Amelia Lost: The Life &

Disappearance of

Amelia Earheart

By:  Candace Fleming

 

Amelia Lost written by Candace Fleming is the quintessential book for mystery lovers as well as those seeking to study people who changed history.  The book was published by Schwartz & Wade  in 2011.  The book is written in alternating chapter format that presents information about Amelia’s childhood followed by chapters that seek to solve the mystery of her disappearance.  Candace Fleming has written several award-winning books including The Lincolns and Ben Franklin’s Almanac. 

The lexile level is 930.  It would be a great addition to a theme series on Famous Women, Bravery, or mysteries.  It includes a series of important graphs including maps and charts.  It would partner well with Sally Ride:  Shooting for the Stars and Almost Astronaunts:  13 Women Who Dared to Dream. 

 

 

There are numerous teacher assists available to go along with the book including an on-line curriculum guide and many digital resources including: 

  Amelia Earhart: The Official Website

www.ameliaearhart.com

The Ninety-Nines, Inc.

International Organization of Women Pilots

www.ninety-nines.org

The Museum of Flight

www.museumofflight.org/amelia

Purdue University Library

www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol/aearhart

The book has received many awards including:  the Golden Kite award and Horn Book starred review. 

 

 

 



American Revolution:  Fact Tracker

Magic Tree House Companion Series    Book Review#2

The American Revolution fact tracker is one in a series of twenty-eight non-fiction companion books developed by Mary Pope Osborne to partner with her Magic Tree House books.  These companions provide informational text to align and enhance the stories of the series.  This fact tracker partners with Magic Tree House book #22:  Revolutionary War on Wednesday.  The book was published in 2004 by Random House:  New York.  The book has an AR book level of 4.5 with a lexile level of 700.  The book features 121 pages of quarter to three-quarter text pages as well as pictures on every pages.  The pictures are black and white and include both cartoon-like illustrations that include Jack and Annie of the original Magic Tree House series as well as more life-like drawings of the historical events and people.  In addition, the book features timelines, maps, an index of historical places and people, and lists of books, DVDs, Internet resources, and museums that align with the text. 

 The book is laid out well for younger readers; there are plenty of interesting and educational illustrations and graphics.  The book offers great historical information on the early years of colonization, the Revolutionary War, and The Declaration of Independence.  It is easy to read while also offering a good variety of social studies' type vocabulary.

This book, as well as the others in the fact tracker series, would offer a well-rounded overview of history for the young reader while also enhancing an already established series that has been loved by kids for many years.

Above and to the right, you see some examples of the types of graphics offered in the series.  The map graphic to the right shows the location and make up of the 13 colonies.  As a history teacher of older students, I can see where this information would be a valuable preface to the study of the colonization period. 

The book would be a delight for students who are interested in the colonial period as well as those who have an interest in war, particularly, the Revolutionary War. 

These books are extremely similar to the fiction Magic Tree House series and also hold a resemblance to the Magic School Bus series; both of which offer students good information while entertaining and being visually simulating.  The book has not received any awards; however, the partner Magic Tree House series has. 

Additional digital resources may be found at 42explore2.com/revolt.htm; kidport.com/reflib/usahistory/americanrevolution/amerrevolution.htm; mountvernon.org; pbs.org/liberty; thefreedomtrail.org; and ushistory.org/betsy/flagtale.html. 

This would be a great book to use in introductory activities for study of the colonies or the Revolutionary War.

Owen & Mzee:  The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

Book Review #1: 

 Owen & Mzee is a sweet tale of friendship written by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu.  The book was published by Scholastic in 2006.  The AR book level is 5.4 with a lexile level of 841.  The book is hard back, library bound, and contains a plethora of original photographs of the Kenyan countryside as well as Owen (a hippo) and Mzee (a giant tortoise).  The book is laid out in an easy to read fashion with one half to page large text opening to a photograph on every page. 

As stated, the text is large; however, the vocabulary could prove difficult for young readers.  The book would definitely appeal to animal lovers as well as those intrigued by Africa. It would also make a good read aloud for librarians or teachers when discussing the value of friendship and overcoming stereotypes.  The image shown below is a perfect example of the themes of the book regarding acceptance, friendship, and protection. 

