Guaranteed Great Summer Reads (Grades 4-6)

Maniac Magee
By: Jerry Spinelli
...you won't be able to put this one down!  Run alongside Magee, the homeless orphan who makes two very divided communities question their choices.

Because of Winn Dixie
By: Kate DiCamillo
... let this wonderful dog worm it's way into your heart as you turn the pages of a book that shows readers the impact pets can make on our lives.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
By: Tranton Lee Stewart
... four unlikely gifted children venture into the bizarre and mysterious world of Mr. Benedict.  This page-turner will force you to solve riddles and problems alongside the characters making you feel as though you are right there with them.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place
By: Maryrose Wood
... venture alongside Governess Penelope Lumley  as she strives to "tame" the incorrigible children of Ashton Place.  Along the way, she discovers just how peculiar her new job is.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES!

Blue Spruce #4- Kiss Me!, I'm A Prince

This cute spin on a traditional Fairy Tale will leave readers laughing as they turn each new page!  Ella, a sporty and confident young girl, stumbles upon a frog who claims to be a Prince.   Throughout the story, the Frog-Prince works diligently to convince Ella to kiss him.  Ella is hesitant, if she kisses the Prince, what will happen?  He tells her that she will become a Princess, will get to live in a castle and wear beautifully elegant clothes.  Ella wonders when she'll have time to play when she assumes all of her courtly duties.  Will she kiss the frog, and if so, will he turn into a Prince?  Read to find out!

This beautifully illustrated book, with wit and an incredibly confident female protagonist, will be another favourite among the Blue Spruce voters.

Blue Spruce #3- Small Saul

The third of our Blue Spruce books, Small Saul is an hysterical tale about an odd and unlikely pirate.  Saul has always dreamed of being on the sea, but after the navy rejects him, his only alternative is to become a pirate.  However, he's not your average pirate.  First, he likes a tidy space, so he redecorates the ship. Secondly, he really has trouble "being tough" so he decides to get a bunny tattoo.  Lastly, he really prefers cooking to fighting and stealing people's treasure.  All of his antics get him thrown overboard.  Soon the ship starts to grow mold and the crew's back to eating bland, rat-nibbled bread.  However, his fellow crewmates soon come to realize that Small Saul may not have been an average pirate, but just like treasure, he was rare. 

This Blue Spruce favourite is sure to be a strong contender during voting time.

A Flock of Shoes- Blue Spruce Title #2

The second Blue Spruce nominee, all primary students have read Sarah Tsang's A Flock of Shoes.  The story begins with little Abby who is desperate to locate her sandals who have flown away in a flock of other shoes when the cold weather appears.  Luckily, her shoes haven't forgotten her and regularly send her postcards and photos from their warm and sunny location.  As the warm weather approaches, her sandals return home, but where might her boots relocate to?

An adorable favourite of many Runnymede students.  Another one to watch for at voting time!

Noni Says No- Blue Spruce Title #1

We have read our first Blue Spruce nominee!  All students, in grades K-3, have read Heather Hart-Susmann's Noni Says No.  This story features a likable character, Noni, and her so-called friend Susie.  Instead of disappointing Susie, Noni always says "yes".  Susie begins to take advantage of Noni's kindness and asks her to do all sorts of silly things, including cutting off her hair!  Over time, Noni finally develops the confidence to say "NO!"

A sure favourite with many classes at Runnymede who asked to hear it multiple times.  This will be a fierce contender during the final vote in May.

Grades K-3 Blue Spruce

Grades K-3 students have begun to explore the ten Blue Spruce titles.  Together we will read the books and will culminate our reading with a celebratory vote where the children will fill out a secret ballot to select their favourite of the ten selections.  All of the books have been recommended by the Ontario Library Association and I can confidently say they are all fantastic!  The province wide vote will take place in May.  It will be interesting to see how Runnymede compares with the province.  The blog will now feature the titles we have read.  On average, we will read one new nominee a week.

Holiday Favourites

Beautiful stories to share during the holidays.....
This timeless classic shows readers that believing in the magic of Christmas is within all of us.

David's up to his old antics again, but this time it's Christmas!  A funny holiday treat!



An adorable Canadian rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  Kids can't help but sing along to this one!

Another Seuss classic that can be revisited time and time again.  This story of the mean-spirited Grinch's endeavor to ruin Christmas for the locals of Who-Vill shows readers that the true spirit of the holidays is about giving, and not necessarily about receiving.



A wonderful story about the traditions and celebrations held during Hanukkah and the new moon that always accompanies this holiday.







