Friday, February 18, 2011

The Cybils Are Here!

The 2010 Cybil winners - books for children and young adults that best "combined literary merit with kid appeal" have been announced!

This is a delightful list chosen by children's and YA literature bloggers from a crop of literally thousands of new releases.

Check them out and enjoy some great reading over midwinter break!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A farewell salute to the magical world of Brian Jacques

Yesterday I saw the very sad news that the greatly beloved author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques, had passed away.

Over the years, his books have consistently been among the most popular in our school library and justifiably so! They are well-written animal fantasies, full of drama, intrigue and adventure, as well as a charming attention to the kinds of details that make all good fantasy worlds spring vividly to life in the mind of the reader.

If you are not already familiar with this talented and prolific writer, do give them a try (Redwall is the first book in the series). If you enjoy the Warriors series, the Chronicles of Narnia, or stories about rodents, the Redwall books are likely to appeal to you.

There is even a Redwall comic series in the works - one has been released and I look forward to seeing the rest. Brian Jacques may be gone, but his stories live on.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Meet Samantha Vamos!

Not only is bilingualism good for the brain, it's a lot of fun - instantly opening up whole worlds full of new friends and great books! Our students are very fortunate to be learning Spanish at school and now they can practice their language skills with a lovely new bilingual picture book by local author Samantha Vamos.

Later this spring, Samantha will visit our school to meet with students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. In the meantime, you can meet her at the book launch party for her latest title, The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred.

There will be a reading, book signing, cupcakes, balloons and lots of fun for all!

When: Saturday, February 5, 2:30PM
Where: Northwest Arts Center, Studio D, 9825 NE 24th St., Bellevue, WA 98004