Bookstorms
Bookstorm™: Chasing Secrets
Don’t you love a good mystery? Set it in an exotic but familiar city like San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century. Create a main character who’s a smart and adventurous young girl with interests frowned upon during that time: science, mathematics, and pursuing a college education. Provide a family and friends who are immensely interesting because they’re so
Bookstorm™: Princess Posey
There have been many papers written about why children, teens, and adults like to read books that are published as part of a series. From The Bobbsey Twins to Nancy Drew to the Boxcar Children to Encylopedia Brown to Goosebumps to The Babysitters Club to Redwall to Warriors (drawing in a long breath) … okay, you
Bookstorm™: Firekeeper’s Son
This month, we are pleased to feature Firekeeper’s Son, written by Linda Sue Park and illustrated by Julie Downing. Set in Korea in the 19th century, it’s a book about an historic system of signal fires that served as national security … and one family who is responsible for lighting a bonfire each and every night. The young
Bookstorm™: Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall
This month, we are pleased to feature Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall, written by Anita Silvey, with photographs and book designed by the incredible team at National Geographic. This book is not only fascinating to read, it’s a beautiful reading experience as well. It’s not often that a book offers us a glimpse into the childhood of
Bookstorm™: Bulldozer’s Big Day
It’s Bulldozer’s big day — his birthday! But around the construction site, it seems like everyone is too busy to remember. Bulldozer wheels around asking his truck friends if they know what day it is, but they each only say it’s a work day. They go on scooping, sifting, stirring, filling, and lifting, and little Bulldozer grows more
Bookstorm™: Chasing Freedom
In this Bookstorm™: Chasing Freedom The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts written by Nikki Grimes illustrated by Michele Wood Orchard Books, 2015 As Nikki Grimes writes in her author’s note for this book, “History is often taught in bits and pieces, and students rarely get the notion that these
Bookstorm: Catch You Later, Traitor
In this Bookstorm™: Catch You Later, Traitor written by Avi Algonquin Books for Young Readers, 2015 The early 1950s in the United States was a time when soldiers and medical personnel had returned home from the two theaters of World War II, Communism was talked about as something to be feared, and colleagues and neighbors were asked to
Bookstorm: The Shadow Hero
In this Bookstorm™: Shadow Hero written by Gene Luen Yangillustrated by Sonny LiewFirst Second, 2014 As we become a culture adapted to screens, visuals, and moving pictures, we grow more accustomed to the storytelling form of the graphic novel. For some, their comfort with this combination of visuals and text telling a story satisfies a craving to “see” the story while
Bookstorm: Scaly Spotted …
In this Bookstorm™: Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled:how do we know what dinosaurs really looked like? written by Catherine ThimmeshHMH Books for Young Readers, 2013 No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their
Bookstorm: Lowriders in Space
In this Bookstorm™: Lowriders in Space written by Cathy Camperillustrated by Raul the Thirdpublished by Chronicle Books, 2014 “Lupe Impala, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria love working with cars. You name it, they can fix it. But the team’s favorite cars of all are lowriders — cars that hip and hop, dip and drop, go low and slow, bajito y suavecito. The
Bookstorm: Catherine, Called Birdy
In this Bookstorm™: Catherine, Called Birdy written by Karen Cushmanpublished by Clarion Books, 1994Newbery Honor book “Corpus Bones! I utterly loathe my life.” Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man – any rich man, no matter how awful. But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then
Bookstorm: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
Leroy Ninker has a hat, a lasso, and boots. What he doesn’t have is a horse — until he meets Maybelline, that is, and then it’s love at first sight. Maybelline loves spaghetti and sweet nothings, and she loves Leroy, too. But when Leroy forgets the third and final rule of caring for Maybelline, disaster ensues. Can Leroy wrestle fate to the ground, rescue the horse of his heart, and lasso loneliness for good? Join Leroy, Maybelline, and a cast of familiar characters — Stella, Frank, Mrs. Watson, and everyone’s favorite porcine wonder, Mercy — for some hilarious and heartfelt horsing around on Deckawoo Drive.