 

Owen and Mzee would partner well with units on African as well. Using hand in hand with books such as Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, and Ashanti to Zulu would present a broad picture of the culture.  It would be valuable to examine the location of Kenya and study the animals of the country when studying the book.  The partner texts would also provide a lot of valuable information about culture, customs, and traditional beliefs of the people of Africa.  Using the website http://www.africanfauna.com/ would add a lot of addition information about plants and animals in Africa as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Owen and Mzee won the Book Sense of the Year Award as well as the ALAN award.  It continues to be a favorite of adults and children.

 

 

 

Change is Good

Well, as most of you have heard by now, these are my last couple of weeks as media specialist at ECS.  I am leaving the position to return to my greatest love:  the classroom.  I will be teaching middle school social studies next year; a position I held some ten years ago.  It is with excitement mixed with a little sadness that I move.  Excitement for the change and the day to day interaction with the same students; sadness at those younger students that I will no longer encounter each week.  I am leaving this place in good hands as Mrs. Dana Smith will take over the helm of the library.  She brings many years of experience as well as a passion for literacy and teaching.  So, it is goodbye for now knowing that change is good and great things are on the horizon.  `Mrs. Main aka Library Lady

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air and that means it is time for our annual Spring Book Fair and Literacy Night.  Our spring book fair begins Tuesday, April 16 and runs through Thursday, April 18.  On Tuesday evening from 6:30-8:00 p.m., we will have our special family event which will include not only the book fair but also AR reading and testing, puppet shows, monologues, snacks, educational games, special Kindergarten celebrations, and pictures with Clifford the Big Red Dog at the book fair. 

A special coin and school supply collection for children at the Shiperoy School in Uganda, Africa will be held in conjunction with the book fair.  Mrs. Masterson and Mrs. Main will be travelling to Uganda this summer with a group from CFC to train teachers and work with children in schools and orphanages.  We are excited to allow our students to be a part of this ministry. Look for a letter home soon about this opportunity.

 To access our book fair homepage, go to:  http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/ecslibrary10. 

Join us for the fun:  April 16-18!

Searching the ECS Library from Your Kitchen Table

Many times, I am approached and asked if our library has a certain book, video, or audio book.  Even though I have worked in the library for the past three years, I still do not know every item that we have to offer (since we have over 15,000), so where do I go.......our library catalog.  Our library catalog is online and is accessible from any computer with internet connection.  Not only will you find every item available in our library, but you can also search the title peak page for our top 10 books, read reviews, and set up your own page to reserve books, form your own library shelf, and develop your own reviews.  In order to set up your own page, you just need to know your library patron number which we can provide to you.  Currently, we are in the research phase of determing the feasibility of adding an ebook lending service to our library.  We will keep you informed of the progress in this area.  To access our online catalog, go to:  https://evansvillechristian.follettdestiny.com/common/welcome.jsp?context=saas03_1301569.  Have fun searching. 

Why is Non-Fiction Important?

In today’s New York Times, an article entitled “The Times and the Common Core Standards” included some very interesting statistics regarding the importance of reading and understanding informational text in order to succeed in the academic world. According to the article, as a student progresses throughout his or her educational career, reading should include more and more non-fiction reading. The article summarizes, “While English classes will still include healthy amounts of fiction, the standards say that students should be reading more nonfiction texts as they get older, to prepare them for the kinds of material they will read in college and careers. In the fourth grade, students should be reading about the same amount from “literary” and “informational” texts, according to the standards; in the eighth grade, 45 percent should be literary and 55 percent informational, and by 12th grade, the split should be 30/70” (Schulten). As our library staff looks for ways to assist teachers and students in these areas, we have not only added a required non-fiction element to the A.R. goal, but also, have increased the amount of informational text that we use in the research process with students as young as 2nd grade while making sure that we read an equal amount of non-fiction and fiction during our early learner’s reading times. Additionally, we require all 1st graders to check out one non-fiction book each week. As we study the research and look for ways to put the findings into practice, we are seeing our students’ vocabulary and understanding of technical information increasing.


Schulten, K. “The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for Informational Text.” New York Times.