Book Review

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

Phineas Gage was a hard working individual. He was in charge of a crew of man clearing way for the railroad. He was responsible for detonating explosions to clear the rubble. One horrible and tragic day, something went very wrong. His tamping iron, a tool he used in setting the explosives, was shot through his head. It went through his cheek and out the top of his head. He should have died, he didn't. How could he survive that? What changed as a result of the incident? How or why did he survive and what finally did kill him?

This is a true story of the individual that really started the science of the brain. This individual survived - how? What was discovered as a result? If you like forensics and science you will find this very interesting.

World Maps

Maps can tell a story about an area. Use the following links to define the types of maps available and create your own maps of a particular region.

Types of Maps
National Geographic Map Maker
CIA World Factbook
Infoplease - Country Profiles
Quick Facts - US Census

Book Review

Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture by Gail Langer Karwoski

On June 2, 1609, nine ships started a voyage from England to the Jamestown colony in Virginia. They carried men, women, and children, as well as supplies meant to replenish this colony. The new governor was aboard the main ship - the Sea Venture. All was well, until July 23rd when a hurricane hit. The Sea Venture was damaged and took on water, they endured high winds and seas for five days. They were not going to make it; then they saw Bermuda and ran aground. More than 100 people survived the storm, but how many people could survive being shipwrecked?

Read the book to find out what happened to these storm survivors. This was a fast paced read with interesting facts given throughout the book - Why were hogs already on the islands of Bermuda?

Book Review

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Salva is forced to run away from school, he cannot go home and he doesn’t know where he is going. All he knows is that he needs to stay away from the men with guns. He must walk and walk for days to try to stay safe. He is in the middle of Sudan; he is only 10 years old. Will he survive? What happens to the Lost Boys of Sudan dealing with lions, dehydration, starvation, and war?

This is based on the life story of Salva and what he encountered in Sudan. His life is full of danger and uncertainty. A fascinating story about resilience and determination.

Inventions

Books - Click on the book title to view the Destiny Catalog information about the the book.
The Inventor's Times: real-life stories of 30 amazing creations by Dan Driscoll
Mistakes that Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones
The 100 most influential inventors of all time edited by Robert Curley

Websites
Inventions Timeline
Enchanted Learning – Inventions
PBS – Inventions
Historical Timeline
FactMonster

Ancient Civilizations Projects

Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs

Ancient Mayans
Kids Konnect
Ancient Mayans
Mayan Kids
Mr. Donn Mayans

Ancient Aztecs
Mr. Donn - Aztecs
Kids Konnect
Kids Past

Ancient Incas
Mr. Donn - Incas
Kids Konnect
Kids Past

Book Review

Chat Room by Kristin Butcher

Linda is a quite girl in school. She doesn’t really have many friends and is very unsure of herself. When the school develops a chat room, she is intrigued about how it will operate and who will use it. When she visits the chat room, she realizes that she can say all of the things that she thinks throughout the day, but doesn’t say. She becomes more outgoing, but only online. She starts to receive gifts from someone from the chat room. She is not sure who it is or how he/she figured out her identity. Is it a real person or is it a hoax? Will she be safe or is it a dangerous situation?

This was a good realistic fiction story about the Internet and why you should be safe online. Good drama!

Book Review

Dewey the library cat: a true story by Vicki Myron

When librarian, Vicki Myron, found a tiny alley cat in the freezing cold book return drop of the Spencer Library, she knew that this cat was special. It was a very resilient cat and needed to be kept. She couldn't keep it, she wanted it to be the library cat. All she had to do was convince the community and library board to allow the cat to stay. Dewey became a household name and people from around the world came to seem him. He was a very special cat who took over a library.

This was a moving story about a very special cat. Very enjoyable.

Genre in Literature

What type of books do you like? Non-fiction, historical fiction?
What are the characteristics of different types of books?

Genre List

Genre Definitions

New Books

Looking for something new to read? Check out some of these new titles in the WMS Library:

* Tom Thumb: the remarkable true story of a man in miniature by George Sullivan

* The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

* True (--sort of) by Katherine Hannigan

* Hammerin' Hank Greenberg : baseball pioneer by Shelley Sommer

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a restful and wonderful summer.


The books that you may need to read for the summer reading project are on display in the library. You can borrow one book at a time.

I look forward to seeing everyone in the library during the year!

