Movies Your Tweens Are Excited About

It is almost here! 

 As I prepare for summer reading, I like to get caught up on my pop culture. 

I really try to strive to stay up on the latest movies, tv shows, and pop culture, but sometimes I feel like I can't keep up. This is especially true during summer reading. 

To prepare, I put together a list of  movies that are releasing this year that your tweens may ask you for. I realize it is a long list, but it is perfect for all of your procrastination needs. ;)

Teen Beach 2 

The Descendants

These two movies are TV movies that will premier on the Disney Channel. 

Inside Out 

Minions 

Pixels 

Pan 

Tomorrowland

(This will also be a Disney Jr. cartoon)

The Peanuts

Ratchet and Clank

I have never heard of this video game before....but now they are making it into a movie?! 

Underdogs

This movie is releasing for the first time in the United States and it 

Frozen TV Show 

Sorry guys....Frozen is here to stay. It was just announced that a Frozen Tv show will premiere next year. Are you ready for this? 

....but don't think that Nickelodeon is sitting out. Here are a list of some new Nick Shows to be on the look out for: 

New Nick Shows

*Bonus* 

Check out these movies coming out in the future! I am already excited. 

Could it be true?...Yes, a Goonies sequel! 

Goonies

2016 

Lego Batman gets his own movie!!! & in 2018 a Lego movie 2 will be released. 

Coming in 2017

The Underpants finally gets a place on the big screen. I can't wait to advertise this one! 

What are you most excited about? 

-Pamela

Cinderella Program

The Inspiration

The minute I heard Disney was creating a live-action Cinderella movie, I began counting down the days until its release. Naturally, I decided it would be absolutely necessary to host a tween Cinderella themed program at the Library to celebrate!

The Program

Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures before or during the program and remembered after I had already begun the process of cleaning up. This was a station-based, primarily passive program. I set up five tables with various stations in our Story Hour Room, which is the department's main programming space.

Stations

• Cinderella and fashion related books to check out
• Clocks made from printables and old CD's 
• (See my Pinterest board for more details)
• Design Your Own Dress
• This was a pretty open ended craft. I put out scissors, glue, different colors of paper, tissue paper, glitter, ribbons, and fashion books with pictures of various kinds of dresses.
• Cinderella M.A.S.H.
• Remember the match making game you played as kids? I created my own Cinderellafied/Disneyfied version that allowed Cinderella to honeymoon in exotic locales such as the Pride Lands and included Olaf as an option for Groom, Bridesmaid, and Pet. (Hey, we still all love Frozen and the kids thought it was funny.)
• Which Disney Princess Are You?
• Multiple choice quiz
• Drawing 

Success 

Sometimes you have to count the success of a program in lessons learned rather than in patron attendance. This was one such program. For most of the program I only had two kids: one tween and one very young elementary schooler. However, both of these patrons seemed to enjoy themselves. Reflecting on the experience now, I believe I targeted the wrong age group. Since I assumed the new Cinderella movie would be reminiscent of Maleficent, I felt the tween age range would be appropriate. Based on my attendees, I now think it would be more appropriate as K-5 or all ages program.

What about you? What did you think of the movie? Have you tried Disney or fairy tale programming for tweens? We would love to hear from you!

~Alyssa

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

I am working on a training for my library over the Missouri Mark Twain Award Nominee books. My job is to read all of the Mark Twain Books and prepare to do book talks and outreach programs to promote these Missouri award books

 One thing I was really disappointed in was the lack of resources for the Mark Twain Award books.

My favorite outreach program is something my library calls "Chat and Chew." Once a month,  we pick one of the Mark Twain book awards and we do book discussion with the kids during their lunch. It is a lot of fun, but it requires a lot of work. Lately, I find myself coming up with discussion questions an hour before the outreach visit.

I am a bit of a procrastinator.....but where is a discussion kit when you need it?! 

