every time a book is read it is something different

Best Books of 2010 according to me :)

emilybrary — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:12:38 +0000

First a few statistics (as of December 29):

Books read in 2010: 252

Adult books read: 24

YA books read in 2010: 75

Juvenile books read: 147

I don’t keep track of picture books/ easy readers… but it’s a goal for next year. Just so I have the number

Best Book Published in 2010 (Adults)

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

Best Book Published in 2010 (Young Adults)

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Best Book Published in 2010 (Kids)

On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells

Best Book Published in 2010 (Beginning Readers)

Can I Play Too? By Mo Willems

Best Book Published in 2010 (Picture Books)

Milo Armadillo by Jan Fearnly

Best Nonfiction

Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox

Best Graphic Novel

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

Best Re-read

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

Top 5 Adult Books

1. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson

4. Shades of Gray by Jasper Fforde

5. Ape House by Sara Gruen

Top 5 Graphic Novels

1. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

2. Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires

3. Jellaby by Karen Soo

4. Owly Volume 1 by Andy Runton

5. Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Top 5 YA Books

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

2. The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

3. My Boyfriend’s Dogs by Dandi Daley Mackall

4. Girl in the Arena by Lisa Haines

5. Breathless by Jessica Warman

Top 5 Kids Books

1. The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

2. Countdown by Deborah Wiles

3. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

4. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

5. Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Top 5 Beginning Readers

I didn’t read very many good ones.

1. I am Going! By Mo Willems

Top 5 Picture Books

1. Ernest the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner

2. Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

3. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead

4. Knuffle Bunny Free 2010 by Mo Willems

5. Swim! Swim! By Lerch

Top 5 Nonfiction

1. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams

2. Simeon’s Story by Simeon Wright

3. Kakapo Rescue by Sy Montgomery

4. Bulu: African Wonder Dog by Dick Houston

5. Poop Happened by Sarah Albee

Top 5 Rereads

1. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

2. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

3. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Filed under: Lists

emilybrary — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:05:38 +0000

#1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
#2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)
#3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)
#4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
#5: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)
#6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)
#7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
#8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)
#9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)
#10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)
#11: The Story of Ferdinand by Monroe Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson (1936)
#12: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (1994)
#13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)
#14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith(1989)
#15: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996)
#16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (1987)
#17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947)
#18: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1970)
#19: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982)
#20: George and Martha by James Marshall (1972)
#21: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999)
#22: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, ill. by Mike Smollin (1971)
#23: Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (1964)
#24: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, ill. Lois Ehlert (1989)
#25: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)
#26: Corduroy by Donald Freeman (1976)
#27: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902)
#28: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, ill. Ray Cruz(1972)
#29: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)
#30: Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr., ill. Eric Carle (1967)
#31: No, David by David Shannon (1998)
#32: Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, ill. by Betsy Lewin (2000)
#33: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi and Ron Barrett (1978)
#34: Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
#35: Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, ill. Blair Lent (1968)
#36: Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith (1992)
#37: Eloise by Kay Thompson, ill. Hilary Knight (1955)
#38: Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, ill. by Margaret Bloy Graham (1956)
#39: The Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood (1984)
#40: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (1939)
#41: The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, ill. Stephen Gammell (1985)
#42: Curious George by H.A. Rey (1941)
#43: Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)
#44: Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola (1975)
#45: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985)
#46: Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (2006)
#47: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (1985)
#48: The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater (1977)
#49: King Bidgood is in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, ill. Don Wood (1985)
#50: Black and White by David Macaulay (1990)
#51: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981)
#52: Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard, ill. James Marshall (1977)
#53: The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (1978)
#54: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001)
#55: The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, ill. George & Doris Hauman (1961)
#56: Frederick by Leo Lionni (1967)
#57: Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, ill. Harry Bliss (2003)
#58: Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
#59: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (1975) by Verna Aardema, ill.Leo and Diane Dillon (1975)
#60: Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak (1962)
#61: Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (2005)
#62: The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack (1933)
#63: Traction Man is Here!, by Mini Grey (2005)
#64: “I Can’t,” Said the Ant: A Second Book of Nonsense by Polly Cameron (1961)
#65: Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (2003)
#66: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (1995)
#67: Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (1959)
#68: The Arrival by Shaun Tan (2006)
#69: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, ill. Helen Oxenbury (1989)
#70: Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure by Sue Scullard (1986)
#71: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, ill by Michael Martchenko (1980)
#72: The Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban, ill. Lilian Hoban (1966)
#73: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant (1933) by Jean de Brunhoff
#74: Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (1942)
#75: Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (1940)
#76: Zoom at Sea by Tim Wynne-Jones, ill. Eric Beddows (1983)
#77: The Library by Sarah Stewart, ill. David Small (1995)
#78: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
#79: Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, by Alice and Martin Provensen (1974)
#80: The Jolly Postman: or, Other People’s Letters by Janet Ahlberg (1986)
#81: Possum Magic by Mem Fox, ill. Julie Vivas (1983)
#82: Who Needs Donuts? by Mark Alan Stamaty (1973)
#83: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (1971)
#84: Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes (1988)
#85: Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats (1964)
#86: Yoko by Rosemary Wells (1998)
#87: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (2004)
#88: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (1993)
#89: A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of First Definitions by Ruth Krauss, ill. Maurice Sendak (1952)
#90: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (2006)
#91: Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures With the Family Lazardo by William Joyce (1988)
#92: Swimmy by Leo Lionni (1963)
#93: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (1964)
#94: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (1984)
#95: The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, ill. David Small (1997)
#96: The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle (1990)
#97: Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox, ill. Judy Horacek (2004)
#98: Anatole by Eve Titus (1956)
#99: Little Pea by Amy Krause Rosenthal, ill. by Jen Corace (2005)
#100: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley (1992)
#101: More, More, More Said the Baby: Three Love Stories by Vera B. Williams

