Hey everyone! I have transferred over to a new website where I will be posting reading news and giveaways. Be sure to hop on over and follow as this blog will no longer be updated. See you there!
Read Across America Week: Celebrate at OIS! Thursday, Feb 25 2010
OIS Library read across america 3:04 PM
Read Across America Week is quickly approaching and OIS has some wonderful activities to make this a fun and memorable week of reading! Information has been sent home with students regarding the following events, scheduled to take place the week of March 1st-5th:
Spring Book Fair – ARRR MATEY! The book fair will begin Monday and carry on throughout the week.
(Pirate Theme)
AR Treasure Map Contest – be the first class in your grade level to reach the treasure by helping your fellow pirates take 1,000 AR tests! You’ll earn DOUBLE credit this week as we celebrate reading!
Tuesday, March 2nd: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We will celebrate by having sustained reading time in classes, listening to celebrity readers on StorylineOnline and playing videos of OIS student celebrities reading their FAVORITE books! This will also be the beginning of a our Dr. Seuss “create a creature” contest! The lucky winners will win a free book from the book fair.
Tuesday, March 2nd: Family Reading Night…come join the fun, shop the book fair, win door prizes, play games, enjoy refreshments and spend some time with your family.
Wednesday, March 3rd: Pirate Dress Up Day – it’s a contest! You could win a free book!
Friday, March 5th: A big welcome to author Chris Rumble. Mr. Rumble will lead our school in an all day Reading Pep Rally Event! You can find out more about Mr. Rumble via his website.
Help OIS Win a Grant Tuesday, Feb 2 2010
OIS Library grant, Odenville, OIS, reading, vote, win 9:53 AM
OIS has applied for a microgrant from Weekly Reader. You can help us win! Here’s what you need to do…and trust me…it won’t take but a MINUTE of your time!
Go to the Weekly Reader Grants Page. In the middle of the page it will say “Search Microgrant Projects”. The first search box will say “search all projects” … in the second box, type my name – Jamie Champagne. Click search. It will pull up my microgrant and from there, you’ll just click on “Vote For Me” and fill in your information.
Your vote is GREATLY appreciated – not only by me, but the students of OIS. YOU could make a difference for our school – thank you so much!!
OIS Library Circulation Statistics Tuesday, Jan 12 2010
OIS Library and Parent Resources bar graph, Books, circulation, library, OIS, statistics 2:18 PM
In the picture above, you will see the circulation statistics for the Odenville Intermediate Library. The blue bars show monthly book check out for the 2008 school year (last year) while the red bars show THIS year’s number of checkouts (2009). We are VERY proud of the number of books circulating this year as compared to last year. What a wonderful improvement for a school of approximately 500 students. Yay!! This is truly a testament to our wonderful teachers and the never-ending support from our administration, allowing us to incorporate programs, contests and new titles in our collection… making the library an exciting place to be.
Reading ROCKS!
Giveaway Winners – 30 Lucky Birdies! Wednesday, Jan 6 2010
Giveaways! Books, Giveaways!, winners 11:14 AM
A BIG, HUGE congratulations goes to our 30 winners of the Christsmas Book Bonanza Giveaway – yahoo!! If you won and are NOT a student at Odenville Intermediate School, please email your full name and home address ASAP so I can ship your goodies. OIS students, we’ll be sure to get your books to you at school! All winners (non OIS students) have been sent an email, or will be sent an email shortly… congratulations again and thanks for reading!!
Winners chosen via random.org:
OIS Students:
Nick A.
Isaac W.
Tyler S.
Brett P.
Stevie L.
Kala P.
Hunter L.
Logan M.
Ashley W.
Cobi A.
Aurelio A.
Kaleigh B.
Grayson A.
Dayton P.
Reading Rocks Readers (not students of OIS):
Birdie S.
Trish R.
Andrea
Barbara S.
April V.
Kerrie G.
Lisa R.
Donna
Amanda
Ryan
Stephanie R.
Anne
Kristin L.
Katrina
Brigitte
Susan K.
