Atkins, Jeanne. STONE MIRRORS : THE SCULPTURE AND SILENCE OF EDMONIA LEWIS

Atkins, Jeanne.  STONE MIRRORS : THE SCULPTURE AND SILENCE OF EDMONIA LEWIS
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017
IL YA
ISBN 1481459058

This is a fictional account of sculptor Edmonia Lewis.  Lewis was the daughter of an Ojibwe woman and an African Haitian man.  Her father left before she was born and her mother passed away when she was young.  Lewis studied at Oberlin but was asked to leave after being falsely accused of poisoning and theft.  She moved to Boston and was able to get some work creating busts of famous Civil War heroes.  The world really opened for her when she received a commission to create a marble statue of Abraham Lincoln.  Lewis was able to move to Italy and began working in marble.  Although not much is known about Lewis, Atkins uses verse to tell the story of what we do know.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/WuabWKYtDhJHI

Palika, Liz. DOG TRICKS : TEACHING YOUR DOGGIE TO SHAKE HANDS AND OTHER TRICKS

Palika, Liz.  DOG TRICKS : TEACHING YOUR DOGGIE TO SHAKE HANDS AND OTHER TRICKS
New York ; Capstone, 2012
IL 3-6, RL 5.2
ISBN 1429665262
Do you have friends whose dog can do some tricks? Maybe theyfa can shake hands or roll over on command.  Have you wondered how they do that?  Can you teach your dog to do that.  Well this book may just help you out.  It is full of step-by-step instructions to teach your dog to do lots of fun tricks.



Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/ZWQZGiBej7okW

Madonia, Kristen-Paige. INVISIBLE FAULT LINES

Madonia, Kristen-Paige. INVISIBLE FAULT LINES
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 1481430718
Callie's father has disappeared.  He simply didn't come home from work one day.  No warning.  No reason.  He is just gone.  As Callie tries to come to terms with her father's disappearance, her friends try to help her cope.  When they take her to an art exhibit, Callie cannot believe her eyes.  There in a photograph from the 1906 earthquake is a man who looks exactly like Callie's father.  Of course that can't be him.  The story then shifts to the earthquake's aftermath and we meet a man who cannot remember who he is and how he got there.  How can these two stories be related?


Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/myNVGP8P8U47G

Karo, Aaron. ME YOU US

Karo, Aaron.  ME YOU US
New York : Simon Pulse, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 1481440640

Shane has had his heart broken.  Many high school kids feel this at one time or other.  But for Shane, it came out of the blue and he vowed to try to figure out why.  While studying the situation, Shane comes up with the secret of dating.  He devises a formula, or Galgorithm and becomes the go to guy for students (and a teacher or two).  He tries to keep his role a secret and certainly doesn't take any money for the lessons.  His Galgorithm works great for others.  So why is he alone?




Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/qjgsing1qNr3D

Jeffers, Oliver. A CHILD OF BOOKS

Jeffers, Oliver. A CHILD OF BOOKS
Somerville : Candlewick, 2016
IL K-3, RL 3.4
ISBN 0763690775
 “I am a child of books,” a little girl declares. “I come from a world of stories.”  If you love books and stories, you may feel like a child of books as well.  The young girl in this book, sails on a sea of words.  Her world is made up of words and they form mountains, and meadows, and monsters.  There are favorite characters from some of our favorite books as well.  Find the Cheshire Cat and Mr. Toad. This is a story that should be shared with others who love stories.
Podcasts:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/oZByz3pbECc0l

Hills, Tad. R IS FOR ROCKET

Hills, Tad.  R IS FOR ROCKET
New York : Schwartz & Wade, 2015
IL K-3, RL 2.4
ISBN 0553522280

Rocket the dog is back in another delightful picture book.  This time he is taking us on a tour of the alphabet.  Rocket is joined by his friend Bella the squirrel and Owl on his adventure.  Come along and  join the fun as Rocket finds acorns and owl draws an angry alligator.




Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/GGHOttOokHmAo

Fisher, Valorie. EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I'M FIVE

Fisher, Valorie.  EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I'M FIVE 
New York : Schwartz & Wade, 2011
IL K-3
ISBN 0375968652
The title of this book is really a joke rather than a fact.  The book is more like a celebration of toys and concepts that pre-schoolers are familiar with.  There are shapes, colors, and toys and much more to explore.  See if you can find all the items and you may even learn a thing or two along the way.


Podcast: . https://spark.adobe.com/video/8oAtghVPAiEOu

Danylyshyn, Greg. A CRASH OF RHINOS

Danylyshyn, Greg.  A CRASH OF RHINOS
New York : Little Simon, 2016
IL K-3, RL 2.8
ISBN 1481431501
Have you ever heard of a school of fish?  What about a flock of birds?  Sure you have.  These are the names that are used to describe a group of animals.  But there are many more terms you may not have heard.  For instance, did you know that a group of salmon is called a run?  There are other fun terms explained in this book that will surprise and delight!

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/pey3BRp2zPwWd

Carbone, Courtney. MACBETH #KILLINGIT

Carbone, Courtney.  MACBETH #KILLINGIT
New York : Random House, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 0553538802

Have you heard of the Shakespeare play Macbeth?  It is one of his better-known tragedies that has been a favorite for centuries.  But you probably have never seen it like this.  Carbone has adapted this play and retold the story in texts!  What do you think?
Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/glNTW8P5lbf5g

Budhos, Marina Tamar. WATCHED

Budhos, Marina Tamar.  WATCHED
New York : Wendy Lamb, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 0553534181

Meet Naeem Rahman.  He spends his days cutting classes and running the streets of Queens.  Since his family immigrated from Bangledesh, he feels like he has to keep running.  When a friend tricks him into shoplifting, Naeem's life takes a drastic turn.  Instead of feeling he is being watched by all the cameras and police, Naeem agrees to become the one watching.  To stay out of jail, he agrees to spy on his neighbors and report back about suspicious activities.  From the mosque to the streets to the people in the neighborhood, Naeem reports on them all.
Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/5PNBJlBNpfQmn

Winters, Ben H.  UNDERGROUND AIRLINES
Boston : Mulholland Books, 2016
IL AD
ISBN 0316261246

Imagine if you will, an America where Abraham Lincoln never became president.  And that slavery was not illegal.  That is the what Winters is imagining in this alternative history fiction.  Lincoln was assassinated on his way to his inauguration and even in 2016, slavery is not illegal.  Sure most states have voted to be free states but there are still four states that allow slavery.  How would this change the course of our history?  Would our position in the world be changed?  In this story, a young African American former slave is now a bounty hunter paid to bring runaways back to their owners.  He is on the trail of an escaped slave and those who help them. Can he find his quarry?  And maybe bring down a link in the underground airline.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/bf88fkoREwCgs

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING OLYMPIC ATHLETE WILMA RUDOLPH

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING OLYMPIC ATHLETE WILMA RUDOLPH
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 3.0
ISBN 0766059782
Did you watch the Olympics on tv?  This is an amazing display of athletes from all around the world competing to be the best in the world. They all have stories to tell about how they spent years training for the competition. In 1956, a young girl from the United States won the first of her medals. What is amazing is that this girl had polio as a young girl and it could have caused her to lose her ability to walk. Her running is what kept her going.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/nHf5yu3Ccd2nm

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING CIVIL WAR NURSE CLARA BARTON

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING CIVIL WAR NURSE CLARA BARTON
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 2.9
ISBN 0766059774
Clara Barton was a nurse during the Civil War.  She was known as the Angel of the Battlefield.  She risked her own life to help those who were injured in the war.  And she also created the American Red Cross.  Find out about this amazing woman and her life.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/DDGzfCdbi6RoN

Wade, Mary Dodson. AMAZING ARCTIC EXPLORER MATTHEW HENSON

Wade, Mary Dodson.  AMAZING ARCTIC EXPLORER MATTHEW HENSON
New York : Enslow Elementary, 2010
IL K-3, RL 3.2
ISBN 076605974X

