Blogmania!!

WELCOME To BLOGMANIA !  My Blog is 68 of 123.

If you have no idea what this Blogmania business is, check out the main page here.

Basically, the way it works is:
1. visit lots of blogs
2. that are giving away lots of stuff
3. post replies
4. get cool stuff
5. and find cool blogs along the way

Pretty much.  There are some links below to give you a place to go.  This is TODAY only (April 30), though, so click away before midnight.  

MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I will be giving away a signed copy of John Perry's fantastic Children's Choice Book Award-nominated book THE BOOK THAT EATS PEOPLE.  (Fun Fact: You can see John singing on YouTube!)  I can ship anywhere in the world.  To enter, leave a reply to this post.  You can get extra entries by Tweeting or posting on Facebook or on your blog about this Blogmania giveaway -- mention this in your reply.

Now, go visit these blogs and enter to win cool stuff!

(Blog- 1 – HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Between The Pages - http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/

(Blog -2 – CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) The Black Sheep Dances - http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com

(Blog-43 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Books, Books Everywhere - http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/

(Blog-117) Bibliobabe - http://www.bibliobabe.com

(Blog-107 Ellz Readz - http://ellzreadz.blogspot.com/

(Blog-94)  Romance Book Scene - http://www.romancebookscene.blogspot.com/

(Blog-20) Polka Spot Farm - www.polkaspotfarm.com

(Blog-40) She-Rain - http://she-rain.blogspot.com

(Blog-84) Shawn’s Sharings - http://shawnssharings.blogspot.com    

(Blog-71) Alison’s Book Marks - http://www.alisonsbookmarks.com

(Blog-77) Mommy’s Free Time - http://mommys-freetime.blogspot.com

Brief hiatus, hopefully coming to a close, and Animoto of 100 Best Children's Novels

I've been overwhelmed by events in my own life -- nothing too important, just the craziness of spring at school and the enjoyment of being outside with my kids -- so blogging has dropped on my importance list. I'm starting to miss it, though.  I've read some good books in the past few weeks -- finally finished the Inkheart trilogy, read The Rock and the River, made some headway in I Capture the Castle.  And, oh, yes, the amazing stack of notes I took during Blogathon week.  Looks like I'll have a busy weekend of writing coming up.

In the meantime, I've been happily immersing myself in Betsy Bird's 100 Best Children's Novels poll results.  One thing I did was to download a cover of each of the books and make an iPhoto slide show, which I immediately shared with my fifth grade class.  Even with very brief annotations, it was over 15 minutes long.  Luckily they are very patient with me.  But I thought it would be handy to have a quick version to share on my web site.  So... here it is!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon End of Event

It's over!  I went to bed at 4am and woke up (was awoken) at 7:15 by my son so I could keep reading a bit more.  


Here's the pile of books I read!

Here are the notes I took for reviews.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Probably the ones where I really wanted to be reading but was interrupted by responsibilities.  It happens.  =)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I think that really depends on what you like to read, but I was enthralled by Marching For Freedom and Almost Astronauts.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Fewer challenges... I was a bit overwhelmed.  Also I didn't have nearly as many cheerleaders this year, but it was OK.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  Having a plan in advance, breaking things up into hour-long chunks.  
5. How many books did you read?  39
6. What were the names of the books you read? see below
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Almost Astronauts and Marching for Freedom
8. Which did you enjoy least? Do I Need It? Or Want It? 
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Absolutely yes, unless there is an unavoidable conflict, and even then I would do what I could.   I will stick with being a Reader for now.


Here's all 39 books!