I am so excited for all of you!! I hope you LOVE your books and continue to follow along here at Reading Rocks!!
Rockin’ Reader – Reaching Readers Tuesday, Dec 8 2009
Free Reading Material and Librarian's Den and OIS Library and Parent Resources and Rockin' Reader cracker barrel, library, OIS, reading, rocking reader, students, volunteers 1:19 PM
If you haven’t read about our school’s partnership with Cracker Barrel through the Rockin’ Reader Program, you can read about it here. We are LOVING this program!!
I highly encourage any school who would like to participate to apply. The process is rather simple and the rewards are amazing! Parents, community members and school volunteers – this is DEFINITELY something you want to bring to your local school’s attention. I stumbled across it by accident – so it’s very possible that your school doesn’t know about the program! The online application can be found here. The only requirement? Submit the hours volunteers read to students twice a year – quick and simple. We’re LOVING it!! Thank you Cracker Barrell!!
Through Cracker Barrel’s Rockin’ Reader Program, partner schools will receive:
~2 double rockers
~Barrel Bookcase
~Assortment of books to start the program
~Bookplates
~Volunteer resources
Our school has completed close to 25 volunteer hours. That’s parents and other community volunteers reading, one-on-one to and with students. I have set our yearly goal at a much higher number and am hopeful that we will reach it by the end of the 2009-2010 school year. We have an open door policy and we always welcome volunteers to come read with students.
If you would liek to read with students in our Rockin’ Reader Center, please contact me at jamie.champagne@sccboe.org or 205-629-2246 ext. 226. We would love to have you!
Thank you again to Cracker Barrel who has definitely enhanced our reading program here at OIS!!
Christmas Book Bonanza Giveaway – 30 Winners! Monday, Dec 7 2009
Giveaways! avi, berenstain bears, Books, boxcar children, feathers, giveaway, magic tree house, the giver 2:26 PM
Okay…here it is…the Giveaway of all giveaways!! Just to get everyone in the Christmas spirit, Reading Rocks is giving away books, books and more books! Some winners will receive single books, others will receive sets of books – there will be 30 winners in all!!
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me your age or the age of the recipient who will receive the books if you win.
I can’t guarantee WHICH book(s) you will win, but an age range and male/female will help when making the selection.
Bonus Entries:
1. Tell me your favorite book(s) being given away!
2. Will this book be for you – or someone else??
3. Subscribe to Reading Rocks – and leave a comment to let me know! (counts as 2 entries…so leave 2 comments!)
4. Leave a comment on a nongiveaway post – and leave another comment here letting me know you did!
5. Tell me a favorite Christmas book you read during the holidays.
6. Tell me how you found Reading Rocks – are you a student at OIS? Did you find it on a giveaway link? Let me know!
Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry. That’s a possible eight chances to win! Giveaway will end Thursday, December 17th. All winners will be announced Friday, December 18th. Good luck and Happy Reading!
30 winners will receive ONE of the following:
The Giver:
Young Adult
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
(3 copies to give away)
A Series of Unfortunate Events/Winner will receive book 7 & 8:
Ages 9 and Older
The Vile Village:
The seventh book in Lemony Snicket’s splendidly gloomy Series of Unfortunate Events shadows the three Baudelaire orphans as they plummet headlong into their next misadventure. Mr. Poe, their ineffective legal guardian, having exhausted all options for finding them a new home with relatives (including their 19th cousin), sadly entrusts his young charges’ fate to a progressive guardian program formed with the premise “It takes a village to raise a child.” Before they know it, the Baudelaires are being whisked off on a bus to a village (vile) named “V.F.D.” Snicket fans who read The Austere Academy and The Ersatz Elevator will jump to see these three initials, as they provide a clue to the tragic disappearance of the Baudelaires’ friends, the beloved, equally orphaned Quagmire triplets.
