Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I decided to give Rowell’s newest book its own well-deserved post. First, the plot summary:

Plot summary via GoodReads.  Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . . But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Rainbow Rowell hits another homerun with her newest YA novel. I could not put this book down, which was pretty perfect since I received it over the holidays. It’s not that the book is action-packed, just that its characters are incredibly engaging and loveable so I became very invested.

I can completely relate to Cath as a fellow introvert just trying to make it in the new, unchartered world of college. She is a huge fan of Simon Snow (it’s pretty much Harry Potter) and can’t stop talking about it which in turn affects how she lives her life. She writes fan-fiction and is actually a prominent author on the Simon Snow forums. If you take Cath and replace Simon Snow with The X-Files or Star Wars or Harry Potter, you get me.

I could even at times relate to Cath’s twin sister, Wren; someone who is more than ready to move on with life and experience new things. It was refreshing to see Wren develop towards the end and try to have a happy medium of experiencing new things, but not be embarrassed by the things you loved as a teen. Trust me; in high school I was too embarrassed to admit that I loved The X-Files or Star Wars.

In addition, Rowell provides a wonderful romance story and, as always, an interesting portrayal of family dynamics. Unlike Eleanor and Park, Cath and Wren’s home life did not devastate me as much, but was still just as powerful.  I am beginning to enjoy books where the siblings and the family have positive relations or have a happy understanding towards the end (see Going Vintage).  Also, the ending to Fangirl did not make me weep like Eleanor and Park.

This does not mean that I think books shouldn’t feature homes with broken families for readers to enjoy. I loved Eleanor and Park and feel it portrays a population of youth that we don’t normally see in YA Literature. I try to stress that relatable characters are important when reading YA fiction. It’s unfortunate that many of our teens come from violent homes and though books can be used as an escape, we should offer material to our teens that can also help them cope – materials that express that they are not alone by having characters that are in similar situations. This can provide an outlook of hope rather than just escape.

Sorry my peeps. I didn’t mean to go on a little tangent there, but it needed to be said.  Apparently, a few Parent groups and organizations around the country want the book Eleanor and Park banned from schools and I just wanted to put my two cents in as to why Eleanor and Park is important for teens.

Back to Fangirl, you should get it for your YA collection as Rowell has put together a fantastic read with a great protagonist and a beautifully written plot. After two such wonderful masterpieces I may need to read her adult novel Attachments.

What I've Been Doing So Far

Well I guess I should at least point out that I have done some reading and listening to audiobooks since the last September post (Maryland). Listed below are my accomplishments followed by those on my To-Read List.

HAVE READ:

Audiobook: The Expats by Chris Pavone. An adult spy novel, but not necessarily a thriller. This book has lots of double crossing, betrayal, suspicion, and intrigue. It’s just slow in a few spots, but this is easy to overcome as you will want to solve the mystery. This was for the adult book club.

Book: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. The Jungle Book, but with ghosts. Neil Gaiman has said that this work was inspired by his love of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. This Newberry winner deserved its medal as it is a wonderful, whimsical read filled with horror, fantasy, and action. Definitely recommend for tween and teen readers. We did this with my Tween book club last month.

Book: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers. Not your average zombie tale. This book looks at the zombie apocalypse through conditions of humanity. It is not cheesy or funny. We meet a young girl who after years of parental abuse and after a sister’s abandonment, has lost her will to live. Then, the zombie apocalypse happens. While other characters focus on survival, Sloane awaits for her moment to leave our world and be at peace. This book was amazing and I highly recommend for older teens.

Book: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. Traditional Vampires, but awesome. This book has vampires, which shouldn’t be exciting considering all the vampire fiction that has come out in the past 10 years (Thanks Twilight) BUT this is the famous Holly Black. She is pretty great with dark, twisted tales. I truly loved this book, but it took a little too long to get into. It had lots of action, some romance, and a kick ass female character. Highly Recommend!

ON MY PLATE:

Audiobook: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. ??????? My husband is a big Neal Stephenson fan so I thought I would give this a try as an audiobook. The problem is that it is LONG. 102 chapters long. The other problem is that even though I am halfway through it, I can’t tell you where it is going or what it is about so far. I am pretty sure it involves the development of cryptography and data havens?

