Green Pants and Yellow Sun…

It’s late Sunday afternoon, and we just got home from celebrating our son’s college graduation.  It was a festive weekend – Elizabeth Warren was the keynote speaker, we spent time in a favorite bookstore, and my son introduced us to an amazing donut shop!

In the spirit of a busy weekend, here are five book notes…..

• Today’s New York Times Book Review includes the Spring Children’s Book section – 8 pages of ideas, including a review of Nicole Helget’s middle grade novel, The End of the Wild, a novel I reviewed for School Library Journal.  I was especially happy to see a paragraph about a very funny new picture book called Green Pants, written and illustrated by Kenneth Kraegel.  It’s about a boy who wears the same green pants all of the time, but then he’s asked to be in a wedding and wear black pants!
• Sometimes, as we know from the fidget spinner craze, kids are happily engaged by low-tech activities.  One day last week, I had a group of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade kids in the library and just for fun (and a bit of an experiment) I put three decks of sequencing picture cards on the floor and invited the kids to play with them.  Here’s the result:

• I’m reading two books right now, but am only half-way through each of them. It’s easy to move between them because they are so dramatically different: Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro is a poetic and thoughtful memoir about marriage and time. It’s about how many people make a life-defining commitment when they are quite young, and over the course of time, people continue to grow and inevitably change.  Shapiro reflects on how marriage accommodates the impact of time. This is my favorite passage so far:

“When chronology is eliminated, when life is shuffled like a tarot deck, it’s hard to keep track. Was that the summer before last? Whose dining room, what candlelight?  I can locate us in time only in one way: by watching our boy growing up.”

• I’m also reading, The War I Finally Won, the sequel to the Newbery Honor-winning book, The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  The new book will be published in early October, but a friend who knows of my deep love of the first book loaned me an advanced reading copy of the new one, an act of generosity for which I will be forever grateful.  As soon as I opened the first page and re-joined Ada on the British home front during WWII, I experienced the sweetest kind of reading happiness.Eric Carle’s new book, What’s Your Favorite Color?” is an essential book for children’s libraries and art classes. Carle, along with some famous friends, shares favorite colors – each illustrator get a two page spread to celebrate their favorite color and the results are spectacular.  Not surprisingly, Carles’ favorite color is yellow – he draws wonderful sunshine!  I looked for blue (my favorite color) first and Bryan Collier’s picture of a child with blue balloons is lovely.

A sidenote: the picture cards I like to use are the eeBoo Create and Tell A Story Cards —

Inly’s Summer Reading List is ready to go – I’ll begin posting sections of it here next week….Happy Reading!

A Sphero Traveling Through Picture Books…

Every spring Inly’s third graders begin to feel both excited and a bit nervous about their move to Upper Elementary for fourth grade.  To bring them together and help ease the transition, we plan a project that brings books and technology together.  The kids began in January by learning about the Caldecott Award and the elements of picture books.  Initially, we gave them a stack of books that were generating “buzz” before the American Library Association annual meeting.  Not all of those books ultimately received shiny gold or silver stickers, but they are all beautiful, and it was most important that the kids could choose a book they loved.

The books they selected were:

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers

Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Christian Robinson

The Storyteller by Evan Turk

Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell and illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas and illustrated by Erin Stead

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield and illustrated by The Fan Brothers

Henry and Leo by Pamela Zagarenski

After that, the kids worked in teams to build a path that reflected their book – and then programmed a Sphero to travel through their maze. A Sphero is a robotic ball that is controlled via a Chromebook or other device.  It was the first time we’ve used the Sphero for a project like this, but it was a success.  We emphasized constructing and imagining first – using cardboard, paper, fluffy colorful balls, popsicle sticks – anything to create the world of their book. It was fun to watch them in our Maker Space, using it as a big craft kit to build their mazes.

Below are scenes from the process:

There were lots of other awesome library moments last week….

Because Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton was so popular, I ordered two of the next installment: Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt.  Therefore we had two very happy library patrons!

