I’ve spent the last week writing my last big paper for the curriculum class I’m taking this semester, which I submitted yesterday afternoon. So, YAY! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying this year. It seems like every time I blink it’s Sunday night and I’m getting ready for a new week. It’s pretty scary!

Let me give you the run down on what went on at the library last week.

With my third graders, I read “Molly the Pony” by Pam Kaster. This was the third Louisiana Young Readers Choice book that we’ve read together. I think this is their favorite so far, even though I so so so love “Two Bobbies.” It’s a great story, though, and we even have a teacher at our school who has met Molly, so I think that won bonus points with the kids. I also showed this video, which had some really great footage of Molly walking in her cast after surgery and having her prosthetic leg being put on.

With second graders, I was planning on doing a Reader’s Theatre on “Book, Book, Book.” I did the activity with my Monday classes and it was painful. They were not yet ready for that activity. So for the rest of the week we read “The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin” and some really fun discussions about the word “FIERCE!”

We had a special guest performer on Friday afternoon, and he was AMAZING! Rick Kelly did an awesome job with his performance, “Don’t Just Sit There, READ!” We were able to have him visit through a program by the State Library of Louisiana.  He really knows what he’s doing and was entertaining (and hilarious) to both students and teachers (which says a lot). He also knows how to interact with the students well — getting them pumped up but not out of control. I can’t say enough good things about him and his program.

I’ve also been reading some great books. In my last update, I shared that I was loving Meg Cabot’s Mediator series. Well, I still am! I read the second book, “Ninth Key,” and it was great. Definitely a series that I’ll keep reading.

After reading two in a row, I needed a little variety. Plus I had an awesome stack of books I’d just picked up from the library. The first one I grabbed was “Mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine and OMG it was awesome. Like REALLY awesome. It’s about a 10 year old girl with Aspergers who is dealing with the recent death of her brother. I sobbed for the entire second half of the book. Now, I may not exactly be emotionally stable right now, but it really was heartbreaking and eye opening at the same time. This was the first book I’ve read from the perspective with someone on the spectrum of autism. If you haven’t read this book — especially if you work with children — then put it on your list (near the top).

The next book I grabbed from the stack was “Th1rteen R3asons Why” by Jay Asher. I picked this book up after I finished writing my paper yesterday afternoon and read the entire thing in one sitting. Like Clay, the main character, I was COMPLETELY absorbed in following Hannah’s journey. The premise sounds awful — Clay receives a box of tapes that were recorded by Hannah, his crush who recently committed suicide — but the book is sooo good. This is an amazingly well written book and I highly recommend it.

So it’s a busy week ahead. Monday and Thursday classes will get my usual Halloween Week lessons (Legend of Sleepy Hallow for 3rd, Stellaluna for 2nd). Tuesday and Friday will be watching the Book Fair sneak peak video to pump them up since I won’t see them again before the fair begins on the 5th. Wednesday is a half day for kids since we have staff development, so I’ll only see them for long enough to exchange library books. More busy days ahead, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!