The library will be open until 3:15 or later this week despite early dismissal. Feel free to come by before or after your child's assessment.

It's kind of pleasant at this point in the school year to read some simply enjoyable books. The week's choices are loosely grouped around the topic of adventure. A couple I have not read aloud before: The Antlered Ship, by Dashka Slater, and A Voyage in the Clouds, by Michael Olshan. They are both beautifully illustrated. I'm looking forward to seeing how the students like them.

This is the last week to check out books from the library for this school year. Friday, June 1, is the last day for students and parents. Students in grade 5 are no longer checking out because they are beginning to get their permission slips signed, which indicates that they no longer have library books. All books are due on or before June 8. Classes will visit the library next week but will not be checking out books--returns only next week.

A hold will be placed on the report card of any student who fails to return or pay for his or her library books by the end of the school year. A hold will also be placed on a student's report card if his or her parent has unresolved library books at the end of the school year. Please return all library books OR pay for any that have been lost or significantly damaged. I can tell you the price of books for which payment must be made. Payment must be in exact change or a check payable to MBUSD.

Today the book club for 5th grade had its last meeting of the year. The 23 participants have done a great job of reading and discussing five substantial novels across a variety of genres. We rate every book we read, and the members this year have been pretty hard to impress; but the book we just read--Restart, by Gordon Korman--received a nearly perfect score (4.93 stars out of a possible 5, a new club record). I have enjoyed spending time with these dedicated students, and I hope the experience has helped build an enduring community of readers.

This week TK, K, and 1st grade are hearing an assortment of recently acquired books. Most of them have to do with tackling something new or difficult. 

Grade 2 continues with The Legend of Spud Murphy. It is a chapter book, and with it I'm showing the students a selection of chapter books that are around the reading level of most 2nd-graders. Last week we looked at Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Galaxy Zach, Mercy Watson, and others; this week I'm showing them a bunch including Zeke Meeks, Dodsworth, My First Puppy (by Krailing), Behind the Couch, and Space Taxi. 

I have never read aloud Knit Your Bit, although it was previously on the district summer reading lists. During World War I, knitting for soldiers became a national effort. Children, men, and women took up knitting needles to supply overseas troops with sweaters and socks. Knit Your Bit touches on the week's theme of trying something new or difficult: girls and boys who have not previously knitted challenge each other to a knitting contest. It is also in honor of Memorial Day, on May 28.

Also for Memorial Day, grade 4 will be hearing a new book, ​Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines, by Jeanne Walker Harvey. Below are a couple of photos of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin. ​

May is Asian-Pacific Island Heritage Month, so that’s the theme for this week’s readalouds and books on display.

The library will close at 1:30 on Wednesday so that I can attend an off-campus meeting of library staff. Then on Friday, I will take a vacation day to attend a family function. The library will be up and running, though, in the very able hands of Julie Limbach Jones, former Pennekamp library media specialist!

Every year the MBUSD library media specialists prepare three lists of recommended summer pleasure reading. The new lists are posted on the district website as well as on this website, and this week I will be calling attention to them by reading aloud selections during the class visits. Just to make this crystal clear, there is no required reading for MBUSD students entering TK/K through grade 5. The lists for those grades are simply meant to help parents and students who find themselves searching for books to read over the summer. The featured titles vary quite a bit in terms of their difficulty; it is hoped that there's something for everyone, regardless of reading ability.

Students entering 6th grade at MBMS do have required reading. Each student must read three books from the current list, at least one of which must be nonfiction. There are four nonfiction books on the list--they happen to be the last four books listed. The books can be ordered from Pages: A Bookstore and will be delivered to Pennekamp (or whatever elementary school the customer specifies). Here is the order link:

https://squareup.com/store/MBMS

This week's visit is the last one for Ms. Gralnik and Mrs. Curry's students, so we will talk about summer reading, look at how to place a hold on books in the public library, maybe take a peek at the MBMS e-books, and read my traditional end-of-Pennekamp choice: Tadpole's Promise, by Jeanette Winter. 

Throughout the year I share books about California history with the 4th-grade students. With grade 4 doing their state testing this week, I thought we'd hear something fun: Mack Made Movies, by Don Brown, about filmmaker Mack Sennett, whose Keystone Pictures came up with the Keystone Kops. We'll also watch the short clip below--"The Keystone Kops Meet Pickles and Peppers"  (found on YouTube, so beware if you are viewing it at home that sidebars, advertisements, and comments on YouTube are often inappropriate for children).