I came across this in a blog I check from time to time. The deadline is looming (very near) so if you want to submit your favorite title, go to the site now. You will be able to vote in September and again through the fall until Election Day once they narrow down the list. If you missed the deadline, leave a comment with your favorite book of all time. (If you can narrow down it to one, I’ll be amazed!)

Once again, we have new books that have been displayed for the past week. Yes, I hear you grumbling, but if I didn’t do it this way the books would all disappear by Tuesday and most of you wouldn’t have had a chance to look at them. I could just leave pictures of covers somewhere but I don’t think that helps you know what you want.

 What’s been interesting (and a little irritating but mostly interesting) has been which books have been hidden by folks trying to be the one who gets to read it first. I’ve been asked to hold books, keep books, get more copies, etc. of the following titles:

These books are all part of series. Does anyone read any fiction that ISN’T part of a series any more? I challenge some of you to read the following new and newish books (or others)that are not in a series. Then YOU can be a guest blogger on Library TWEeeter and tell us all about it!

Not in a series:

The Bad Luck Chair by  Sue Wilkowski (FIC WIL)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (FIC SEL)

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn (FIC HAH)

How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor (FIC OCO)

Many of us have just gotten the newest Harry Potter book. Some of us have already finished it and others have yet to begin. (I’ve only read the first five chapters even though I got the book at midnight!) I’m sure we will all be eager to discuss it but just to be sure nothing is ruined for anyone else, I will not post anyone’s comments until after I have finished the book and then will only post those that don’t give anything away. When we return to school, we can have a special “Discuss it” time when you can talk about anything in the book! That way, no one reads or hears something that they weren’t ready to know! READ ON!!

Well, if you noticed my bookshelf, you saw that I was waiting to read 2 new sequels that came out in May. The first was Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins. To read Gregor’s adventures you have to be okay reading about giant rats, bats and cockroaches. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Like many fantasy series right now, the kids are heroic and there are adults out to make life difficult for them. The second sequel was The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan. This series (Percy & the Olympians) weaves a lot of Greek mythology into the story.It really makes me reach back to access my seventh and eighth grade knowledge (which is largely gone so I’m glad they explain things in the book.) Again, heroic kids, mean adults. I know several of you read one or both of these books. Tell us what you thought. I think the Gregor book was supposed to be the last one in the series but I bet there could be another one. I think Percy will have more mythical adventures. Would you rather be with Gregor or Percy on an adventure? Why?

I just read that the author of The Prydain Chronicles, Lloyd Alexander,  died this month. I hope that many of you have read or will read these fantasy books. It begins with The Book of Three and then follows the adventures of Taran through four more books. As with many fantasy series, you will meet a variety of characters including royalty, a dwarf, and an assistant pig keeper. One of the books has won the Newbery Medal and one won a Newbery honor. Visit the land of Prydain!

My husband informed me yesterday that it was exactly 2 months until the new HP book would arrive. This started me thinking about my own predictions for the book. We all know good readers ask questions. I still don’t think Dumbledore is really dead but I guess we’ll find out. I’m wondering if Neville will play a larger role in this last book and, of course, who might die in this one. What are your questions, predictions for the last adventure of Harry Potter? Let’s talk Hogwarts!

I finished two books this weekend. I finished The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer and The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret. Both of these books are on the Bluebonnet list and they both feature kids who have a ghost communicate with them. Students are always asking for scary books which, of course, are not in a separate section of the library. What is scary to one person is not scary to another. I know the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books are popular but what are your favorite scary books?

So, the new Rick Riordan book, Titan’s Curse, came out yesterday. I haven’t picked up a copy yet but it is on my to-do list. I know many of you are following Percy’s mythological adventures so I will read fast and catalog faster. The next book featuring Gregor the Overlander will come out on May 15th and of course, we all know what comes out (and ends) in July.  I know the Junie B. and Magic Tree House fans eagerly await the next ones as soon as they finish the newest one. What other series are you following? Do you ignore series of books because there are too many of them or they start to sound the same?

I saw Avi do a Reader’s Theater piece with authors Sharon Creech (Love That Dog), Walter Dean Myers (Blues Journey), and Sarah Weeks (Regular Guy) at the conference I went to last week. You can see it at TeachingBooks.net on the Library Resources page (see me if you need the password). I was reminded of listening to Poppy on tape many years ago. Yes, on tape, not cd. I wasn’t a big fan of fantasy with talking animals at the time but I enjoyed the reader making Mr. Ocax and Ereth come alive. Have you been to the Dimwood Forest? Is there another book by Avi that you enjoyed?