Global Bookmark Exchange

If you are a teacher and would like to participate in the global bookmark exchange, please contact Susan Hughes to register: susanhughes@sympatico.ca

Susan will now be running the program.
It's easy: tell her how many students you have, where you are and which grade.
She will match you to another school. This allows you to:
- do art
- discuss good books
- study another place on the planet
- practise writing skills
- and make new friends.


Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Pippi Longstocking  by Astrid Lindgren

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another!

The book that I loved as a child, translated from Swedish, is now a classic. Does that show my age, too?
But really this story is ageless. As all good child protagonists, Pippi has no parents. At least not any that are in the picture. And as any child reader, I vividly remember wanting to live just like Pippi: to eat when and what I wanted. To only go to bed when I decided to. To have the freedom and the strength to make my own decisions. Pippi has even more strength than that. She can lift up her horse and do other amazing things that seem to perfectly fit the story.

Re-read this book, share it out loud with a child in your life! Re-live being a child in a book in which anything is possible.
  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin; Reissue edition (April 26 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0142402494
  • ISBN-13: 978-0142402498
Also check out Astrid Lingren's web page with wonderful information:
http://astridlindgren.se/en
 IBBY, the International Board of Books for Young People, administers the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award:
 http://www.ibby-canada.org/?page_id=246

The Underneat by Kathi Appelt

The Underneath The Underneath, Kathi Appelt.
Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1-84738-311-2

This book.
What a book it is.
Not poetry really, but such a story.
Woven around some kittens and a hound.

This story is dark, heavy, gripping. Yet light as a feather. I couldn't put it down - wanted to taste the words and swirl them around on my tongue. How does one author make such words, put them in such a delicious order?
This author.
She is a story spinner.

Some stories are built on strong characters, with strong settings. A plot.
This story has all that, spun out of wonderful words.
It draws you in, like the whirlpools in the dark river in the story.
I was scared. Scared for the kittens and the hound.
Scared of the snake and the gators.
Scared of the darkness of the man.

But there was light, too.
Light of love, and hope.
Always hope. Hope for a happy ending...
This is a story to read aloud, share with children the story this author spins.
If you are a writer, read these words. See how she spun them. Into a story that will tug at your heart strings. A story of love and friendship. A story of deep running hatred. A scary story that is beautiful.
Part folklore, part fairytale. A tale set in the south.
A tale that you will not soon forget.
Oh, such a tale.

Awards for The Underneath:
  • Borders "Original New Voices"
  • Book Sense "Pick of the Week"
  • Starred review, Booklist Magazine
  • Top Ten Bestsellers, Indie Bound
  • Finalist, The National Book Awards
  • John Newbery Honor Book, ALA
  • Finalist, Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award
  • PEN Center USA Award Children's Literature
  • Winner, Writer's League of TX Award for Children's Literature
  • New York Times Bestseller
http://www.kathiappelt.com

A new, local book for sailors with pooches

South Islander, Memoirs of a Cruising Dog by Amanda Spottiswoode

If you sail the waters around the Gulf Island AND have a dog, here's a fun new book for you: South Islander, Memoirs of a Cruising Dog by Amanda Spottiswoode. Fun stories of years of sailing adventures are accompanied by maps of favorite (dog) walks on many islands. For those who cruise with dogs, and for those who like to venture ashore to stretch their legs, the book is illustrated with maps describing walks up and down the coast. The book tells tales of mishaps, adventures, explorations and glorious days on the water, set against the stunning backdrop of the waters, mountains and islands between the B.C. mainland and Vancouver Island. Whether you are an experienced sailor with extensive knowledge of the B.C. Coast, are new to boating, or even a confirmed landlubber and armchair sailor, you will enjoy this book, even if its price range is that of map/chart books, well above a softcover storybook. http://southislander.ca/

Book Lists Galore!

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/05/207315023/the-ultimate-backseat-bookshelf-100-must-reads-for-kids-9-14?utm_source&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130802

Looking for some good books to put into the hands of a young reader, or your own for that matter? Better yet, read these books aloud with them!
Add some Canadian books from this site:
http://www.bookcentre.ca/publications/best_books_for_kids_and_teens

Then check out some international books from IBBY's BookBird magazine here: http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=1035

and you will have one heck of a list from which to pick your books!
Happy reading.

On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing, Stephen King


Let me beginning with confessing that I am not a fan of Stephen King's novels. I'm not 'into' horror at all, even though they are, undoubtedly, well written horror stories.
However, horrible as the writing life can sometimes be - what with rejections and all - his book On Writing is a spot-on, often funny reflection on the profession.
I found it to be a helpful encouraging, down-to-earth guide for writers at all stages of their career. The book does not make things more rosy than they are. It states clearly the not even attempt to write for publishing if you don't have anything to say. But it does make it clear how exciting a writer's life can be if you love research and storytelling.

"Long live the King," said Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing: Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told. If you are serious at wanting to be a writer, get it.

Mass Market Paperback, 297 pages
ISBN 0743455967