The Hostile Hospital:
As you might expect, nothing but woe befalls the unlucky Baudelaire orphans in the eighth grim tale in Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events that began with The Bad Beginning. Ever since the orphans’ photographs were plastered across the front page of The Daily Punctilio in an article falsely accusing them of murder, they have been on the run. Only when they disguise themselves as cheerful hospital volunteers (Volunteers Fighting Disease, to be exact), do they see a possible refuge. Of course, this backfires hideously. Where is their ineffectual guardian, Mr. Poe, when they need him most? Will the evil, greedy Count Olaf be successful in giving poor Violet a cranioectomy at the Heimlich Hospital? Is a heart-shaped balloon really better than water for a thirsty patient? Is no news really good news? As ever, Snicket refuses to comfort young readers with cozy answers and satisfying escapes. And, as ever, there are plenty of rusty blades and horrible plot twists to make us shudder and shameless-but-hilarious wordplay to make us grimace happily.
C.S. Lewis – Set of 5 Chronicles of Narnia Books:
Prince Caspian
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus:
Ages 6-9
One of the initial titles released under the First Stepping Stone imprint, chapter books aimed at newly independent readers and arranged in series, Park’s ( Skinnybones ) jolly caper is the first installment to feature Junie B., a feisty almost-six-year-old who is not at all happy about riding the bus on the first day of kindergarten. In fact, she doesn’t like a single thing about this vehicle: not the kids who get on it (“Loud kids. And some of them were the kind who look like meanies”); not the door (“If it closes on you by accident, it will cut you in half, and you will make a squishy sound”); and not the black smoke it emits (“It’s called bus breath, I think”).
3 Books from The Princess Tales:
Ages 9-12
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill:
In this unusual spin on an old favorite, Cinderlla is a boy! He’s Cinderellis, and he has two unfriendly brothers and no fairy godmother to help him out. Luckily, he does have magical powders, and he intends to use them to win the hand of his Princess Charming– that is, Marigold. The only problem is– Marigold thinks Cinderellis is a monster!
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep:
A spiteful fairy. A beautiful princess. An outstretched finger. A spindle. A hundred-year snooze. A charming prince. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients. But wait! Where did that extra prince come from? And those fairy gifts that were never there before? And what does a flock of balding sheep have to do with anything?
The Princess Test:
In The Princess Test, King Humphrey has decided its time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith’s daughter. She’s no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same–but how will she ever pass the terrible tests?
Ready, Freddy! Help! A Vampire’s Coming!:
Ages 4-8
“I have a problem. A really, really, big problem. I keep having these nightmares about a vampire.”Freddy’s horrible nightmares are keeping him awake all night. Now he’s so tired that he falls asleep during breakfast and drools on himself while napping on the bus. He needs to get some rest–quick! But every time Freddy closes his eyes, the scary dream comes back. Will Freddy be able to outwit the vampire with the help of his best friend, his big sister, and his parents?
Black Lagoon Adventures – The Snow Day from the Black Lagoon:
Ages 4-8
When a blizzard hits, Hubie knows that doesn’t mean a snow day, it means a no day — nothing moves, nothing happens. After spending all afternoon zipping zippers, snapping snaps, and buckling buckles, he’s finally ready to explore the winter wonderland. Can Hubie plow through his snow-venture or will he be left out in the cold?
The Pledge of Allegiance:
Library Bound Edition
Ages 9-12
How long is four score and seven years? Just what are unalienable rights? These translations make important historical documents meaningful. Each book translates the work of a primary source into a language you can understand.
Planet Earth – Animals and Their Prey:
Ages 9-12
Animals and Their Prey combines unforgettable images, edge-of-your-seat narrative, and epic-scope in a fun and fact-filled format that is sure to appeal to kids of all ages.
Hamlet – The Young Reader’s Shakespeare:
Ages 9-12
In this solid retelling of the Bard’s most famous tragedy and best-known play, McKeown fleshes out the story of the dark and brooding prince of Denmark who wages a war of conscience over how to properly avenge his father’s murder. All of the basics are here: the interwoven complications of the fast-moving plot, the multilayered characters, and many of Shakespeare’s most famous lines of dialogue. As the author states, however, this is not a version meant for the stage, but rather one intended to be read; thus, it has to explain many details of setting, action, and thought that are normally discovered by seeing the play.
