What?!?! Ron Weasley nearly got whacked?!?!?

JK Rowling just revealed in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, that she almost killed Ron! Read the whole article here: http://gu.com/p/332gp

Tips for Reading with Your Kids

I loved reading Tim Dowling's Oct. 18th article on the Guardian's Reading with Kids webpages. He starts out with a hilarious account of his experiences reading with his own kids. As a parent, Dowling finds the prospect of trying to help his kids improve their reading skills and develop their love of reading a little intimidating. Like many parents, he doesn't feel confident about his out-loud reading skills or his ability to help his kids pick out books that they will like. Fortunately for him, that doesn't mean his kids are doomed to be poor readers!

Dowling offers some awesome advice to parents about how to best help their kids with reading at home, even if you have no desire to be an amateur librarian. Check it out here, and start having fun while you are reading with your little ones!

Frindle / Andrew Clements

I'll admit it, I came to Frindle late. This book has been out since 1996, racking up accolade after accolade, but I'd never heard about it until recently. This is apparently what happens when you grow up; you fall out of the loop and don't hear about great stories for younger readers like this one.

Well, better late than never.

In doing some research on author Andrew Clements, I learned of Frindle (J FIC CLEMENTS), probably his best-known story, although he's written loads of books. I went in with low expectations and came out amused, entertained and — I'm not gonna lie — a little choked up. You don't expect a story about a kid who good-naturedly clashes with his teacher to pack such a wallop, but it does, and that's what makes Frindle such a winner.

Nick Allen is your typical class mischief-maker. Up until now, he's largely gotten away with his high jinks, too — until he enters fifth grade and finds himself saddled with the prim and proper, dictionary-loving Mrs. Granger, who manages her classroom with an iron hand. To Nick , of course, this is a setting ripe for tomfoolery. But Mrs. Granger's on to him. When Nick attempts to waste time in class by asking where all the words in the dictionary come from, Mrs. Granger immediately turns the tables on Nick by asking him to do the research himself and present it to the class. She might as well have waved a red flag in front of him.

What transpires is a classroom prank of epic proportions.

Inspired by the concept that people create and mold language, Nick sets out to prove a point to Mrs. Granger. He cleverly sets in motion a series of events to change the word pen to frindle. However, before he knows it, the word goes viral, leading to a much more far-reaching effect than Nicholas ever could have anticipated. And in the end, although it was Nick who wanted to prove a point to Mrs. Granger, he ultimately realizes that it was he who learned the lesson. That Mrs. Granger's no slouch in the teaching department, and it shows.

As is often the case in Clements’ stories, there are no villains. The characters are well-rounded and complex, the story marked by humor, imagination and unexpected poignancy. This is a family-friendly story that will get its readers thinking about the nature of language and the benefits of having amazing teachers who push us to learn without us even realizing it. Here's a preview of the book:

Some New Books for October

Ten Rules You Absolutely Most Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus
by John Grandits and illustrated by Michaell Allen Austin


On the first day of school, a little boy's big brother, James is walking him to the bus stop. James considers himself an expert on the school bus, and James is willing to share ten rules with his little brother that should make riding the bus a lot easier for him. The little boy is determined to follow these ten rules, because he does not want to get beat up on by a bully or have his lunch money stolen. The boy drops his backpack when a bigger boy bumps into him, and he is the last one on the bus. He sees a seat in the first row, but James's first rule is: "Do not sit in the first row." Unfortunately, there are no other seats except at the back of the bus, and James's second rule is: "Never sit in the last row." Because the little boys wants to obey rule three: "Never, ever make yourself stand out in any way," the little boy breaks rule two and sits in the back row seat. The little boy wants to look at the person sitting next to him, but then he breaks rule four: "Never make eye contact." The big kid sitting next to him did not like being looked at, so the little boy suddenly looks down again. When the little boy breaks rules five and six: "Never touch anyone's stuff" and "Never talk to big kids," the big kid kicks him out of the seat. The little boy ends up sitting with a little girl, and then he breaks rule seven: "Never talk to girls." The little girl talks to him the whole way, but the little boy is glad to get to school that day. Then the little boy sees the girl that was talking to him on the bus at kickball time. It turns out, she is the captain of one of the teams. The little girl tells him that he can be on her team the next day. The little girl also saves him, because after school, the little boy has trouble finding his bus, and the little girl yells at him to let him know where it is. What other things are the little boy's brother going to be wrong about? What will the little boy tell James about his rules?













