Shopping for books and "stuff"

Who doesn't love a good book fair? Thanks for your support. Watch for new titles on our shelves and occasional give aways. Matched and the Wimpy Kid books were top sellers and in the "stuff" catefory the UV pens sold out the first day.

FYI! Just picked up a few copies of the new Riordan book. Stop by for a copy. . . or if you're a little slow, stop by to get your name on the wait list. But whatever you do---

Keep Turning Pages!

Author Visits WV

Lucky day for 100 students at Willow Valley! Tyler Whitesides, the newly published author of Janitors, stopped by for a visit. While in college, he worked as a janitor and had many interesting, funny, and creepy experiences working the night shifts. He turned all those memories into a fun fantasy book about janitors and characters that lurk in schools and sap brain power from unsuspecting students. He encouraged all of us to use our imaginations to make everyday tasks more fun and challenging. We have five copies of his book (all checked out at the moment), but get your name on the wait list. Check out this video trailer about Janitors.

Keep Turning Pages !

Back to School and Books!

The theme for this new school year fits right in with our blog which will be starring good books, voracious readers, and fun happenings in the media center. Let's hear from you. When you discover a wonderful book --- and isn't that one of life's really good moments? ---fill out a form, I'll post it, and we'll all share, share, share another great reading adventure.

Hey! I've already had one of those "really good moments" thanks to 7th grader, Rachel Friedli.

She pulled this book off the shelf a few days ago and said, "Read

this. You'll love it." She was so right!

It's a small book. You can almost read it in one sitting. It took me two--- riding from Logan to Salt and then Salt Lake to Logan. (I wasn't driving).

War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo. Get a copy and start reading!

I've since discovered that the stage production is playing on broadway, and the movie version will be out in December.

You'll learn much from this book---about horses, about World War I, about the tender hearts of children, and about the sadness of separation and the joy of reunion. Thanks for the great reading tip, Rachel.

I'm off to buy more copies for our library.

Keep turning pages!

One Last Party!

Our last reading party of the year was called the "Great Give Away", as we drew name after name and gave away prize after prize to lucky readers. Balloons even popped out cash prizes! What a fun year of reading at WV. Remember the party with Brooke Walker of KSL TV teaching us a little line dancing? Crazy fun! This blog may take a little snooze going into summer, but if you get a minute between sleeping in and hangin' out, check in. A great book might just find its way to this spot. Enjoy your summer and "Keep Turning Pages!"

More Page Turners

Into the Wild, the first title in a huge, really huge, series by Erin Hunter, is a favorite of Chloe Carver. Really-- the series takes up about three shelves in the media center, and the books just keep flying off the shelves. Chloe sets the scene: "Rusty, a house cat, dreams of living in the wild and gathers the courage to leap beyond his fence. He soon encounters a young cat his age, who lives in the Thunder clan of the forest and offers Rusty a chance to join. His decisions result in all kinds of adventures in the wild."

Consider reading at least one book in this popular series. If you like these books, check out the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Camille Christensen checks out a new book daily--no kidding. She's a crazy reader! One of her favorite series is The Lord of the Rings. Camille says, "Based in a Viking-like world, Frodo's quest to destroy the Ring will reveal hidden greeds, disloyal friends, and horrible monsters. It's very brutal, very boyish, and very long. And---the books were much better than the movies!"

Keep "turning pages!"

Teachers read too!

Do you recognize these teachers? Mrs. Parker and Mr. Barker are big into books and they have rhyming names-- a little weird! They always want to have the hottest book in their hands. How did they get copies of Riordan's latest? Connections? Maybe you've noticed Mrs. Parker occasionally reading on her Kindle. She's a techie reader! When you run into Parker/Barker ask them what's next on their reading list.

Mrs. Erekson, our fab art teacher, just discovered the blog and adds: "I'm reading the Beyonders right now and am very much enjoying it. It's quite different than Mull's Fablehaven series, but still very interesting. We started reading it as a family, but my kids keep sneaking it away and reading ahead, so I've started hiding the book!"

Thanks for your blog entries and comments. Everyone is welcome to participate. You know that old saying ---"the more the merrier." Students--come in and fill out a form in the media center. We want to hear from you and don't forget to keep "turning pages."

Bet you didn't know . . .

We have two published author/teachers at WV--- Mr. Haderlie and Mrs. Black!

Mr. Haderlie made a goal to write a book and, bingo, two years later A Boy with a Red Parcel was in bookstores. The main character, Jeremy Chase, was loosely patterned after a 6^th grader he

used to teach. Mrs. Haderlie thinks kids will love this book because it’s packed with adventure and

death-defying action. What does Mr. Haderlie like to read? “I love everything by Rick Riordan. I just finished The Maze Runner, by Dashner, and really enjoyed it. I almost never reread books, but I made an exception for the Harry Potter series.”

Mrs. Black got rejection letters for her first four books, but determination kept her writing. At age sixteen she got the idea for The Moas about large extinct birds. She did tons of research and drew all the illustrations in the book. Near the end of her senior year in high school, her book was accepted and published. While promoting the book in schools, she decided to become a teacher. Lucky us!

She is almost finished with a science fiction novel for young adults set in 13^th century England. She said, “It’s a much bigger job than writing a picture book. My students are some of my greatest sources of motivation because of their enthusiastic feedback and suggestions.

The Boy With a Red Parcel and The Moas are both available in the media center.

Keep “turning pages.”