Sweethearts of Rhythm	Nelson	48
Marching for Freedom	Partridge	72
Anne Frank Case	Rubin	40
Monarch's Progress	Harley	32
Stitchin' and Pullin'	McKissack	32
Jellaby	Soo	144
My Uncle Emily	Yolen	32
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born	Curtis	32
Do I Need it? Or Want It?	Larson	30
Uncle Bobby's Wedding	Brannen	32
Home on the Range	Hopkinson	48
Minerva the Monster	Kirwin	32
Book of Beasts	Nesbit	64
Librarian of Basra	Winter	32
Back of the Bus	Reynolds	32
But who Will Bell the Cats?	von Buhler	32
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African-American Poetry	Bryan	32
Rabbits	Marsden	32
Odd Egg	Gravett	32
Boy Who Cried Fabulous	Newman	32
Crow Call	Lowry	32
Is There Really A Human Race?	Curtis	32
Molly's Family	Garden	32
I and I	Medina	32
Mermaids on Parads	Greenberg	32
Where Do Balloons Go?	Curtis	32
When I Was Little	Curtis	32
Today I Feel Silly	Curtis	32
Harry's Box	McAllister	32
White Swan Express	Okimoto	32
Silly Little Goose	Tafuri	32
King & King	de Haan	32
Tell Me A Dragon	Morris	32
Everywhere Babies	Meyers	32
Listeners	Whelan	40
Sisters	Caseley	32
Chair for Always	Williams	32
Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers	Whelan	32
Almost Astronauts	Stone	132
One Beetle Too Many	Lasky	48
	TOTAL pages	1626

I had so much fun.  Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and all the organizers for putting on a great event!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

3:30am: I made it through my big stack of picture books.  I can't believe it!  I kept ten or a dozen newer books so Ivy has something to read (although the child does not lack for reading material!).

I started to drift off while reading Carver, so I sat forward in my chair.

I have remaining in the stack for this readathon: two nonfiction, three graphic novels, two short chapter books and three poetic novels.  I hope to finish a few more of them before 9am, but this will depend on when I wake up.  For now, I will read another graphic novel and then see how I'm feeling.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Go Indie

My favorite indie bookstore is Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor.  Nicola, the proprietor, can be found giving sage literary advice behind the counter most days.  It's full of excellent children's literature.  My school had very nice fundraiser with Nicola's in December.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Early Favorites

My very favorite book of all time is Watership Down.  I read it for the first time in fourth grade.  I think I've read it about six or seven times in entirety.  It's about time for me to read it again.

Reading an epic of that length was never a problem for me.  I was completely hooked by Adams' style.  The rabbits were witty, ferocious and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, but it was subtle.  The blend of adventure and mythology was captivating to me.  Adams also mixed in facts about rabbits that made the whole story more believable.

Following Watership Down, I became a sincere devotee of anthropomorphic animal fantasy and tracked down bibliographies and books from all corners of the earth.  Ratha's Creature, Tailchaser's Song and Silverwing all took on the mantle of Adams' genius.  Even lesser works like The Sight and Firebringer, and the recent series by Lasky (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) and the very mediocre Warriors series, help bring new children to Watership Down every year.  I am pleased every time I see a student walk out of the library with it in his or her hands.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Get the Heck Out of Here

1. What steps did you take to ensure you’d be able to read as much as possible today?  Sadly, not very many.  I told my husband on Friday I was doing this.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I reassured him that many of the books could be read with our kids.  As it happened, they were mostly busy doing other things, so I did almost all my reading alone.
2. Of those steps,  which proved to be the most beneficial to your day? Well, reading with my kids was really fun.  Also, doing the minichallenge was great fun and helped me stay involved.  Having a plan about what to read, and some goals, were helpful as well.
3. Is there anything you might do differently next time?  I will plan in advance to have a sitter or to have Tom take the kids elsewhere for part of the day.  I will have pre-prepared food on hand.  

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

1am: Spent the last two hours reading three very intense nonfiction books (The Anne Frank Case, Sweethearts of Rhythm and Marching For Freedom).  Wiping my eyes and moving on.  I've been taking notes on each book and will be writing reviews, but I want to keep going while I can.

If you are new to this blog, let me just say I've been participating in the Clear Away the Clutter Readathon all week, which happens to be spring break for me.  I must say, after a whole week of reading, I feel remarkably rested and willing to go back to work with a fresh heart.  I am going to do this every spring break from now on, readathon or not.