I love this project based on From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Asked to make a new book cover for E.L. Konigsburg’s classic novel, this fifth grader used actual files:

A middle school student taking a reading break during a day in Boston:

One of the highlights of my day is finding notes on my desk from students looking for books. This one was excellent, but he may have to find a new series since the next DATA Set series by Ada Hopper comes out in November!

And finally, one of those awesome library moments:

Happy Reading!

Literally – Romance and Lambs

Every year, usually during the spring book fair, I notice a few middle school kids who show some interest in reading romance novels.  I watch them scan the room to see if anyone is looking before picking up a romance and peeking through it – and my heart goes out to them.  Of course, they’re curious!  When I was their age, I read Harlequin romance novels at my grandmother’s house and went through an obsession with Maureen Daly’s novel, Seventeenth Summer.

I can easily recall a scene early in the book where Jack arrives at Angie’s house to see if her family wants to buy any baked goods.  She’s working in the garden.  Here’s the passage from my own copy of the book which is pictured above.

Now, it wasn’t that I was shy or anything, but it’s awkward when a boy has on a clean shirt and his hair is combed and your hands are all muddy and you’re in your bare feet.

It can be challenging, though, to recommend romance novels to middle school students in 2017.  The Young Adult section at the local bookstore has lots of choices, but much of the content is too explicit to be recommended by a teacher.  And middle school kids deserve books that represent what they are feeling: curious, sometimes awkward, and maybe excited about a new relationship but one with respectful boundaries.

Thinking about new books for the middle school summer reading list, I found Literally by Lucy Keating, a romance novel with an intriguing premise. The main character, Annabelle, has a seemingly perfect life in Los Angeles.  She lives in a great house, has lots of friends, and takes pride in her ability to keep everything under control.  But then an author, Lucy Keating, speaks to Annabelle’s creative writing class, and things get a little strange. Lucy Keating begins describing the main character of her new novel, and it’s Annabelle!  She describes Annabelle’s life perfectly and even knows that her parents are going through a stressful time.  Understandably, it creeps Annabelle out and makes her wonder if she is really in charge or if someone else is “writing the plot.”  The real author, Lucy Keating, clearly had fun playing with the structure of fiction and having a little fun with how YA novels work.  There’s also a love triangle, and one of the boys was written just for Annabelle!

Yesterday, in honor of Independent Bookstore Day, I went to an author panel of middle grade writers, sponsored by my favorite bookstore, Buttonwood Books and Toys in Cohasset.  A good line-up: Victoria Coe, author of Fenway and Hattie; Bridget Hodder, author of The Rat Prince; Lee Gjertsen Malone, author of The Last Boy at St. Edith’s; Erin Petti, author of The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee; Laura Shovan, the author of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary; and Monica Tesler, author of the Bounders series.  

Monica’s first two sic-fi space adventures, Earth Force Rising and The Tundra Trials are in bookstores and libraries now, and there are three more to go in her series.  Yesterday she brought the beautiful cover of her third book, The Forgotten Shrine, which will be published in early December.

I read The Last Boy at St. Edith’s last summer with a group of kids at Buttonwood so I was especially happy to meet Lee Malone, the book’s author. The story of the last boy to attend an all-girls school is warm-hearted and funny. Lee told us that the book was inspired when she looked at a mailing from her husband’s boarding school which had successfully transitioned to a co-ed school years earlier.  She wondered what would happen if, in her words, “It didn’t work.”

I left the event with lots of new books to order for the school library and a few new ones on my “to be read” list.

And in pictures…

One of my students spends lots of time at a local farm and took these awesome pictures of new lambs.  There’s always a black sheep, isn’t there?

And there’s this….

Happy Reading!

 

 

See You In the Cosmos by Jack Cheng

Last week I read Jack Cheng’s debut novel for young readers,  See You In the Cosmos, and even after starting a new book over the weekend, Cheng’s novel is sticking to me.  I keep thinking about Alex….

