Book Review- Go Set a Watchman

Written in the mid 1950's Go Set a Watchhman is the sequel to to Kill a Mockingbird.    In this novel by Harper Lee, Scout is 26 and returning to Maycombe, Alabama .   She goes back yearly for her 2 week vacation from her job in New York city.

  Jean Louise ( Scout ) returns to find her Father Atticus, and her boy friend Hank (  the boy who  Atticus  took under his wing) , and the town in a bit of  political turmoil.   The negro/ white situation is tense 

  Hank wants to marry Jean Louise, she keeps putting him off. Jean louise  loves Hank but can't see herself living in Maycombe.  Memories  of her childhood ( which are taken from  To Kill A Mockingbird)  keep flooding back. 

  This is a moving story about Scout's journey  into adulthood. The writing is not as polished  as Harper's famous book.Sometimes the transitions  from past to present are not always  easy to discern.  It was hard at times to keep track of where Scout was in time.

  The characters are well developed . The setting helps show the tensions and how the people lived in Maycombe.  

 So this is a story of Scout,  the people who love her, and her hometown.  Without To Kill A Mockingbird this story would   not really make sense.  

Spice Drink

      I went to my homeopath yesterday and got a new 'remedy' to help nourish my bones and body- its called a spice drink.  In their pharmacy ( Wellspring at Himalayan) the pharmacist made the blend  just to suit my needs.

  My has  cumin, fennel, hibiscus, and coriander.  Each morning I take a teaspoon  of the mix and let it seep in hot water for just 5 minutes.  Then I am supposed to sip throughout the morning.    It is really tasty and keeps the hunger pangs at bay.

  Next week or so I will  talk about some of my other  protocols that will help support my body/

Book Alert! Go catch a Watchman

  I am reading it  - just started. Not so sure where it is going. There has been  so much publicity and then criticism  about this book by Harper Lee. I am holding out all comments until I am all finished!

Book Review- The Story Keeper

   The Story  Keeper  by Lisa Wingate( Tysdale  House ,2014)   is a great read. Jen Gibbs, a successful New York city editor, is at a new position at Uda House Publishers. A mysterious manuscript appears on her desk.  Jen finds herself drawn into the manuscript - Sara & Rand and and their troubles in Appalachia.

  She has a hunch about the manuscript's author that leads her back to her hometown ( which she had thought she had left forever) . Shes goes through many twists and turns - some with her estranged family and begins to work out the author of the manuscript that entail a lot of hard feelings to stare out with . When you get to the end you 'll just want more story!

FREE Lessons For Teachers!

This is a free library lesson I am making available here for a limited time . Thereafter it will be for sale on teacherpayteachers! Sign up to follow Living on Shady Lane so you can get other freebie's before they go on sale!

  Library Lessons With The Midnight Librarian

     The Midnight Librarian by Kazuno Kohara (Roaring Book Press, 2014) is a great read aloud for introducing students in Kindergarten and First Grade to the library.   Use it  at the beginning of the year or any time  to review.  

 Read the story  aloud to the students.   Discussion questions can be asked  at the end 0f the story or at occasions where students can use text and illustration cues to answer the questions.

1. What do the animals do in the library? ( p3-4)
2. What was the correct behavior in the reading room? (P5-6)
3. Was there a hole in the roof?
4. Was it raining in the library?
5. Why was the wolf crying?
6. What jobs did the librarian do in the library?
7. What jobs did the owl assistants do in the library?
8. How did the little librarian help the tortoise?
9. How is the library in the book different from our library?
10. What do you think are some good library manners ?

Answer key:

1. read books

2. Correct behavior- being quiet
3. NO there was not a hole in the roof.
4. NO it was not raining
5. The wolf was crying because the book was sad.
6. help animals pick a perfect book, put away books
7. she made him a card so he could borrow books.
8. answers will vary
9. Answers will vary: be quiet, put books away,

Word Puzzle - The Midnight Librarian

Word Bank:  Librarian, Instruments, Yawn, Rain, Assistant, Read, borrow

1. Person who helps find the perfect book   L _ _ r_ _  _ _ _

2.what the squirrels played                            I _ _ t _ _ m_ _ _ _

3.Tortoise was allow to  take book                b _  _ _ o _

4.What  the animals did  in the library           r _ _ d

5.One who helped the librarian                     a _ _ i _ _ _ _

6.when the wolf cried                                      r _ _ _

7, owls did after story & fell asleep               y _ _ n

Answer Key

1. Librarian
2. Instruments
3. Borrow
4. Read
5. Assistant
6. Rain
7. Yawn

Matching ( terms and definitions) The Midnight Librarian

Copy  this page  ( Make several copies)  and  cut apart. Glue onto cards Have two  or three students work together to match terms.  This can be also done during  time when there are students who are finished with book check out or are not checking out books. Make a easy check by  placing on the back  books!  on the cards that go together.

Place where all  the  books are	reads you good books
Library assistants	lets you borrow books
Library behavior	being quiet and respectful

Librarian	Library
Library cards	take a book home and then bring it back.
borrow	Helps put books away

Answer key on back of

place where all the books are - Library               B

library assistant- helps put books away               o  (1)

library behavior- being quiet and respectful      o ( 2)

Librarian- reads  you good books                            k

library cards- lets you borrow books                       s

borrow -take a book home & bring it back            !

The Midnight Librarian

Sequence  Game  : Students can work in pairs to put the following cards or strips of paper in the right order after listening to the story.  After everyone is done,  you can review as a class or have another pair at the table check work.

Animals  come at night to the library to read

                                                           

                                                                                         

The Tortoise can finish his book.

The Little Librarian reads to the owls as they fall asleep.

Little Librarian & her three owl  assistants help find the perfect book.

The Little librarian asks “Please be quiet in the reading room”

The Little Librarian takes the squirrels to the activity room.

The Little Librarian makes the tortoise a  library card.

It starts to rain inside the library.

The little librarians and her assistants read to the wolf.

Bands of squirrels play music looking for a good song.

Other Books Written and Illustrated  by Kazuno Kohara

Here Comes Jack Frost /Roaring Book Press, 2009

Ghosts in the House/ Roaring Book Press,2012

Little Wizard/Pan Macmillian,, 2011

The Haunted House/ Macmillian Childrens Books, 2008

Susan Pierce Couture is a career librarian ,  with experience in both public and school libraries.  Currently , she is a branch manager in a public library system.  You can  connect with her at her blog  : TheOrganizedLibrarian. blogspot.com

Book Review- The Guest Cottage

  Here is another great summer read by Nancy Thayer. Although I hadn't read any of  her other books , I may go in search of some now that I have read this one.

  The novel. is set in Nantucket  near the beach. Sophie , at 36 , has just leaned her husband of 16 years wants a divorce.  She is at a loss on what to with her life and those of her children, Jonah and Lacy.

   Trevor Black , w web designer , has lost his wife and is struggling to bring up his little boy  Leo  who at 4 is having a hard time with the loss  of his mother.

 The tow parents end up renting the same house. When they both arrive at about the same time, they decide to try and share the house  and the responsibilities , because they don't know really what else to do.

  As the summer progresses.  Sophie and Trevor have a lot of ups and downs , adventures and incidents. Sophie is sure that she is to old for Trevor. But Trevor is smitten with Sophie. How  will it all end? Read this to find out!