Westwood Library Homework Help

Science Fair!

2012-01-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for Science Fair? Need some unique creative ideas?

Check out Science Bob website with lots of ideas and explanations on science experiments and more! Its never too early to start thinking and planning ahead.

http://www.sciencebob.com/index.php

Also come on in the Library for plenty of Science Fair books filled with great ideas!

Need a place for homework and some help?

2011-10-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place to do some homework after school?

Come to the library for:

encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and more
free Internet access and a page with links to great homework help websites
databases with information on science, history, current events, and more - they’re accurate, up-to-date, and better than Google
computers for typing and printing
quiet work space
friendly librarians to help you find what you need!

Come visit us soon!

Welcome Back!

2011-09-20T06:43:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone and Welcome back to School!
Fall is almost officially here and I am sure the homework is piling up.
Check back here to your friendly neighborhood homework help blog for all your school needs and feel free to post any questions you may have.
- Librarian Lizzy ;)

Animal Books Martha Jones 5th Grade

2011-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

There are many kinds of stories that have animals in them, some are about characters who love animals or have a special connection to animals, like horseback riding; others are fantasy and are about animals that can talk like humans and have the same problems as humans.
There is such a wide variety that I implore you to come to the library (the main or the branch) and take a look through our fiction that are labeled with animal stickers.
Here are a few examples of animal books:
(but remember there are plenty more at the library!)
J Fiction
Adler, CS- One Unhappy Horse
Breathed, Berke-Flawed Dogs
Byng, Georgia- Molly Moon
Corder, Zizou- LionBoy
Dahl, Roald- Fantastic Mr. Fox
DiCamillo, Kate- Tale of Desperaux
Graham, Kenneth- Wind in the Willows
Jacques, Brian- Redwall
London, Jack- Call of the Wild
London, Jack- White Fang
Sewell, Anna- Black Beauty
Voigt, Cynthia- Young Fredle
White, EB- Charlotte's Web
White, EB- Stuart Little

As always please post any questions! I'm always happy to help.

Martha Jones 5th Grade- Multicultural Book Report

2011-02-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

Below you will find a list of the selection of multicultural books we have at the library. If you have any questions, post them on the blog or come into the library!

Multicultural Books

Alvarez How Tia Lola Came to Stay (Dominican Republic)

Avi Beyond the Western Sea (Ireland)

Bosse Tusk and Stone (India)

Bradby Some Friend (African-American)

Budhos Ask Me No Questions (Bangladesh)

Cameron Colibri (Guatemala)

Carmi Samir and Yonatan (Israel)

Carvell Sweetgrass Basket (Native American)

Chen Peiling and the Chicken Fried Christmas (Taiwan)

Cheng The Lace Dowry (Hungary)

Cheng Honeysuckle House (China)

Choi Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Korea)

Choi Echoes of the White Giraffe (Korea)

Clinton A Stone in My Hand (Gaza Strip)

Cofer Call Me Maria (Puerto Rico)

Cowley Hunter (New Zealand)

D’Adamo Iqbal (Pakistan)

Dhami Bollywood Babes (India)

Dhami Bhangra Babes (India)

Doherty The Girl Who Saw Lions (Tanzania)

Ellis The Breadwinner series (Afghanistan)

Filipovic Zlata’s Diary (Sarajevo)

Flake The Skin I’m in (African-American)

Fletcher Shadow Spinner (Iran)

Fletcher Alphabet of Dreams (Iran)

Forrester Dust from Old Bones (African-American)

Forrester Sound the Jubilee (African-American)

George Julie of the Wolves (Eskimo)

Giff Nory Ryan’s Song (Ireland)

Glatshtein Emil and Karl (Austria/Holocaust)

Hansen The Heart Calls Home (African-American)

Hamilton numerous titles (African-American)

Hausman The Jacob Ladder (Jamaica)

Herrera Downtown Boy (Mexico)

Hesse Letters from Rifka (Russia)

Ho Rice without Rain (Thailand)

Hossack Green Mango Magic (Hawaii)

Hurst Torchlight (Ireland)

Jimenez The Circuit (Mexico)

Jimenez Breaking Through (Mexico)

Johnson Bird (African-American)

Johnston Any Small Goodness (Mexico)

Kimmel Sword of the Samurai (Japan)

Levine Dave at Night (African-American)

Levitin Journey to America (Germany/Holocaust)

Ly Home is East (Cambodia)

McCaughrean The Kite Rider (China)

Mah Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (China)

Matas Daniel’s Story (Germany/Holocaust)

Mead Girl of Kosovo (Albania)

Monjo Porcelain Pagoda (China)

Morpurgo Kensuke’s Kingdom (Japan)

Mwangi The Mzungu Boy (Kenya)

Namioka numerous titles (China)

Naidoo Web of Lies (Nigeria)

Naidoo No Turning Back (South Africa)

Napoli The King of Mulberry Street (Italy)

O’Dell My Name is Not Angelica (Senegal)

Orlev Run, Boy, Run (Poland/Holocaust)

Orlev The Man from the Other Side (Poland/Holocaust)

Park numerous titles (Korea)

Parkinson Kathleen, The Celtic Knot (Ireland)

Pearsall Trouble Don’t Last (African-American)

Pearsall Crooked River (Native American)

Ryan Esperanza Rising (Mexico)