Alex, is eleven-years-old, and more than anything, he wants to launch his Golden iPod into space.  Alex’s inspiration (and the name of his dog) is Carl Sagan who, in “real life,” launched a Golden Record into space in 1977.  The novel is made up of a series of messages Alex records on his iPod to tell the aliens (or other “beings” out there) what his life is like.  But the genius of the novel is that Alex doesn’t really understand very much about his own life.  The story opens in Colorado where Alex lives with his mentally troubled mother, but the action soon shifts to a rocket festival in New Mexico, a search for Alex’s father in Las Vegas and finally to Los Angeles where Alex, along with friends he has met along the way, go to find Alex’s older brother.  The beauty of the novel is that, as the story progresses, Alex’s life comes into sharper focus – he discovers a half-sister and two supportive new friends.  He also learns about his mother’s mental health issues and his father’s complicated past.

This is a poignant novel for mature upper elementary and middle school readers.  It’s also a book I would recommend to a young person who is starting to ask “big questions.”  It’s equally funny and serious about how we discover our passions and that sometimes growing up means meeting people where they are.

Last week was Inly’s spring book fair, and as always, there was lots of excitement about animal books and graphic novels and  the Guinness Book of World Records!

There were matching outfits…..

Serious list makers….

parent readers…

And a board so people could share the book currently on their nightstand….

Happy Reading!

News From the Book World….

It’s Monday, April 17 – a day to remember the first battles of the American Revolution or run the Boston Marathon or catch up on errands and work on the summer reading list. As much as I would love to be able to run the Boston Marathon, I chose the reading list!

The highlight of the day was seeing this:

While looking at a review on Amazon, this sequel to The War That Saved My Life popped up as a recommendation, and I jumped out of my chair to do a happy dance.  It won’t be out until early October, but I am so excited and am wondering if anyone else is interested in a midnight publication party. The Newbery-Honor winning The War That Saved My Life is one of my all-time favorite middle grade novels.  And this cover is so beautiful.

In other news…

A popular Cat named Pete is about to get his own TV show on Amazon.  The animated series will feature the voices of Elvis Costello and Diana Krall as Pete’s parents.

If you’re summer plans include a trip to New York City, check out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway.  It opens next week so I haven’t seen reviews, but I know it includes songs from the 1971 movie.

If you’re going to be in London between October of this year and February, plan to visit the British Library for a special exhibit: Harry Potter: A History of Magic.  Here’s a link to the exhibition website:

https://www.bl.uk/events/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic

The movie based on Nicola Yoon’s young adult romance novel, Everything, Everything opens on May 17.  I really loved this book as an adult, but I would have been obsessed with it as a teenager!

The school book fair opens tomorrow morning, and among the other treasures are this summer’s community reads.  Inly has a three-year curriculum which guides my thinking about our summer reading. Next year’s focus is on world culture so the titles below were selected to initiate a year of learning about people and places around the world. Here are the books our students will read before joining their new classes in September:

Children’s House – Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

Grades 1-3 – How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

Rising 3rd Graders – Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina

Grades 4-6 – Dumpling Days by Grace Lin

Rising 6th Graders – The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going

Grades 7-8 – The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez

Happy Reading!

 

 

 

Two New Books About New York City…

I bought a book based on its cover, and as it turns out, it’s kind of magic.  I had actually read a starred Kirkus review of The Goat by Anne Fleming before ordering it for school, but truthfully, it was the cover that moved it to the purchase column.

I spent two hours reading it yesterday and then bought my own copy last night to keep on my nightstand. It seems to have cast a spell over me – one that has sent me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website to learn about the Tomb of Perneb. If you decide to do some research before reading it, here’s the website:

http://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/interactives/art-trek/the-tomb-of-perneb

The book is about a girl named Kid (kind of funny given the book’s title!) who travels to New York City with her parents while her mother’s off-Broadway play is in production. They are also dog sitting for Kid’s uncle who is traveling in Europe.  As soon as she arrives, Kid hears a rumor about a goat that lives on the top of their apartment building.  The goat is what grounds the story, but it’s Kid’s neighbors who make this a special book.  There is a boy named Will whose parents died in the Twin Towers, an older man suffering the effects of a stroke, and a blind writer who skateboards down the streets of Midtown Manhattan.