Book: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. I have not started, but this is for my Tween book club in a week. It seems like it will be awesome to read. Two sisters who follow in their ancestors footsteps to solve fairy tale crimes? Sounds amazing!

Book: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini. This Massachusetts on the United States of YA reading list. I have not started…in fact I haven’t even checked it out at the library yet.

So LOTS to do peeps! I gotta get going!

Currently on Ryn the Librarian’s Reading Plate

Hello Everyone. Like an idiot, I requested too many good books and it’s going to take a while to get through. I say this so that you know why there could be a gap in my posts.  So here is what is on my reading plate. I am excited for a few of these!

United States of YA List

Kentucky:  Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

Louisiana: Arise by Tara Hudson

Maine: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Minnesota: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Side Reading

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Currently, I am halfway through Delirium by Lauren Oliver and almost halfway through the audiobook of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Also, if I am being honest, I am still only 20 pages in Queen of Kentucky.

Talk to you peeps soon.

Preschool Storytime: The Amazing ME!

This storytime had some hits and misses. I took a lot of suggestions from storytime katie and Sunflower Storytime and some worked. I had a few restless children, but I also had 25 kids plus 20 adults. It was a lot for one little room, but I believe this taught me that summer themes need to be simpler. For example, the counting storytime I did in May would have gone wonderfully both with a small group or big group. The Amazing ME topic worked fine with my two year olds, a much smaller group, who were more than happy to shout answers. With 25 preschoolers, shouting caused complete chaos which made part of my storytime frustrating. If I were to do this topic again, I would wait for winter when I usually see around 11-15 kids.

Welcome motion: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.

This is a favorite of mine and you will see it often on my storytime lists. I am thinking of doing a multicultural storytime and using this as a base to teach different languages. I can sing the song in French without even thinking about it.

Book: I like myself by Karen Beaumont

This was the favorite of the preschoolers. It gets pretty silly at the end with the horned nose and polka dotted lips, which caused some kids to snicker. I really liked this one too and will definitely use again.

Song: Me, Complete

I have ten little fingers and ten little toes

Two little arms and one little nose

One little mouth and two little ears

Two little eyes for smiles and tears

One little head and two little feet

One little chin and that’s me complete! 
Simple motion to get those wiggles out.

Book: Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore

This one was not as big of a hit as I hoped. I thought the lesson learned from the book would have resonated well. No matter your freckles or glasses or hair color, you should just be you. Even if friends tease you slightly, they are friends and love you for you. I don’t think the kids quite got that. There were parts they loved like the little brother, but I think they tuned out towards the end.

Flannel Board: ME (based on a flannel board by storytime katie)

I used the premise that I can sometimes forget where the different parts of the body go. This was a huge success with the two year old class. I had a small enough group that I had one or two kids come up and show me on the board where the label should go. The preschoolers, however, shouted at me. I tried to reel them in a little by saying can you show me by pointing on you, e.g. hand, foot, shoulder. BUT they mostly just shouted. This is more for a smaller group.

Song: This is way… 
This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face

This is the way we wash our face, so early in the morning.
(Brush our teeth, comb our hair, put on clothes, ask kids for suggestions) 
The goal of this song was to get kids thinking about how they take care of themselves in the morning. Mainly, it was just a nice way to do some basic motions. I like asking the children for suggestions. Some of the ones I heard were eating breakfast, exercising, and driving to school.

Book: Incredible Me by Kathi Appelt

I really like this book. It is super cute and the rhyme scheme is wonderful. Some kids liked this one, but there were some who could not pay attention. I will try this again next winter.

Craft: Coloring portraits. Using template from Sunflower Storytime

I loved everyone’s portraits. I showed mine as an example, but encouraged all children to use whatever colors they wanted and draw whatever features excited them. I had pink and orange hair, creepy teeth, and mixed up eyes. The parents love the coloring crafts as most of these young ones will need to get better before Kindergarten this August.

Preschool Storytime: Me and My Teddy Bear

This was a special storytime. I asked all the children and parents to remember to bring teddy bears or a favorite toy to share with during storytime. I used a bear puppet for my companion and I held it while reading and singing with the kids. They seemed to enjoy this. This was a lot of fun to do and I can’t wait to do it again! The children and parents had a great time singing and were happy to snuggle up while we watched a movie.