Ryan Becoming Naomi Leon (Mexico)

Sachs Call Me Ruth (Russia)

Salisbury Eyes of the Emperor (Japan)

Salisbury Under the Blood Red Sun (Japan)

Schanzer Escaping to America (Poland)

Skrypuch Aram’s Choice (Turkey)

Tate The Secret of Gumbo Grove (African-American)

Taylor numerous titles (African-American)

Uchida A Jar of Dreams (Japan)

Uchida The Invisible Thread (Japan)

Watkins So Far from the Bamboo Grove (Japan)

Whelan Goodbye Vietnam (Vietnam)

Whelan Homeless Bird (India)

Whelan The Turning (Soviet Union)

Wood Daughter of Madrugada (Mexico)

Woodruff The Orphan of Ellis Island (Italy)

Woodson numerous titles (African-American)

Wyss Bear Dancer, The Story of a Ute Girl (Native American)

Yee Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World (China)

Martha Jones 5th Grade- Historical Fiction

2011-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Books or stories in the historical fiction genre blend actual historical facts with fiction. A story could be a fictional account of a character but during a real historical period in time ( for example Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson). There are many stories to choose from, because there are many different periods of time that you can find a story in. Look here for to see an interesting chart that explains the different kinds stories in historical fiction.
Here is a very detailed list of some of the historical fiction books we have in the library. There are so many, that if you want to come to the library we can help you find the kind your looking for.

Historical Fiction

600 A.D. – 1599 A.D.

Medieval Worlds

J Fiction

Armstrong- Raleigh’s Page (1500’s/England)

Armstrong -Whittington (1423/Black Plague)

Avi -Crispin: Cross of Lead and At the Edge of the World (England)

Bulla- The Sword in the Tree (King Arthur)

Camelot- Camelot (King Arthur)

Crossley-Holland Arthur Trilogy (King Arthur)

Cushman -Catherine Called Birdy (England)

Cushman -Matilda Bone (England)

Dana -Young Joan (France)

Davis -Future Knight (1409)

DeAngeli -The Door in the Wall (England)

Dorris -Sees Behind Trees (America)

Edwards- Dragon: Hound of Honor (France)

Grant -Blood Red Horse (Crusades)

Jinks -Pagan Series (France)

Kelly -Trumpeter of Krakow (Poland)

Konigsburg -A Proud Taste for Scarlet & Miniver

McGovern -Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest (England)

McKinley- The Outlaws of Sherwood (England)

Mitgutsch- A Knight’s Book (/Germany)

O’Dell -The Captive (1500’s/Mexico)

Picard- Stories of King Arthur & his Knights (King Arthur)

Pope- The Perilous Gard (England)

Snow - Sisters of the Sword (Feudal Japan)

Spradlin -Youngest Templar series (Europe/Crusades)

Stolz - Bartholomew Fair (England)

Sutcliff- Tristan and Iseult (Ireland)

Treece - Splintered Sword (Vikings)

Vanderwal -The Battle for Duncragglin (Scotland)

Westall - The Wind Eye (England)

Yolen- Dragon’s Boy (King Arthur)

Yolen - Sword of the Rightful King (King Arthur)

1600 A.D. – 1799 A.D.

U.S. Colonial/Revolutionary Times

J Fiction

Anderson - Chains (Revolutionary War)

Anderson- Forge (Revolutionary War and sequel to Chains)

Anderson - Fever 1793

Avi -Captain Grey (Pirates)

Carlson - Attack of the Turtle (1776/Revolutionary War)

Collier - My Brother Sam Is Dead (Revolutionary War)

Cooney- Ransom of Mercy Carter (Colonial America)

Duble -The Sacrifice (Salem Witch Trials)

Duey- Hoofbeats: Silence & Lily, 1773 (Revolutionary War, Boston)

Field -Calico Bush (Colonial America)

Forbes - Johnny Tremain (Revolutionary War)

Gallico- Miracle in the Wilderness (Colonial America)

Giblin -The Boy Who Saved Cleveland (1798/Cleveland, Ohio)

Holmes- Cross of Gold (New Mexico)

Howard - The Crimson Cap (1687/Exploring America)

Hudson - Dawn Rider (Plains’ Indians)

Hurst -A Killing in Plymouth Colony (Colonial America)

Keehn - I Am Regina (French and Indian War)

Kerr -Worlds Apart (Carolinas)

Krensky- The Printer’s Apprentice (New York City)

Laird - Water Rat (Delaware)

Lawson -Ben and Me (Ben Franklin)

Myers -Spy! (Revolutionary War)

Myers -Time of the Witches (Salem Witch Trials)

Nixon - Maria’s Story (Williamsburg)

O’Dell- Sarah Bishop (Revolutionary War)

Petry - Tituba of Salem Village (Salem Witch Trials)

Rees -Witch Child (Witchcraft)

Speare -The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Witchcraft)

Stevenson - Treasure Island (Pirates)

Wyss -The Swiss Family Robinson (Shipwreck)

1800 - 1899 A.D.

