Beat The Heat #2

While signing up students for the Scholastic Summer Challenge  who are to be 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders
at Charlevoix Middle School in the fall of 2011, I had a student ask me what he should read. I immediately snagged a couple of titles awaiting cataloging on my desk but I won't be able to do that for the next three months.  Here are some suggestions.

EMAIL--Please feel free to contact me at any time on my school email at mculver@rayder.net.  Be sure to tell me what genre you like best or the last book you read that you liked.  I would love to talk with you not only about what you want to read but what you are currently reading.

BLOG--Check out the pages on the left side of my blog.  I have four lists of books that I have read that are outstanding for middle school readers.  If you need more information about a specific title just send me an email.  If you want to search my blog go further down on the left and type in the tag, books and reading , for a list of posts of all the books that I have read and reviewed this year.  And remember to check my blog often.  I hope to post reviews several times a week as well as updating my elementary and middle school pick of the week.

CHARLEVOIX PUBLIC LIBRARY--When you arrive at the public library web page either click on Kids or Teens.  On those two pages are a link to NoveList.  To connect to it from home you will need to enter in your library card number.  This is an online database provided to us for free.  You can search by age and genre on the left.  The newest titles appear in the center.  At the top you can search by author, title or series.  On the right there are several other resources that are designed to direct the reader to the perfect book.  There is even a guide on how to use NoveList via the Michigan eLibrary.

ONLINE---Pulling from lists at Amazon and Library Thing The Book Seer generates a list of recommended books based upon the title and author that the user provides.  The individual titles that appear on the list are linked to Amazon or Library Thing where more information about a specific title can be found.

Thanks to Joyce Valenza at her School Library Journal blog for this suggestion in her May 2, 2011 post.

Remember to check out the fantastic web pages designed for guys by Jon Scieszka.  At Guys Read Scieszka has lists, lists and more lists of guy-tested great books. 


On my blog are numerous good web sites where books are discussed and reviewed.  Go to Essential Links.  Click on either Flamingnet Book Reviews , reviews for teens by teens, Teenreads.com , Kidsread.com , or the American Library Association (ALA) links to Best Books for Young Adults or Notable Children's Books for reviews and suggestions.

The last link is called Fantastic Fiction.  I use this web site quite a bit if I want to make sure to read all the books in a series or want additional titles by a favorite author. 

Whatever you do,  read whenever you can.  I know that I will.