76/100

bolded – the top 100 books of children’s lit that i’ve read.

emilybrary — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:23:18 +0000

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)

99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)

98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)

96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)

95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950

94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)

93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)

89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)

88. The High King – Alexander (1968)

87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)

84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)

83. The Thief – Turner (1997)

82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)

79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)

78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)

77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)

76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)

75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)

74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)

73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)

72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)

71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelae (1940)

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart ( 2007)

68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)

66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)

65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)

64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)

62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)

61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)

59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)

56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)

54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)

53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)

49. Frindle – Clements (1996)

48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)

47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)

46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)

45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)

44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)

43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)

42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)

41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)

39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)

38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)

37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)

36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)

35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)

34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)

33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)

32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)

31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)

29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)

28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)

26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)

25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)

24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)

23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)

22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)

21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)

19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)

18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)

16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)

15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)

14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)

13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)

12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)

11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)

9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)

8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)

7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)

6. Holes – Sachar (1998)

5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)

4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)

3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)

2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)

1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

81/100 – not bad.

Filed under: Lists

powerpoint woes

emilybrary — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:49:14 +0000

i wish i could blog powerpoints!

Filed under: ce n'est pas une catégorie

busy as a bee

emilybrary — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:00:31 +0000

i’m ridiculously busy with these two jobs. plus i was dogsitting for five days… i have a zillion things to do and i wish updating blogs was higher on my priority list.

Filed under: ce n'est pas une catégorie

the rock and the river

emilybrary — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:09:11 +0000

Thirteen year-old Sam Childs has a lot to live up to in his house. His father, Roland Childs, is one of the most prominent faces of the Civil Rights movement in Chicago; and his brother, Steven (Stick), has just joined the Black Panthers, much to his father’s disappointment. Sam doesn’t know who to follow. At first, Sam goes to Panther breakfasts at his school because he is hungry, but after he witnesses the brutal police beating of his brother’s best friend Bucky, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated, Sam begins to wonder whether nonviolence is the path after all. The Rock and the River shows a side of the Civil Rights Movement that isn’t often portrayed in young adult literature – and the difficulty in Dr. King’s nonviolent belief in the necessity of turning the other cheek.