Earthquake Games:
Grade 5-8
For readers searching for a science experiment or a project dealing with earthquakes or volcanoes, this book will be a solid source of ideas. Classroom teachers should find it a gold mine of facts and feats to make understanding the dynamics of these geological phenomena (and their effects on man-made structures) easier and more enjoyable.
Egypt Insiders:
Ages 9-12
INSIDERS — a visually groundbreaking, state-of-the-art nonfiction series that outshines Eyewitness and Discoveries. This stunning new series offers an inside look into twelve riveting subjects, beginning with Dinosaurs, Egypt, Oceans, and Space. Expertly written, each book will feature an arresting design, complete with dynamic, multi-layered CGI and 3-D model imagery that is complemented by fascinating, up-to-date information presented in a user-friendly format.
A Day That Changed America: D-Day:
Ages 9-12
Tanaka spins paraphrased reminiscences of four American military survivors (plus one’s fiancee, back in the U.S.), into an episodic account of what she bills as “the biggest invasion in the history of warfare.” Although she does provide occasional glimpses of the broader strategic picture, her focus is more on close-ups of the battle from the points of view of a paratrooper, a P-47 pilot, a landing craft crew member, and a combat medic.
Pirate School – Treasure Trouble:
Library Bound Edition
Ages 6-8
They have done it again. The pirate kids have found buried treasure. Too bad Rotten Tooth was there to take it away, mumbling something about scallywags . . . But when all the pirates on the “Sea Rat” come down with a mysterious illness, the kids start to wonder if it could have something to do with their treasure. Could it be cursed?
The Boxcar Children Graphic Novel – Blue Bay Mystery:
Library Bound Edition
Ages 9-12
Comic Book Format
The Boxcar Children are in for an extra-special surprise! They are going on a trip on a huge cargo ship to a deserted South Seas island. While fishing and exploring the island, the children discover clues that it isn’t deserted after all!
Smart Animals – Crows:
Ages 9-12
Are crows smart? HOW smart? Follow real live Crows and learn what exactly they ARE capable of doing!
Lewis and Clark – In Their Own Words:
Ages 9-12
Great for Reluctant Readers
In Lewis and Clark, the expedition is said to be traveling “mostly north” toward the Gates of the Mountains, after their portage of the Great Falls on the Missouri River, an egregious geographical error.
Magic Tree House – Night of the New Magicians:
Ages 8-12
Merlin sends Jack and Annie on a mysterious mission to Paris, France, over a hundred years ago. There they must find four magicians and give them an urgent message from Merlin himself. When Jack and Annie land in Paris, they make their way to the 1889 World’s Fair. Below the Eiffel Tower, built especially for the fair, there are thousands of exhibits from all over the world. But how will Jack and Annie find the magicians in the crowds of people? And who are the magicians anyway?
The Girls of Lighthouse Lane by Thomas Kinkade – Rose’s Story:
Ages 9-12
Embarrassed by her mother’s suffragist politics, Rose, 13, is afraid to bring her new friends home after her family moves from New York City to Cape Light fishing village in 1906. She remembers when Momma was arrested and when she wore bloomers! Rose’s personal focus is not on voting but on nurturing an abused horse, beautiful Midnight Star. When she is told that girls can’t ride in a local horse race, she disguises herself as a boy. But then her fury makes her militant, and she finds the courage to challenge the rules, ride as a girl, and win–to her mother’s delight.
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson:
Ages 9-12
—”Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow,” notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971.
Iron Thunder by Avi:
Ages 9-12
Avi’s historical novel views the construction of the Monitor and the ensuing epochal battle with its Confederate rival through the eyes of an actual but fictionalized crew member. Narrating in a clipped style that speeds the tale along nicely, 13-year-old Tom describes meetings with the Monitor’s inventor, John Ericsson, and other historical figures
Jack Russell: Dog Detective – The Kitnapped Creature:
Ages 9-12
Someone is imprisoned in a horrible cage! Jack is trying to get caught by Ranger Johnny Wolf! What is Foxie up to? And just who is sharing Jack’s basket these days? Things are mixed-up in Doggeroo.
