Your Alien by Tammi Sauer

A spaceship crashes in the backyard ...

A little green alien emerges...

Smiles are exchanged...

and...

A new friendship begins.

Your Alien written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Goro Fujita (published by Sterling Children's Books) is a beautiful book about the joy of true friendship.  The two new friends are followed throughout a day.  The little boy's parents don't really pay attention to what they are agreeing, his classmates are delighted by their visitor and his teacher can't quite believe her eyes.  Exploring together after school and sharing dinner help to expand and strengthen this new friendship. Until bedtime...

This is when the true meaning of friendship is tested and when the little boy "knows exactly what the alien needs". He does everything that he possibly can to take care of his new friend.  

Sauer's simple, warm text and Fujita's playful use of light and darkness create a gorgeous story that pulls you in, hugs you and melts your heart.

An Interview with Jeff Anderson

Jeff Anderson's professional books (Mechanically Inclined, Everyday Editing, 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, and Revision Decisions) have been influencing, guiding and teaching educators for years. 

Jeff Anderson

On August 4, Jeff's debut middle grade novel, Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth (Sterling Children's Books), will be released. I had the opportunity to receive an advance copy at ALA Midwinter. I found it to be a book that dealt with some serious issues in a very humorous way. Recently, I re-read it and while still funny and enjoyable, the importance of the social issues addressed were even more apparent.

Cover by Tad Carpenter

I had the opportunity to interview Jeff. I hope that you enjoy!

KS:  You are a very successful author of several professional books for teachers/writers.  What made you decide to give middle grade fiction writing a try?

JA:  I am so lucky to write for and work with teachers, but the truth is my love of writing started with fiction. In my late 20s, the desire to write a novel for kids came on the tail end of my masters degree in Language and Literacy from UT Austin. Within the program, I  read around 100 children’s literature books. As a teacher of grades 4 and 5 at the time, I read many more. Even though it took awhile, I am so thrilled to have the chance to write a book that kids can actually hold in their hands or be read aloud to from. 

KS:  Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth tackles some important social issues.  What do you hope your readers will take away from it?

JA:  To tell the truth, I didn’t really want to write an issue book. I wanted to write something the students I taught would enjoy. However, I did note that sometimes the solutions to bullying were overly simplified. As a bullied child, I knew telling someone didn’t always stop it. It may send it underground. But it didn’t stop it. 

I do not solve the bullying problem in this book. Another social issue the book deals with is diversity.  The book is not about diversity, the book is humming with diverse characters that find a way to work together toward a common goal. These characters are like the kids I taught. This is a book I looked for as a teacher. A true middle grade book that wasn’t full of death, cursing, sex, and outer struggles. The inner struggles are always more interesting to me. And the inner struggles are the ones we have the most power over. 

I want my readers to take away the fact that our differences make us stronger as a group. We need to understand and relate to others' pain and joy. We have to be open and ready for change. We can’t expect everything to change all at once. But mostly I just want readers to laugh, think,  and pick up another book. 

Marquis
Illustration by Andrea Miller

KS:  How did your work as a former teacher help you create the characters and shape the storyline of this book?

JA:  As a teacher of grade 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 for over 20 years, my experiences with and around students and school couldn’t help but feed the characters, dialogue, cadences, plot points, and more. But I also used my own experiences as a kid and the ones I watched kids of this age go through over and over. I believe I grew along with all the characters in the book.

KS:   In the story, Zack is in sixth grade.  How is sixth grade Zack Delacruz like sixth grade Jeff Anderson?

JA:  Oh, my! Believe it or not, like Zack,  I’m  shy and don’t like standing out. My presenter public persona most people know is different than how I am when I go to a party or a conference where I don’t know people. I need to have permission to be wild and funny and get attention. If you show up to hear me speak, you are giving permission. If I meet you at a party, I have to know you’re enjoying me before I let loose. Taking on another persona who has permission  is how I got beyond being painfully shy and withdrawn as a result of severe bullying in grades 3-6. In seventh grade, I found drama. Being someone else gave me permission to stand out. I went on to win regional awards as best actor in high school and began college on a theater and drama scholarship.

