Book Sales and Book Series

Have I mentioned that I love books?

Some might even call it an obsession. 

I'm sure that my husband has less choice words for my love of books. Especially every year when the Algonquin 'Friends of the Library' has its book sale. I can say that, hands-down, this is the best library book sale around. I would like to be able to give a review of the Algonquin Eastgate Branch Library, but being as that I have only been down in the basement to go to their book sales, I, sadly, cannot give a review that would have anybody running off to that library.

Unfortunately for me (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) every time I go I spend at least $15. Now mind you, 98% of the children's books are only a quarter. So when I go and spend my $15, I am getting 60 books. When the cost of a new hardcover book is around $15, I can live with this. The problem surfaces, as you can ask any of my colleagues, when I take the books back to school, because I just don't have any more room for my books. I have stacks of books, and even a box of books, stuck in random corners and shelves, just because I don't have any more room for them! My book bins are literally overflowing with books.

I have a problem. 

I know this. 

Yet I CANNOT stop going to these book sales and finding great, quality books for all my little pirates to read.

Books for my kiddos.

Another AMAZING thing about this book sale is that on the Tuesday after the sale, teachers can then go in, show their IDs and walk out of there with ANYTHING their little hearts desire. Including cds, dvds, playaways, adult books, and anything else you can check out of the library.

Don't worry. I have the next book sale dates available for you.
Thursday, October 31 - Sunday, November 3.
Hours: 4-8pm

Close-up of chapter books above.

If you go on Thursday, um Halloween, you do have to pay a $10 cover charge to enter into the amazingness early. My tip to you, is to go Friday when it opens, if you're planning on going. The good stuff gets picked over early. Gems are sometimes missed though.

But yes, that does mean that on Tuesday, November 5, it is another FREE DAY for teachers!!!! And really, who DOESN'T love free books?!?!

The last of the 60ish books.

Close-up of the chapter books from above.

Now onto the review. Has anyone out there read the Dear Dumb Diary, series by Jim Benton?
I bought one, ironically, at the last Algonquin Library book sale. I took it back to school, shared it with my kids, and put it in with all the other books. Several weeks later, I had two of my girls HARASSING me about this book. I don't know which book it is I have at school. All I know is that they were fanatical about it!

Do I have more? Why don't I have more? Can I get them more? Will I get them more from the library? Does the school library have them?
My answer: I DON'T KNOW!!!!

They were relentless. At this point, I just didn't have the time to pick up that book myself to read it. These two were two of my highest readers, and I figured that it must be pretty good for them to be haranguing me about it.
So when I was at the book sale on Friday afternoon, there was a good stack of the series there for sale. Well, duh, of course I'm going to buy them after being verbally attacked by my two girls at school. I obviously needed more and would have to read one myself. (You know, in between research reading for my master's.)

Well, after reading the first book in the series, I can honestly say IT WAS AWESOME! I wanted to call both of them up and tell them that I now understood why they liked it so much. It was so funny and sounded just like any typical girl would. The best part about that, though, is that the author is male! So that really gave me a good chuckle thinking about a guy writing this funny book.These are "Tales from Mackeral Middle School." They say they are at a 5th grade reading level, but obviously my 3rd graders got the humor. Probably 3rd through 6th or maybe 7th would be amused by it. I know I certainly was! What are others' opinions of this series?

And these are the few books that I got from the free day! A lot of them will be getting passed on to my MLIT friends because they would be too hard for my 3rd graders!

If you are interested in finding phenomenal book sales near you, check out this website!
http://www.booksalefinder.com/IL.html
It will send you emails when there are book sales close to you!

HAPPY BOOK SALE HUNTING!!!!

The Testing: A must-read for dystopian lovers!!!!

 

This book is AWESOME!!!! This book was recommended to me by a friend who went to the Literacy in Motion Conference at Judson University. This was one of the books that was booktalked there. 

I was told that this book was a combination of Hunger Games, Matched, and Divergent. I don't think it has much of Divergent in it, but it is definitely a good combo of Hunger Games and Matched. 

This is the first book, in what I'm guessing, will be a trilogy. It does have a very Hunger Games-esque feel about it, just with slightly less violence. Cia is the main character, and it's hard not to like her. She is very naive going into the whole test, but she learns lessons the hard way, very quickly. 

Now there were many people out there who did not like The Testing at all and found it to be very boring. There are parts in the story where more action could have been thrown in, but overall, the book kept me coming back for more. I put off doing my first speech for my master's to finish this book! What are other people's thoughts on this book?

If you are into Dystopian society books, this is definitely one to check out!