Book Review

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
Vidya has a loving family. She is very proud of her father who is a doctor. He is involved in the nonviolence movement in India during WWII. He wants to get the British out of India, but in a peaceful way. He is an enlightened man for this time period, he is allowing his daughter to get an education. Everything changes when her father is gravely injured trying to help someone else. He will never be the same. Vidya's family is no longer allowed to stay in their own home, they must move in with her father's family. Vidya is no longer allowed to do anything. She is separated from her brother and father. Her movements are watched and she is no longer allowed to get the same education. What will happen to her and the family? Can they survive?

This was an excellent historical fiction book about the culture of India. If you enjoy historical stories, you should try Climbing the Stairs.

Ms. Link's Zoo Project

Use the following links to assist with the research about your animals.

World Book Encyclopedia

San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes

National Geographic – Animal Facts

How Stuff Works – Animal Facts

Use the following link to create the graphs for your Power Point Project:

Create A Graph

Book Review

We Could Be Brothers by Derrick Barnes

Robeson and Pacino are in after school detention together because of one person, Tariq. They do not immediately get along, until they realize what they have in common. They learn to respect each other and their differences. Things change when they realize that Tariq is after them. He is very serious about getting one of them back. Find out what happens to each of these three boys.

Book Review - Hana's Suitcase

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine

This is the story of two different worlds, at two different times. During 2000, Tokyo, Japan was establishing a Holocaust Memorial Museum. The curator appealed to everyone around the world to donate materials to this museum. Finally, people responded, the museum received a suitcase with the name Hana Brady. Now everyone wanted to know about this person. Who was she? What was her story? So the mission began to find out about Hana, a woman in Japan started the search to find out all she could. What she found was a sad story about a very young girl.

Book Review - Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So Popular Party Girl

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell

Nikki is a great artist with two really great best friends. She has a super secret crush on Brandon and really wants him to ask her to the school's big Halloween dance. She thinks he may like her, but supposedly he is going to the dance with one of the nastiest girls at the school, Mackenzie. This girl does not like Nikki and tries to make her life miserable in every possible way. When Mackenzie leaves everything a disaster, Nikki is responsible for cleaning everything up. What happens when she is supposed to be in two places at once?

This book was a really funny story. It reminded me of a girl version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

May is Get Caught Reading Month

Get Caught Reading during the month of May. Do you need a good book?

Here are some new books available in the library:

* Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen
* Amelia Lost: The life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
* Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
* Kick by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman

Stop by the library for these and other great books!

Planets

Use the following links to find information about your planet:

World Book Online

Enchanted Learning – Planet

NASA Solar System

NASA – Planet

Science National Geographic

Ancient Greek Gods

Use the following links to find information about the Ancient Greek Gods.

World Book Online

Mr.Donn’s Ancient Greek & Roman Gods

Greek Mythology

Greek Gods – History

Greek Mythology

Biomes

Use the following links for information about biomes.

World Book Online

Berkley University

Blue Planet – Biomes

Enchanted Learning – Biomes

Kids do Ecology

Pics4Learning

World Biomes

Ancient Greece

Use the following links to help find information about Ancient Greece.

History for Kids – Ancient Greece

The British Museum – Ancient Greece

Mr. Donn’s – Ancient Greece

BBC – Ancient Greece

What Books are Available in the Library?

Wondering if there is a certain book in the library? Need to find information for a project? Use the Library Catalog to see what is available for you. Click Library Catalog to check!

March is Women's History Month

Use the following links to find out more information about Women's History Month.

* The National Women’s History Project
* Women’s History Month – Library of Congress
* History Channel – Women’s History Month
* Smithsonian Magazine – Women’s History Month

Book Review

Surviving the Angel of Death: the Story of a Mengele Twin in Aushwitz by Eva Mozes Kor

Eva and her twin sister Miriam are just 10 years old when things in their Romanian town start to change. They are the youngest daughters of the only Jewish family in town. They work hard and do well for themselves. Eva and Miriam are the only twins in their town; they have a lot of friends and are happy. That changes when Germany starts to invade and take over, when Hitler decides that Jewish people are terrible and should not be allowed to live. Eva’s family is put on a train and sent to Aushwitz. The last time that they see their family is on the train platform. They do not know where their parents are sent, but they are chosen for a special assignment. They are twins, they are chosen by Dr. Mengele for his experiments. Find out what he does to them and how they survived.