Oh, and I overeat peanut butter when under great stress.

Sixth Grade Jeff

KS:  Will we see more of Zack Delacruz in the future?  If so, can you share what is next for him?  

JA:  Great question, Kurt. The final cover has a ONE on the binding to show that Zack Delacruz will be a series. Right now, book two is in the revision stages. Let me tell you that Zack's still observing and commenting. Janie shines even more, a few new characters enter and El Pollo Loco is still El Pollo Loco. The second book is still set in 6th grade a few weeks after the Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth book ends.

Zack's Peanut Butter Coma
Illustration by Andrea Miller

KS:  I love to share author interviews with my students.  What advice would you share with young writers?

JA:    Write. Write what you want. Get a journal or writer’s notebook. Write your thoughts, dreams, stories, observations, and life. Write as often as you can. Share your writing with people who will enjoy it.

And when someone asks you to write something you don’t want to write, find an angle or a way of addressing the topic that you are interested in. Tell the truth. Even when it’s scary. And like my friend Katie Wood Ray says, read a lot of books that are like what you want to write. I’m still reading and loving middle grade humorous fiction.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me today.  I look forward to seeing Zack Delacruz officially "out in the world" very soon.  It is going to make many young readers very happy!

Thanks for sharing my work with the people, Mr. Stroh Reads!

Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth, published by Sterling Children's Books, will be available on August 4, 2015!

You can find Jeff on Twitter (@writeguyjeff)  or on his website (www.writeguy.net).

SAIL (Summer Activities in the Library)

This past Thursday, my library hosted SAIL (Summer Activities in the Library) Night. This night (and two more like it) were planned by the teacher-librarians and literacy specialists in my district.  The purpose was to keep kids connected to books and reading during the summer months.

Our district already has a strong commitment to summer reading:  Three times a summer, our Mobile Library travels around the district, allowing students the opportunity to exchange summer reading books.

We desired the chance to increase the summer connections that we had with our students.  So we decided to open up our libraries three times this summer.  This, in addition to our Mobile Library,  would allow us to connect with our readers twice a month....So, SAIL was created.

SAIL was designed to open up our libraries and give families a chance to come together and share the  love of reading.  The library is open for 90 minutes.  During this time, families may read together, listen to stories, talk about books, watch book trailers,  make book-related crafts and eat book related snacks.

When families first came in, they chose some great books, found a comfy place and read together.  Teachers and librarians circulated to touch base and share in their reading.

We then gathered together and shared what we had been reading this summer.  I shared that I had just had the opportunity to meet author Josh Funk, and had been fortunate to get a sneak peek of his upcoming book Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast (illustrated by Brendan Kearney and published by Sterling Children's Books).  We watched the awesome book trailer and voted whether we were "Team Pancake" or "Team French Toast".  We are all very excited for this book to come out on September 1! (Make sure you pre-order it NOW!)

We had fun reading together Gemma Merino's The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water and Bob Shea's Buddy and the Bunnies in:  Don't Play With Your Food!

Families then had time to do more reading and visit some reading activity stations:

• read The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli and have a watermelon snack, 
• read Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos and make a fun mustache, 
• read Pete the Cat books and do a Pete the Cat puzzle
• make Elephant and Piggie puppets to help read the Mo Willems favorites.

Students then gathered together again.  Carrie Davies (@readwithdavies) joined me to read two great books:  I Don't Want to Be a Frog! written by Dev Petty/illustrated by Mike Boldt and You Are (Not) Small written by Anna King/illustrated by Christopher Weyant. Both books were such fun to read aloud.

The remaining time was used to read more and finish up any activities.  

It was a great night of reading!!!!

A Special Gift to the Library!

This year, I was given a grant to purchase books for our library.  The grant was given to my library (and to each of the elementary libraries) by our Education Foundation in memory of a district employee who passed away last year.  An avid reader, his family thought that using memorial gifts to purchase books was a perfect remembrance.

