Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Jennifer A. Nielsen - CVY Read Author


We welcome Jennifer A. Nielsen to Cedar Falls this week for our Cedar Valley's  Youth Read event.  She has a stack of unique books to read and it will be interesting to hear her speak about her process.  She will speak for a public event on Wednesday, April 24th at 6:30 and 5th grade students will travel by school bus to see her during the day. I've spent the last few months reading her book, Rescue, to 5th-grade students. The book transports us back to World War II and a young girl's journey to save her father. 
Jennifer A. Nielsen is one of those rare authors who switch between genres, writing both fantasy and historical fiction. The False Prince is one of my favorite fantasy books and I hope she'll talk a little bit about that as well. I hope our students enjoy the presentation as much as they did last year.  

Find more information here on Jennifer A. Nielsen's author page. 

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Varian Johnson

 


Very soon Varian Johnson, an author of nine books for upper elementary, will arrive in Cedar Falls. Every year together with our library we host an author who speaks to all our 5th grade students in the district. Mr. Johnson will speak to school groups on Thursday and Friday and have a night for the general public on Wednesday, April 26th.  I look forward to hearing him speak about his books, his life, and his writing. Explore more about Mr. Johnson at these sites:

Monday, April 3, 2023

Iowa Children's Choice Award

 


Every year we have a large group of Hansen students that read this set of books so they are able to vote and to come to the party I host every year. I generally have one or two students challenge themselves to read the whole list which is an incredible accomplishment.

Party requirements:  Write a short summary of the book making sure to add in character names and your opinion of the book. You can do this as a list or make a table in Google docs. Share it with me by the end of April. The party takes place in the second week of May. 

Use this link to vote: Iowa Children's Choice Award Books

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Another Book Fair 2023


Most people love to shop and in a library it is cool to shop for books. We are hosting another Scholastic Book Fair just around the corner from March 3rd - March 9th.  On Friday students were able to preview the book fair video and were excited by many of the new titles. 

It's hard to believe that March is so close and that Spring Break is ahead.  That means our school year is winding down which strange. It's at this time that feel like pedaling backwards a bit, slowing the process down because their is so much to do and because the 6th graders will leave us and not come back. It's the very definition of bittersweet. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Are you ready for Spring?

 Are you tired of indoor recess? Are you tired of freezing temperatures?  I love how much reading I get done over winter yet I am really missing spending time outdoors.  I am ready for Spring!  I liked the day last week when the snow was melting and you could hear the drip, drip sound of ice becoming water. I miss the sunshine, bright and brilliant, shining as I leave Hansen for the day. 

One exciting thing that is getting me through this last part of winter is 4 boxes of new boxes that arrived here in the library. I love new books almost as much as I love sunshine. Here are a few of the titles that I'm thrilled to add to our library:

Recess Warriors: New graphic novel series by Marcus Emerson, just the cover looks fun! We have #1 and #2 in already. 


Spy School and Fun Jungle series: Two fun mystery series by Stuart Gibbs that lots of students have asked me for.


Itty Bitty Bios: easy biographies on many different people; Chloe Kim, Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, Booker T. Washington, and Sacagewea are a few of the new titles. 



Zach and Zoe Mystery series: Twins who solve mysteries with a sports twist written by Mike Lupica who has many older sports books. 

Come check out all our new books here at Hansen library. And hopefully Spring is just around the corner.


Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Welcome Fall 2021

Use Destiny to find the books, read the books, and then list the books after making a copy of this challenge page: Fall Reading Challenge


Turn it in either as a hard or digital copy to Mrs. Holt with all your titles filled in and get a PRIZE! Due right before we break for Thanksgiving.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Pick our first read aloud (just for 6th grade)

Use this link to choose the book of your choice. 

  • Read the synopsis for each book.
  • Think about the genre.
  • Click the link and vote.


Two Roads: 

It’s 1932, and twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop have been riding the rails for years after losing their farm in the Great Depression. Cal likes being a “knight of the road” with Pop, even if they’re broke. But then Pop has to go to Washington, DC–some of his fellow veterans are marching for their government checks, and Pop wants to make sure he gets his due–and Cal can’t go with him. So Pop tells Cal something he never knew before: Pop is actually a Creek Indian, which means Cal is too. And Pop has decided to send Cal to a government boarding school for Native Americans in Oklahoma called the Challagi School.



Gregor the Overlander: 

Meet Gregor, a kid from New York City, who falls out of his laundry room into a fantastical subterranean world called the Underland. Accompanied by his toddler sister, Boots, he encounters giant talking creatures-- cockroaches, bats, spiders and rats--and an unusual society of humans. And they’re all expecting him...(Scholastic Press, 2003)



Restoring Harmony: 

The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse one of the massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities.

Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they're financially ruined and practically starving. What should have been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn't  Molly's only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there's a handsome stranger who's willing to help.


I'll be there: 

Raised by an unstable father who keeps the family constantly on the move, Sam Border hasn’t been in a classroom since the second grade. He’s always been the rock for his younger brother Riddle, who stopped speaking long ago and instead makes sense of the world through his strange and intricate drawings. It’s said that the two boys speak with one voice –and that voice is Sam’s.
Then, Sam meets Emily Bell, and everything changes. The two share an immediate and intense attraction, and soon Sam and Riddle find themselves welcomed into the Bell’s home. Faced with normalcy for the first time, they know it’s too good to last. Told in alternating voices.