Ms. Grabinski's Travel Brochure

Use the following links to assist in your research on a specific place.

Michigan
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108228.html

http://www.michigan.gov/

http://www.50states.com/michigan.htm

http://www.michigan.org/

California
http://www.50states.com/californ.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108187.html

http://www.ca.gov/

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/

Mexico
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107779.html

http://www.visitmexico.com/wb2/Visitmexico/Visi_Home

Endangered Species Project

Use the following links to find information about endangered species.

* Arkive.org

* World Wildlife Fund

* US Fish and Wildlife Service – Endangered Species

* KidsPlanet.org

* Animal Planet – Endangered Species

* San Diego Zoo – Animal Bytes Use the search box to find the specific animal.

* Animals – National Geographic

Don't forget to use:
World Book Online Encyclopedia (see your teacher for the user name and password.)

Book Review

Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Cheyenne is very sick – she has pneumonia. She is waiting in the car while Danielle, her stepmother, gets her medication from the pharmacy. She convinced Danielle to leave the keys in the car so she can stay warm. She is sleeping in the backseat when someone jumps in the car and takes off. He is stealing the car and she is in it. He doesn’t realize that she is the car until she starts screaming at him. He panics and doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want her to identify him. She tells him to let her go – she can’t identify him – she is blind. He doesn’t know what to do. He takes her back to his home; he is going to let her go later – at night so no one sees them. That is until his father finds out that she is the daughter of the president of Nike. Cheyenne is being held for ransom. She is very sick and blind. How will she survive?

This was a very fast paced adventure on how you can survive. Highly recommend.

Book Review

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

Florence is an orphan in London. She does not have any family willing to take her in so she is sent to live in an orphanage. She is not happy there, but at least she has friends that care about her. One day a letter arrives saying that a long lost uncle will take her. She is sent to live with these strangers in the country – Crutchfield Hall. She is excited because she has two cousins, also orphans; that live there. She will have people to play with. When she gets there she realizes things aren’t as nice as they seem. Her cousin Sophia died in a tragic accident about a year ago and her brother is very ill. He does not come out of his room. Florence starts to feel as if someone is watching her, mocking her. This person follows her around and she is not sure who it is. Then she realizes that it is Sophia – Sophia wants revenge for what happened to her. She is going to use Florence to get that revenge.

Find out if Florence is strong enough to stop her! This is a classic Hahn ghost story. Great, quick read.

Book Review

The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow
Lydia and Julie have been best friends forever. They always have each other and have done well. Things are different now, they will be moving on to Junior High next year and they are determined to be popular. Their mission for the year is to research, observe, and record everything that the most popular kids do in school. They will also experiment and try to copy what these girls do to see if it makes them popular. As you can imagine things do not always work out the way they want. One experiment results in a bald spot! As the year goes on, their friendship is tested. People do not always do the right thing. Will popularity break up this friendship? Find out!

This was a great, fun story. The characters make you laugh and cringe at the same time! It was definitely a good read. If you liked the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you may like this!

Westbury and the Underground Railroad

Follow these links for information about Westbury and the Underground Railroad.


Village of Westbury – History

New York Times Article

Long Island and the Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad and New York City

Quakers and the Underground Railroad

Escape Routes out of NYC

National Geographic – Underground Railroad

African American History Month

Since 1926 Americans have recognized and celebrated African American History in one form or another, it started as a week of celebration. In 1976 we started to celebrate February as African American History Month. Here is a list of helpful websites to provide more information.

* Biography Black History Month

* Infoplease Black History Month

* History.com

* African American History Month

* Enchanted Learning

* Fact Monster Black History Month

Book Review

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

Teddy and his mother have moved to a desert town when she gets a job at the nuclear power plant. It is right before school is about to start and Teddy is nervous about being the new student. His mother makes him go out everyday and try to make friends. Every boy that he meets seems to want to get him into trouble. They seem to constantly be leading him to danger - to the TREE. If he follows them, he may never return.

This was an interesting scary story. It is definitely not on the top of my list for scary stories, but it was not terrible. I think you will need to be a very dedicated reader to finish this book.

Library Update

Hello Everyone!
I am back from my leave and I am excited about new books and projects. Keep checking back for new book reviews and project assistance.

Mrs. McNally