A colleague and I met with his wife, who was also a long-time district employee (and dear friend). We learned that in addition to being an avid reader and driving a school bus for our district, he was also a HUGE sports' fan.

So I used this gift to purchase books about sports (here are a few)...

and bus driving...

I have the honor of having his grandson in my school.  So "T" and I spent part of the morning putting stickers in each of the books!

Thank you to the Education Foundation and the family for this very generous gift.  A great way to celebrate a great man!

The Librarian Lowdown: Donna Kouri

I am so delighted to have Donna Kouri as my guest today on The Librarian Lowdown. Donna is the library media center director at Longwood Elementary.  I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Donna at ALA Midwinter this past January.  I wish that we could have had more time to talk....she is doing amazing things!  

Hi Donna!  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for The Librarian Lowdown.

How long have you been a school librarian? Tell us a little about your school.

This is my fourth year as a school librarian. Prior to this position I taught fifth grade. The LMC position opened and I wasn’t sure if I should apply or not. I loved the position I was in and wasn’t looking for a library position at that point. It was always a thought for the future. Reading with my students was my passion and my sister threatened to never speak to me again if I did not at least apply. I am glad I listened to her.

Longwood Elementary is a small school of about 450 students. We serve students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Our school is extremely diverse and that is one of the things I love about it. We are a neighborhood school so I feel very connected to the community in which I teach. It is a wonderful place to work!

What is the best part of being a school librarian?

I love getting to work with the students multiple years. It is wonderful to see them grow as readers. You get to know their likes and dislikes and I love getting to be part of their reading journey year after year. They are also part of mine and it is always a wonderful feeling sharing my passion of books with a student and having them share it back with me. Sometimes they will tell me I am crazy about books and I am OK with that.

I also teach in a town with a wonderful independent bookstore. We do our book fair with them and, in return, are afforded the opportunity to have authors visit our school. It is exciting to see students interact with these authors. They feel they are superheroes. (Which they are). We have been fortunate enough to host Richard Peck, Loren Long, Jon Scieszka, Tom Angleberger, Kate DiCamillo, Thanhha Lai, and many others. Author visit days are always high excitement and the passion that grows from learning in depth about that author does not dissipate once the visit is over.

Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnet author visit.

Can you tell us about something new that is happening in your library this year?

This year we held our first One Book One School event. We chose The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Each family received a copy of this book to add to their household library. We provided both English and Spanish copies of this book so that it truly became a family centered event in which all could participate. We had weekly activities that connected to the book and had a family night at the end where families came together to celebrate.

I also wrote a grant for a Little Free Library. We will be installing it in the near future. Students helped choose how it should be decorated and are anxious for it to be installed. We are so lucky that author Miriam Busch and illustrator Larry Day will be visiting our school that day and will participate in our unveiling ceremony.  Our Little Free Library will offer books in English and Spanish and I am happy that students will have yet another way to obtain books and build their home libraries.

The kickoff for the One Book One School program.
This is how the book was announced!

I’ve been so impressed with your summer library program. Could you tell us about it?

This will be the third year of our summer library program. We are a Title One school and use those funds to run our program. We are open Monday mornings as a drop in program. Every session features a special theme. In the past we have had story tellers come and have also had a multi-cultural music group come perform for students. One day we read Balloons Over Broadway and then made puppets while another day we read mustache themed books and made mustaches on sticks that we had fun wearing. Every session is something different. This year will feature reptiles from a local wildlife agency, a magician, a multi-cultural puppet show, and a science day. I highlight books that relate to each theme so students can learn more if they want to. Students who come to a set amount of sessions also earn a field trip to our local book store. We rent a bus and students come with their parents and get to go choose books to take home. This is always the highlight of the summer! They are thrilled that they get to keep the books and think very carefully about which books they choose. Another benefit of this program is that they often bring their younger siblings to our weekly program. It thrills me that their younger siblings become familiar with our library before they are even students here.