I don’t know how I missed this book when it was published, but somehow I did.*

It’s everything I wished One Crazy Summer could have been, as far as teaching about the Black Panthers goes. I like the story of Sam even better than Delphine’s, maybe because I like reading about boys more than girls, maybe because Sam’s has what seems to me to be a larger dilemma. Either way, The Rock and the River is one of the best Civil Rights novels I have read in a long time (and I should know, I did research for a paper that never ended up getting written in college for a class on the Nation of Islam about presence of non-nonviolent fiction for kids and young adults. There isn’t much. With the publication of this book, which won ALA’s 2008 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent award, and One Crazy Summer, (on many Mock Newbery 2011 lists so far, including my own) I hope that the Nation and the Panthers start to get more positive notice in youth fiction and literature. I didn’t know a thing about the Nation of Islam or the Black Panthers until I took a seminar on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. my junior year in college. We didn’t entirely focus on Dr. King – we learned about all the black Civil Rights leaders – violent and nonviolent. The class got me hooked on the Civil Rights Movement, and segued into the Nation of Islam class, which I TA’d. There’s a whole side of the CRM that isn’t taught in schools that kids should know about, and I hope some pick up this book and get started.

Alright, enough about my interest in the CRM and its “hidden” leaders. I’m going to go finish this book.

*This is actually the first book I’ve blogged about in a while that I haven’t even finished yet, but had to stop to write about it because it was so good.

Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: 1960s, black history, black panthers, book reviews, bpp, college, mlk, noi, phenomenal books, ya

my first booktalk

emilybrary — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:55:27 +0000

i finished the list!

http://emilybrary.wordpress.com/assorted-bibliographies/3rd-grade-book-talk/

Filed under: ce n'est pas une catégorie Tagged: 3rd grade, book talk

holds, oh holds, how i hate you

emilybrary — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:09:29 +0000

A few reasons my list didn’t work:

Holds kept coming available that I wanted to read more than the books on that list.
Some of the books on that list I realized I didn’t actually want to read or re-read.
Holds kept coming available that I wanted to read more than the books on the list.
I’m impatient.

Now I have nearly all my impatient holds, so I’m going to try and have my list again. We’ll see how it goes.

I also just picked up a copy of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die and I’m hoping to knock one of those out a month… at least one of the 20th and 21st century ones, anyways… any older than that and you’ll see a post from a close relative saying “sorry everyone, emilybrary’s died of boredom.” (Yeah, I’m that cynical about old literature. I just can’t do it. I never have been able to, which is why I probably haven’t read anywhere near as many books in that book as I should. I just put it and the children’s version on my Amazon wishlist though, if you know me & like buying me presents.)

Filed under: ce n'est pas une catégorie Tagged: listfail

to read list sort of … didn’t work out as planned

emilybrary — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:43:48 +0000

but i’ve still been reading a lot. I’ll try and get an update on here at some point soon.

Filed under: ce n'est pas une catégorie

let’s pause for a book review – WHITE CAT BY HOLLY BLACK

emilybrary — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:44:30 +0000

The Sharpe family is full of curse workers, con artists, mobsters, thieves, and generally tricksy people. Cassel is no different, except that out of all the members of his family, he is not a worker, and wants nothing to do with the mafia. He’s perfectly content attending Wallingford, a private school where he runs a betting circle and keeps to himself, his secrets buried under a handsome facade of normalcy. Cassel Sharpe has it made. But like all seemingly perfect, charming, handsome guys, Cassel has a secret. Three years ago, he stabbed his best friend Lila (his older brother’s girlfriend) to death.

Everything changes when Cassel wakes up one night on the roof of a school building, seemingly about to jump. He is expelled from school as a suicide risk, and has to go live in his jailed mother’s house with his estranged grandfather, a death worker. Plagued with dreams about a white cat and reliving the murder of Lila far more often than he ever wanted to, Cassel begins to suspect that he is being worked. As he attempts to unravel his memories and his past, Cassel begins to find out dark truths about his family’s involvement in the mafia.

White Cat is a gripping novel that you won’t be easily able to put down – and if you’re on a train reading, you WILL miss your stop. Trust me. I did it twice. A dark, twisting tale of magic, mobsters, con artists, and normalcy, Cassel Sharpe and his White Cat will pull you into their world with just a touch of the page.

SERIOUSLY GO GET AND READ THIS *NOW*

Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: flashlight books, holly black