RICBA Book Trailers 2

Here are a few of the other titles that kids were interested in, but we ran out of time to watch:


Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes
click on title to access book trailer on Scholastic's site

Doll Bones by Holly Black




Athlete vs. Mathlete by WC Mack

RICBA Book Trailers 1

Room 9 went through the Rhode Island Children's Book Award list today and watched book trailers for several of the titles. We didn't have time to see all of them, but here's what we did get to:


Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
click on title to access book trailer on SchoolTube


Spirit Animals by Brandon Mull




Rump by Liesl Shurtliff




Charlie Bumpers v. The Teacher of the Year by Bill Harley



Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

RI Children's Book Award - Submit Your Reviews Online!

Have you started making your way through the RI Children's Book Award list yet? Did you lose your copy of the list? Look no further than the RICBA 2015 LibGuide (accessible from the Stadium RICAT home page).

The LibGuide includes summaries of each book and a link to the form where you can submit your review (I need to have 3 total on file - electronic or hard copy - by February for you to vote). There's also a link to the statewide blog where you can share your opinions with other students.

Not sure which one to start with? Charlie Bumpers v. the Teacher of the Year by Bill Harley is funny and QUICK.

Summer Reading: RICBA Books

Kids going into grades 3-6 will be eligible to vote for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award if they read 3 of the 20 nominees.

I'm making my way through the list and encourage students to do the same ... why not get started over the summer? If you read one of the RICBA books, add a comment below to tell other kids what you thought. Include your last year's room number and initials, but not your full name.

Out of the 12 I've read so far, this is the one I'd be voting for if I could:

Doll Bones by Holly Black Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middle school who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and  action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.

Summer Reading: RICBA Books

Kids going into grades 3-6 will be eligible to vote for the Rhode Island Children's Book Award if they read 3 of the 20 nominees.

I've read all of them and encourage students to do the same ... why not get started over the summer? If you read one of the RICBA books, add a comment below to tell other kids what you thought. Include your last year's room number and initials if you would like, but not your full name.

Here are a few that I would have a hard time deciding between if I were allowed to vote:

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan Inspired by the true story of a gorilla who spent 30 years alone in a cage at an indoor zoo in a mall, this beautifully written book is told from the point of view of Ivan, the Gorilla. Follow his struggle to free himself and a baby elephant from his down and out “domain.”

Graff, Lisa. Double Dog Dare Fourth grade students Francine and Kansas are in a double dare contest to win the morning announcer spot for their school. These dares are out of control until the two enemies discover their common secret.

Nielsen, Jennifer. The False Prince When Sage is taken from his orphanage by a nobleman, his life completely changes. He soon discovers that he is part of a plot to impersonate the long lost prince of the kingdom. Since only one boy will be chosen, defiant Sage has to be the one ... or it could mean his death.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder August Pullman was born with a craniofacial abnormality—a genetic defect that caused his facial features to be severely deformed. Told from multiple perspectives, this is the tale of August’s transition from home school to private middle school. Will he make friends? Will he decide to stay at the school? And can the people around him learn to see past his appearance? 

Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky Eleven years ago during a hurricane, “Mo” was rescued by the Colonel, and her “Upstream Mother” has yet to claim her! Now a neighbor has been murdered, her best friend Dale’s family is in turmoil, the Colonel is missing, and another hurricane is beginning to blow!

Weiner, Ellis. The Templeton Twins Have an Idea This hilarious adventure features genius inventors, nefarious kidnappers, and a pair of very clever 12-year-old twins. The narrator makes you laugh out loud with his snarky comments.

Balloons Over Broadway

I am reading at least one RI Children's Book Award nominee to all of the students in grades 3-6. We started with Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet, which is about Tony Sarg, the inventor of the huge balloons that float through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Then we worked on different activities with the different grades.

See some of the balloons through the decades.

• Grades 3 and 4: This packet of activities includes a maze and a template for drawing your own balloon.

• Grade 5: We discussed the concept of apprenticeship. Tony's apprentice was Bil Baird, who did the Lonely Goatherd marionnettes for "The Sound of Music." Bil's apprentice was none other than Jim Henson, inventor of the Muppets!

• Grade 6: When I asked students what they noticed about today's balloons v. ones from the past, they totally picked up on the fact that modern parades use them as advertising. So many of the characters floating down the streets are corporate mascots ... how many mascots do YOU recognize? We explored persuasive tactics in the following weeks.

RICBA Gives Kids the Vote

We're gearing up for Election Day in November, but did you know that students get the chance to vote in February? The Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (RICBA) goes to the book selected by students in grades 3-6 as their favorite from a list of 20 nominees.

Students who read 3 or more nominated books may vote in February. They will receive extra credit for each RICBA ratings sheet they submit; it asks them to record what the book was about and how they felt about it. They can also share their opinions on the official RICBA blog.

So far, after students had a chance to preview the nominees, Wonderstruck and Sidekicks have had the most holds placed. It will be interesting to see if one of them ends up winning! Side note: If you like Sidekicks, consider renting the movie “Mystery Men” … I see a lot of similarities.

To give everyone a head start, I'll be reading at least one nominee to each class. More to come in separate posts.