The author of "The One and Only Ivan" talked about her new book about Ivan, the gorilla that lived at the B&I mall in Tacoma for 27 years before being moved to the Atlanta Zoo where he still lives today. Using video clips, photos and text from articles, Katherine shared how she researched and came to know more about silverback gorillas in order to write the novel from Ivan's point of view. The students also learned how Katherine purposefully chose a prose style with short chapters in order to portray Ivan as a gentle creature, not as stereotypically aggressive. Katherine also shared the small newspaper article that she read over 20 years ago about the plight of Ivan that inspired the novel. The students were inspired to see the seeds of stories around them. Katherine also spent time with students who had pre-purchased the book; signing their books and enjoying conversation.

Thank you Elliott Bay Book Company for making this visit possible!

Students in K - 2 will be participating in voting for the Children's Choice Book Award. I will be reading the books to them and students will vote for their favorite, describing the story elements that make it their choice.

We now have a rewards account at the Magnolia Bookstore!

When you buy books there, you can ask to have the purchase credited toward the "Our Lady of Fatima" account.

Once we reach $100, the bookstore will call me and we'll get a FREE book for the library.

Thanks Jenny McDowall for setting this up!

We are fortunate to have author Katherine Applegate for a visit on April 18th. She will talk about her new book, The One and Only Ivan, to grades 3 - 8. The book is a sparsely written, powerful tale based on Ivan, the silverback gorilla that lived in Tacoma for 27 years. It is told from Ivan's point of view and would be a wonderful book for parent and child to read and discuss together.

Books are available for pre-order and will be signed by the author. Order forms are due by Friday, April 6th.

More information about the book and about Ivan is available at this website:

theoneandonlyivan.com

Thank you Elliott Bay Book Company for making this visit possible!

Every student in grades k - 8 is encouraged to submit a bookmark idea for this year's University Bookstore bookmark contest.

Entry forms are available in the library. All bookmarks due April 2nd!

You can also click here to download a form.

Attention all 3rd - 6th Graders!

This quarter you have been invited to read at least two Sasquatch Award Nominees and vote for your favorite!

Many students have taken on the challenge and are reading through many of the books.

Voting closes on March 30th.

A Sasquatch celebration will happen the week we get back from Spring Break for all those who vote.

Get your Sasquatch voting ballot in the library!

All 5th and 6th graders will choose one book that was published in 2009 or 2010 to nominate for the 2013 Sasquatch Award. This award is given by the Washington Library Media Association every Fall.

ANY book published in 2009 or 2010 may be selected, not just the ones from our library.

Book Recommendation due Monday, January 9th.

We will vote on the top 3 nominees to be submitted to the Sasquatch Award Committee during the week of January 9th.

Make a dent in your REQUIRED VOLUNTEER HOURS by helping out at the OLF Book Fair.

Click here to go to the google doc for signing up.

The following jobs are needed:

The current library schedule is below, with current volunteers listed.

Anyone interested in volunteering, please attend the orientation meeting on Thursday, Nov. 3rd at 8:30 a.m. in the library.

If you are unable to attend, please contact me via email and I will add you to the list. Please indicate class(es) that you are available to assist.

It is great to have a few volunteers for each class; volunteers can then work out a rotating schedule that works for them to share the time slot.

Looking for a book? Try these websites:

Readkiddoread.com

Kidsreads.com

Guysread.com

As discussed at Literacy Night for grades K - 4, all students are choosing books at their independent reading level. We call these good-fit books because they are books that students can read with 99-100% accuracy.

Here are some lists I have created that will help with student book selection. I will add to these over time, so look back often! If you aren't seeing what you are looking for, ask me for assistance and I'll do my best to support you.

Remember, leveling books is not an exact science, and some books may be within a range, particularly once students are launched into reading chapter books. Some ranges include: J-K, L-M-N, O-P-Q, R-S-T, U-V-W, X-Y-Z.

Another source for searching for leveled books, find book-alikes. Be sure to select "guided reading" for leveled books, A -Z.