Virtual Media

Check back here on Monday for the first online trivia question.

January is Digital Citizenship Month in Media

Click here to download a PDF with links.

"AND THE WINNER IS..."

It’s award season again. Not just at the movies, but in the world of children’s books, the big day is Monday, January 28th when the American Library Association announces the winners at its midwinter meeting in Philadelphia.

You probably remember some of the winners of the Newbery Medal (best childrens’ author) and the Caldecott Medal (best childrens’ illustrator) from your childhood, but in recent years awards have been added for beginning readers (the Seuss Geisel Award), African American authors (King Awards), Latin American authors (Belpre Awards), as well as the Schneider Family Award which honors books that express the disability experience of children.

If you enjoy award shows, you can watch live at http://www.ala.org

In the meantime, here are a couple of my favorites, and some links to the lists of past winners.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina. (2018 Newbery Medal winner)

A mostly humorous look at life in sixth grade, complicated by unexpected drama and bullying at school and worries at home about her beloved grandpa Lolo’s health.

Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. (2017 Newbery Medal winner)

The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully’s prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him.

They Call Me Guero by David Bowles. (2018 Belpre Honor book)


Twelve-year-old Guero, a red-headed, freckled Mexican American border kid, discovers the joy of putting his experiences into verse, thanks to the inspiration of his seventh grade English teacher.

The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau. (2017 Seuss Geisel Honor book)

This is my favorite award because it can be challenging to find books with beginning reader vocabulary that are enjoyable for adults to read. Rat brothers Louie and Ralphie try to prove they can be as rough and tough as their dad in the big city, but every time they try to show how tough they are, they end up accidentally doing good deeds instead. Great illustrations and its part of a series.

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. (2016 Coretta Scott King Honor and Schneider Family Honor book)

Brooklyn brothers Genie and Ernie are prepared for a summer with their rural Virginia grandparents. No cell phone reception, chores, and lots of poop. The biggest change is getting to know their grandfather who is totally blind and at least a little bit crazy. When they try to prove how brave they are, everything backfires…..literally. Author Jason Reynolds will be in Portage this spring for the annual CommuniTeen Reading event.

The Collectors by Jacqueline West. (2018 Schneider Award winner)

Overlooked in class, a hearing-impaired boy who collects lost and discarded trinkets discovers a dangerous world of stolen wishes and the people who collect them.

Current and Previous Award Winners

• Newbery Medal
  http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/john-newbery-medal-2
  
  
• Caldecott Medal
  http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/randolph-caldecott-medal-1
  
  
• Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
   http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/theodor-seuss-geisel-award
  
  
• Coretta Scott King Awards
  http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/coretta-scott-king-book-awards
  
  
• Schneider Family Awards
  http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award
  
  
• Pura Belpre Awards
  http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/pura-belpr%C3%A9-award

Search the Portage District Library catalog for these books

Hour of Code, December 9-13

All week in media, students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will be participating in Hour of Code. But it doesn't have to end there--you can help your students develop coding skills all year long with the activities at this great site: http://www.code.org

Hour of Code Coming Soon

One of our favorite media activities is the annual event -- Hour of Code -- coming December 9-15, 2019. There are plenty of links to keep coders of all ages busy for a long time. In the past they have had tie-ins with popular games like Angry Birds and Minecraft. The new code activities won't be released until that week, but here's a promo video to wet your appetite.

Visit the HOUR OF CODE website at https://hourofcode.com/us

'70s Day at PPS

A number of years ago when the Internet was neither as ubiquitous or reliable, I began calling those occasional outages "'70s Days" ; we'd dig out the encyclopedias, The Reader's Guide to Periodic Literature, and books. I always thought I should keep a wide tie and bell bottom pants in the closet to complete the look. Since I came to Portage in 2006, we've experienced surprisingly few network interruptions of more than an hour or two. Until this week. Rumor has it there was a fiber cut and PPS, KVCC, and other sites in the area went back to the '70s Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday.

At Woodland, students from Mr. Musser, Mrs. Wagner, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Reinhart, and Mrs. Loso enjoyed a break from their Chromebooks and rediscovered books and encyclopedias in Media.

Battle of the Books Teams Forming Now!

Students in 4th and 5th grade have an excellent opportunity to join a team of friends and classmates to compete in Portage's Battle of the Books program. Teams are forming now.

The school Battle is scheduled for February 10 with the top teams from each school advancing to the Grand Battle on February 17.

At Amberly, each 4th and 5th grade classroom teacher has a copy of each book, thanks to the PTO.

Click here to check your school library for copies.

Click here to check the Portage Public Library for copies.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate.

An old red oak tree tells how he and his crow friend, Bongo, help their human neighbors get along after a threat against an immigrant family is carved into the tree's trunk.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Ten-year-old a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read

Pax by Sara Pennypacker.
After being forced to give up his pet fox, Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.

The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi.
An adaptation of the biography of September 11 hero Welles Crowther that traces his faith-based outlook on life, position as a volunteer in his local fire department, and desire to join the FDNY, and how he sacrificed his life to save people trapped in the South Tower.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk.
Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran.

