Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Cranberry Contest Results!

Cranberry Contest:

Our 50th annual Cranberry Contest has come to an end! Winners were announced on the Monday before Thanksgiving and they include:

Grades K - 2 winner: Evan in KC
Grades 3 - 5 winner: Max in 3K
Grades 6 - 8 winner: Naomi in 7-2
Staff winner: Anu Advani, Math Specialist

The prize in each category was a book store gift card kindly donated once again by The Children's Bookshop and Brookline Booksmith. We are so lucky to have TWO independent bookstores within walking distance of our school! Please remember these wonderful shops as you head out to do some holiday shopping.

Special Exhibit at the MFA: 

If you haven't been to the Museum of Fine Arts lately, there's currently an exhibit of art from Winnie the Pooh, the classic children's book. The exhibit runs through January 6 and more information can be found here: https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/winnie-the-pooh
Adults are charged an admission fee, but it looks like children age 17 and under are free. And they even have a special "low sensory morning" on Saturday, December 8. Please see the link above for more information.

Ms. Moriarty has been reading: 

A few suggestions from my recent flurry of reading:

Don't Throw It to Mo by David Adler 
Mo is the smallest player on his football team, but just as he did with basketball and baseball he's going to turn his size into an advantage on the team! This early reader sports series has lately been a hit with first graders and won the Theodor Seuss Geisel award in 2016. 








Just Like Jackie by Lindsay Stoddard

Robinson Hart was named after her grandfather's hero, Jackie Robinson. She is constantly reminded to be "just like Jackie" and let insults and teasing roll off her back. But it's getting harder to ignore and on top of that she's now worried about her grandfather's memory. A touching story about a girl and her grandfather who get through some challenging times together with the help of friends at Robinson's school at at her grandfather's job. Grades 4 & up. 





Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

Elizabeth's evil aunt and uncle ship her off to a hotel called Winterhouse for the three weeks of her winter break. Although she's not sure what to expect, Elizabeth finds lots to keep her occupied when she arrives! The owner has peculiar habits, there's a mysterious book that seems to move when she concentrates on it, and there are some suspicious characters also staying for the winter. Elizabeth finds a friend in Freddy, another guest, and the two of them try to solve some of the puzzles of Winterhouse together. 
A sequel, Secrets of Winterhouse, will be released on December 31! Grades 4 & up. 


The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss

Bicycle grows up in a convent where most of the occupants have taken a vow of silence. She decides to run away on her bicycle for some cross-country adventure when her guardians decide she needs to go to a special camp where friendship is guaranteed. Bicycle is sure that she knows how to make friends and can't imagine that this camp will be much fun. Her bicycle-racing hero will be speaking at a special "blessing of the bicycles" in California later in the summer so she makes San Francisco her destination and sets off. There is humor and adventure here with a fun and tireless heroine! Grades 3 & up. 


So many wonderful titles have been published lately. Please let me know if you need suggestions or if you have recommendations for our library! 





Monday, November 5, 2018

New Books and the annual cranberry contest!

We received lots of new books lately and they're ready for borrowing! Here are some highlights:

Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Roost by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

This is a sequel to an early chapter book called Roxie and the Hooligans. Roxie is a character full of spunk and humor. Her Uncle Dangerfoot has taken her on vacation to Buzzard's Roost, a seaside town with a mysterious beach house. Could any of the mysterious happenings be connected to her uncle's new top-secret invention? Luckily Roxie has read her uncle's guide to surviving all kinds of disasters so she's the one for the job when one of her "hooligans" is kidnapped! Adventure and humor abound in this illustrated chapter book.




Polly Diamond and the Magic Book by Alice Kuipers

Another illustrated chapter book, Polly Diamond and the Magic Book is the first in a new series.  Polly is given a blank journal before her new sibling arrives. She quickly finds that any hope she writes down in the journal comes true! She becomes invisible and turns her bedroom into an aquarium. This fantasy book is great for fans of Dory Fantasmagory, Mrs. Noodlekugle and Mercy Watson.






Spy School Goes South by Stuart Gibbs

Fourth and fifth graders have been waiting for his new book in the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs. The main characters, Ben and Erica, have a chance to defeat SPYDER, their sworn enemy. But first they must conquer hungry crocodiles and rogue agents. They've been told not to contact SPYDER directly, but nothing goes according to plan. Lots of exciting twists and turns in this series that starts with Spy School.






Anthology of Amazing Women: Trailblazers Who Dared to Be Different by Sarah Lawrence

Read about all kinds of amazing women in this collective biography. The book divides the short biographies by their field: sports, politics, science, literature, and music, film and TV. Learn about everyone from Jane Austen to Oprah Winfrey in this collection of short biographical pieces. It may make you curious enough to seek out a longer book about some of the women.







Dig In: Twelve Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps by Kari A. Cornell

This nonfiction book does exactly what the title says: the authors describe and demonstrate in clear, engaging photos, how to do some easy gardening projects that use up your kitchen scraps and teach kids about growing things and being green. Grow a lemon tree from a single seed. Start with one sweet potato and end up with a whole pot of them. The authors also tell you how to cook the food you grow!






Also....



This year marks the 50th year that Lawrence School library has held its Cranberry Counting Contest!

There is a jar of cranberries in the library and students are encouraged to estimate how many cranberries they think are in the jar. The contest ends on Friday, November 16. Prizes will be awarded on the Monday before Thanksgiving to the participants who come closest to the actual number without going over it.

Thanks to the Children's Bookshop and the Brookline Booksmith for kindly (and repeatedly) donating the gift card prizes for the following categories!

Grades K - 2: Children's Bookshop gift card
Grades 3 - 5: Children's Bookshop gift card
Grades 6 - 8: Brookline Booksmith gift card
Teachers: Brookline Booksmith gift card