A wonderfully illustrated picture book on the ABC's of Kwanzaa.

What Are We Reading??

The grades 4-6 classes have just finished reading Roald Dahl's beloved tale of a strong-minded and brilliant young protagonist, Matilda.  We were all sad to read the last page but are elated to begin The Invention of Hugo Cabret which is now a featured movie.  This amazing book is part text, part charcoal sketches and is quite hard to put down!  With the turn of each page, a new mystery emerges...

Forest of Reading Nominees Are In

It's that time of year again, Runnymede!!  The Forest of Reading nominees are in!  I'll be working hard over the next couple of weeks to order in the nominee titles for all of us to read and discuss throughout the year.

There will be two clubs for grades 4-8.  Grades 4-6 will concentrate on the Silver Birch titles, while grades 7-8 will focus on the Red Maple books.  If these clubs interest you, please see Ms. Edgar ASAP.

In the meantime, read a summary of the following nominees by clicking on the link below.

http://www.accessola.org/ola_prod/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Current_Program_Year/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Current_Program_Year.aspx?hkey=5af29ddd-628e-431d-9b3b-321b8393bd25

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate-Review by Clare in Ms. Lakoff's Class

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly is a pioneer book with a modern twist.  With excerpts from Darwin's book "The Origins of the Species", at the beginning of each chapter, the authors tells the story of a girl's forbidden obsession with science in a fresh and fun-filled way.  As the main character, Calpurnia, starts spending more time with her grandfather discussing and exploring science, society requires her to spend less and less time doing experiments  and instead spend long, boring afternoons learning how to sew and knit socks, cook and learn how to be a gentlemen's wife.  Calpurnia wants to fight this fate.

Although this book is set at the turn of the century, Calpurnia's thoughts and feelings are surprisingly modern.  Don't let the somewhat slow beginning fool you, as the book progresses it gets way more exciting.  Ms. Kelly uses a unique cast of characters to act out usual elements like an embroidery contest and a turkey killing.  Two thumbs up for this book!  A must read for all science and history enthusiasts!

Our First Book Review- By Annie in Ms. Lakoff's Class

Read this amazing review below.  Wonderstruck, written by Brian Selznick, is a fantastic new novel that's in our library.  While the novel isn't ready to be circulated yet, it should be ready in about one month.

Wonderstruck

By Brian Selznick

Ben and Rose set out on two different quests. Ben dreams of finding his long lost father, and Rose thinks about an actress she dreams of meeting. When Ben finds a clue about his father and Rose reads an article about a mysterious actress they both set out alone on a quest in New York.

Both the two mysterious stories are told 50 years apart. Ben’s told in writing and Rose’s in fascinating pictures. This story will make you keep the book wide open and leave your mind mesmerised by the exciting and symmetrical plot.

This fascinating book is a must read for kids ages 10-12. Brian Selznick did a great job with this story. I really would recommend reading this mysteriously fascinating story.   

      

Library Helpers Are Hard At Work!

I would like to thank each and every student who applied to be a library helper.  Your applications were well written and  highlighted your skills nicely.  I know that all of you will be an asset to our library community.

I'd also like to take this time to thank all of the parents who took the time to write such beautiful reference letters.  The letters were certainly from the heart and helped me greatly in selecting our helpers.

Schedules that highlight times where the students will work in the library have been distributed to all who applied.

Thanks again!

Calling all Library Helpers!!

Hello Runnymede,

I am currently looking for library helpers to assist with shelving books, creating displays and writing reviews for new novels and picture books.  If this is something you think you'd be interested in, please see Ms. Edgar for an application form.  The forms are due on Friday September 17th and you must be willing to give up some of your recess or after school time. 

Looking forward to meeting some of our new helpers!

~ Ms. Edgar

Welcome Back!

Hello Runnymede Crew!

My name is Ms. Edgar and I am Runnymede's new Teacher-Librarian.  I'm looking very forward to being your new librarian and welcome each and every one of you, including parents, to visit the library as often as you can.  The library will be open for families and students in the mornings from 8:00-8:50 and afternoons from 3:15-3:45.  The library is much more than just books and I encourage students to use this quiet space to research or complete homework/assignments. 

This site will be updated frequently and will provide information about new exciting books, reviews written by students, useful links and more!

Parents, if you have any questions or requests, please email me at the following address:

runnymedelibrary@yahoo.ca


Looking forward to an excellent year as your Teacher-Librarian!

Ms. Edgar