Book Drops: "The Summer I Turned Pretty" by Jenny Han (rated 4 stars)

The Summer I Turned Pretty

by Jenny Han

There it was…that look…Belly never knew what that look was. Boys never looked at her that way. She was always the “funny friend” or “just one of the guys.” But that look..she felt it and it felt..wonderful!

Belly and her brother, Steven, are returning to their mom’s best friend’s summer house. They spend every summer there. Belly, or Isabel, her mom, her brother and Susannah and her two boys, Jeremiah and Conrod. Conrad. The boy of Belly’s dreams. The boy who makes Belly long for each summer break. This summer was different. All of a sudden, when she walk to the beach house, Jeremiah and Conrad both did a double take.

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is the book that girls want their summers to be like or have experienced. That summer when all of sudden they are no longer little sisters or little girls. However, with that transition, other things are also changing. People are going away to college, people are getting divorced and some people are sick. Jenny Han weaves are wonderful story about a girl finding her confidence with herself, boys and her family. It was such a nice heartwarming story and I think a lot of girls would really enjoy this. Definitely a fun read even though it was also filled with some difficult topics.

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Book Drops: "The Word Snoop" by Ursula Dubosarsky (rated 4 stars)

The Word Snoop

by Ursula Dubosarsky

It’s been a while since I’ve actually written anything about the books I’ve been reading..so here is one that I thoroughly enjoyed! “The Word Snoop” by Ursula Dubosarsky takes the reader on a fun, sleuthing journey through the English language and a lot of it’s idiosyncracies.
I learned what pangrams were! A pangram is a sentence using every letter of the alphabet! There were little codes to decipher at the end of each chapter and it also had some lovely illustrations. I also read about acronyms, palidromes and text messages. It was such a fun book and great for anyone who is interested in the English language.

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SLJ's 10 blogs you can't live without

Unfortunately, I didn't make the list! HA HA HA! It's cool. I'm not super obsessed and I don't think I'm a very good writer but at least there are these folks out there who do it right!

I do like 100 Scope Notes. And I will see about the other ones

clipped from www.schoollibraryjournal.com This Blog's for You: Ten of the best blogs for folks who take kids' lit seriously (but not too seriously) In the past, librarians relied solely on accredited children's awards, professional reviews from reputable journals and newspapers, and word of mouth from trusted sources to purchase materials. That “word of mouth” hasn't gone away. It has merely transformed itself into an electronic state. Blogs replace nothing and will never replace professional review journals. They supplement them instead. And if the publishing world happens to be listening that's wonderful, but it's not what's driving these sites. Bloggers blog because they love literature written for youth, and they want to share that love with others who feel the same way. Take away the distractions of who might be reading and why, and what you have are people who love what they do and are consistently willing to hear what others have to say. It is a community of people open to anyone who wants to join in the conversation.

Book Drops: "The Private Patient" by P.D. James (rated 4 stars)

The Private Patient

by P.D. James

What a fun mystery!!! I have never read any P.D. James and this novel received a lot of great reviews as a summer beach read. I was definitely riveted and did not want to put it down but sleep always won out because I read this right before going to bed.

Here is a review from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/30/fiction1

I do not feel very confident about writing reviews for adult novels. Actually, I’m not very confident about writing reviews..so I’ll leave this one to the experts. But I will say that it is definitely worth reading :)

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Elluminate vs. Google Wave

I received an invite to use Google Wave from the awesome Dewitte on Vox. As I was walking the first intro video, I thought, "Hey! This looks an awful lot like that other program I saw Tom Barrett used." And it is really very very similar! I still have to play around with it but I am wondering what some of you out there think. Have you used elluminate before? are you using Google wave? If you are a teacher, how do you use it for class?

clipped from www.elluminate.com Elluminate goes beyond web conferencing with best-in-class web, audio, video, and social networking solutions that help you create a 21st century teaching, learning, and collaboration environment. Learn more

DJ Heroes will grow in numbers: Activision

DJ Heroes will grow in numbers: Activision

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Tomorrow's Home Movie Day!!!

Home Movie Day is so fun! Check the website to see where it's happening near you. You can screen old home movies. I still regret the fact that we lost those old 8mm films that my dad and mom made of us when we were kids in the 80s. Who knew there would be a whole day devoted to home movies where you could share stories about your childhood with strangers who also love home movies? So definitely go and check it out!

clipped from www.homemovieday.com Home Movie Day is a celebration of amateur films and filmmaking held annually at many local venues worldwide. Home Movie Day events provide the opportunity for individuals and families to see and share their own home movies with an audience of their community, and to see their neighbors' in turn. It's a chance to discover why to care about these films and to learn how best to care for them.