To honor and remember those who lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we read “The Man in the Red Bandana” during Storytime with Mrs. Kelley. Students were inspired by Welles Crowther’s story of heroism and sacrifice. 6th graders also got to take a virtual tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum with Mrs. Lobue using our Google Expeditions cart.

During the month of September, our library is featuring Newbery Award-winning books and authors! The student library aides created a fabulous display so these great books are easily accessed, and they are flying off the shelves.

During storytime with Mrs. Kelley, we featured Richard Peck, author of “A Year Down Yonder” and “A Long Way from Chicago” by reading one of his shocking short stories, “The Most Important Night of Melanie’s Life.” I don’t think anyone saw that ending coming.

Another featured author during storytime was Christopher Paul Curtis, author of “Bud, Not Buddy,” and “Elijah of Buxton,” just to name a few. We read an excerpt from the “The Watson’s Go to Birmingham,” and got a feel for how he skillfully uses humor in his writing despite the very difficult situations his characters face. For more on this amazing author, here is a video.

The next author that will be featured later this month is Pam Munoz Ryan, author of “Esperanza Rising,” “Echo,” and “Becoming Naomi Leon.” I know everyone will enjoy following her characters on their amazing journeys.

What our readers have to say:

Lucas Frazier, 8th grade, read “The Watson’s Go to Birmingham.” He said “I think it is good. It is just relatable.”

Layne Simpson, 8th grade, said “I thought “A Year Down Yonder” was really interesting and cool, and I was surprised by the ending.”

Brandon Phillips, 8th grade, read “New Kid” by Jerry Kraft. This book won the Newbery Medal in 2019 and is the first Graphic Novel to achieve this award. He said, “I would recommend it, especially if someone is new to school.”

Tessa Pruitt, 8th grade read “The Higher Powers of Lucky” by Susan Patron and said, “Usually I read like two chapters of a book and stop. This is the only chapter book I’ve actually read all the way through.”

Grace Pratt, 8th grade, read “Penny from Heaven,” a Newbery Honor book by Jennifer L. Holm. She said “I’m kind of picky about my books, especially about historical fiction because they can be hard to follow, but this one was really interesting and easy to read for me. I recommend it.”