Monday, October 27, 2008

Horse lovers, take heed.


Hi, I'm Beth, and I'm a librarian. But I started out as a lover of horses! I shall always be a lover of horses and books!

Growing up, my book shelf was home to all of the Walter Farley “stallion” books- Black and Island; Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty and Marguerite Henry’s books- Misty was my favorite- maybe because as a child I got to go to Chincoteague Island and take part in Pony Penning Day.

The horses in my life had names like Why Wait, Oh Daddy, On Easy Street, Sandstorm, and Tar Baby not Flame, The Black, Merrylegs or Beauty. I recall how they were often woven into my daydreams- Alec and the Black and me and On Easy Street galloping along a deserted beach near my home. While watching Why Wait, Sandstorm and Tar Baby grazing nose to nose in the pasture, I was reminded of passages from Black Beauty.
If you are a lover of horses and of books you, too, might enjoy…

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
This story comes “straight from the horse’s mouth!” Joey, the horse, recounts his life story- the idyllic days as a beloved pet on an English farm, the horrifying events he endured as a cavalry horse during World War I and the heartwarming reunion with his first master.
This story reminds me of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty.






A Blue for Beware by Jessie Haas
In this sequel to Beware the Mare, Lily and Beware are ready to put themselves to the test- entering a show for the first time. Lily wonders if all her hard work will be rewarded , "can I keep Beware in check around other horses, will she take the jumps or refuse?” Young readers will be cheering Lily and Beware as they prove themselves inside the show ring.





My Kingdom for a Horse : an anthology of poems about horses edited by Betty Ann Schwartz
The reader encounters a herd of horses- real and imaginary. Poems celebrate the race horse, the farm horse, the work horse, the circus horse and the new born foal. The poets include Robert Frost, Jack Prelutsky, Walt Whitman and William Shakespeare.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Hello Friends!

Hello All Girls of the World!
I am Leah, one of the Senior Library Assistants here in the Spangler Library at ImaginOn.
I am so glad that Ellen has started this blog because it's been long overdue!
I wanted to give a short intro about myself so, all of you in Girls Read, Girls Rule(The World) land can get to know me.
I am the resident music maven here in Spangler. I play viola, violin, piano and sing. I am also the director for the awesome band The Imagineers. It's a band we have put together here at the library and we are always looking for new members! Check out us playing Beethoven's Ode to Joy.




I also love acting, poetry and of course....READING!!!

Some of my favorite books include The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence and The Royal Diaries Series by various authors.

I look forward to hearing about what you all are reading and getting to know you!

Leah

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

READ THEM!!! Or...something else.

Greetings and salutations, girls। I hope all is well out in your world.

This past weekend was my first official Book Brunch and Wordplay Saturday, and it was so much fun! I hope you all had a chance to come out. The highlights for me were hearing Magaret Peterson Haddix talk about her Shadow Children series (Among the Hidden, Among the Betrayed, etc.) and hearing Josh Elder talk about his Mail Order Ninja graphic novel series. I have to admit I now have a bit of a crush on Mr. Elder.

I may or may not have doodled that above image in my notebook. Okay...moving on...

I MUST post two book reviews sent in by the lovely Miss Sophia. Thank you so much for passing them on, and I do in fact plan on reading these books when I get a chance.


Nicholas on Vacation by Rene Goscinny ****
This story is about a little boy named Nicholas. He's out of school and on vacation. This book is actually about two vacations, one on the beach and one to camp. It's number three in the series of Nicholas books, in which he always tries to have some fun (except Nicholas ends up in trouble). Even when it's raining outside, Nicholas almost always finds ways to amuse himself. I think you would really like this book because it's really funny, wonderful and amusing. Rene Goscinny is a very good writer. If you do like this book, try to read Nicholas, Nicholas Again, and Nicholas and the Gang. Read them! Read Them! READ THEM!!!!


So, Miss Sophia, I get the feeling that you want us to read the Nicholas books. :-P


Everest, Book One: The Contest by Gordon Korman
There are a bunch of kids who want to climb Mount Everest. But there's also this very stingy director named Cap Cizero. And while all the kids want to have a place on the team so that they can be the youngest to get to the summit, they have to be chosen by Cap, who's very harsh and stubborn. I really like this book, which has a lot of action (like the rest of the series). All three of the books in this series by Gordon Korman are excellent. I strongly encourage you to read them. I guarantee you'll love them. Or else...stop and read something different.


Miss Sophia, I hope you consider becoming a librarian someday. You certainly can talk people into reading some books.

All right girls, I'm off to go do great librarian things...but just so you know, I have made some "Girls Read, Girls Rule" bookmarks that are here at ImaginOn for whenever you stop in (and I hope that's soon)। I'm also working on making some suggested reading lists and creating a display JUST FOR GIRLS!!! Are you as excited as I am? I hope so. :-D

****Just a quick note, PLCMC does NOT own Nicholas on Vacation, so pictured here is Nicholas, the first book in the series. Sorry!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Hostile Takeover? No Way!

Welcome to "Girls Read, Girls Rule (The World)." As the mighty creator of such an AWESOME site, I bid you girls hello and would like to say that this site is just for YOU. Consider this a clubhouse with a giant "No Boys Allowed" sign over it. :-) Heehee.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ellen, and I work at Spangler Children's Library here at ImaginOn, part of the PLCMC system. After hearing Carlman, Darth Bill, and Master Jedi Zack go on and on about this ridiculous hostile takeover the girls were planning, I had to start this blog.

All right girls, let's set the record straight. We never intended a hostile takeover of the Boys Read, Boys Rule site. We simply needed our OWN site. A place where we don't have to become "honorary boys" to read or write book reviews or talk about all the cool stuff happening at ImaginOn.

So now, here is your very own special place to come read about good books (I never recommend bad ones) and to share some of your favorites. Please leave comments, if you wish, and together we'll show the boys that we can all get along and maybe even work together.

Besides, if we're planning a takeover, and I'm not saying we are, it wouldn't be of "Boys Read, Boys Rule." It would be of the world...
With that in mind, my first two book reviews will be totally girl power.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
A totally fantastic book that is a companion to The Giver (another favorite). It is set up in a similiar futuristic society, with a girl main character (woohoo!). Kira has a bad leg and is newly orphaned, so she is sent to live in the Council Edifice to restore the pictures on the historical robe worn at the Ruin Song Gathering each year. This robe shares the history of their world's past, which Kira soon learns is full of many lies and coverups. Will Kira be able to expose these dark secrets and change her society? Read this book to find out.



Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Primrose is an eleven year old girl who lives in a fishing village in British Columbia. When her parents get lost at sea, everyone assumes they are gone for good...except for Primrose. While she waits for her mom and dad to return, she meets an interesting cast of characters, from her business not-so-savvy uncle, to Kate Bowzer, who owns a restaurant that really serves EVERYTHING on a waffle. Pick up this book if you want a good laugh, but also if you've ever believed something when everyone else doubted it.