Another benefit of our summer program is that many of our students live in an unincorporated area of town. This means that they do not pay library taxes so their family has to pay a yearly fee in order to use the public library. Our summer library program insures that all of our students have the opportunity to have books in their hands over the summer, even if they do not use the public library. That is my main goal – to get books in the hands of students.

Students at the summer library program.

What are your future goals for your library program?

I would like to transform our space to a modern, kid friendly space. Our LMC is small and somewhat traditional. I look forward to continuing to create a library that is an enjoyable and usable space where students want to come work and can work effectively. I want the LMC to be a destination, a place where students want to go hang out as opposed to a space they go to check out books.

Donna with Kate DiCamillo

and the final question...

If you could have dinner with a book character (or a couple), who would you choose and why?

How specific can I get? I always love the party at the end of Because of Winn Dixie. I would love to be transported to that party and to celebrate with India Opal, Gloria Dump, Otis, and the others. I love that people who think they are so different come together and realize the power of community and the value of everyone. I would love to be a part of that celebration. 

Thank you, Donna, for sharing the awesome things that are happening in your library!

You can continue to follow Donna on Twitter:  @akgal68

The Librarian Lowdown: Cynthia Alaniz

After a week off, I'm so happy to be back with another edition of The Librarian Lowdown...and even more delighted that my guest is Cynthia Alaniz. Cynthia is the librarian at Cottonwood Creek Elementary. Cynthia and I connected almost two years ago as we both ventured into the world of being a teacher-librarian. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Cynthia this past January at ALA Midwinter in Chicago.

Welcome to The Librarian Lowdown, Cynthia. I appreciate you taking the time to join me.

How long have you been a school librarian?  Tell us a little about your school.

This is my second year as a school librarian. Prior to that, I spent over 20 years as a classroom teacher, teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.

I absolutely love my school! It is a K-5 campus in a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth with about 540 students. We are led by an absolutely wonderful principal in an awesome district! There are so many great things happening in our building that it would be hard to name them all. In the library this year, I held a Mock Caldecott, participated in World Read Aloud Day, Skyped on Dot Day with other libraries across the country, had two Scholastic book fairs, and hosted two fabulous author visits! One thing I particularly love about our school is our weekly Genius Hour. It is school-wide, and in the library, I support learners by providing space, research resources, technology, information literacy instruction, tech tips, an audience or a sounding board! We want our learners to find their passion and pursue it!

What I am also very proud of is this: we are definitely a school of readers!  

What is the best part about being a school librarian?

I can't pick just one! I love sharing picture books, recommending books, book talks, celebrating book events, assisting teachers, adding to our collections, and supporting learners as they pursue their interests! Showing students how to access information is also very rewarding. Recently, our students started constructing a marble run in the library, and listening to them plan and carry out idea brings me so much joy!

I see every interaction in the library as an opportunity to learn and teach.

Also, there is nothing like seeing the happiness on a child’s face when they are reading a book they love!

In the hallways, students will just start up conversations with me about the books they are reading! I absolutely love that!  

Can you tell us about something new that is happening in your library this year?

This year, I really wanted to dig into Makerspace. I knew the materials I wanted to stock, but because of how our library is used throughout the day, I knew I couldn’t have them out all the time. So, I got the idea to put them on a cart. But that library cart was old and not very nice to look at! Thankfully, I have a wonderful volunteer who decorated the cart for me, and not only that, stocked it with craft items and organized everything! Since I introduced it, our Makerspace Cart has been hugely popular. I wheel it out as needed, and now, after presenting to our teachers about it, Makerspace is part of our school vocabulary. Kids come to the library asking to use it! It’s so successful that I have to manage it in a different way! This is part of my own learning. I hope to expand this next year with more offerings and materials.

As a new librarian, you have been such an inspiration to me.  How have you been encouraged, educated and inspired by members of your PLN?

