Book Sale and "Creepy" Reading

Did everyone have a chance to attend the Morristown Festival of Books?  What a truly inspirational celebration of reading.  Just a reminder that the PA Fall Book Sale is coming up!  Make sure to visit the sale, hosted in the Higgins Library, October 26-30.  Lisa Safron, author and mother of Peck alum Renee, will be on hand to sign copies of her new book Cut, Paste, Gone.  A summary of the book is available on my blog of Upper School students Peck Reads!

With October comes Halloween, and for some reason I feel compelled to read books with a creepy edge, for instance the books from this October/November blog entry three years ago.  While I can't read "hard core" horror, like Steven King (I don't think I slept for two weeks after I read The Shining), I do enjoy a darker fantasy novel and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs fits the bill.  This book falls in the YA category, but is totally entertaining for an adult audience.  Using a combination of clever storytelling and photographs, Riggs will suck you into this spine-tingling thriller.  I am looking forward to reading the next two books (Hollow City and Library of Souls) later this month.  Happy Halloween and Creepy Reading!

From School Library Journal (June 1, 2011)

Sixteen-year-old Jacob, traumatized by his grandfather's sudden, violent death, travels with his father to a remote island off the coast of Wales to find the orphanage where his grandfather was sent to live to escape Nazi persecution in Poland. When he arrives, he finds much more than he bargained for: the children from his grandfather's stories are still at the orphanage, living in a time loop in 1940. The monsters that killed Jacob's grandfather are hunting for "peculiar" children, those with special talents, and the group at the orphanage is in danger. Jacob must face the possibility that he, too, has certain traits that the monsters are after and that he is being stalked by adults he trusted. This complex and suspenseful story incorporates eerie photographs of children with seemingly impossible attributes and abilities, many of whom appear as characters in the story. The mysterious photographs add to the bizarre and slightly creepy tone of the book. 

Welcome back!

Hello!  I hope that all of you had a wonderful, restful, and fun summer with your children.  My family and I went on a long road trip this summer, and I had an opportunity to read a lot of great books for adults and children that I will be sharing in the next couple of months.  I do want to draw your attention to a great event for book lovers, happening right here in Morristown in two weeks!  The Morristown Festival of Books will be taking place this year October 2-3.  If you had a chance to attend any of the events last year, you know what a spectacular event this is.  If you did not attend last year, or you are new to the area make sure to take advantage of this wonderful event.  They have a great lineup of authors attending, and it is a wonderful celebration of the written word.  I hope to see you all there.  For more information visit http://morristownfestivalofbooks.org/

Finally, feel free to visit the blog that I write for our Upper School students to check out what I am recommending for your kids each month!  http://peckreads.blogspot.com/

Library Summer Programs

Looking for ways to keep you kids engaged reading this summer?  Check out your local public library for some inspiring programs.  Here are a few more suggestions from some great librarians!

Encourage a Love of Reading Throughout the Summer

Summer Reading has arrived!

It is so hard to believe that the school year is nearly over.  Thank you so much for another great year in the library.  It has been a pleasure to work with your children and to see their growth over the last 9 months.  Enjoy the time with your family this summer, and the extra time for reading!  On the right of this page you will find my reading lists for the summer.  Keep in mind that the age suggestions are general and your child can read books from any of the lists that you feel are appropriate for them.  I have also provided a list for young adults, which contain subject matter that might not be suitable for kids under 14.  You might be looking for something to read as well, so I have assembled a list of the top 10 adult books to read this summer.  If you need more then 10, I came across this great list from NPR this morning with some less known books that should be on everyone's lists too.  I have only read The Revolutions from that list, and it was an interesting steampunk/sci-fi work.

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/22/408523960/beyond-the-bestsellers-nancy-pearl-recommends-under-the-radar-reads?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150522

Have a great summer and happy reading!
-MKM

Reading really is good for you!

We all know that reading to young children is a good thing, and a new study shows us an interesting insight into a child's brain while being read to.

MRI shows association between reading to young children and brain activity

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150425215617.htm

Angel of Losses

This is a book for those whole love fairy tales, family dynamics, history, and a good love story.  I did enjoy this book, but it took me longer to read it then I thought it would, hence the posting for April in May.  I sometimes found the organization of the book a little odd, and confusing (perhaps an editing issue?) but overall an interesting tale.  Enjoy the book, and I will post my summer reading lists next week!

From the Back Cover

The Tiger's Wife meets The History of Love in this inventive, lushly imagined debut novel that explores the intersections of family secrets, Jewish myths, the legacy of war and history, and the bonds between sisters.
When Eli Burke dies, he leaves behind a mysterious notebook full of stories about a miracle worker named the White Rebbe and the enigmatic Angel of Losses, both protectors of things gone astray and guardians of the lost letter of the alphabet, which completes the secret name of God.
Years later, when Eli's granddaughter Marjorie stumbles upon his notebook, everything she thought she knew about her grandfather—and her family—comes undone. To learn the truth about Eli's origins and unlock the secrets he kept, Marjorie embarks on an odyssey that takes her deep into the past, from the medieval Holy Land to eighteenth-century Venice and Nazi-occupied Lithuania. What she finds leads her back to present-day New York City and her estranged sister, Holly, whom she must save from the consequences of Eli's past.
Interweaving history, theology, and both real and imagined Jewish folktales, The Angel of Losses is a family story of what lasts, and of what we can—and cannot—escape.

Brightly

I wanted to take a moment to share with all of you a great new website from Penguin Random House Publishers.  "Brightly" was introduced by the company as a resource for parents to help raise readers. The site contains some great articles on encouraging reluctant readers, guided reading by age/stage, audiobook resources, and even books for "grown up readers" too!  Take a moment to check it out!

http://www.readbrightly.com/