Next: another swath of picture books, then some poetry.  The chai latte is holding strong.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

11pm: Kids are in bed.  Husband playing pinochle.  I finished a whole book (Jellaby) without one interruption.  The piles on my floor are shifting.  It's all good!  Must now consume some caffeine to get me through the next hour or two.  I'm not sure if I'll go to sleep early and get up to read, or stay up as long as I can and take catnaps through 9am?

Now for a few nonfiction books in a row before I start to lose a little steam.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Mid-Event Meme

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? I just finished My Uncle Emily.

2. How many books have you read so far? Sixteen, but mostly picture books.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Hard to say... there are some fun graphic novels and a couple nonfiction titles I've been waiting to read.  Marching for Freedom, the winner of the Battle of the Kids' Books, is on my pile.  

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?  "Honey, would you watch the kids all day?"  Um, no.  

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  "Mommy, make me lunch! Mommy, let's play ball!  Mommy, let's play Pokemon!" etc.  

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  How fast my house gets messy when I'm not picking up.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Fewer challenges -- it was too distracting!  One per hour would be fine.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  Plan for more food on hand, and get someone to take my kids out.

9. Are you getting tired yet?  I'm just getting revved up, but then, I didn't start until 1pm (4 hours late).

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  Have lots of variety on hand.

Sign the linky below with a link to your post with your answers.  There will be 4 winners: 1st gets 1 prize packs of books, along with chocolate coins, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th get three books of their choice.  This is only open until the beginning of Hour 14.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: If the Cover Fits

I've been working my way through a whole stack of picture books.  Here's a break for a minichallenge.

Disturbing

Vibrant

Beautiful

Scary

Moving

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in #2

Um.  What?  3pm already and I've read practically nothing. =(  I did feed my children and finish Almost Astronauts (WOW WOW WOW).  Next will read some board books to my son -- can I count those? -- and put him down for his nap, and read the remainder of my goal books from earlier this week.  Good plan.  Hope I can carry it out.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon minichallenge: Feed Me, Seymour!

This one was so creative and wonderful!

Luckily the very first book I read was all about eating... well, musical instruments.  So I enlisted the help of my co-blogger Ivy to illustrate this book as best as we could:

I know a shy fellow who swallowed a cello/I don't know why he swallowed a cello/Perhaps he'll bellow!

(Sorry, we didn't have a cello on hand, but Dexter's little pink guitar was good enough, I thought.)

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon minichallenge: Title Sentence

I love this idea for a minichallenge.  I've seen a lot of book title poetry going around the blogosphere, so this is like dipping my toe into the water.

My Abuelita: "Hush, little baby."  No such thing in our mothers' house!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in #1

I'm home from my workshop and ready to begin the Readathon!!  I'm pumped, ready to read read read.  I'll refer back to my goals for those of you who care about such things.

I started by listening to Inkdeath on my way home.  Upon walking in the door, Dexter (21 months) handed me his current favorite book, I Know A Shy Fellow Who Swallowed A Cello.  He's fascinated with all books that have musical instruments in them.

I suspect we will mix old favorites with new books today.

Thanks to the cheerleaders who have stopped by to wish me a good beginning!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Lights, Camera, Read!

WINNERS!  Thank you to all four of you for submitting your fabulous Animoto videos.  By random drawing, the winner of the Amazon gift certificate is...


Icedream!


The Ivy's Choice award of a signed copy of THE POLAR EXPRESS goes to... 


Readerbuzz!


And the Maggi's Choice award of a signed copy of WOODS RUNNER goes to...


Wendy!

Welcome, new visitors and old friends!  Those of you who are participating in the Spring 2010 Dewey 24-Hour Read-A-Thon, I have a minichallenge for you.

Minichallenge: Lights, Camera, Read!