Matthew Henson was an explorer who wanted to be one of the first to reach the North Pole.  And he was.  But no one knew about him.  As an African American, he was not mentioned in the reports about this trip until many years later.  Find out about this amazing man.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/LariqmKMXdhnz

Tremayne, Peter. ABSOLUTION BY MURDER : A SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERY

Tremayne, Peter.  ABSOLUTION BY MURDER : A SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERY
New York : Signet, 1994
IL AD
ISBN 0451192990

The story takes place in medieval England in the seventh-century.  King Oswy of Northunbria has called an assembly of representatives from Ireland, Britain and Rome to determine which Church doctrine the Kingdom of Northumbria will follow. There is a divide between the Irish faction and the Roman faction.  But all this takes a new direction when one of the main speakers is murdered.  Sister Fidelma, an advocate of the courts of Ireland, is called upon to solve the murder.  Did the murder have anything to do with the assembly?  Or were there other motives involved? This is the first of a series about Sister Fidelma.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/dR9HUZLqt98lU

Stewart, Melissa. AMAZING EYES UP CLOSE

Stewart, Melissa. AMAZING EYES UP CLOSE
New York : Enslow, 2012
IL K-3, RL 2.2
ISBN 1464400806

Your eyes are pretty amazing, aren't they?  Did you know that many animals can use their eyes differently than you?  A honeybee has more than two eyes.  A squid has eyes that are bigger than a dinner plate.  Check out this book to find out how animals eyes are different from ours.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/IB6W3jkSJzMqK

Sperring, Mark. I'LL CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL

Sperring, Mark.  I'LL CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016
IL K-3, RL 2.0
ISBN 1481452061
Do you sometimes get nervous and wonder if you are safe?  The boy in this story is on a ship at night and wonders who will keep him safe.  He soon learns that there are many people around to keep him safe and make sure he gets home.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/SiJ2hFnZv9pgU

Sayres, Brianna Caplan. WHERE DO STEAM TRAINS SLEEP AT NIGHT?

Sayres, Brianna Caplan.  WHERE DO STEAM TRAINS SLEEP AT NIGHT?
New York : Random House, 2016
IL K-3, RL 3.2
ISBN  0553520989
For the train lover in all of us.  Do you ever wonder where the trains go at night?  Do they have mother trains that tuck them in just like children do?  Do they get to listen to bedtime stories or have hot cocoa?  Come along and find out.  But be quiet so you don't wake up the trains.



Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/pRwuVWq7rrpCP

Rhodes, Jewell Parker. NINTH WARD

Rhodes, Jewell Parker.  NINTH WARD
Boston : Little, Brown, 2010
IL 5-8, RL 3.7
ISBN 0316043079
Meet 12-year-old Lenesha.  She's living in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans with her grandmother.  Her mother died in childbirth so she has lived with Mama Ya-Ya all her life.  There isn't much money but there is a lot of love in their home.  The kids at school make fun of Lenesha because she supposedly has the "second sight".  But none of that will matter in the days to come.  At first the weather man talked about a hurricane out in the ocean.  As the days go by, the predictions get worse.  Finally, the Governor tells everyone in New Orleans to evacuate. But how do you do that when you are poor, have no car and no place to go?  


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/6HZm6kS3VHoVK

Poblocki, Dan. THE GATHERING

Poblocki, Dan. THE GATHERING
New York : Scholastic, 2015
IL 3-6, RL 5.8
ISBN 0545925509

If only there was just one day when Poppy could look in the mirror and not see the girl staring back.  The other kids think she's a bit crazy.  But she is stuck here all the same.  Until the letter arrives! A great-aunt she never knew existed writes and invites her to come live at Larkspur Academy. What she finds there will change everything.  The same day she arrives, more children show up.  Dylan and Dash who are TV stars, Marcus, a cellist, Azumi who is running away from the place her sister died.  As the kids settle in, strange things begin happening.  And the kids realize that they all have something in common in this scary book about haunted houses.


Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/qmzZl57N42RH0