Thanks for that, Kurt! I think I first heard the acronym “PLN” years ago, but once I joined Twitter, I understood exactly what it was. I’ve connected with the most wonderful people, and I have learned so much from them. I have formed friendships with some of my PLN members, and even presented at national conferences with them! When we Vox, tweet, or post about the work we’re doing, we feed off of one another’s enthusiasm. We see that someone else is thinking through things just like we are. If they are taking these steps, so can you! I first thought that my ideas and musings wouldn’t be much to share at all, but I learned from my PLN that it’s our responsibility TO share – that someone will need to hear it, or that for someone, it will be just the thing they need. Our ideas don’t have to be large-scale projects to be of value. Something simple can be just as helpful!

What are your future goals for your library program?

One of my goals is to continue to curate our collection. I want to bring the very best literature to our readers, whether it is in the form of picture books, nonfiction, or novels. I enjoy reading galleys and ARCs to find books! I am very persistent when it comes to getting a book I’m looking for! I also am expanding our poetry collection. Poetry does so much for readers (vocabulary, fluency etc.); the benefits of reading it are many!

Additionally, I want to continue my work in establishing an online presence for our library, so that our learners can utilize the library even when they’re at home. We’ve expanded our e-books collection and catalog, and we have databases as well for research. I promote our library (and reading) through a library twitter account as well.

Also, I’m thinking about rearranging the shelving in my library as best as I can. I have a plan sheet I’m currently working on, and, ultimately, my goal is to open up spaces and continue to provide a responsive environment for our learners.

If you could have dinner with a book character (or a couple), who would you choose and why?

Well, there are so many characters I love! (I’ve often said that Hattie from Kirby Larson’s Hattie Big Sky is such an inspiring character!) I absolutely adore her! She worked so hard and was so determined! Reading this novel was a pivotal moment in my reading timeline!

But here is my answer – (one you probably don’t expect)!

I am a huge fan of Yuyi Morales and her work, and her book Viva Frida! was one of my favorites of 2014. And I am so intrigued by Frida Kahlo! Wouldn’t it be amazing to have dinner with Yuyi and Frida? I would love to listen to them chat and watch them create art together!

Cynthia, thank you so much for stopping by Kids Talk Kid Lit to share the amazing things that you are doing!


You can continue to follow Cynthia and her library happenings:

Twitter:  @utalaniz 

Blogs: http://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com

The Librarian Lowdown: Sherry Gick

Welcome to the latest edition of The Librarian Lowdown!  I am so very excited to have my friend, the ever talented Sherry Gick as my guest today.  Sherry is the library and instructional technology specialist for Rossville Consolidated Schools.  I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Sherry for the first time at nErDcampMI last summer.  Friendly, helpful and inspirational, it's no wonder she was recently named one of Library Journal's 2015 Movers and Shakers.

Hi Sherry!   Welcome to The Librarian Lowdown.   Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions...

How long have been a school librarian?  Tell us a little about your school.

I am in my sixth year of being a teacher-librarian.   I've been on staff at Rossville Consolidated Schools for 7 years:  6 of them in the library.  (My first year at Rossville I was a special education teacher.)  My school system is quite unique in that we have only 2 schools:  an elementary (K-5) and a middle/high school (6-12) and both schools are under one roof!  I can walk from one school to the next without ever leaving the building.  This really comes in handy and I can often be seen speed walking (okay, usually I'm sprinting) down the hallway from one classroom or library to the next.  We are a small school system with not quite 1,000 total students K-12.  Our unique situation of being essentially a K-12 school allows for great partnering of various classes and ages.

What is the best part about being a school librarian?

This is a tough question!  I've said many times that being a TL is the absolute best job in the world.  There are so many parts of the job to love and every day, heck every HOUR is a brand new adventure!  I love the variety of the job and seeing so many different students on a daily basis.  I think the very best part of being a teacher-librarian is seeing the joy and excitement on a student's face when you hand them THE book they've been waiting to read.  Or maybe the best part is getting them hooked on a book or a certain author.  Or is the best part when you hear your students book talking books you've recommended to them to other students?  The best part may be when a student returns to talk to you about a book you've recommended and then asks for your help in finding more amazing books.  Fueling a life long love of reading is definitely a great perk of the job!    