U.S. Pioneers, Civil War, Slavery, Reconstruction

J Fiction

Avi -Hard Gold (1859/California Gold Rush)

Avi - Iron Thunder (1862/Civil War)

Avi - The Seer of Shadows (1872 / New York City)

Barker -A Difficult Boy (1839 / Indentured Servitude)

Blos - Letters From the Corrugated Castle (1850’s/California Gold Rush)

Calvert- Bigger (1860’s/Frontier Life)

Calvert- Sooner (1860’s/Reconstruction)

Clark -Hattie on Her Way (1800’s/New York)

Clark - Secrets of Greymoor (1800’s/New York)

Collins -Daughter of Winter (1849/ Massachusetts)

Couloumbis -Maude March on the Run! (1800’s/Frontier Life)

Curtis -Elijah of Buxton (1859/Slavery)

Cushman -The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (1849/California Gold Rush)

Erdrich -The Birchbark House (1850’s/Native Americans)

Erdrich -The Game of Silence (1850’s/Native Americans)

Erdrich -The Porcupine Year (1850’s/Native Americans)

Fleischman - Bandit’s Moon (1853/California Gold Rush)

Gregory -Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express (1800’s/Pony Express)

Hahn -Hear the Wind Blow (1860’s/Civil War)

Hart- Bell’s Star (1853/Vermont)

Hart - Racing to Freedom trilogy (1864/Civil War)

Helgerson -Crows and Cards (1849/St. Louis)

Hemphill -The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones (The West)

Hunt -Across Five Aprils (1860’s/Civil War)

Kelly -The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (1899/Texas)

Ketchum -Newsgirl (1851/Gold Rush)

Kimmel - Mary Ingalls on Her Own (1881/Iowa)

Lawlor -The School at Crooked Creek (1820’s/Frontier Life)

Lyons -Letters from a Slave Boy (1829/Slavery)

MacLachlan -Sarah, Plain and Tall (1800’s/Frontier Life)

McMullan -When I Crossed No-Bob (1870’s / Reconstruction)

Mazer -My Brother Abe (1816/Kentucky)

Paterson -Jip: His Story (1855/Slavery)

Paulsen - A Soldier’s Heart (1860’s/Civil War)

Philbrick -The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Civil War)

Rinaldi - The Ever-After Bird (1850’s/Slavery/Underground Railroad)

Ritter -The Desperado Who Stole Baseball (1881/California)

Ruby -Soon Be Free (1857/Slavery/Underground Railroad)

Sanchez -The Invasion of Sandy Bay (War of 1812)

Wells -Lincoln and His Boys (1860’s/Civil War)

Wilder -Little House on the Prairie (Late 1800’s/Frontier Life)

Wisler - Red Cap (1860’s/Civil War)

Zimmer -The Floating Circus (1850’s/Pittsburgh)

1900 A.D. – Recent History

World Wars, Depressions, Modern Times

J Fiction

Armstrong - Sounder (African-American/Sharecroppers)

Blume -Tennyson (The Great Depression / New Orleans)

Brown -The Train Jumper (The Great Depression)

Bunting -Spying on Miss Muller (WWII/USA)

Burg - A Thousand Never Evers (1963/Civil Rights)

Burnett -The Secret Garden (early 1900’s/England)

Casanova -The Klipfish Cause (WWII/Norway)

Cheng - Eclipse (1952 / Hungarian Immigrants)

Cleaver - Where the Lilies Bloom (1960/Smoky Mountains)

Cohen -Mimmy & Sophie: All Around the Town (1920’s/Brooklyn)

Compestine- Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (1972/Chinese Revolution)

Curtis -The Watsons Go to Birmingham (1963)

Cushman -The Loud Silence of Francine Green (1949/McCarthy Era)

Doucet -Fiddle Fever (1914/Louisiana)

Dowell -Shooting the Moon (1960’s/Vietnam War)

Estevis - Chicken Foot Farm (1940’s/Texas)

Goldin- Fire! The Beginnings of the Labor Movement (1911)

Greene -Summer of my German Soldier (WWII/Arkansas)

Gutman - Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore (1900/North Carolina)

Hahn -Stepping on the Cracks (WWII)

Harlowe -Blown Away! (1935/Florida Keys)

Hesse - Brooklyn Bridge (1903/Brooklyn)

Hesse - Letters from Rifka (Russian Revolution)

Hesse- Out of the Dust (1929/Depression/Dust Bowl)

Hill -The Year of Miss Agnes (1948/Alaska)

Hobbs -The Big Wander (1950)

Kinsey--Warnock Lumber Camp Library (1920’s/Vermont)

Lemna - When the Sergeant Came Marching Home (1946/Montana)

Levine - Catch a Tiger by the Toe (1950’s/McCarthy Era)

Levine- Dave at Night (1920’s/Harlem Renaissance)

Levitin - Journey to America (1940)

Lieurance - The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911/NYC)

Lord - In the Year of the Boar & Jackie Robinson (1940)

Lowry -Number the Stars (WWII/Denmark)

Madden - Gentle’s Holler (1960’s/North Carolina)

Madden -Jessie’s Mountain (1960’s/North Carolina)

Madden- Louisiana’s Song (1960’s/North Carolina)

Matas- Lisa’s War (WWII/Denmark)

Morpurgo -War Horse (England/WWI)

Orlev -The Man from the Other Side (WWII/Poland)

Orlev -Run, Boy, Run

Paterson- Jacob Have I Loved (WWII/USA)

Reiss - The Upstairs Room (WWII/Netherlands)

Robinet - Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues (1956/Civil Rights)

Salisbury- Night of the Howling Dogs (1975/Hawaii)

