Leviathan

In the future I'll write up a proper review about this book.  For tonight here is a book trailer for Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

The Commute

I imagine most Creek students will enjoy having no school on Monday.  All of the teachers will still be going to school for an entire day of professional learning.  I actually can't wait to get in the car tomorrow!  My commute to Prairie can take 25-30 minutes each way.  This hour of driving has become something I look forward to thanks to audio books.

Last week I finished listening to Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham. I plan to read book 2 The Abduction this week and will write up a response to both books soon.  In the meantime here is a fun commercial for the series:   



Cued up for this week of driving is Fever Crumb by Phillip Reeves.

Good Mail Day

Look what I found in the mailbox today. Wonder if any Creek students would be interested in reading it? Let me know.

From Mystery Pics

Amulet Video

The graphic novel section of the Creek library will be growing this year. Coming to our shelves soon will be the Amulet series. This book trailer is for The Stonekeeper (Book 1). You will also see a tour of the studios where series author Kazu Kibuishi does his creative work.

Hitting the Books

I've been busy taking two classes this summer but they are nearly complete. Now I can begin to turn my attention to this pile of new books from the Iowa City Public Library.

Do you have a pile of reading at your place?  Share pictures....

In addition to getting back to more reading I will be posting here more frequently.

A few posts back I wrote about using Edmodo for summer reading discussion. 

I posted a question today about your suggestions for magazines to include in the Prairie Creek Library.

It is very simple.
1.) Go to http://www.edmodo.com

2.) Create a student account using this group code for the Creek Summer Reading Club - ardukm.
You pick a username and password. If you choose to include your Creek email you can receive notifications when club members post new comments or topics.

3.) Then we get started!  You can post information about books,magazines, comics, or anything else you are reading or plan to read. Others can join in. This should be a fun space to share ideas.

Play Ball

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES
Written by Ann Burg
Published by Scholastic 


This is one of our Iowa Teen Award nominees for next school year.  Ann Burg tells the story of Matt in verse form. From playing baseball to telling the troubled story of Matt's home country these short passages pack a big punch.


Matt wasn't born in the United States and the how and why of him coming here is complicated. All The Broken Pieces is an incredible example of historical fiction. This trailer for a documentary about the events that led to the relocation of many kids  like Matt to American gives you some of the details.


We have lots to talk about with this 2011-2012 ITA nominee.

Mystery Artist & Free Book

This week's photograph is from a recent trip I took to the Art Institute of Chicago.

The first Creek student comment that correctly identifies the artist of this work will win a copy of Elise Broach's Masterpiece - a 2011-2012 ICCA Nominee.

From Mystery Pics

I am planning to stop by the Ely Public Library tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to meet students and view part of Gnomeo & Juliet.