Ideas to Inspire

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river — and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy — the Prince Chagum — on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea. As they travel across the land of Yogo and discover the truth about the spirit, they find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster Rarunga . . . and the prince’s own father.

–$5.00

  Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together under different circumstances and establishing unlikely friendships. With breathtaking descriptions of nature and its ultimate phenomenon, the eclipse, Every Soul a Star is a powerful and humorous story about dealing with change and discovering one’s place in the universe.

$6.00

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

Super logical Emma-Jean has little in common with her seventh-grade classmates until she joins forces with them to defeat the school mean girl.

$3.00

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

Greg’s father thinks he should just toughen up! Could military school be the answer?

$6.00

April’s Scholastic Tab has 32 items for $5 or less, so come and get a flyer from room 1103, “the Reading Room.”

Dipping into the flower zone

Honey stomach plump with nectar

Soaking up directions

Finding our ways in the dark

Fat little pollen baskets

Plumping our legs

You had no idea, did you?

You kept talking about

That wheelbarrow

And chicken

Round dance

Waggle dance

Only 5 species of honeybee

Among 20,000 different bee species

Out there in the far field

Something has changed but

You don’t know what it is yet

And everything depends

On us

What were your favorite books when you were a child?

• Green Eggs and Ham
• Momotaro
• Tiki Tiki Tembo

Do you think teens still enjoy being read to? (YES)

Do you have favorite books you enjoyed when you were a teen?

• The Outsiders
• Lord of the Rings

Everyone enjoys being read to, so as a family this spring break, get reading. Choose a favorite of your own, a favorite of the kids, or even a new book that you’ll read together. If you have a hard time reading, just read a little at a time, read a children’s book, a poem, an article or a short story. Just read.

Into the Dark by Peter Abrahams

In Echo Falls, secrets buried in the past don’t always stay there.

Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell

In alternating free verse, two Mohawk sisters tell of their lives at the Carlisle Indian School near the turn of the 20th century.

Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer

The protagonist is short, nerdy, 12-year-old Fletcher Moon, “youngest P.I. on the planet” (certainly the youngest in his small Irish hometown), with a much-prized badge from a correspondence school to prove it.

The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer

Jack is amazed to have caused an earthquake. He is thirteen, after all, and only a bard-in-training.

Humbug Mountain by Sid Fleischman

A young boy and his wandering family foil villains and rout nasty varmints as they make a home for themselves in a beached boat on the banks of the Missouri.

Feeling the almost Spring Break blues? Discovery education has a free site (http://school.discoveryeducation.com) with loads of resources that can be used for anchor activities, supplemental information, contests, etc.

Goodies include a puzzlemaker, a lesson plan library on almost every subject (except Hawaiian) for grades 6-8, worksheets to go, contests, grants and other resources for new and experienced educators.

Check it out this spring break.