January Book Club: "The Homework Machine" by Dan Gutman

Our January book club meeting will take place on Thursday, January 8, at 7 pm. We will be discussing the book, The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. This book has an intriguing way of telling the story. It is told in the alternating voices of four 11-year-olds as they make statements to the police. The children are all fifth graders in the same class at the Grand Canyon elementary school. They are about as different from each as any four kids could be, but they do have one thing in common--they have all been involved in a scheme to use a machine, invented by one of the group, to do their homework. Their plan takes many twists and turns and gets more complicated than any of them could have imagined. The book appeals equally well to boys and girls and is both funny and thought provoking. It is one of the ten books nominated this year for the Virginia Readers Choice Award.

The Tale of Despereaux

Our book club selection for the month of April is a wonderful book by author Kate DiCamillo entitled, "The Tale of Despereaux." This book won the prestigious Newbery Award in 2004. It is a wonderful tale about a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, who is not like any mouse you've ever known. He is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro and a slow-witted serving girl named Miggery Sow. These three characters embark on a fantastic journey. I know you're going to love this book!

Just an explanation about the name "Despereaux" -- it is pronounced like this: Des-per-row. I often hear kids mispronounce this title because of the unusual spelling.

Have fun reading this month and I'll see you at our next book club meeting on Thursday, April, at 7 p.m.

The Newbery and Caldecott Awards!

Each year, the American Library Association announces two important awards: The Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal. The Newbery is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Caldecott is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. It is a great honor for an author/book to win a Newbery or Caldecott.

The winners were announced on Jan. 15. They were:

Newbery Winner:

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

Newbery Honor Books:

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Winner:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Caldecott Honor Books:

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine

First the Egg, written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, written and illustrated by Peter Sís

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, written and illustrated Mo Willems

These books are sure to be wonderful to read! If you have read one of these books, post a comment and let us know what you thought of it!