Your position has changed a bit this year.  Could you please tell us what your new position is and what it involves.

For the past 5 years, I've supervised the elementary library where an amazing assistant teaches all of the daily classes while I stayed primarily in the middle/high school library. When I wanted to work with an elementary teacher/class, they'd have to come to my library or I'd have to shut the library down while I went to the other end of the building.   During those 5 years I also taught various classes while running the middle/high school library.  I taught 6th grade reading daily for 2 of the 5 years, a rotation class for 8th graders that I named 21st Century learners (a nice smash up of current technology sites, research, and coding) for 4 of the 5 years, and also supervised our peer tutors (HS students who work in the elementary one period each day).  

This year, I have been blessed with a fabulous assistant in the middle/high school library who takes care of the day-to-day tasks.  (She was always my substitute teacher when I had to be gone from school!)  My new job also includes a new title:  Library and Instructional Technology Specialist.  It still has me supervising both libraries but now I am also responsible for instructional technology with our staff K-12.  I arrange for technology professional development after school for our teachers 2-3 times each month. I'm also available to meet with teachers during their prep time to help them with technology issues or to help brainstorm new ways to integrate technology tools into their daily lessons and projects.  Sometimes I even go to classes and help a teacher introduce a new tech tool or co-teach a lesson.  This year I'm also teaching a brand new high school class:  Video Production. I use the term "teach" loosely as I act as more of a facilitator for the class and my 10 talented seniors.  My class is responsible for delivering the announcements daily to students and staff in 5 minutes or less via video.  It has been a new adventure but one I wouldn't trade or give up to another teacher.  Every day in my new position as a LITS is still unpredictable.  Some days are busier than others but I still love being in my library and having the time to talk books with students.  I'll never be too busy for that!

Your school's Battle of the Books competition is a huge thing each year.  Could you tell us about it?

Our Battle of the Books competition is not an original idea but it's one of the programs I'm most proud of that I helped start at Rossville my very first year in the library.  We started with a high school program and then expanded into the middle school grades the next year as well as into the other school in the county thanks to a grant I was awarded.  We're in the midst of Battle of the Books right now!  Our high school local competition was the end of February and our county competition the next week in March.  Our middle school competition is next week before our spring break.   I wrote in detail about our Battle of the Books program on the Nerdy Book Club blog this summer. Check it out at https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/battle-of-the-books-by-sherry-gick/

Congratulations on being named one of Library Journal's 2015 "Movers and Shakers".  As you continue to "move and shake", what are your future goals for your library program?

Thank you so much!  Being named to the 2015 class of Library Journal's Movers and Shakers is a dream come true!  I am so proud to be included!  Future goals for my library program are to continue to make the library a place where students want to be.  I love having them in the morning before school and visiting all day long.   As we move to 1:1 next year, I hope to make some changes in the physical library space by removing the lab of 30 computers.  In my mind, I'm envisioning more collaboration areas, charging stations, and hopefully we'll even delve into beginning a Maker Space.  I'd love to have an area where students can do more hands on explorations with making, creating, and tinkering.  I would also like to expand our video studio to possibly include a small recording studio. 

and...

If you could have dinner with a book character (or a couple), who would you choose and why?

Kurt!  Again with the tough questions!  I would like to have dinner with a whole cast of book characters!  I'd love to meet Ally from Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Fish in a Tree as well as Willow Chance from Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan.  I think the two of them would have some very interesting conversations together!  Throw in Harriet M. Welsch from Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy and we're sure to have an interesting dinner filled with laughter and fun.  

Thank you so much, Sherry, for taking the time to visit my blog.  I'm very excited to share the awesome things that are happening in your library!

You can continue to follow Sherry...

on Twitter:  @LibraryFanatic

on her blog:  the libraryfanatic.com