In addition to each participant automatically being entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card, there will be two prizes (see below) and they are JUICY.  Here's how to play:

While you are reading and posting this day, acquire some pictures of yourself reading.  This is a good way to get a friend or partner, or even your kids, involved (and possibly get them interested in participating in the 'Thon next fall!).  If you are squeamish about yourself on camera, you can just use pictures of covers of books you are reading.   

When you have a few (six is a good minimum), assemble them into a slideshow using Animoto or your favorite slide-show-creating web site.  iPhoto and YouTube is fine, or anything else you want to use.  It must include music.  (If you can't think of good music, I recommend Patty Larkin's The Book I'm Not Reading.) 

When you're done (any time before 5pm EST), come back here and post a link to your Animoto or other digital creation in the comments section.  Make sure you also include a link to your blog and an email address so I can contact you.

The drawing for the Amazon gift card will be done exactly at 6pm EST.  You get +1 entry by posting your digital creation in the comments section.  Additional entries may be gained in the following way:
+1 entry for Twittering this minichallenge (before it's over, please)
+1 entry for posting on Facebook
+1 entry for posting about this minichallenge on your blog, if you have one
Please let me know you've done these things in a comment here.

Prizes!  I will give two prizes for creativity, one to be awarded by me and one by my co-blogger, Ivy.  We will review all entries and post the winners on Sunday, April 11.

Prize 1: a SIGNED copy of Gary Paulsen's brand new book Woods Runner!
Prize 2: a SIGNED copy of the 20th anniversary edition of Chris Van Allsberg's Caldecott winner The Polar Express (with audio CD and Christmas ornament)!

(You are fortunate that I just happen to be seeing both these authors this week!)

While you're here, browse the blog.  I hope you enjoy what you see, and come back again.  In the meantime, have a productive Readathon, and I'll see you in your comments sections!  =)

-Maggi (Mama Librarian)

Readathon Day 5 check-in: Declutter the Blog

My check-in basically says I finished Little Leap Forward before going to bed this morning, then read the entirety of How Oliver Olson Changed the World (which was excellent), THEN read the Twilight graphic novel volume 1 (which I will have to write an entire post on), then went to bed.  In the morning I got up and started Almost Astronauts (which I am loving, by the way).  That's about as far as I got today, as I spent the day playing with my kids and enjoying the crummy weather -- which is to say napping in my easy chair -- then sorted my daughter's craft supplies, and finally went to dinner at my neighbor's house for her fabulous monthly fundraiser.  Truly an excellent day.  I will attempt to finish Almost Astronauts before I fall asleep in a wine-induced haze.

Minichallenge #5: Declutter the Blog tells me to come up with some way to reorganize things at my blog.

1. I'm only following through on one meme (Nonfiction Mondays) and that only occasionally.  My goal here is to find some memes I'm willing to follow on a weekly or semi-weekly basis, to induce me to post more.
2. My challenges are being met, but only some of them.  I think I got a bit overzealous in the number of books I can read at a time.  In particular my YA challenge is not being met.  My goal is to read more in my YA books, even if they are not library books.
3. I only read one or maybe two books a day with my fabulous kids.  I would like to read more.  My goal here is to read one book in the morning with each child and at least one at night before going to bed. 
4. From an organizational standpoint, I'm not happy with the way I'm sharing my status with each challenge.  My goal is to investigate how I can portray this and do a better job of it.
5. Finally, my goal is to read each other blogger's goal and to learn something from it.  

Chris Van Allsburg at the 2010 Sarah Marwil Lamstein Children’s Literature Lecture

How did I not know that such a fabulous annual lecture was to be heard in my own little city?   How did I happen to miss Cynthia Kadohata last year, Daniel Handler in 2008 and Christopher Paul Curtis in 2007?? How, I ask you??  Gaaah!

Well, I am pleased as punch that I didn't miss it this year, and even more pleased that I didn't have to use a personal business day to miss work (Spring Break, I love thee) in order to listen with rapturous appreciation to Chris Van Allsburg talk about how he might be pretty good at drawing.