One School, One Book Title Announced

This month Amberly students and families will be reading Save Me a Seat by Ann Arbor native Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. It was also a Battle of the Books selection for 2019, so many of our 5th graders have already read it. While the authors plan to continue Joe and Ravi's story in a sequel due out soon, here are some other books by Sarah Weeks that you might enjoy reading. Later in the month, I will post another list of related books that might help your family continue the conversation.

As Simple as it Seems
Eleven-year-old Verbena Polter gets through a difficult summer of turbulent emotions and the revelation of a disturbing family secret with an odd new friend who believes she is the ghost of a girl who drowned many years before. (5th grade and up)

Guy Wire
When his best friend is seriously injured in a bike accident, Guy recounts their first meeting and how the friendship grew despite the weird antics of Guy's eccentric mother. (3rd grade and up)

Oogie Cooder Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder goes from being shunned to everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular television talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--and having a neighbor girl as his manager. (2nd grade and up)

Pie Alice's Aunt Polly passes away and entrusts the recipe for her world-famous pie crust to her cat, which she leaves in Alice's care, and as everyone, including Alice, tries to discover the secret ingredients, Alice learns some important lessons about faith, love, and family. (3rd grade and up)

So B. It After spending her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to find out who she is. (5th grade and up)

Two Eggs, Please Everyone in a diner orders eggs.....but there are so many ways to enjoy them! (all ages)

More Links

• Interview with the authors of Save Me a Seat.
• Search the Portage District Library catalog for other books by Sarah Weeks.
• Visit Sarah Weeks' home page.

Twas the Night Before........

Thinking about your first day of school and what your teacher is going to be like? Don't worry, they've been working hard to get everything ready for you. Here are some books about some amazing teachers.....almost as cool as the teachers at your school.

	Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. Seventh graders tell the sometimes funny and sometimes sad stories about their year with a first year teacher who almost dies in a tragic accident.
	Matilda by Roald Dahl. Probably my favorite of all his books because of her relationship with Miss Honey. Neglected by her parents brilliant Matilda expects school to be different from home. But some of the teachers are just as bad as her parents, especially Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress. But when Miss Trunchbull attacks her, Matilda discovers her amazing powers.
	Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes. Gabby daydreams to tune out her parents' arguments. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her. Finally her teacher figure out how to use daydreaming for schoolwork. Gabby's poetry notebook is "thick with daydreams," and she finds confidence and hope for her future.
	Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullay Hunt. Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.
	The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg. Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, Mrs. Olinski, who chooses them to be in the Academic Bowl competition.
	The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco. After learning that they both have cancer, Marilyn and her teacher, Miss Wichelman, support and encourage each other through their treatments.
	Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
	The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind.

Click here to see what's available at your school library. Click here to search the Portage District Library.

Lego Instructions for the Visually-Impaired

I've been a librarian long enough to remember life before the Internet. In fact I remember the very first internet-connected device I had in one of my schools.....the very first story I received was the news that Dr. Seuss had died in the Fall of 1991. Before the Internet, librarians spent a lot of time clipping and filing newspaper and magazine articles and pamphlets and other small materials by subject that we knew might be of interest to someone in the future in folders stored in alphabetically arranged drawers called a Vertical File. Now Google and the Internet perform the same task. So occasionally I'll drop in a link to a story that might be of interest to someone, that you might have
missed like this.

A Blind Man Fulfills Mission To Make Legos Accessible For Visually Impaired

August 31, 2019 5:17 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland

Usually I try to read most of our fiction before the books are available to students, but I knew these were popular, and like you, I knew I wanted to read them all...and in order.

Five young dragons from different tribes have been raised together to fulfill a prophesy to bring an end to the war among the tribes. Each of the dragons narrates the first five books with adventures in the realms of the Mudwings, Skywings, Seawings, Rainwings, Sandwings, and Nightwings.

In books six through ten, a group of dragons meet at a school set up by the prophesy dragons to bring the tribes together. But they soon discover they have unusual powers and band together to defeat a dark power that threatens the dragons.

Book eleven starts a new series on another continent where the Silkwings and Hivewings banded together to defeat the Leafwings, but the peace isn't what it seems and Silkwings Blue, Luna, and Swordtail band together with Hivewing Cricket and Leafwing Sundew to steal the most secret book in the land and then reveal the hive queen's secrets.

If you've read Erin Hunter's Warriors, these books may seem familiar. It shouldn't surprise you that Tui T. Sutherland was one of the authors who wrote under the name Erin Hunter and now she is writing her own series.

Want to learn more? Here are some links for Wings of Fire.

• Wings of Fire Wiki
  --tons of information about characters, locations, and plots contributed by fans.
• Wings of Fire Scholastic Kids
  --including a video trailer for the books and graphic novels, an interview with the author, and an interactive game.

Want to put one on hold today? Click here to log in to your school library.

Where's Mr. Butts?

The Kalamazoo Pipe Band has had a busy summer. I saw some of you at the Irish Fest in June and then at the Fourth of July parade in Schoolcraft. In August we competed at the St. Andrews Highland Games in Detroit. I also competed in solo piping. Here's the band playing our medley for competition.



On September 7th, we'll be playing at the Portage Heritage Festival at Celery Flats. Come say "hi."