Mario and Baby Gia
by Mario Lopez and illustrated by Maryn Roos


It is only a few days until Mario's birthday, and he wants to tell someone about his ideas for his party. He looks for his sister, Marissa, but she is playing with Cousin Rosie and does not want any boys around. Then Mario goes to see what Chico is up to, but Chico hurries out and tells Mario that he is late for baseball practice. Then Nana finds Mario and asks him to help her by watching little Gia while she is baking something. Mario is reluctant, but he agrees to help his Nana. Gia calls Mario, "Marigold," and Mario takes her outside and shows her how to throw a ball. Gia is not very good about throwing the ball back to Mario, though. Mario asks Nana if he can help her, but Nana asks him to give Gia her snack. Gia dumps the bowl of crackers on to the floor instead of eating them, and Mario is not happy to have to clean them up. Nana then suggests that Mario read Gia a story, but Gia pulls on the first page until it rips. Is Mario going to be really mad at Gia? What is Nana baking for? Is it a special occasion?














The Pumpkin Mystery
by Carol Wallace and illustrated by Steve Björkman


Mocha and Scruffy (a cat and dog) notice that the family is planning something. Then they see Aden and Leah ask Daddy if they can plant pumpkins again this year. Their Daddy tells them that the pumpkins will have to be planted in June in order to have them in time for Halloween. On this day, however, the family is getting the garden ready to grow beans and corn. Mama is looking for stakes, which confuses Mocha, who thinks she mean "steak." Scruffy explains that stakes are put in the ground to add string to and follow in a line for planting. Mama tells Mocha that he can help the family dig. Mocha seems to get a bit carried away with the digging, though. Everyone in the family takes part in the planting. Daddy and Mama raked the dirt, Aden and Lead count the stakes, Daddy drives in the stakes, Mama puts up the string, and Aden and Leah plant the seeds. Then it is Mocha's job to make sure that the rabbits do not get to the garden. When Mocha cannot reach the rabbits through the fence, Scruffy helps him chase off the rabbits. Everyone continues to work hard on the garden by watering the plants, pulling the weeds, and keeping the rabbits out. Then comes the time to plant the pumpkins. The seeds for the pumpkins had to be under big mounds of dirt. Unfortunately, the pumpkins are not growing very well. There are only a few weak looking pumpkin plants. Aden and Leah are very disappointed that their friends will not get to pick their own pumpkins, or that there will not be enough pumpkins to have a pumpkin toss, like the year before. Then, Mocha and Scruffy learn that one of the rabbits has some very important information about pumpkins. What does the rabbit know? Will he tell Mocha and Scruffy, and if he does, what will he want in return? Will there be any pumpkins for decorating or a pumpkin toss?












Too Many Turkeys
by Linda White and Megan Lloyd


One rainy day, Fred and Belle find a little lost turkey on their tiny farm. Belle is worried that the turkey will eat the garden, but Fred says the turkey won't, if they feed him. Fred names the turkey Buford, after his uncle, and Fred builds Buford a house and feeds him. Belle is also happy, because Fred cleans up after Buford. Because of Buford, Belle has a new ingredient to add to her garden, and the garden grows better than it ever has before. Belle tells the gardens who stop by and want to know her secret that she has a "special" fertilizer that she makes for the garden. Soon, Belle leaves for an annual birdhouse convention, and she tells Fred to take good care of her garden. Soon, Fred sees a little wild hen turkey trying to get into the garden to eat the plants. Fred manages to run her off, but the next day, there are even more turkeys in the garden. Fred tries to scare them away with music, but the turkeys like the music so much that they start dancing. Fred "turkey" walks the turkeys back to the woods. He works on cleaning up the mess they made, when he hears a big fluttering. There are turkeys everywhere! Suddenly, Fred grabs Buford's food and throws it into the back of his truck. The turkeys jump in and ride for twenty miles. Then Fred drops them off. Will the turkeys stay away? How will Fred get rid of the turkeys if they do come back? Will he have enough time to fix Belle's garden? Will the neighbors ever find out Belle's secret to her garden?

