2011-2012 Maine Student Book Award

I've created a slide show of the Maine Student Book Award books that we have here at CRES. Our fourth graders will be introduced to these books next week. Students in Maine in 4th-8th grade may participate by reading the books. If they read at least three of the books, they can vote for their favorite in March. The winner is announced in the spring.

(You can move the slides along more quickly by using your right arrow key)

Here's a link to the Maine Student Book Award web page:
http://efolio.umeedu.maine.edu/~masl/msba/

Amythest Geode

Tony Sohns, "The Bug Man" was here visiting our fourth graders, and he asked if we would like to keep a huge geode in the library for a few weeks until he returns. Of course I said "yes!" Tony and his family own the Rock and Art Shop in Bangor. http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/30/living/new-bangor-curiosity-store-specializes-in-unique-and-unusual-artifacts/

Tony said the geode is from Minas Gerais, Brazil and is 240 Million Years old! It has been a huge hit here in the library. Thank you, Mr. Sohns!

The power of a "Just Right" book

A class of fourth graders came in today, and I believe they were engaged in a standardized test before they came in, because some of them were rather out of sorts and crabby - not like their usual selves. One young man in particular was running around the room and not doing what he was supposed to be doing, which was finding something to read and sitting down to read it. I had to speak to him three times, and then he told me, "I've already read all the books I want to read in here last year. There's nothing left in here that I want to read." I asked him to sit quietly by himself and I gave him a few minutes to cool off, and then I just quietly handed him a Calvin and Hobbes comic book. No - he wasn't interested, but another student saw it and was very happy to take it off his hands. Then I handed him "The New The Way Things Work" and "Gadgets" and "Technology Mysteries Revealed." Not only did he instantly light up and become interested, he checked two of them out and then proudly showed them off to some boys at another table. "The Right Book at the Right Time." That made my day.