Knowing I am not the only one who needs discussion questions and activity ideas, I wanted to try and fill this gap. If this helps you, please leave me a comment below. I will continue this series. If not, I will try and focus more on programming  & reviews instead. I want to post things that are useful for you. :)  Without further adieu, here is my discussion resource: 

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Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool 

Book Talk

In 1945, twelve year old Jack is suddenly uprooted from his home in Kansas after his mother’s death. His father, who just returned from fighting in WWII, takes Jack to live in a boarding school in Maine. Suddenly, Jack finds himself in a new place with no friends and with a father he barely knows. Everyone that goes to the boarding school already has their group of friends. That is everyone except- a strange boy named Early Auden.

When everyone leaves for fall break, Jack is left alone with Early at the school. Early is determined to go on a quest in the Appalachian Mountains to find a great bear. Jack decides to go with him. This leads to an unforgettable journey where the boys must try and navigate the trail to find the bear, overcome pirates, solve a murder mystery, and try and make it home.

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Book Trailer 

Discussion Questions 

In what ways is the state of Maine different from Jack’s home in Kansas? Why do you think the author chose to set the book in Maine?

Why do you think that Early did not go to class? What do you think he does while the rest of the kids are in class?

What are some things that Early & Jack have in common with the character Pi? Do you think that the author did this on purpose? Sometimes on Jack and Early’s journey, it is as if Early can predict what will happen based on his story of Pi. Why do you think that is?

What is a quest? Early’s quest was to find Pi, but did Jack have a quest? Did Gunner?  

Why do you think that Early was inspired to write a story using the numbers pi? Can you tell a story using numbers?

Gunner says, “The ones who are most consumed with their hunt- desperate, you might say- for what they think they are after, it is often a far cry from what they are really after. It is a fact, too, that sometimes, they not really looking for anything at all but are running away from something instead.” (p 169). What do think that Gunner meant by this? Are Early, Gunner, and Jack running from something?

Jack contemplates what is more meaningful. Is it the actual journey or is it finding what you are looking for?

Why didn't Fisher find Early to tell him he was alive? If Early didn't find him, do you think he ever would have came back?

Pi & Fisher believe that they have to work to earn their name. What does this mean? Do you think you have to earn your name? *Bonus question -If you could have any name, what name would you choose? *

Why does Mrs. Johansen think that Jack is her son? Jack’s mom believed that everyone is connected. How is Mrs. Johansen’s story connected to Jack’s? Do you believe that everyone’s story is connected?

Activities 

When doing a book discussion, I enjoy to bring with me some activities for the kids to bring home with them or to further discuss in the book discussion. Here are some activities you may enjoy to do with this book: 

1. Stargazing

“ The sky is not a contest or an exam. The only question is, Can you look up? Can you you take it all in? As for the names of constellations, they are not be-all or end-all. The stars, they are not bound one to another. They are meant to be gazed upon. Admired, enjoyed.”  (page 175)

Read this quote and discuss stargazing. Pull out some pictures of the night sky. Can your group find a picture in the stars? Why do we see different things?

Booklet

Star Finder Game

2. Appalachian Trail

Bring in some pictures of the Application Trail to help the kids be able to in vision the trail. Is it what they imagined? 

Appalachian Trail

Hiking Tips - Discuss hiking tips and camping. What are some things that Early and Jack could have done differently to ensure that they had a safe journey? What are some camping journeys your group has been on? Could they relate to some of the things that happened to Jack and Early's journey?

3. Grizzly Bears

Early and Jack are a on quest to find the biggest bear on the Application Trail. How big can bears get? Spend some time discussing these large bears. In the book, Early thinks this bear symbolizes a mother's love. Why does he think this?

Black Bear Activity Packet  (3rd Grade)

Books Like This One 

I hope this helps!

-Pamela 

My Near-Death Adventures by Alison DeCamp

Release Date- February 24, 2015

Age Range- 8-12 year olds

Pages- 246

The Story

“I’m a whiz at not dying,I don't mind saying.In fact, I've survived so many perilous adventures that I'm 95.7 percent certain I'm invincible.”

