It's time to resurrect the blog. Yes, I've been neglectful for a long time, but I've found I need a place to organize all my library thoughts and resources. This may be the place.

Fourth of July

Today isn't the fourth of July, it's the second day of July, but thoughts of the upcoming holiday are in my mind. I love the 4th of July. It is one of the best days of the year, no matter where I am, or what sort of celebration I have, it is a day I look forward to and cherish for many reasons.

Firstly, I am terribly proud to be an American and love to celebrate our nation's freedom.
Secondly, I loved the happy, carefree and playful celebrations of this holiday I had as a child. Each year, I remember them with fondness and still look forward to fireworks.
Thirdly, this holiday represents the true start of summer for me. Lazy days, happy mornings when I don't have to rush out to work.
A true blessing in many ways.
Happy Fourth !

Summer Days

Today feels like the true first day of summer. The sun is shining and it's a warm day with a blue sky and big fluffy clouds. Just the kind of day you dream of all winter. Just the kind of day to have fun, swim, shop, play or hang out with friends and family. We all look forward to these days and plan many activities to make the most of the great weather.

I hope you enjoy all your summer days. The bright sunny days and the cool rainy days. One of the best things about summer is that you often forget what day of the week it is, as you aren't on such a tight schedule like you are during the school year.

Don't forget to log into this blog and let me know what you're doing. Reading is one part of a great summer, yet, I hope you'll tell me about your other adventures, as well.

Which came first: book or movie; movie or book?

Do you read the book before seeing the movie version?
Everyone has an opinion on this subject. Many people insist on reading the book first to understand the author's perspective before seeing it interpreted by a director and actors.
Others prefer to be entertained by the story itself, not interested in the background or history of how the author created the book.

It can be fun to have a book and movie club in which everyone reads the same book and then watches the movie together. A discussion can follow, comparing and contrasting the differing viewpoints as presented by the mediums. The next time around, watch the movie first, then read the book, perhaps out loud to each other in weekly meetings.

You may find you prefer one way over another or just enjoy both the book and the movie.

Share a favorite book with someone else...

Sharing a book with someone else can be a great way to spend time together.

Do you know someone who is just learning how to read? Do you remember learning to read? It was an exciting time, being able to finish a simple picture book and moving onto chapter books.

Spending time with a neighbor, friend, or family member who is just beginning a journey into the world of books will be an opportunity for you to experience that joy again.

Do you remember a favorite book you used to read over and over when you were first learning? Maybe it was Olivia or Froggie, Arthur or Curious George, or Henry and Mudge or Junie B Jones. Then you might have read every one of the Magic Tree House books before moving onto Fudge , Animal Ark, and the Spiderwick Chronicles or Charlotte's Web and The Time Warp Trio.

Spend time with them, sharing a book and taking turns reading aloud. You will share the gift of yourself with someone else and also rediscover the terrific books you read when you were younger.

Texting/ IMing Affecting Life Today - a view from a teen

Guest Blog from anonymous
How does texting or IMing affect us? Well, when you're in a conversation in technology you could say: 'heyy wassup" instead of "hey. how are you?"

There are abbreviations now such as lol (laugh out loud) or omg (oh my god). What if someone used that in an English paper? You wouldn't get a good grade.

Now think back. People used to talk like "Art thou feeling good today madame?"
People's ways of talking changed. Now someone would say "You feeling good today?"
Just think. If it changed that easily once, couldn't it change again? Text language could be the way of the future. Would you talk to your parents like this:
"Yo mom pass the milk"
Not now.
But what if language changed? That would be proper. It may be considered improper to say:
"Excuse me mom, could you pass the milk?"
We may use those abbreviations. "How are you "could be "how r u?"
Or "I don't think so" to " idts", "whats up?" to "sup?"

If you want more examples go to http://www.aim.com/acronyms.adp

As you can see, texting may be the way of the future. What will happen to the English Language?

Which type are you? Time to try something new?

Genre, type, kind. Which sort of book do you like to read? Most of us have our favorite genre, while others read across all the literature spectrum.



Why not consider challenging yourself this summer? Try a genre or type of book you've never read or one you haven't read in a long time.



Perhaps you're in the middle of reading the Harry Potter series again, in anticipation of the next movie installment due out in July. When you've had your fill of the activities at Hogwarts, why not try a book on poetry?



You may only read books by one or two authors. You eagerly await their next book and are the first to purchase a copy. Go out on a limb this summer and go back to the classics and read a book which was all the rage 25 or 30 years ago. It might be fun to compare and contrast the popular books of another generation to yours.

Be adventurous! You may find a new genre to love.

Vacation Idea - visit a place you've read about in a book

If your family hasn't planned a vacation yet, think about visiting a city or location you've read about in a book.

Perhaps you have a favorite author who lived nearby. Many famous authors homes are museums which are open to the public. I've visited homes of my favorite authors on several occasions. Each time, I came away with renewed interest in their books and appreciation for the hard work it takes to be an author.

If you've just finished reading a great mystery novel which takes place in your city - get out and take a tour of the locations in the book. The clues will come alive when you see the locations in person.

You may have read a book which takes place in a sports setting. Here's your chance to tour a ball park or visit the team's training camp.

You may be fortunate enough to meet other fans of the books you admire on your travels.

Staying on track this Summer....

I know you are on vacation from school and you don't want to think about being on a schedule.
Right now, you are thinking about a long summer full of doing what you want, when you want.

However, reality does creep into those lazy summer days.

Your activites may have slowed down a bit, but you still need to keep track of what's going on in your life whether its camps, trips or (oh no!) your summer assignments from school.

If you like to make lists and keep things organized (and who doesn't?), check out the online "To Do" list on Scholastic's site. Here's the link: http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/todo.htm

Summer at the Library

Your local public library is a great place to visit during the summer months. During the school year, you may run into the library to pick up a book you need for a project, but now that you have some time on your hands, spend time getting to know your library.

Most libraries run summer reading programs for students of all ages, with activities, contests and events. The programs often start the end of June and run for 4 to 6 weeks. A quick phone call or logging onto the web site will provide you with the info on dates and times.

You may be surprised at what you find and who you see at the library this summer.