Hands-on fun: Roald Dahl meets the makerspace!

It seems like no coincidence that even as advances in technology make many aspects of life more intangible, deeply satisfying traditional pursuits such as oral storytelling and handicrafts are gaining tremendous popularity and respect. Very often this results in an intriguing fusion of old and new: listening to personal stories not around a campfire or on a neighbor's porch, but via a podcast that brings you voices of people you'd never otherwise cross paths with. Similarly, makerspaces meld remarkable new materials with time-honored skills.

In 3rd grade we combined literature appreciation (my personal favorite Roald Dahl novel, Danny the Champion of the World) with Design Thinking and a big dose of makerspace fun.

I don't want to spoil the end of the book for anyone who is unlucky enough not to have read it, but the challenge we took on was designing a better mouse pheasant trap!

Step one: researching and taking notes about pheasants. Danny's father is a poacher, which means he has a deep understanding of the animals he hunts and the environment they inhabit.

Step two: collaborate with your partner to design a trap that will foil greedy Mr. Hazell's plans but not do excess damage to the pheasants or their habitat.

Step three: receive constructive criticism from another team. Offer the same in return. Does your trap show creative use of limited resources? Does it exhibit knowledge of pheasant biology? Respect for the earth? Is it likely to work? Consider the feedback and make improvements!

Step four: build, test, tweak, repeat!

Some of our young makers will be exhibiting their traps at the NWAIS Makerfest next month. Several teams are already hard at work creating extensions to their projects--programming simulations, using 3D printers, and more!

Brendan Buckley's Book Club & Everything in It

Multiracial people represented the fastest growing group in the 2010 census, showing how far we've come since Loving v. Virginia, which in 1967 made interracial marriages legal everywhere in the US! My own parents' interracial marriage took place two years before this date - and Sundee Frazier's parents' one year after it. Her writing is rooted in a deep understanding of identity and shifting social values.

I was excited to bring Sundee to one of our faculty meetings a few years ago, to discuss how we can create the most welcoming and supportive environment for our multiracial students. And it was a thrill to bring her back to meet some of our kids!

Our second 3rd/4th grade book club focused on her book Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It, a funny and moving middle grade novel that is all about curiosity and discovery.

Imagining a different personal history - one in which her interracial family had a less harmonious relationship - Sundee wrote about Brendan, a biracial boy growing up in Tacoma. His passion for rocks and minerals forges a bond with the grandfather he'd never met and in the process helps to heal old family wounds.

This book sparked some thought-provoking discussions among the students on prejudice, learning from mistakes, blame and forgiveness. We also had the thrill of welcoming Sundee to our final meeting. She showed up with a rock and mineral collection and was even wearing a necklace made from the famous Ellensburg blue agate! Sundee described her path to fulfilling her dream of becoming an author, and shared some of her early work from childhood and grad school. The conversation was lively!

During an earlier book club meeting, students were inspired by Brendan's own "Book of Big Questions about Life, the Universe and Everything in It" (in which he wrote down all the questions he was musing about). Here are some of the ones they came up with for their own books:

• How long have people been reading books?
• What is the area of the earth?
• How do people make hot chocolate powder mix?
• How many languages are there in the world?
• Why do people act differently to please others?
• Why do people do mean things?
• Why do some people hate math?
• Why isn't there school on Saturday?

Brendan's story is a reminder to all of us to remain curious and open-hearted as we go through life.

Reading and empathy: seeing the world from another's shoes

"Empathy" is a popular buzzword of late. Articles explaining how reading fiction develops empathy pop up regularly in the news. That said, other voices remind us that empathy is not a magic cure-all:

"Empathy is biased; we are more prone

to feel empathy for attractive people

and for those who look like us or share

our ethnic or national background."

All of which is complex and intriguing, especially when you encounter a book that has huge kid appeal and exemplifies the sort of empathy that helps us connect across differences as Steven Arntson's The Wrap-Up List does.

My new article, "Growing Empathic Readers," appears in the spring issue of The Medium, pp. 22-23. In it, I describe a conversation with Steven in which he describes, among other things, how he successfully bridges gaps and how he's challenged students to question their own beliefs. His insights offer something for all of us to ponder!

Middle school videos support K-3 contest!