Salisbury- Under the Blood Red Sun (WWII Pearl Harbor)

Schmidt -The Wednesday Wars (1960’s/Vietnam War)

Skurzynski -Good-Bye Billy Radish (WWI/Pennsylvania)

Smith- Elephant Run (WWII/Burma)

Snyder- Cat Running (Depression)

Sullivan- Annie’s War (1946/Washington)

Taylor -All-of-a-Kind Family (early 1900’s/New York City)

Taylor -Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry (1930/Mississippi)

Testa -Almost Forever (Vietnam War)

Toksvis- Hitler’s Canary (WWII/Holland)

Uchida -A Jar of Dreams (1935/San Francisco)

Watkins -So Far from the Bamboo Grove (WWII/Korea)

Westall -The Kingdom by the Sea (WWII/England)

White -Belle Prater’s Boy (1953/Virginia)

Williams -Titanic Crossing (1912)

Woodruff- The Orphan of Ellis Island (1908/Italian Immigration)

Wynne-Jones Rex Zero and the End of the World (1962/Canada)

Wynne-Jones Rex Zero the King of Nothing (1962/Canada)

Yep The Dragon’s Child (1922/Chinese Immigration)

Yep The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

Yep The Star Fisher (1920)

Yolen -The Devil’s Arithmetic (Holocaust)

Poetry Book Report- 5th Grade Martha Jones

2010-11-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Poetry is a kind of writing, usually in verse. Poetry verse is set out in short lines with words put together in rhythm or rhyme or both. Poetry is about a writer sharing with the reader an experience or strong feelings. Poems are written with words chosen for their sounds and beauty as well as their meaning.

Poetry began in prehistoric times when people passed down their oral history in poetic language and song. Through the years, three main kinds of poetry have developed: lyric, narrative, and dramatic. Lyric poetry is any short poem. Narrative poems are ones that tell stories, an epic or ballad. Dramatic poetry also tells a story, but in this case one or more of the poem's characters acts out the story, like a play.

The list below is filled with books that combine poems on a certain subject, books filled with a particular poet's (Shel Silverstein for example) poems on various things, and novels that are told through a series of poems called verse. There are many ways to present poetry, so if you are looking for something specific like a certain topic or format, please post your question, or call, or come into the library. Let me know if your teacher has given you specific kinds of format for this book report. We have so many books on poetry, so if you know of a famous poet, we can definitely find you a book of their poems. We will have a cart in the library set aside with some books of poems for you to look through when you come in. Have fun with this project and as always let me know any way I can help you find what your looking for.

Books of Poems:

Animal sense / by Diane Ackerman -J 811.5 Ackerman -In this delightfully witty collection of poems, bestselling author Diane Ackerman shows how the senses shape and enrich the experiences of all living beings.

Poems from Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start by Kathi Appelt- YA 811.54 Appelt
The first half of this pre-teen poetry writing guide offers thought-provoking free verse; the second digs into the motivation behind each poem and practical writing advice.

Voices: Poetry and Art From Around the World selected by Barbara Brenner
Journey to different continents for this artistic celebration of diversity and a shared humanity.

Robert Browning / edited by Eileen Gillooly- J 821.8 Browning

Robert Browning's poetry has mysteries and a beauty of language that youngsters will love exploring, from the classic and beloved "Pied Piper of Hamelin" to the charming verse play "Pippa Passes".

The earth under Sky Bear's feet: Native American poems of the land / Joseph Bruchac- J 811.5 Bruchac

A retelling of twelve tales from various North American Indian cultures describing how Sky Bear, the Big Dipper, sees the earth from the sky.

The Oxford treasury of classic poems / Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark. - J 811 Oxford

All kinds of poems are collected together: old and new, short and long, funny and sad. Many of the poems are very famous and well-loved, but there are also some surprises and a few "classics-in-the-making."

I'm Nobody. Who Are You? by Emily Dickinson
A great introduction to the poems of Emily Dickinson.

Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George- J 811.54 George
From humorous to angst-ridden, this collection offers verses that will captivate your students.

Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg
Featuring the work of acclaimed authors, this compilation of poetry explores the often surprising relationship between words and visual art.

Exploding gravy: poems to make you laugh / X.J. Kennedy- J 811.5 Kennedy

Do you like to laugh? To smile? Do you like poetry? If you like one, two or all of the above, this is the book for you. Inside these covers you'll find the best funny poems of X. J. Kennedy, a poet who knows what tickles us, all combined in a collection that pleases the car and delights the mind.

Why am I grown so cold? : poems of the unknowable / edited by Myra Cohn Livingston.- J 808.81 Why

An anthology of poetry dealing with strange phenomena for which there is no rational explanation.

Call down the moon: poems of music / selected by Myra Cohn Livingston.- J 811.5 Call Divided into 12 sections, these poems range in mood from amusing to moving, serious to sublime. The authors featured include William Blake, Gwendolyn Brooks, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Eve Merriam, and many others.

Bone poems / by Jeff Moss- J 811.5 Moss

A collection of poems about dinosaurs, Ice Age mammals, prehistoric people, and other ancient creatures.

19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye- J 811.5 Nye
Expand your students' minds with this compilation of 60 thought- and discussion-provoking poems.