Some highlights of the lecture:

• Chris Van Allsburg had zero art lessons until he went to college.  Zero.  Art lessons.  Even then, he only drew pictures of the sculptures he designed (do not miss these... my favorite? The Invisible Man Bookends).
• He bluffed his way into the University of Michigan by lying about how he'd been having lessons "on weekends" and that he was good enough to go into the College of Architecture and Design.  You can hear more at the video interview on the Reading Rockets website. 
• His wife got him into children's literature by talking him up to a publisher, who offered him some boring didactic manuscripts to illustrate.  When he turned them down, the publisher suggested he write his own book ("Notice he didn't offer me a contract"), which, of course, he did.
• Speaking of which, Abdul Gazazi is pronounced "ga-ZAY-zee."  From the author's mouth, folks.
• He's currently working on a biography of the 62-year-old retired charm school teacher who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.  We saw pictures.  It looks fabulous.

You can listen to the whole thing here.

Happy 100th post to me!

Readathon Day 4 check-in: Clear Out the Pack Rat Mentality AND the TBR

No check-ins today -- I was too busy playing with my kids and (squeee!) seeing Chris Van Allsburg speak.  I'll write a blog entry tomorrow about it with pictures and everything, but I'm just too darn tired tonight.  I did get some good reading done while standing in line for autographs, though.

Here are the questions from tonight's minichallenge:

1.) Is there at least one book on your growing TBR that has been there forever and (if you were honest) you could give up without to much trauma?

Since my goal has been to read all those books I've had out of the library for way too long, it's hard to say.  I've enjoyed every single one of the books I've read this weekend.  Looking at what's left, I suppose I would say Home on the Range, the biography about John Lomax.  I'm only so-so about biographies in general.  I'm sure it will be good, but I wouldn't miss it if I never read it.  Of course, it's short, so I'm sure it'll be no trouble at all.

2.) What is your latest "Gotta Have It" book? (that you can get once you've given up that one in question #1)

Ohhhh, I guess my next really wanna read is Ash by Malinda Lo.  I had to send that one back to the library already once, so I put it on my "read at least some of" pile for Saturday's 24-Hour Readathon.

3.) What are your classics - your 'comfort books' that you never want to give up?

If you mean those books I could read over and over again, I would include Watership Down (my #1 all time favorite book), Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books (like Twilight with telepathic horses), Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (the best dialogue in SF ever), the Liaden series by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (the absolute best mix of romance, science fiction and fantastic writing), Robin McKinley's Sunshine (closest thing to Buffy in a book) and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (depressing, sure, but such great world building).  I read the Liaden and Bujold books again last year.  Looks like Watership Down and Ender's Game are up for a re-read soon!  

4.) What are your best tips for keeping that TBR in check?


You're asking ME?  Um.  I don't think I'm qualified to answer, since I own well over over a hundred books I've never read.  This year I've gotten good at putting things I don't need to read RIGHT NOW on my Goodreads list instead of checking them out of the library.  It's been helpful to help me prioritize.  

Readathon Day 3 check-in: Share the Blog Love

Oh this is a hard one.  There are so many fantastic blogs out there.  I never have time to read them all.  I try to make time, but it seldom works out that way.

I'm also a fairly new blogger, and I haven't put a ton of energy into finding the best, #1 blogs, since I barely have time to read the ones I've already found... see above.

Mostly I appreciate it when people come to visit me, and stick around.  So here are three blogs I have discovered by visiting blogs of people who've become my followers.

Peaceful Reader.  She's a thoughtful YA reviewer with a nice mix of memes, reviews and discussion about work, life and kids.  What's not to like?  Definitely worth a look.  http://peacefulreader.blogspot.com/

This Purple Crayon.  You'll be hard pressed to find a more stylish blog.  Natalie is an enthusiastic elementary media specialist with a new job, so it's fun to hear her discuss her classes.  http://thispurplecrayon.blogspot.com/

Lost Between the Pages.  I've seen Miss Martini most recently on Nonfiction Mondays, but she also has some snappy posts about teaching.  http://lostbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/

Readathon Day 3 check-in

2am: Just finished Lost and Found by Andrew Clements.  Awesome!  Time for bed - more in the morning.