Opening: The more we get together

Just a nice opening. I felt everyone would enjoy a little song with their teddy bears.

Book: Teddy Bear’s Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy

I actually went through and memorized the words to this one. Then once everyone was settled, I sang it the entire time. It has been in my head for weeks as a result. The kids were respectful and let me sing through the entire book.

Fingerplay: A bear eats honey

A bear eats honey (pretend to eat)

He thinks it’s yummy

In his tummy (rub tummy)

But the bees don’t think it’s funny!

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz! (make buzzing noise)

This was fun to do. The kids loved buzzing around like bees and acting like they were eating honey. I am going to try this one with the baby class and see if they like it too.

Book: Bears on Chairs by Shirley Parenteau

I felt this one was rather long, but had a great moral lesson about sharing. Luckily, the kids were respectful and listened to the story. They enjoyed the big brown bear at the end getting allowed to sit on the chairs.

Song: Teddy Bear Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, reach up high

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the sky

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, jump up now!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, take a bow

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, find your nose

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, grab your toes

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch your knees

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, sit down please

This one was fun. I held my puppet bear and did all the moves and the kids joined in with their bears. It was also the perfect lead in to read the next story

Book: Best Bear by Emma Dodd.

I LOVE this book! I love Emma Dodd in general. The kids also liked this book and were very attentive.

Motion: If you're a bear and you know it
If you’re a panda and you know it clap your paws. If you're a panda and you know it clap your paws. If you're a panda and you know it and you really want to show it. If you're a panda and you know it clap your paws.
...If you’re a polar bear and you know it show your teeth, 
...If you’re a grizzly and you know it growl like this

The kids loved the growling. We made lots of noise, hopefully not disturbing other patrons outside the storytime room.

Movie: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (James Marshall version) 8 minutes

A great movie to show and have fun sharing with our bears. I watched with them and sat with my bear too.

Preschool Storytime: It’s the Final Countdown!

I know two posts in one day, what’s going on here?! I had my storytime this week and I went with the theme of counting. Just to jump ahead, this was the most successful storytime I have ever had. Kids friggin love counting. If you are ever stuck with coming up with a theme, just do numbers. I was afraid the kids would get so sick if numbers by the end, but no problem at all. They were quiet and attentive as well as participatory in my songs. Here is the guide I used for my storytime!

Opening Motion: Inside the Space Shuttle (squat down to the ground)

                Just enough room (squeeze self closer)

                Here comes the countdown

                5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (hold up fingers and kids count with you) 
                …ZOOM (jump straight up)
This was a lot of fun to do. It was a great way to start off the counting storytime and everyone loved shooting up into the air.

Book: Ten in the Bed

This book was fun to read, especially if you know the song. The kids thought the different animal characters were a little strange. When the book says "The ballerina fell out of the bed" they all had confused looks. That being said, they were reading with me and were perfectly attentive.

Flannel board: 5 green and speckled frogs

Kids love counting. I will say it again; LOVE counting. The board was a lot of fun to use, so I am glad they enjoyed it. 

Book: One Duck Stuck

This book was rather long, but the kids enjoyed it. 

Song: This old man (1-5)

Easy Peezy, the kids did this one with me and had no problems learning the motions. I kept to just doing 1-5 as 1-10 is just too long for some of the kids.

Motion: 5 Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree

The winner of the session was this song. The kids LOVED snatching the monkey out of the tree. They were clapping throughout the rest of storytime.

Book: Big Fat Hen

I love this book and I used it as a way to lead into actually singing 1,2 Buckle My Shoe. I told the children to guess what song we would be doing next. They got it right away. Perfectly done!

Song: 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe with actions

The book was a perfect lead in to this song.

Movie: Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 (6 mins.)

All I had to ask was, “Has anyone heard of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?” and the kids watched the whole thing no problems. In fact they were mad when they went to our ABC-123 shelf and neither book was there. 

My next storytime is in two weeks and it will be a special one. I can't wait to tell you guys all about it! Be on the look out for my post on Audiobook Awesomeness in the next few days.