Poetry for Young People/ Edgar Allen Poe- edited by Brod Bagert- J 811.3 Poe

The Raven and Other Poems and Stories by Edgar Allan Poe- YA 811 Poe
A collection of dramatic classics, including "The Bells," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Pit and the Pendulum."

Words With Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art selected by Belinda Rochelle
Spanning two centuries of artistic achievement, this stunning collection pairs the work of 20 poets.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, Runny Babbit- Shel Silverstein.- J 811.5 Silverstein

A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.

Rimshots: Basketball Pix, Rolls, and Rhythms by Charles R. Smith Jr. - J 808.8 Smith
Hook your sports fans on poetry with this dynamic collection of basketball verses and visual artists to explore the African-American experience.

Wallace Stevens / edited by John N. Serio- J 811.54 Stevens

Delightful harmony and boundless imagination: these characteristics make Wallace Stevens' work very special.

The animal rescue store / by Elizabeth Swado- J 811.54 Swados

Cats, dogs, turtles, emus -- there's a place and poem in SIDNEY'S ANIMAL RESCUE STORE for every kind of critter. Meet heavy metal cockatoos who like to rock and roll, snooty llamas speaking French, alley cats with attitude, and even a batch of baby alligators.Kids will tweet, howl or hiss along to the romping rhythms of Liz Swados's poems.

Whisper and shout : poems to memorize / edited by Patrice Vecchione. J 811.008 Whisper

A collection of poems on different subjects and in different styles that lend themselves to memorization.

The mermaid and other sea poems / compiled and illustrated by Sophie Windham. - J 811.5 Mermaid

This fully illustrated anthology features 18 poems, including verse by Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky, and X. J. Kennedy. Each short poem explores the world of a sea creature, from mermaid to oyster, and most have an element of fantasy in subject or imagery.

Animal poems / Valerie Worth- J 811.54 Worth

Each of the exquisite twenty-three poems in this posthumous collection by Valerie Worth carefully distinguishes one animal from all other creatures and captures it in all of its wonderful singularity - from wasp to snake to wren.

Novels in Verse:

Home of the brave / Katherine Applegate- J FICTION Applegate

A story told in verse is about Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, as well as in his fifth grade classroom, and longs for his missing mother, but finds comfort in the company of a cow and her owner.

All the broken pieces: a novel in verse / by Ann E. Burg- J FICTION Burg

Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost - J FICTION Frost
Willow loves her dogs, which happily mush with her through the snow in her Alaskan hometown. After something that was supposed to be fun leads to an accident, Willow must deal with the consequences of her actions. This verse novel is dominated by diamond-shaped poems written from Willow's point of view, with the occasional piece of prose from some surprising and wise older narrators.

Becoming Joe DiMaggio / Maria Testa - J 811.5 Testa

A novel told in verse, meaning that spare, simple poems tell a boy’s moving story in this short novel about baseball, family, and the American dream. It’s 1936, and the Yankees have just hired a star center fielder whose name sounds like music. What could be a better time for Papa-Angelo’s grandson to be born? Christened after the legendary ballplayer, young Joseph Paul learns much at his Italian grandfather’s knee - about holding your breath in front of the radio during a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and having the audacity to dream big dreams. It is Papa-Angelo’s job to teach his grandson what it means to be a hero.

Martha Jones 5th Grade Adventure Book Report

2010-11-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
If you're trying to figure out what makes an story an adventure, check out this link for some direction when looking at the parts that make up an adventure. If you need any help post a comment or come into the library! :)

Also check out the new adventure book Hero by Mike Lupica about a kid who realizes he has superpowers...
"Fourteen-year-old Zach Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can text message himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Zach. What Zach never knew was that his father was no ordinary man--he was a superhero, battling the world's evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries."

Martha Jones 5th Grade Book Report

2010-10-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

ADVENTURE BOOKS!
What is an adventure?
-an exciting or very unusual experience.
-a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.
Adventure books usually have some of the attributes described above, they are filled with action and exciting/dangerous happenings. Some adventure stories can also be a mystery, or filled with horror, or even a love story. Some adventure stories are set in the past and are called an historical fiction, while others are true stories. Check below to look at some titles of adventure stories. If you have any questions or have a specific request for a kind of adventure story you are interested please leave me a comment! Come to the library with any other questions you may have.

39 Clues series
Abela -Spy Force series
Aguiar -The Lost Island of Tamarind
Baccalario -Ulysses Moore series
Boniface - Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series
Buckley -NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society
Burgess -The Copper Treasure
Byrd -Doc Wilde & the Frogs of Doom
Clements- A Week in the Wood
Couloumbis -Maude March on the Run!, or, Trouble is her Middle Name
DeFelice -Lostman’s River
Dixon -Hardy Boy series
Doder -Grk Series
Duey -Survival! series
Easton -The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes
Erickson- Discovery at Flint Springs
Farmer -A Girl Named Disaster
Fleischman- Bandit’s Moon
The Whipping Boy
Fletcher -The Shadow Spinner
Garland -Silent Storm
Gordon Tunnels
Deeper