12 noon: Working my way through Melonhead. falling asleep as I do.  Hilarious!  Husband took Ivy to the doctor for checkup.

5pm: Loving Melonhead even more.  Husband picked up some books from the library and I am trying not to read the Twilight graphic novel.  I did read a book with Ivy (Musical Beds) and read my email, and am importing Inkdeath into the iPhone.

10pm: Somehow I let Ivy talk me into taking us all out for sushi again tonight.  Kids are finally both asleep and I'm ready to read read read!  First, though, to check on the minichallenge for tonight...

Challenge: Hogwarts Reading Challenge

This looked like too much fun to pass up: the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.

First, I went to the Sorting Hat to be Sorted.  Yikes!  Slytherin! This will be no fair since there is only ONE other person Sorted into Slytherin so far.  Oh, well.  We will just have to be extra conniving and creative to pull it off.  =)  Looks like I'll be re-reading me some Harry Potter to get those extra points.

Here are some possibilities for each of the classes:

Transfiguration: well, this is a no-brainer, as I've been wanting to read The Sweet In-Between for a while.  I think Ash should work, too, as I've heard it is about werewolves, but I'll have to read it to find out.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: another no-brainer; I'll read NERDS.  Perhaps there will be more.
Charms: I've been wanting to read one of the Fairy Realm books, so I'll read The Charm Bracelet.
Potions: this one was trickier.  I finally found this cute new book that got at least one good review: The Magical Leaping Lizard Potion.
Astronomy: another easy one; any of the books on my to-read list with the word "star" (Jimmy's Stars, Every Soul A Star, Yellow Star, The Aurora County All-Stars) or one of my ubiquitous science fiction books will do
History of Magic: I'll begin with A History of Witchcraft, a book that's been on my TBR pile for a few months now.
Arithmancy: Chris Van Allsburg's newish picture book Probuditi! will qualify here, but there are others as well.

Ancient Runes: I haven't yet read that new Dan Brown yet... also the new Rick Riordan series would qualify, once it's released.

Divination: plenty of books to read here -- I'll pick one of the astrology books I've been meaning to read.

Care of Magical Creatures: maybe Dia Reeves' Bleeding Violet?  

Muggle Studies: any of the biographies I'm reading will qualify

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon! (April 10, 2010)

In the midst of this week-long Clear Away the Clutter Readathon, I will be participating as a Reader in the Dewey 24-Hour Read-A-Thon.  This biannual challenge is something I tried last year and mostly failed miserably.  I'm guaranteed to do better this year.  =)


I'll also be offering a minichallenge in the afternoon, and I think it will be really fun!  I'm offering three prizes for participation.  Watch the Dewey blog for more information, or stop by at 1pm EST to participate in the minichallenge.  


I won't even be starting my Readathon until 1pm because I have a workshop that morning, but I will try to go strong after that. To reiterate my goals, they are:

1. reading at least 20 picture books off my to-read shelf, and writing mini-reviews of them (eventually)
2. reading at least 5 nonfiction books off to-read shelf and writing mini-reviews
3. reading at least part of one book for each of my reading challenges
4. reading to both my children
5. reading at least some of every hour of the day I am awake, starting 1pm EST

To preserve some spontaneity, I don't think I'll choose the picture books or nonfiction books, but I sure have plenty to choose from.  The books from the reading challenges are as follows:

YA Through the Decades: I Capture the Castle

Take Another Chance: The London Eye Mystery

Finish That Series: Inkdeath (audiobook)

GLBT Challenge: Ash

Clover, Bee and Reverie: Grow

Hogwarts: A History of Witchcraft

Readathon Day 2 check in #2 - Review-A-Thon

Here's Readathon activity #2: Review-A-Thon.

