New Books Being Made into Movies

Did you know that 2 of my favorite picture books are being made into movies?

• "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak &
  
• "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett
  

If you haven't read these books yet, do it! 

Especially if you plan to see the movie version of the book. 

Please, Please Please... Read the book first!

Want to watch the movie trailers? 

Go to their links under online resources.

Read, Read, Read to Win A Bike!

Last year Orchard Elementary read over 2 million minutes and sent Principal Bezzant to the roof for meeting our goal. 4 lucky students also won bikes when their names were drawn from the "road to success" coupon boxes. We will be doing road to success again this year and have increased our goal to 2.5 million minutes. I know we can meet this goal and another 4 students will win a bike at the end of this school year. We haven't decided what the reward will be for meeting our goal this year, but give us your ideas and get reading!!

Discover the  “Magic” of books this year as we meet in the “Castle Kiva” and discuss the adventures awaiting us on our library shelves. Remember to start the year off right by practicing the 3 R’s of the library from the start... 

• READ
  
• RESPECT &
• RESPONSIBILITY!

Also be prepared each week to give 5 minutes of your time to our library to help it stay in order and be the best it can be. I am excited to be back at Orchard this year and can’t wait to discover new things and travel to new places with you through the "magic" of books.

What Did You Do This Summer?

In the book "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen a 12 year old boy uses an old lawn mower, given to him by his grandma, to start his own business and have a summer adventure he will never forget. A few of the colorful characters included in the story are a hippie e-trader that helps the boy invest his earnings, a prize fighter "Joey Pow" that comes to the rescue of the boy & his friends, and a thug that tries to take over the successful business. This story will appeal to anyone that enjoys a funny, lighthearted read. It almost made me want to start my own lawn mowing business...what do you think?

SAVVY

What special power would you like if you received one on your 13th birthday? The power to walk through walls, or control electricity? "Savvy" by Ingrid Law, is about a young girl ready to turn 13 and receive her special power, or savvy.

I enjoyed reading "Savvy" by ingrid Law. You can go to the "SAVVY" link under online resources if you want to find out more about this book.

You might have your own savvy & just haven't discovered it yet.

Penny from Heaven

I just finished reading "Penny from Heaven" (a 2007 Newbery Honor book) written by Jennifer L. Holm. The author is also known for writing "Our Only May Amelia" (one of my daughters favorite books). I enjoyed this book because it gave me a little glimpse back in time to see what it might have been like growing up when my parents and grandparents were younger. I even found myself feeling as if I were Penny as I read, cringing when she got hurt or upset or laughing at her large Italian-American family and their antics. If you enjoy real or historical fiction books, I think you might enjoy "Penny from Heaven" by Jennifer L. Holm.

Read a New Recipe

There are so many different types of reading we can do. Yes, books are the traditional thing that we think of when we think of reading, but words are all around us waiting for us to read them. One thing I've been enjoying reading this summer are new recipes. I love to cook and trying something new in the kitchen is my favorite type of cooking. I've started another blog about my experiments in the kitchen. If you'd like to read about my experimenting, and the new recipes I've tried, go to the "Read a New Recipe" link under the other blogs list.

I just read "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne, a historical fiction book written from the point of view of a young boy during the holocaust. This book has been made into a movie but I like to read books before I see the movie. Though we don't have this book in our library, I hope you will read other books before (or after) you see the movie version of the book. If you liked the movie... you should give the book a try. Here is a list of books that have been made into movies. Check it out!

Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne
A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
Babe (Book Title: Babe : The Gallant Pig) - Dick King-Smith
The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander
Bridge To Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ian Fleming
Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - Dr. Seuss
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
Eragon - Christopher Paolini
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Freaky Friday - Mary Rodgers
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
Heidi - Johanna Spyri
Holes - Louis Sachar
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr. Seuss
The Incredible Journey - Sheila Burnford
The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells
The Indian in the Cupboard - Lynn Reid Banks
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
Jumanji - Chris Van Allsberg
The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
Legend Of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Lord of the Rings series- J. R. R. Tolkien
Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers
Matilda - Roald Dahl
Nim's Island - Wendy Orr
Old Yeller - Fred Gipson
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Pinocchio - Collodi, Carlo
Polar Express - Chris Van Allsburg
Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot
Ramona - Beverly Cleary
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - Kate Wiggin
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Sounder - William Armstrong
Stormbreaker - Anthony Horowitz
Stuart Little - E.B. White
The Tale of Despereaux - Kate Dicamillo
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Thomas the Tank Engine - Rev. W. Awdry
The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells
Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, The - Dick King-Smith
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Graham
The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Zathura - Chris Van Allsburg