Gregory -Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
Haddon- Boom!
Hahn -The Gentleman Outlaw and Me
The Spanish Kidnapping Disaster
Harlow- Star in the Storm
Higson -James Bond Adventures series
Hilgartner- A Murder for her Majesty
Hirsch -Bartlett and the Ice Voyage
Hite -Stick and Whittle
Holm- Boston Jane: Wilderness Days
Horowitz -The Devil and his Boy
Houston -Black Diamonds: A Search for Arctic Treasure
Jennings -Ferret Island
Kehret -Abduction!
Kimmel- Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan
Kipling -The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories
LaFevers- Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
LaFevers -Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
Flight of the Phoenix
Lawrence -The Cannibals
L’Engle -Troubling a Star
Lindbergh- The Worry Week
Lindgren -Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter
Marvin -Shipwrecked on Padre Island
Mikaelsen- Stranded
Miller -The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil
Milway- The Mousehunter
Moodie -The Sea Singer
Moore -Secret Island
Naylor -Roxie and the Hooligans
O’Dell -Island of the Blue Dolphins
The 290
Osborne -Adaline Falling Star
Pullman -The Firework-Maker’s Daughter
Ruby in the Smoke
Rollins -Jake Ransom & the Skull King’s Shadow
Root -Listening Silence
Rossell- Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse
Sachar -Holes
St. John- Dolphin Song
Shearer -Sea Legs
Snyder -Song of the Gargoyle
Stead -First Light
Stevenson- Treasure Island
Stewart -Far Flung Adventures series
Stewart -The Mysterious Benedict Society series

J Fic Illus.
Talbott -Safari Journal: The Adventures in Africa of Carey Monroe
Taylor -Ice Drift
Thesman -Rachel Chance
Turner -The Thief trilogy
Twain -The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Wallace - Journey into Terror
Williams -Titanic Crossing
Winthrop -Belinda’s Hurricane

J Graphic
O’Donnell -Wild Ride
Wood -Into the Volcano
Authors with lots of Adventure titles: Aiken, Alexander, Avi, George, Gutman, Hobbs, Jacques, Korman, Oppel, Paulsen, Strasser, Voigt

Sheehan School: 5th Grade Mass Book Awards Report

2010-10-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Check Below to find the master list of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2011. Click on the title to bring you to the catalog and/or click on the author's name for information on the author.

The Mass Book Awards program is designed for kids in grades 4-6 who read five books from the Master List and then vote for their favorite book. Participating teachers, librarians, and interested publishers nominate titles for the program. A selection committee works with the nominations and chooses 25 titles to appear on the Master List. Criteria for the Master List include literary quality, variety of genres, representation of diverse cultural groups, and reader appeal. Books published within a five-year period before the award year are eligible. The author of the winning book receives a plaque to commemorate the award.The award, established in 1975, is sponsored by Salem State College. Students in the Westwood schools can participate by reading the books and then voting for their favorites in March.

Click here for information about the Massachusetts Children's Book Award from Salem State University.

Come to the library to choose one of these books for your book report or to ask for any other reading suggestions. We look forward to helping you find everything you need for the report.

Anderson, L. H. (2008). Chains.
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Appelt, K. (2008). The Underneath.
An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

Applegate, K. (2007). Home of the Brave.
Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, as well as in his fifth grade classroom, and longs for his missing mother, but finds comfort in the company of a cow and her owner.

Avi. (2007). Iron Thunder.
Tom's job as an assistant to Captain John Ericsson, the inventor of the Monitor, makes him a target of Confederate spies.

Balliett, B. (2008). The Calder Game.
When seventh-grader Calder Pillay disappears from a remote English village--along with an Alexander Calder sculpture to which he has felt strangely drawn--his friends Petra and Tommy fly from Chicago to help his father find him.

Barrows, A. (2007). The Magic Half.
Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Molly, her own lost twin, and brings her to the present day.

Baskin, N. (2009). Anything but Typical.
Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.

Berlin, E. (2009). The Potato Chip Puzzles : The Puzzling World of Winston Breen.
Winston and his friends enter an all-day puzzle contest to win fifty-thousand dollars for their school, but they must also figure out who is trying to keep them from winning. Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.

Blume, J. (2008). Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One.
More adventures at school and at home with Jake, a first-grader, and his older sister Abigail, known to each other as the Pain and the Great One.

Clements, A. (2007). No Talking!
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Goodman, A. (2008). The Other Side of the Island.
Born in the eighteenth year of Enclosure, ten-year-old Honor lives in a highly regulated colony with her defiant parents, but when they have an illegal second child and are taken away, it is up to Honor and her friend Helix, another "unpredictable", to uncover a terrible secret about their island and the corporation that runs everything.

Harper, C. (2007). Just Grace.
Misnamed by her teacher, seven-year-old Just Grace prides herself on being empathetic, but when she tries to help a neighbor feel better, her good intentions backfire.

Key, W. (2006). Alabama Moon.
After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life.

Law, I. (2008). Savvy.
Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Lowery, L. (2006). Truth and Salsa.
Having moved temporarily from Michigan to live with her grandmother in Mexico, twelve-year-old Hayley tries to sort out her feelings about her parents' separation while also helping some townsmen who have run into trouble while working in the United States.

Lowry, L. (2008). The Willoughbys.
In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

MacLachlan, P. (2007). Edward's Eyes.
Edward is one of a large and close family that loves baseball, music, books, and each other, and when he unexpectedly dies and his parents donate his organs, his wonderful eyes go to a perfect recipient.

Mass, W. (2009). 11 Birthdays.
After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda and Leo, having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again.

Mortenson, G., & Relin, D. (2009). Three Cups of Tea (Young Edition).
An adaptation of the bestselling book about the American Greg Mortenson's building of over 60 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Reilly Giff, P. (2008). Eleven.
When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday, it brings forth memories from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are eventually answered.