A highlight of the year for Kindergarten through 3rd grade students is the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award, which allows students to select from 20 nominees. Over 100,000 students across the state take part, and everyone waits with great anticipation to see whether their favorite will emerge victorious!

Adding to the excitement, 5th graders created video book trailers to promote each title. In the process they practiced important information literacy skills, such as:

• Respecting copyright by using images licensed by Creative Commons
• Effectively conveying the essence of a book (using "hooks," revealing just enough of the plot, and choosing images and music that fit the story)
• Keeping your intended audience in mind when crafting a promotional item (how much text to use and how quickly should it scroll by?)
• Proofreading your own work and offering constructive criticism to others

The results were very impressive! I wish I had room to share all 33 video trailers with you, but since I don't, here are just a couple for you to enjoy!

What should I read next?!

You know that sinking feeling that sets in when you've caught up with your favorite author's works and have to wait impatiently for the next one to come out? Or, even worse, your favorite author is no longer living? What to do? 


I spend a fair amount of my readers' advisory time comforting and coaxing die-hard fans of into trying something different. 


But if you need more reading suggestions and aren't able to rush to the nearest library for in-person help, here are some things you can do instead:

• Do a web search for the author, title or series plus "readalikes" or "read alikes." Very likely you'll get a number of results.
• Check out the database Novelist through the public library. It's full of fabulous suggestions!
• Take advantage of Seattle Public Library's Your Next 5 Books service. You describe what you like; their librarians generously suggest more reading matter!
• Goodreads is a social networking site for readers. Use it to keep track of your reading wish list, rate books you've read, and find more titles. I have an account where I put books on virtual shelves by genre and age level.
• There are also a number of websites designed to fill this role, such as YourNextRead, What Should I Read Next? and Whichbook.

Happy reading!

The best middle school fiction of 2014!

It's been a tremendous pleasure to serve on VOYA magazine's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers selection committees for 2013 & 2014! We four librarians, plus one teacher, read over one hundred books and devoted many hours of time online and in person to discussing, sorting and ranking them. 

Our goal was to come up with at most 30 books that we could put forward as the best of the year for ages 11-14, bearing in mind literary merit, appeal to kids, relevance to curriculum, and the diversity of North American readers.

Apart from getting to read these books, another source of fun was recruiting student volunteers to review them for us! Without their honest feedback the list would have been sorely lacking.

Check out this year's list and last year's too, if you missed it! There's a bit of something in there for everyone. Some titles are appropriate for middle grade elementary readers, while those on the older end overlap with high school.

Each Little Bird That Sings: Our global studies book club selection!

Our first 3rd and 4th grade lunch recess book club selection for 2015 is Deborah Wiles' delightful, award-winning Each Little Bird That Sings which is set in Mississippi. During the last few years I've been lucky enough to make multiple trips to the South for personal and professional reasons, and have fallen in love with this sometimes misunderstood region. Many of our students have little or no experience with this part of the country, making it a perfect focus for our book club. And Little Bird, with its vivid sense of place, was an ideal selection. It's a book about love and loss, honesty and trust, resilience and compassion.

During our first meeting today, students paired off and role-played an awkward conversation between Comfort and Declaration, best friends who are going through a bumpy readjustment period. Here are some of them sitting on "Listening Rock" (role-played by our red beanbag chair)! We talked about smart ways to handle situations like this one.

On a lighter note, we were inspired by Comfort's "Top Ten Tips for First-Rate Funeral Behavior" to make up some lists of our own. Here are a few of my favorite selections! As you can see, most of them took the approach of giving advice in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Top Ten Tips for First-Rate Math Class Behavior

1. If your teacher calls on you, say "I forget."

2. Stand on your chair and yell, "I'm the king of the world and I hate math, so no more math!"

Top Ten Tips for First-Rate Wedding Behavior

1. Always say the bride and groom aren't meant for each other.

2. Say in a loud whisper that the bride's dress is ugly.

Top Ten Tips for First-Rate Art Class Behavior

1. Do NOT limit yourself to the piece of paper.

2. When your teacher says to wash your hands, wipe them on your neighbor's clothes.

Top Ten Tips for First-Rate Sleepover Behavior

1. Drink lots of sugary drinks without your mom knowing.

2. Always jump on your mom's bed, not your own bed.