In an effort to be efficient and feel like I've actually accomplished something during this 'Thon, I'm going to post mini-reviews of every book I've read here.  I'm taking notes on each book, but most of the reviews will be short.

In addition, there are a few reviews I started but never finished.  I'll be posting those tomorrow:

1. Less Than Half, More Than Whole
2. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

Finally, I read a bunch of books for various challenges, primarily for the LBGT and poetry challenges, but haven't reviewed them.  My goal is to have these finished and posted by Friday:

Readathon Day 2 check in

2pm: I started the day by reading to my son in bed.  How sweet is that? I read some of Raw Milk Revolution over breakfast, also caught up on email and read some blog posts.  Husband took the kids to grandma's, leaving me free to read!  Hooray.  I read lots of email and blog posts, and finished Raw Milk Revolution while doing a load of laundry at the common house.  I have 2 more hours of unfettered reading.   Time to get started on that TBR pile!

3pm: Finished lunch and Who's Jim Hines?  On to Sassy...

10:30pm: Read a bit then fell asleep in the chair... husband came home with kids and went to the gym.  I took them outside and read while they played.  It's very hard to get any reading done while watching a 1.5 year old who has a tendency to run into the parking lot.  They finally fell asleep just before 10.  Finished Sassy -- ready for some Andrew Clements!

Readathon Day 1 check in #3 - Activity #1 (Clutter and Hoarding Rehab)

Okay.  I do have a hoarding problem.  As noted in my original Readathon post, I have some books from the public library I've renewed more than ten times.  Er.  Some many more than that.  So, I've admitted it.  Now, to the challenge!

Here's a picture of my TBR shelf:

Note that the top shelf is, indeed, two deep:

And, so as not to be outdone, here is Ivy's TBR pile (she's only 4, so she is allowed to make hers easier to reach):

Part two... my plan.  As I said in my intro post, my goal is to read those books I have renewed ten times or more.  I have other goals as well, but that's my central focus.  There are 12 books, and here they are:

1. How Oliver Olson Changed the World
2. Sassy: Little Sister is Not My Name
3. Almost Astronauts
4. Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing
5. Who's Jim Hines?
6. A Chair for Always (I have actually read this one but will write a review)
7. One Beetle Too Many
8. Home on the Range: John A. Lomax and His Cowboy Songs
9. Lost and Found (Clements)
10. Yuki and the 1000 Carriers
11. Bird (already read it, ditto review)
12. Melonhead

(I also have What Will Fat Cat Sit On? which has been renewed 17 times, but that's because I'm sure I have already returned it.  I'm hoping the library finds it any day now.)

Here's a picture of those 12 books to prove I am organized enough to find them all and put them in one place: 

Additional books will be added if I am thinking I'm getting close to finishing any of these.  I also need to finish Raw Milk Revolution and Simplicity Parenting, as they are due Friday and can't be renewed, but I've already started on these.

Part Three... work my plan.  Well, thankfully, my dear husband will take the kids tomorrow to Grandma's house and leave me alone to read blissfully from morning until about 4pm.  I can put a good dent in these books tomorrow.

So!  I feel better already.  None of those are super chunky.  I can do it!  I think I'll tackle a short fiction book after reading the two nonfic ones I'm finishing, then Almost Astronauts.  

Nonfiction Monday: The Day-Glo Brothers - Chris Barton

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors

by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani

Ages 4-8

48 pages

Charlesbridge, July 2009

I've been waiting and waiting for my public library to buy a copy of this book so I could review it!  I so wanted to include it in my Mock Caldecott.  I should have just shelled out the bucks and bought a copy for myself.  It's a fantastic book and full of quirky details.

From Amazon:

Joe and Bob Switzer were very different brothers. Bob was a studious planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving. When an accident left Bob recovering in a darkened basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. Together they invented a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity: Day-Glo.