This is not a book for every child.  It is complicated to follow – quiet and mature.  The novels by E.L. Konigsburg were on my mind, especially From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  In fact, I kept thinking of the book club possibilities of reading The Goat, From the Mixed-Up Files, and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

The other new book I brought home to read this weekend is a new picture book, When Jackie Saved Grand Central: The True Story of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Fight for an American Icon by Natasha Wing.  This book was on my “watch list” before it was published. When I worked at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, I often walked by a screen playing excerpts from Mrs. Kennedy’s 1962 televised tour of the White House and understood her deep commitment to art and history.  I also knew bits and pieces about her integral role in saving Grand Central Station, which there were plans to demolish in the mid-1970s.  Wing’s book is important, the story of a successful campaign to save a national landmark.  When Jackie Saved Grand Central would be a good book for young fans of New York City and future community organizers!

Last Week in Pictures….

Two candid pictures of kids reading in the library.  I love how the boys are sitting!

As part of their studies of WWI, a group of middle school students recently read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.  Here’s one student’s artistic interpretation of the story’s main characters.  Horses are hard to draw – she’s good!

My sister was in Asheville, North Carolina last weekend and sent this image from Malaprop’s Bookstore.  The same image could be used for school librarians with some minor tweaks!

And finally, a touch of spring….

A Hat, A Crocodile, Pictures, and a Big Number

If you walked into the school library before school starts in the morning, you might find Mary and I choosing a book to read to our Children’s House students.  It’s not as simple as it seems.  There are many wonderful books for young readers, but reading to a group of three and four-year-old kids requires a special kind of book.  It can’t be too long.  It can’t be a story that is better shared one-on-one.  Also, the story can’t be too complicated or rely on looking closely at the illustrations because of the group setting. And most importantly, the perfect book makes kids laugh.

A Good Day For a Hat by T. Nat Fuller checks every box.  It’s bright and funny, and I can’t think of a young child who won’t love it.  “Today is a good day for a hat,” says Mr. Brown the bear on the first page.  But when he opens the front door and sees rain, he goes back inside to get his rain hat.  The craziness continues when the rain turns to snow, a parade goes by, and a rodeo comes to town. Luckily, Mr Brown is prepared for every occasion!

After reading A Good Day For a Hat, I didn’t expect to be equally enthusiastic about the next new book on my list, but with Laura Amy Schlitz and Brian Floca’s names on the book cover, I felt anticipatory happiness.  Schlitz can apparently write for every age with equal sparkle.  She is the author of the beautiful young adult novel, The Hired Girl and the Newbery-winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!  Her new early chapter book, Princess Cora and the Crocodile is witty and charming and a perfect read aloud.  Young listeners, especially those with crowded after-school schedules, will love it because it’s not only funny, but it puts kids in charge of teaching the adults a lesson about the importance of free time.

Pictures from last week….

A 4th grade student trying to select a book.  The assignment is to read a “classic” children’s novel. She is understandably torn, but I tried to explain that the books aren’t going anywhere!  She can read one now and then come back for another one later.  The books are: Sarah Plain and Tall, Holes, Dear Mr. Henshaw, The Secret Garden, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  She really can’t go wrong…..

It’s always fun to see the book projects our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders make, but this one caught my attention from across the room.  A salute to Dayton’s most well-known inventors.

And a look ahead to Kate DiCamillo’s next book.  La La La: A Story of Hope will be released on October 3.

Lastly, the big number.  Drumroll please…..

This is my 900th post!   Happy Reading….

Books That Break the Fourth Wall…

All books are interactive – there’s the author and the reader. But novels usually work like a theater performance with an imaginary “wall” between the action on the stage and the people in the audience.  For example, when a child reads Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, they see Mrs. Mallard and Michael (the police officer) safely guide the eight ducks across the busy street. It’s wonderful, but the reader is not part of the action.

