My pick for Monday, February 8th is...

Duck Soup

by Jackie Urbanovic

Accelerated Reader® Level: 2.0 / 0.5 pts.

Maxwell Duck is trying to invent a soup that everyone will remember him for; but when he goes out to look for the missing ingredient and his friends show up, they think he has fallen into the soup.

Friday's Pick

My pick for Friday, February 5th is...

The Staircase

by Ann Rinaldi

Accelerated Reader® Level: 4.3 / 8.0 pts.

From Amazon.com:

"'This one is wise,' he said.' This one has an old spirit. She has been among us before.'" Though the Arapaho Indian on the trail praised her old spirit, 14-year-old Lizzy Enders feels anything but wise. Within only a few days, she has lost her mother to the fever, been left by her widowed father at a convent, and thrust into the strange world of the Academy of Our Lady of Light in 1870s Santa Fe. Born a Methodist, Lizzy just can't comprehend Catholicism: "All this talk of blood and martyrdom and eating flesh and agony. It was just all too much, is all." In an attempt to alleviate her misery, Lizzy befriends an unemployed elderly carpenter and suggests he be hired to build the missing staircase for the convent's new chapel. The other girls at the academy are furious, since they have been praying for a miracle to complete the stairs, not an old beggar. Can she convince them that this aged man, with his real tools, is better than an ephemeral miracle? What Lizzy has to discover for herself is that sometimes miracles come disguised in nun's habits... or carpenter's sandals.

Based on a legend of a real chapel stairway in Santa Fe, The Staircase is a lively historical fiction that successfully merges myth, religion, and old-fashioned pioneer sensibility.

Thursday's Pick

My pick for Thursday, February 4th is...

We are the ship : the story of Negro League baseball

words and paintings by Kadir Nelson ; foreword by Hank Aaron.
Accelerated Reader® Level: 5.9 / 3.0 pts.

Explores the history of Negro League baseball teams, discussing owners, players, hardships, wins, and losses; and including illustrations.

Wednesday's Pick

My pick for Wednesday, February 3rd is...

Charlotte's Web

by E.B. White
Accelerated Reader® Level: 4.4 / 5.0 pts.

From Amazon.com:

An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.

Tuesday's Pick

My pick for Tuesday, February 2nd is...

Dimity Dumpty- The Story of Humpty's Little Sister

by Bob Graham
Accelerated Reader® Level: 4.3 / 0.5 pts.

From School Library Journal:

Everyone knows the story of Humpty Dumpty. Not so many know the story of his little sister, Dimity. So begins the tale of his quiet, diminutive, and painfully shy sibling who prefers the background to the limelight of her circus family's acrobatics. The perfect foil to her reckless brother's antics, Dimity finds solace and meaning in her flute music. But when Humpty takes his proverbial fall while spray painting graffiti, it is Dimity who comes to his rescue. She runs to the big top and, finding her voice, mobilizes everyone to save her brother. After the rescue, she remains her timid self, but those around her come to appreciate her quiet center. The full-color watercolor illustrations are a delight–from the egg carton mobile home pulled by a hen to the emotional expressions Graham can pull out of an eggshell. The language is lyrical (the spotlight pushed like a bright finger across the tent, gentle as a beetle's breath, high notes fly like swifts on a summer's morning) and makes a perfect read-aloud. This story of a quiet child who shuns attention and remains true to herself will resonate with children and their parents, who know that everyone has special gifts and talents.–Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI