2009-2010+Texas+Bluebonnet+Award+Book+Club

Congratulations! ECDC Students have now voted for this year's favorite Texas Bluebonnet nominee-our choice? Alvin Ho. To celebrate students who had read five or more nominated books were invited to a special Bluebonnet breakfast and voting celebration in their honor. Here is a short video Ms. Murphy created to commemorate the event.

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What is the [|Texas Bluebonnet Award]?
The Texas Library Association sponsors the Texas Bluebonnet Award reading list to encourage recreational reading.

**View a list of Nominees:**

 * [|Texas Bluebonnet Award master list (PDF)] [[file:Annotated TBA master list 2009-2010.doc]] **

**Watch a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee video**

Visit [|Book Talk].
Rate the book you have read and learn more about the authors and illustrators of the Texas Bluebonnet nominees through this interactive site. Rate your book and see how others how rated it also.

** How can I comment on the books I am reading? **
Step 1- Click the discussion tab on the top of this page. Step 2- Look for the title of the book in the subject column. Click on the link and read what has already been written or "posted" by Ms. Murphy or one of your classmates. Step 3- Post a "reply" expressing your thoughts and opinion about your book. Ask questions or compare your book to other books you have read. Need help? See Ms. Murphy. Step 4- What if my book is not listed? Yea! You get to start a discussion by "Posting" a message. In the subject area type in the title of your book. In the message area, give a short summary of the book in a sentence or two. Tell us your thoughts and opinions about the plot of the story or about the characters from the story. Ask questions that someone else might be able to answer or challenge your classmates to read the book. Need help? Ask Ms. Murphy

It will take some time for us to start the discussions. In the mean time, feel free to get started sharing your thoughts on whichever book you have read. Ms. Murphy has already read half of the books on the list so you better get cracking too!

=Piper Reed, Navy Brat=

I have decided to let my library classes (grades 3-5) decide which Piper Reed book trailer will be uploaded to Teacher Tube. Two songs both seemed to fit "Piper". One is upbeat and perky like Piper and the other has a homey and family feel about it. Hmmmm, I wonder which one will be chosen.

Kids will receive a score sheet that allows them to rate the music chosen for the video.Using a scale score from 1-3 (three being a best music-video match).Is the music a good match for the book trailer?Does the music fit the Piper's personality?Does the music fit the tone of the story?

**Choice A-Piper Reed, Navy Brat book trailer** media type="custom" key="22891680" =Surprises for Humphrey = media type="custom" key="4825487" = Cockroaches Galore! = ** A book talk for Maybelle and Martina will be held in October. We will add more content at that time. **

//** Maybelle in the Soup **// by Katie Speck Book trailer created by Mubarama on Teacher Tube media type="custom" key="4264245"

Take a look at a Bluebonnet Book:

= Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Deedy =  [|Author-Carmendeedy's web site] web link about Carmen Deedy

[|Click here] to For a Martina Activity: Take a look at the "other side of the story." Students can write a story from the point of view of Martina’s rejected suitors, using this book activity.

Learn a little Spanish vocabulary from Martina [|Un poquito de espanol Martina style] <click there.

[|A taste of Martina's Cuba]

Click on the picture **below** to learn about real **Cuban cockroaches.**

Click here to explore [|Yucky Roach World!]


=September 2009= Ms. Murphy read Luck of the Loch Ness Monster to students in September and introduced our Kids Book Club Wiki. Students are now able to participate in book discussions, also known as book talks. The first group to join in the discussions are the fourth graders! Be sure to comment on //**Luck of the Loch Ness Monster; A Tale of Picky Eating**// under the discussion tab at the top of the page. Congratulations to 4th grader, Morgan, our first student to join the discussion. Morgan won a special book prize from the library.

The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating by A. W. Flaherty

The FAKE Loch Ness Monster

Many people in Scotland and all over the world have been fascinated with the idea of the Loch Ness Monster and the possibility of it's existence. Do you believe it could be real? Do scientist believe such a large creature could live in the loch? What have ordinary citizens observed?

[|What is the Loch Ness Monster?]

4th grade student, Riley has begun a book discussion for // Pale Male //. When you have read the book, please join the Pale Male discussion. Here is how to participate.: Click on the discussion tab at the top of this page. Under the Subject column look for the link for Pale Male, authored by Riley. Click on the link and reply to Riley's posting. We want to hear what you think about the book and any questions you have for your classmates.

One day, he flew into New York- Click the link to see the introduction to a video about Pale Male. View the photo gallery to gain insight into the world of Pale Male. The birdwatchers of Central Park were buzzing–a young red-tailed hawk had been spotted, would he stay? The bird they dubbed Pale Male not only stayed, he became one of New York City’s most famous residents. Pale Male and his mate built their nest near the top of one of Fifth Avenue’s swankiest apartment buildings. Nine years and 23 chicks later, Pale Male’s fame had grown so large that a CBS newsman named him Father of the Year! But Pale Male was less beloved by the residents of the building, and in 2004 the owners suddenly removed the nest–setting off an international outcry on behalf of the birds. (Information provided by publisher: Random House)

The following section is under repair:

Pale Male Photos-Click this link to view Dr. Ward Stone's collection of Pale Male photos.

[|Pale Male's family photo album] -Click this link to view photos of Pale Male

Would you like to continue your research on Pale Male? Click on the article titles below to find out more.

**[|Instinct for Real Estate]**


 * [|Three Baby Hawks Feared Dead]**

[|The Fifth Avenue Ballard of Pale Male and Lola]


 * [|The Legend of Pale Male] ** -locate movie clips and photos about Pale Male

=Visit the official web site of [|THE GOLLY-WHOPPER GAMES] by Jody Feldman=

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Gr 4 8 Gil is one of 5000 kids competing for fame and prizes in a fantastic event sponsored by the Golly Toy and Game Company. By solving a series of word games and puzzles, and passing physical challenges, he reaches the finals, where he must outshine four others, including an ex-classmate who may be cheating. Gil has further motivation to win his father was wrongly accused of embezzling from the company, a personal stake that provides added interest. The challenges themselves are fun: the wordplay and codes required to solve them are tricky, but not impossible, and it's interesting to see the kids' thought processes. Part of the competition involves teaming up, and Gil shows leadership skills and learns to see his partners' hidden strengths. Adequate black-and-white drawings appear throughout. With occasionally stiff dialogue and fairly superficial supporting characters, the process of the Games is the main draw. Several plot contrivances, including the fact that the fathers of two of the finalists were rival Golly Toys employees, make things a bit less suspenseful. Despite these flaws, the appealing premise of a competition within a toy company headquarters recalls Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Knopf, 1964), and the puzzle solving may appeal to fans of Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society (Little, Brown, 2007) or Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2004), making Feldman's book a workable, though less satisfying, follow-up to those titles. Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

=// Savvy // by Ingrid Law =

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[|Click here] for a Savvy Discussion guide available at Walden Media

// Someone Named Eva // by Joan M. Wolf
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