I’m not usually a fan of “novelty” books. Books are perfect just the way they are.  But the number of fun and interactive picture books is increasing, and kids love them. These are books that invite participation and make the reader part of the story.  An added bonus of interactive picture books is that they can draw reluctant listeners in. If you’re reading to an especially restless group of young children, try one of these interactive books, and then a few weeks later, they will be ready to hear if Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack make it to the other side.

Herve Tullet is the master of the interactive book, and his work has clearly inspired some of the books listed below.  His three magical books are Press Here, Mix It Up, and Let’s Play.  It’s nearly impossible to resist playing along with Tullet’s masterful books.  In Let’s Play, he asks the reader to follow a yellow dot.  On the opening pages, the dot is in the center of the page, and the text reads: “Press the top corner to get me started.”  Of course, I did- and on the next page, the dot had moved to the top right corner. Tullet’s books are better than an iPad!!

Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda (Bunny is ready to go, but needs help from the reader to get down the hill.  The best page is when you are asked to “tilt” the book so that Bunny can go down the bunny slope!)

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson (Matheson’s book follows an apple tree through its seasonal changes.  I like the page where you “shake the tree” and then on the following page, the apples are on the ground.)

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak (As the title announces, there are no illustrations in Novak’s book.  But the text explains exactly how books work.  When the page tells you to read the word “blork,” you do it of course because it’s the next word on the page.  Hard to explain, but brilliant!)

We Are In a Book! by Mo Willems  (“I think someone is looking at us,” Gerald says to Piggie in this episode of the popular duo’s adventures. Similar to Novak’s book, the power of this book comes from the realization that the reader has to say what’s on the page.  Really fun.)

Stretch, Wiggle, and Bounce by Doreen Cronin (Perfect for active toddlers, Cronin’s popular series gets kids to touch their toes, bounce, and “wake up with a wiggle.”)

Life on Mars by Jon Agee  (A new book by one of my favorite authors and illustrators. At first glance, this book does not seem to fit into this list of books that invite a child to participate, but the reader is absolutely essential to the clever premise of this story.  It only works with the barrier between author and reader broken. )

Some other interactive picture books to explore….

Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehraupt

Please, Open This Book! by Adam Lehraupt

Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nick Bromley

Don’t Touch This Book and Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter

We’re In the Wrong Book by Richard Byrne

This Book Just Ate My Dog by Richard Byrne

This Book Is Out of Control! by Richard Byrne

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Mathewson

Have Fun!

The Kids Have a Point…

A friend recently asked if I could recommend a book for her 7th grade son that is “not as depressing” as what he reads in school and much of what they find in bookstores.  It was not the first time I’ve heard that question. A few years ago, a 6th grade girl, browsing in the school book fair, said: “it seems like every book is sad.”  I try to keep a mental list of titles to recommend when faced with this question: The Great Green Heist by Varian Johnson, The Last Boy at St. Edith’s by Lee Gjertsen Malone, The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, and Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, among others.  But they have a point.

Earlier today, while reading reviews of book I’m considering for Inly’s summer reading list, these lines jumped out at me:

“When thirteen-year-old Stevie Grace Tanner’s parents are killed in a freak accident, their deaths uncover a wealth of family secrets….”

“After his father dies, twelve-year-old Flip has to leave Amsterdam for Mossum, a remote island in the North Sea, to live on his uncle’s farm.”

“Clair and Abigal have few memories of their mother – she died when they were very young….”

“After her mother was murdered in cold blood….”

“Constantly on the move after her father’s death, Calliope June Snow (Calli) arrives in St. George, Utah, with her lovelorn mother, a few suitcases, and an egg carton rock collection.”

There are lots of wonderful new books – and I definitely cherry-picked the lines above to make my case, but Harry Potter is only one character in a long line of orphans.