Isabel of the Whales:
Ages 9-12
Isabel has always felt that she is someone special. While her ordinary life with family and friends near Provincetown, MA, says otherwise, the 11-year-old proves her point by falling off a boat during a whale watch. Instead of drowning, she becomes a humpback whale. Her guide, Onijonah, tells her that she has been recognized as one of the Chosen humans who become whales in a sort of foreign exchange, teaching and learning from one another. Isabel receives training in diving, feeding, and communication as she migrates with the herd, sharing her knowledge of such hazards as nets and whaling ships. When she is injured helping Onijonah’s calf, she must decide whether to stay or seek the safety of land and her human form.
Number the Stars:
Ages 10-14
Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend.
Who Was Ben Franklin?:
Ages 9-12
Few historic figures have led a life as varied and interesting as Benjamin Franklin’s. From chasing a twister to helping write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Franklin’s career was anything but dry and dusty.
The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Ripoff Queen:
Ages 4-8
Ralph Ripoff has a get-rich-quick scheme to bring gambling to Bear Country. Can the Bear Scouts warn everyone that the slot machines are rigged before the town goes broke?
Quarterback Sneak by Jake Maddox:
Library Bound Edition
Ages 9-12
Anton loves playing football until Malik, the talented quarterback, starts acting strange. Instead of working with the team, Malik is just showing off. Anton has to fix the problem fast, before the quarterback ruins everything!
Children’s Night Sky Atlas with See Through Pages:
Hardcover
Ages 9-12
Featuring up-to-the-minute discoveries and state-of-the-art space photography, this atlas illustrates all that science has revealed about constellations, the evolution of stars and galaxies, and the planets in the solar system. Acetate overlays highlight special points of interest to show even more about what we see in the night sky.
All book summaries come from amazon.com – THE source for book information and purchasing! Good luck!!
Congratulations to Our Latest Winner! Monday, Dec 7 2009
Giveaways! giveaway, ripley's, winner 10:43 AM
Congratulations to Eyan S. Eyan won the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not giveaway. Thanks to everyone for entering – and congratulations again, Eyan!
Congratulations!! Tuesday, Dec 1 2009
Giveaways! Books, giveaway, Giveaways!, winner 9:26 AM
Congratulations to Janae B. and WinningReadings on winning the Candy Apple Books giveaway! I hope both of you will enjoy reading these books and continue to visit Reading Rocks!
Remember to enter the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not book giveaway, ending Friday…more giveaways to come!!
Capstone Kids – Interactive Fun! Thursday, Nov 19 2009
Uncategorized 9:41 AM
Have you heard of Capstone Kids? It’s a great website with free games and activities SAFE for the whole family! The great thing is, the characters in the games are straight out of Capstone’s books – so children are already familiar with the characters AND they get an opportunity for some interactive play…they won’t even know they’re learning!
Here’s a little blurb from Capstone:
Capstone Kids is owned and operated by Capstone Publishers. We are a family-owned company that supports the reading needs of preK-12 students through Capstone Press, Compass Point Books, Picture Window Books, Stone Arch Books, and Red Brick Learning. We’re proud of the range of high-quality nonfiction and high-interest fiction we offer, and invite you to browse our collections!
We offer MANY Capstone titles to students in our library. What’s better than getting “hooked” via an online game and then searching for the book in the library?? It’s all about making connections. I highly suggest this website for students – check it out!
Here are a few characters your children will see at Capstone Kids Online that they may be familiar with from books they’ve read:
Buzz Beaker
Captain Cal (coming soon to our library)
Damian Drooth Supersleuth
DC Comic Superheros (coming soon to our library)
Eek & Ack
Gus
Isabel Soto
Jimmy Sniffles
Klooz
The Library of Doom (a favorite of OIS students!)
Max
Max Axiom
Pony Tales (coming soon to our library)
Recon Academy
Tiger Moth
Zinc Alloy
Reading Rocks 