CHESS Christian Library

 So...we're halfway through the Summer Reading! If you haven't been working through the reading challenges with your kids, that's okay! But there's also still time to begin, or at least to read through a variety of different kinds of books. We want summer reading to be enjoyable, of course, but it's still a good time to encourage our kids to expand their reading selections a bit and to stretch their reading skills! Fortunately, as we've discussed many times, there are so many wonderful books of all types to choose from.

Each challenge through 6th grade includes an Animal Book category. This is partly because there are so many of them but also because animal stories are such effective vehicles for sharing life issues - even some pretty big ones - in safe and relatable ways. It may also be because, as anyone who has been to the library knows, I really love animals, and they are frequent visitors to the library! At any rate, here are a few of my favorites, for every reading level.

My Pet Wants a Pet

Elise Broach

I love this one because it sounds a little bit like my house - and it's even a little true that a couple of my pets have their own pets, in a manner of speaking! Also kids love guessing which pet is going to come next.

A Pig, a Fox, and a Fox

Jonathan Fenske

The Pig and Fox books are hilarious and are actually readable by beginning readers! (Fun fact: many, if not most, "Readers" are not actually suitable for young children learning to read - the levels are often very deceptive. I don't know why this is, but I do know that it's wise to look for ones that are appropriate to their reading level.)

Mango and Bambang

Polly Faber

If you've never read a humorous story about a tapir before...now's the time! Mango is an independent, free-spirit young girl living in the Big City. One her way home from karate practice one day, she discovers a lost tapir, whom she takes home to her apartment, where adventures ensue!

Brambleheart

This is Depression-era historical fiction in which the dog isn't necessarily the most central feature but still plays an important part. Twelve year-old Ellie moves with her family to the mountains, where she bonds with her new dog, learns to connect with nature, and tries to heal her father, wounded in a logging accident. 

Each of these is available at the CHESS library, and as always, you can to to our online catalog and place a hold on them to pick them up at our next CHESS Thursday event. For many more suggestions that you can find in our library and others, check out the Book Lists for each grade level. This page also includes a link to the Reader's Advisory form, which I highly recommend you try for personalized recommendations. I'd love to help your kids find their next reading adventure!

Happy Reading!

-Mrs. Meester

Except for the Kindergarten edition, all of the reading challenges include books from the mystery genre (with an option in older grades to substitute with dystopian books -I'll save that for another discussion, though). Mystery stories prompt problem-solving skills and often expose readers to unique locations and characters (including the variety of circumstances that inspire motives!). We all know about Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, and they're great, but the genre is always growing, and there are some exciting new stories to try! So...here are some of my newer favorites:

Almost all the reading challenges this year include a category for a Newberry Medal book, so let's talk about ones that aren't boring! 

It was a challenging year...but we made it! 

 Spring is coming, and with it comes our annual spring Read-a-Thon! (If you don't remember it being annual, that's because last year was a little unusual and we weren't able to have one...but that's enough about that!) In a nutshell, the Read-a-Thon is a week-long reading extravaganza and fundraiser that students do at home, but as the summary often leaves people scratching their heads about the what and the why of this thing, I'll try to elaborate briefly. 

What and When:

From now until March 4, students can come to the library to register for the event and pick up their packets. Each packet has a reading log and a pledge sheet. Students will then go to friends and family, asking for pledges of $0.05 or $0.10 per page read during the week of March 7-14. During that week, students will keep track of the pages they read, then figure up what their supporters owe. Example: 100 pages read at $0.10 per page means your supporter will owe $10.00. This can be in the form of cash or checks made out to CHESS, which will then be collected by the students and dropped off with their pledge sheets to the Front Desk by March 26. 

Why?

The library desperately needs new books! Yes, we're growing all the time, but parts of our collection really need updates. A recent inventory of our non-fiction collection indicated that the average publication date is 1997. Now, sometimes a book can stand the test of time quite well, and just because a book is old doesn't necessarily mean it's not usable...BUT in general, a good non-fiction collection should reflect the information from the last 10 years or so at the most (in case we're having a hard time accepting the truth of time, 1997 is...24 years old!) Also, books can become outdated in writing style and appearance, making them unappealing to students, and if a book sits unused on a shelf, it doesn't matter how good the information is inside. 

Books like these have had a good run, I'm sure...but they're not very appealing anymore.

And sometimes books can become SO used that they need to be replaced. Our pop-up books are well loved - and, I might add, of great appeal to children of visiting families. It's time to bring in some new ones!

They've been loved to pieces...literally!

So the library could really use your help this coming month to bring in some extra funds to restock and refresh our library collection. When we did this two years ago, we raised just over $500. Imagine what we could do with our new families and expanded reach!

 

Christmas break is SO close! It's been such a blessing to be able to meet together in person (with valuable connections with those who couldn't be with us a certain times), but I know we're all ready for the rest and relaxation ahead.

If reading is a part of that relaxation - and I hope it is! - it's a good time to start planning and gathering some cozy reads! While you do that, keep in mind we have a great selection at the CHESS library, and want these books to go home with our students and families. Check our online catalog to see what we have and to make some last-minute holds. If you need ideas and suggestions, check out these resources:

Holiday Reading Guiding - our staff and teachers have shared some of their favorite books!

Book Lists - these are always available to offer general recommendations for each grade level.

Reader's Advisory - fill out this form, and I'll put together a list of suggestions for you (the form says 48 hours, but I'll do my best to expedite responses this week).

And before you go, enjoy this quick recap of the highlights of this past quarter!

Second Quarter in the Library