Autumn Fun

Fall Leaf Project
by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by Mike Gordon


Mrs. Connor's class is learning about the fall, and then Mrs. Connor shows them a map of the United States. Mrs. Connor tells that the leaves in their state change color, but there are other states where the leaves don't change colors. The children in the classroom decide that they want to share their leaves with the states whose leaves don't change colors. Mrs. Connor tells them that she knows a teacher or a class in one of those states (Mr. Soto). The children can collect leaves to send to Mr. Soto's class. Some children gather yellow leaves, some gather orange, and another student's favorite leaves are red. A few of the students start sorting the leaves they have found. The children also get to learn about the different kinds of leaves as they are gathering them (oak, maple, chestnut, sassafras, and many others). Back in the classroom, the students prepare the project for the other class, and then they mail the package with the project in it. Will Mr. Soto's class enjoy the Fall Leaf Project? What will the class do with all of those leaves?












Who Loves the Fall?
by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Judy Stead


The author wants to list all of the people who love the fall. There are rakers of leaves, and children who enjoy leaping into them. There are people who grow apples, who pick apples, and who make candy apples to enjoy at a Fall Festival. There are "Winged migrators," or all the different birds who fly south for the winter, and there are animals, like bears, who get ready to hibernate all winter. There are families who camp and build bonfires, and there are families that enjoy making warm apple pies. There are children at school who like to add, some who like to spell, and there are children who love to "show and tell." The fall is also time for pumpkin searchers and turkey eaters. What kinds of things do you like to do in the fall? How many of those things will you find in this book?













I Know It's Autumn
by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Nancy Hayashi


The little child knows that autumn is here when the mornings are darker than before, and there are pumpkin muffins on the plate for breakfast. The child also knows it is autumn when it is time to get jackets to wear outside, and when the leaves on the trees are turning different colors. It is autumn when the child's class is making acorn art, and when the teacher puts turkey stickers on the child's spelling chart. Autumn is also a time for raking leaves, picking apples for apple pie, and when geese are honking as they fly south in the sky. What other things does the child notice about autumn time? Are these things that you are noticing, too?













Little Red's Autumn Adventure
by Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York and illustrated by Sam Williams


On a beautiful autumn day, Little Red and her friends are walking to the Great Harvest Festival in Bluebell Wood. The group kicks leaves up in the air as they are walking along. Little Red comes up with a great idea. The group will find great big leaves and "leaf-board" down the hill. Roany, the little horse, is worried that there will not be a leaf big enough to ride on, but Little Red uses some magic dust and makes a leaf just Roany's size. Little Red has some trouble with her leaf, and she does a little tumble into the foot of a blackberry bush. In the blackberry bush, Little Red hears two little mice say, Mommy?" The two mice where very frightened. Little Red wants to help the little mice, but the mice are afraid of her, because she is so big and scary. So, Little Red uses her magic dust to shrink down to the size of the mice. Little Red wants to help the little mice, but she sees that she left her sack of smiles in the tree. So she gets the little mice on a leaf, and she pulls the leaf toward the harvest festival. Soon, Little Red's friends have made it to the festival, and then they notice that she is not there with them. Then Mrs. Mouses runs up to them and tells them that two of her children are missing, too. The group decides to form a search party. When they are looking in the forest, the friends notice that the leaves are in many colors, not just those that happen naturally. Then they see someone with a little sack tied to its tail. What do you think happened to turn the leaves different colors? Do you think that Little Red's friends are going to be able to find her and the two little mice? Will Little Red get to be big again? Will the group ever make it to the festival?