What I liked best about this biography is the very human fallibility of brothers Joe and Bob.  Neither are perfect, but they complement one another well.  Their story speaks to the importance of working together to make things happen, which is not something kids ordinarily learn from a biography.  Most famous heroes are portrayed as being the best or the smartest or the hardest working.  These guys were none of  those things.  They were ordinary people who had a good idea and were curious to see what would happen with it.  Plenty of their ideas failed, and that's cool too.  Kids need more opportunities to fail.

The science is first rate and would be great to replicate in a controlled environment, but I wonder how much of it was dangerous.  I don't think making a fluorescent sponge cake is a good idea.

Ivy chose this one two nights in a row for bedtime reading.  She loved the stunt plane and the glowing flowers.  She also noted how they got older in the pictures as the book went on: "Look, here's Bob and he's a little older than the last Bob!"  Last night I didn't edit any text and she fell asleep on the last page.

Winner of the 2010 Cybil Awards for best nonfiction picture book; also a 2010 Sibert Honor winner.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 8 - I'm a sucker for the first book written on a subject (*cough* Claudette Colvin)
  
• Wordsmithing: 7 - Funny and comfortable, like my Uncle Chuck.
  
• Personages: 8 - These guys were neat individuals.
  
• Mesmerizitude: 8 - Even my 1.5 year old couldn't look away from the day-glo!
  
• Illustrations: 8 - Clever use of color, but the retro design is even cooler. Those guys riding in their car look like the happiest inventors on earth.
  
• Factfulness: 8 - Excellent back matter on fluorescence.
  

Other Reviews

• Chris Barton's web page
• its own Facebook page
• on Boing Boing
• on Oz and Ends
• on Abby (the) Librarian
• at Simply Science
• on Wrapped in Foil

Readathon Day 1 check in #2

3pm... finished my appointment (ordered some excellent glasses) and did some grocery shopping; enjoyed audiobooks almost the whole time.  Finished Lighting Their Fires, Rafe Esquith's third book on teaching, and am most of the way through The Golden Hoard.  Also stopped at the mall to view the new iPad.  It's cool, folks!!

Made lunch for myself and the kids. Catching up on email (that's reading, right??).  Next: gardening and more audiobooks.  Husband is at the gym and then we're off to dinner & Avenue Q... that will be a bit of a reading break, but well worth it!  Tonight: I'll finish Raw Milk Revolution and read some more in Simplicity Parenting, which is due back on Friday.

Readathon day 1 check-in

10:00. On my way to the optometrist. Got up early to read before the kids were awake (4:30-6am). Audiobook this morning. More reading in the waiting room.

Imagination and reality to a 3-year-old

There's a discussion right now on the fantastic email list child-lit about "creepy" children's books.  I shared the following anecdote about Ivy and her experience of a creepy book.   

My daughter Ivy's creepy book was Mo Willems' "I Will Surprise My Friend," one of his Elephant and Piggie books.  At age 2, she was enamored of E&P and had us read them aloud to her often.  When this one was released, we immediately bought it for her and she was scared witless by the part where Gerald imagines Piggie being eaten by a scary scary monster "right now."  But she wanted it read again.  And again.  Every time she'd cry and cover her eyes, then ask for it again.  We read it to her, I kid you not, fifty or sixty times over the next few days -- clearly she was working it out.  We'd patiently explain about the thought bubbles and how Gerald was imagining, and she'd nod understanding, and then freak out again when we got to the scary scary monster part.

One week later, she brought the book to our neighbor Chet and proceeded to read it aloud to him.  When she got to the part with the thought bubbles, she pointed solemnly and reassured him, "Those are just imagination.  It's not a real monster." Success!

The final part of the story came four months later, when drawing a picture with her grandmother.  Ivy drew a picture with thought bubbles, and told grandmother (who is a noted child development expert), "This part is real life, but this part is just imagining.

Now she's four and reads the books aloud to her little brother, who is totally oblivious to scary scary monsters.