Scaletta, K. (2009). Mudville.
For twenty-two years, since a fateful baseball game against their rival town, it has rained in Moundville, so when the rain finally stops, twelve-year-old Roy, his friends, and foster brother Sturgis dare to face the curse and form a team.

Stead, R. (2007). First Light.
When twelve-year-old Peter and his family arrive in Greenland for his father's research, he stumbles upon a secret his mother has been hiding from him all his life, and begins an adventure he never imagines possible.

St. John, L. (2007). The White Giraffe.
After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a mythical white giraffe.

Stuchner, J. (2008). Honey Cake.
David and his family live in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, until September 1943 when their neighbors help smuggle them to Sweden to escape Hitler's orders to send the Danish Jews to concentration camps. Includes a recipe for honey cake, typically made to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

Wilson, N. D. (2007). 100 Cupboards: Book 1.
After his parents are kidnapped, timid twelve-year-old Henry York leaves his sheltered Boston life and moves to small-town Kansas, where he and his cousin Henrietta discover and explore hidden doors in his attic room that seem to open onto other worlds.

3rd Grade Hanlon School- THE VIKINGS!

2010-10-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

Vikings were Scandinavian warriors who raided the coasts of Europe and the British Isles from the 9th cent. to the 11th cent. In their versatile LONGSHIPS, the Vikings sailed vast distances. Their golden age of trade, exploration, and colonization lasted until AD 1100. There are many interesting facts you can learn about the vikings in books and online. Check out the below links on Vikings for fast facts, time-line, and even some games.

Here are a few interesting facts about Vikings:

-The Vikings were the best shipbuilders and sailors of their time.

- If the direction of land was unknown, Viking sailors would release a raven into the air and follow its course.

- Viking warriors were buried with their weapons, but not their armor.

Viking Links:

Walk Through Time

FactMonster-Vikings

Time Tangled Island: Viking Explorers

Fast Facts about Viking

Come into the library with any questions you may have or for information on books.

5th Grade Mystery Book Report -Martha Jones

2010-09-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

There is plenty to explore in the world of Mystery! To help you with the Mystery Book report assignment we have compiled a list of mysteries that you can find below. Just click on the title and it will bring you to the Westwood Library's catalog and you will be able to see if the book is available and where it is in the library.

Click here to check out the Mystery page on FactMonster website for information on what makes a mystery a mystery!

Come visit us in the library for help on choosing a mystery and to take home one of our helpful mystery fact sheets that have important words to know and list the major ingredients for a mystery.

Mystery Book List

Abbott The Postcard

Allison Gilda Joyce series

Alter Ghost Letters

Anderson The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen

Avi Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?

Windcatcher

Balliett Chasing Vermeer

The Wright 3

Calder Game

Barrett The Sherlock Files

Bauer The Red Ghost

Berlin The Puzzling World of Winston Breen

Blackwood Shakespeare’s Spy

Bosch The Name of this Book Is Secret

Broach Shakespeare’s Secret

Buckley The Sisters Grimm series

Bunting Someone is Hiding on Alcatraz Island

Burns Wright and Wong series

Byars Herculeah Jones series

Colfer Artemis Fowl series

Cooney The Face on the Milk Carton

Corbett 12 Again

Curtis Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money

DeClements Wake Me at Midnight

DeFelice The Missing Manatee

Dixon The Hardy Boys series

Dowd The London Eye Mystery

Doyle The Book of Sherlock Holmes

Edwards Dragon, Hound of Honor

Ellis Odd Man Out

Fleischman Jim Ugly

Gold Harriet the Spy, Double Agent

Gutman Qwerty Stevens Back in Time: The Edison Mystery

Hahn The Dead Man in Indian Creek

Following the Mystery Man

Hale Chet Gecko series

Hamilton The House of Dies Drear

Hass Incognito Mosquito Flies Again!

Incognito Mosquito Takes to the Air

Hechtman Blue Schwartz and Nefertiti’s Necklace

Hiasson Hoot

Hobbs Ghost Canoe

Hoeye Time Stops for No Mouse

The Sands of Time

Holm The Stink Files series

Hope The Bobbsey Twins series

Horowitz The Falcon’s Malteser

Public Enemy Number Two

Three of Diamonds

South by Southeast

Jennings The Beastly Arms

Johnson The Secret of Dead Man’s Mine

Karbo Minerva Clark Gives Up the Ghost

Minerva Clark Goes to the Dogs

Keene Nancy Drew series

Konigsburg From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Korman Kidnapped

Laliicki Danger in the Dark

Landy Skulduggery Pleasant

Lanthier The Mystery of the Martello Tower

Lawrence The Roman Mysteries series

Lawrence The Seance

L’Engle Troubling A Star

McCall Smith The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean

Max and Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery

Mitchell The Traitor King

Murphy Belltown Mystery series

Napoli Sly the Sleuth series

Naylor Carlotta’s Kittens and the Club of Mysteries

Polo’s Mother

Newbery Lost Boy

Nickerson How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

Nixon The Name of the Game was Murder

Don’t Scream

Potter Olivia Kidney series

Raskin The Westing Game

The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues

Roberts Scared Stiff

Runholt The Mystery of the Third Lucretia

St. George The Ghost, the White House, and Me

Santopolo The Nina, The Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure

Schirripa Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family

Shaw Match Wits with Sherlock Holmes series

Shearer Canned

Simmons The Raven League: Sherlock Holmes is Missing

Simner Secret of the Three Treasures

Simon Einstein Anderson series

Singer A Nose for Trouble

Skurzyniski National Parks Mystery series

Snyder The Egypt Game

Sobol Encyclopedia Brown series

Springer The Case of the Missing Marquess

The Case of the Left-handed Lady

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Stanley The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy

