection based on my students’ needs.
Now that my classroom library is organized, I look forward to using Classroom Organizer to continue to manage my collection and to track my students’ reading choices throughout the year. The Classroom Organizer will also help me develop book partnerships and clubs as I can easily see titles for which I have multiple copies. I highly recommend using Classroom Organizer to help your students use your classroom library and to help you manage your collection and reading workshop. Organized, efficient and cutting edge—what more could you want in a classroom library management system? Christopher T. Basta is a veteran elementary school teacher at Hindley School in Darien, Connecticut. Mr. Basta is also the Director of Darien’s vibrant summer school program with over 2,000 registrations annually. Chris is an active supporter of learner-centered instruction, collaborating each year with colleagues to create an interdisciplinary investigation for his students that connects all subject areas from reading and history to music and art. Please visit his blog or the Darien Summer School website. | | Calendar of Events
|  | | | A Paranormal Book for Boys (With a Hint of Romance) | By Emma Williams, Booksource Collection Development Specialist
 Anna Dressed In Blood, by Kendare Blake, is the story of male protagonist, Cas Lowood—teenage ghost hunter (not to be confused with ghost buster). Cas is from a long line of ghost hunters who hunt and “kill” spirits who endanger the living. These ghosts remain on this earth because they have not quite come to terms with their untimely and usually horrific deaths. Cas’ life revolves around the hunt. He and his mother (a witch, the good kind) travel from town to town to eliminate these hazardous haunts. It is a life that does not leave time for “normal” teenage pastimes or concerns, but Cas is okay with this. He follows in his deceased father’s footsteps. This is his destiny. When Cas moves into a new town to tackle the star of the local ghost story—Anna Dressed In Blood—he goes about his normal ghost hunting business. Yet, from the beginning, things get complicated. Almost immediately, he gains a handful of unwanted helpers: a teenaged warlock, a couple of jocks, and the most popular girl in school. Then there is Anna. This dark goddess is the most powerful, murderous, and precarious ghost that Cas has ever encountered. Quite frankly, Cas does not stand a chance. But then she spares his life after years of murdering EVERYONE who crosses her threshold. Why? Cas’ curiosity takes over. How did Anna become so strong? Why did she spare him? Cas begins to meet with Anna and learns bits of her gruesome history. He also observes a humane quality that he has never before witnessed in a ghost. As their relationship develops, Cas begins to care for Anna. He forms a new mission: to try and find out how Anna became Anna Dressed In Blood. With the help of his new-found sidekicks (his first real friends?), Cas comes up with a plan to get to the bottom of Anna Dressed In Blood. Creepiness ensues. This story seriously makes the spine tingle. Cas’ eerie encounters will have readers checking under their beds. In addition, the clever first-person narrative brings Cas to life. Though cynical, he is a character most adolescents would want for a friend. Plus, the romance is engaging, not eye-rolling mush that the guys will want to skip over. We include this book in our These Boys Don't Sparkle: Supernatural Books For Boys (Without The Mushy Romance)—Grades 9-12 collection (we have one for Middle School, too). This collection is great to lend out to your boy students, especially…but some girls may like it, too! The sequel, Girl Of Nightmares, comes out in August. For my part, I cannot wait to hear more from Cas! I just added it to my summer reading list on Goodreads! | | Reviewed by Brandi Meineke, Booksource Collection Development Specialist
Mirror Mirror is an exceptionally clever book that will get students looking at poetry in a new way. This book is filled with a style of poems that the author has dubbed “reverso.” Typically poems are read top to bottom, but Marilyn Singer asked herself what would happen if they were read bottom to top. This book is the result of that inquiry. The poems are presented bottom to top and then in reverse! The only thing she allowed herself to alter is capitalization and punctuation. Here is a short example from the book: | It may be such a fairy-take secret, this much I know: The road leads wherever you need to go. | You need to go wherever the road leads— I know this much. A fairy-tale secret? It may be such. | The reverso poems in this title are all focused on fairy tales. Often the reverse of the poem gives an alternate perspective than the original one. Sleeping Beauty’s poem about waiting for the prince gets flipped to become a poem from the prince about his struggles to save her. Josée Masse’s illustrations are just as clever and intriguing as the poetry. Every illustration is divided in half with elements on either side carrying across the division. Each one beautifully accents the dual nature of the corresponding poem. Students will be inspired to try writing their own reversos. This is a great book for bringing some fresh air to a poetry unit. This book also pairs nicely with a fairy tale unit, but students will need some background knowledge of the original tales to fully comprehend the poems. The short nature of the poems in this title also makes it a great choice for a quick read aloud, while the intricate detail makes it enjoyable for independent reading, too. All in all, this book is a great choice for any elementary classroom. | | Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues.
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