I understand why authors make this decision.  The readers of middle grade and young adult realistic fiction are starting to crave some independence. They want to act rather than being acted upon.  The process of “coming of age” is necessarily part of a separation – kids want to see other kids solve problems themselves rather than being saved by a well-meaning parent or guardian who comes to their rescue or provides them with “the answer.”  That being said, I would like to see more middle grade novels in which the young protagonist has to navigate adolescence with their families. That is the reality for many young readers, and those changing relationships are rich with material for a novel.

I recently reviewed Nicole Helget’s new novel, The End of the Wild, for School Library Journal.  A timely and worthwhile read.  Here’s an excerpt from my review:

“Eleven-year-old Fern has more responsibilities than most kids her age. Since her mother and baby sister’s death in a car crash two years earlier, she has lived with her stepfather, Toivo, and her two younger brothers. Fern works hard to help keep her poor family together.  Toivo, a veteran of the Iraq War, has been unemployed since losing his job as a mechanic, and although he does odd jobs to support his family, he drinks too much and the family struggles to keep food on the table. Fern is central to the family’s success. Their house is surrounded by woods that, as her name suggests, Fern treasures as both sanctuary and food basket…..Fern is struggling to select a project for the school’s STEM fair, when she learns that her beloved woods are being considered for a wastewater pond for a fracking company…..an excellent book for a young reader who is interested in learning about one of today’s most complex environmental issues.  Fern is a likeable character who is, in her words, learning “what kind of adult do I want to be.” A worthy goal.”

Finally, I highly recommend this article from today’s New York Times:

Note: The banner photo was taken from Inly’s school library where you can see the maker space downstairs.

 

 

 

Three Books and Three Projects…

I’m happily surrounded by stacks of new books – spring releases to read during Tuesday’s expected snow storm!  Here are three favorites…

Life on Mars by Jon Agee — I read this to a group of 7th and 8th graders last week and they loved it.  After our spring break, when I have a  chance to read it to younger kids, I anticipate the same enthusiastic response.  Agee’s picture books are witty and smart.  In this one, a young astronaut lands on Mars (carrying a chocolate cupcake) determined to find signs of life.  He walks all over the planet, but begins to think nothing could live in the cold and dark environment he encounters. Ultimately, he finds a flower growing among the rocks, but part of the fun here is that the reader sees more than the young astronaut!  The story is interactive in the best way.

For Mars-like vistas, check out Jason Chin’s new picture book, Grand Canyon, especially the spectacular double gatefold. Like this one, Chin’s previous books Redwoods and Island, blend breathtaking illustrations with enough facts for kids who enjoy knowing the numbers. Here’s an interesting one: the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and more than a mile deep.  This book is both information rich and inspiring enough to make the reader want to plan a trip to Arizona!

A small book that could easily be lost on the shelf – Bertolt by Jacques Goldstyn – deserves to be on permanent display.  The story opens with a young boy looking for his lost mitten and who, it is clear, prefers the company of “his” oak tree, Bertolt, to being with other people.  The boy spends many happy hours with his tree, but one spring the tree does not grow any leaves, and he has to accept that Bertolt has died.  I’m not going to tell you what he does next.  It would not be fair to take the moment away from you. You have to see it yourself.

Our fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students recently completed their book projects – each of them read a book that is a “window” to a life different than their own. After reading the book, they were assigned a project with very few parameters other than it had to be hand-made, no 3D printing this time around.

The projects were all wonderful, but I’ll share three of them….

The picture below is a project based on the novel George by Alex Gino.  George is about a boy who knows she is meant to be a girl.  When George’s class presents Charlotte’s Web, George hopes for the role of Charlotte so that everyone, especially her mom, will see her as a girl.  The Inly student who read this book decided to represent the process of transformation. It’s a lovely and thoughtful project.

The banner picture at the top of the post was taken during a middle school class last week. I gave the kids time to select books for their March break reading.  We had stacks of books all over the floor, and they recommended them to friends, selected their own reading, and talked about their favorite books. It was a happy hour!