Stewart The Mysterious Benedict Society

Stewart The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Strickland The House Where Nobody Lived

Tate The Secret of Gumbo Grove

Titus Basil of Baker Street

Basil in the Wild West

Umansky Solomon Snow and the Stolen Jewel

Van Draanen, Sammy Keyes series

Warner The Boxcar Children series

Yep The Case of the Lion Dance

The Case of the Firecracker

Authors with lots of mystery titles:

Arthur, Bellairs, Hildick, Hoobler,

Howe, Kehret, Nixon,

Westwood Public Library

Fall 2010

KidSpace @ the internet public library

2010-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the website kidSpace @ the internet public library for quick information for all your homework needs. You can also drop by the Westwood library for any other questions you may have or with suggestions about what to read next, we are always here to help!

Martha Jones Newbery Book Report

2010-09-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this complete list of Newbery winner and honor books, and check out the selection we have at the library linked from the list below. If the book you want is checked out, we can order a copy from another library for you. You can choose from newer books, like 2010 winner When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, or honor book Savvy by Ingrid Law; or, older classics like Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, or Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Come by the Library if you have any questions or need a book recommendation!

Newbery Award Book List

2010 When You Reach Me-Stead, Rebecca
2009 The Graveyard Book-Gaiman, Neil
2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! -Schlitz, Laura Amy
2007 The Higher Power of Lucky- Susan Patron
2006 Criss Cross - Perkins, Lynne Rae
2005 Kira-Kira - Kadohata, Cynthia
2004 The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo, Kate
2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead -Avi
2002 A Single Shard- Park, Linda Sue
2001 A Year Down Yonder - Peck, Richard
2000 Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis, Christopher Paul
1999 Holes - Sachar, Louis
1998 Out of the Dust - Hesse, Karen
1997 The View from Saturday - Konigsburg, E.L.
1996 The Midwife's Apprentice - Cushman, Karen
1995 Walk Two Moons - Creech, Sharon
1994 The Giver - Lowry, Lois
1993 Missing May -Rylant, Cynthia
1992 Shiloh -Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
1991 Maniac Magee - Spinelli, Jerry
1990 Number the Stars - Lowry, Lois
1989 Joyful Noise : Poems for Two Voices-Fleischman, Paul
1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography - Freedman, Russell
1987 The Whipping Boy - Fleischman, Sid
1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan, Patricia
1985 The Hero and the Crown - McKinley, Robin
1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw - Cleary, Beverly
1983 Dicey's Song -Voigt, Cynthia
1982 A Visit to William Blake's Inn : Poems for
Innocent and Experienced Travelers - Willard, Nancy
1981 Jacob Have I Loved - Paterson, Katherine
1980 A Gathering of Days : A New England
Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 - Blos, Joan W.
1979 The Westing Game -Raskin, Ellen
1978 Bridge to Terabithia- Paterson, Katherine
1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor, Mildred D.
1976 The Grey King - Cooper, Susan
1975 M. C. Higgins, the Great- Hamilton, Virginia
1974 The Slave Dancer - Fox, Paula
1973 Julie of the Wolves- George, Jean Craighead
1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brien, Robert C.
1971 Summer of the Swans -Byars, Betsy
1970 Sounder -Armstrong, William H.
1969 The High King - Alexander, Lloyd
1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler- Konigsburg, E. L.
1967 Up a Road Slowly- Hunt, Irene
1966 I, Juan de Pareja - de Treviño, Elizabeth Borton
1965 Shadow of a Bull -Wojciechowska, Maia
1964 It's Like This, Cat - Neville, Emily
1963 A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle, Madeleine
1962 The Bronze Bow - Speare, Elizabeth George
1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell, Scott
1960 Onion John - Krumgold, Joseph
1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare, Elizabeth George
1958 Rifles for Watie- Keith, Harold
1957 Miracles on Maple Hill - Sorensen, Virginia
1956 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch - Latham, Jean Lee
1955 The Wheel on the School - DeJong, Meindert
1954 ...And Now Miguel- Krumgold, Joseph
1953 Secret of the Andes- Clark, Ann Nolan
1952 Ginger Pye - Estes, Eleanor
1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man - Yates, Elizabeth
1950 The Door in the Wall - de Angeli, Marguerite
1949 King of the Wind - Henry, Marguerite
1948 The Twenty-One Balloons -du Bois, William Pène
1947 Miss Hickory- Bailey, Carolyn Sherwin
1946 Strawberry Girl - Lenski, Lois
1945 Rabbit Hill - Lawson, Robert
1944 Johnny Tremain- Forbes, Esther
1943 Adam of the Road - Gray, Elizabeth Janet
1942 The Matchlock Gun - Edmonds, Walter
1941 Call It Courage - Sperry, Armstrong
1940 Daniel Boone- Daugherty, James