Set in 1895, 12 year old Stan's life is about to change all thanks to an envelope. An envelope his evil granny is keeping from him. All Stan knows is that because of this envelope, him and his mother must move to a lumber camp. Stan can't hear much to explain why, but he hears the words 'money','fresh start', and, 'worthless Arthur Slater.'
 Hearing these words he can only gather one important piece of information- his father "Arthur Slater" is alive and Stan guesses that he has something to do with the envelope. As Stan moves to a lumber camp with his mom, he documents his life, struggles to find his dad, and proof that becoming a man is a difficult task in this hilarious scrap book.

Review

I dare you to read this book and not laugh. I don't remember ever being in my work break room giggling so much. 

This book is filled with ads from the 1800s that Stanley uses to help document his journey. Stanley's original and hilarious voice will stick with you as you cheer him on in his quest to become a man and find his father. 

One thing I liked about this book is how it addressed gender roles. Stan believes that in order to become a man, he must do manly things. Unfortunately, these aren't always good things. His cousin, Geri, who is aspiring to be a woman doctor, tries to set him straight as they battle out to become their own person. 

I liked this part of the book becase I think a lot of my tweens (both my boys & girls) can relate to this battle of trying to fit into the idea of one's own gender role. I think this book would pair well with another really amazing new book called: Rad American Women. 

Geri mentions a lot of famous ladies in the book to prove to Stan that women can do anything, and I think having a reference like this would be a great way to show that women too can do great things. 

All in all, it is a great book that is flying under the radar. If you are ready for an original laugh, you should pick up this book at your nearest library. 

After laughing so much, I think Alison DeCamp my new author crush. In the spirit of Stan's lists from his book, I have come up with a few reasons why I am 99% that DeCamp is the best new author in middle grade.

1. She understands tweens & writes stuff like this- Dear Middle Grade Me
2. She was a middle school teacher
3. She love books & works at a book store. She even offers that if you call the bookstore she works at, she will sign and personalize a copy of her book for you.
4. She is hilarious
5. Her website makes my heart happy (http://www.alisondecamp.com/) Gorgeous, right?
6. She was inspired to write the book from her family history and family stories about their life in lumber camps.
7. She likes to eat
8. She compares teenagers to toddlers. (I am glad I am not the only one who thinks this)
9. Using her teacher experience, she provides a free teaching guide on her website. (http://www.alisondecamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/MY-NEAR-DEATH-ADVENTURES-Teachers-Guide.pdf)
10. Her book left me wanting more. Lately, middle grade stories feel like they all have the same plot. DeCamp has put a fresh spin on these middle grade themes to come up with something I feel comfortable recommending to all of my tweens that want something funny. I will be waiting impatiently for DeCamp's next book!

In case you need more convincing, here is the book trailer:

Until next time, 

Pamela 

Lois Lowry Gives

Ms. Lowry came for my library's One Read event for her book The Giver. I was lucky and won the opportunity to have dinner with Ms. Lowry. I also was granted the opportunity to attend her presentation for our library and get books signed by her. 

When I decided I wanted to join the library field, I never dreamed of having opportunities like this one. I feel so blessed to have met her, and I learned so much from her. 

One thing I was really inspired by was her own story. I felt especially connected to it due to my own background of wanting to become a writer. 

Her Background

Ms. Lowry wrote many books as she grew up. She knew she wanted to become an author at the age of 8 or 9 years old, but it wasn't until the age of 40 that her first book was published. It could have been easy for her to give up on her dream, but she still achieved it. It was something she loved and wanted to pursue. In her talk she gave some tips for people who wanted to become writers. 

In my own words here are some of writing tips I got from this Newbery award winning writer:

1. Be inspired by what is around you for story ideas. Ask "What if...."
This will get your imagination going and help to spur new ideas for stories. Remember there is no such thing as writers block. Writing is difficult, and it takes a great deal of work to achieve a work. Keep working and let your imagination help to guide you.

2. When you find a subject for your story, sometimes it is better not to map out where you want your story to go. Let your story take on a life of its own. If you map it out, it may change. Sometimes you can write better just by letting your inspiration take the lead.


3. Start your story out with something not quit right. This will give you something to work with to push your story forward. It will also add interest for readers.

4. Don't forget the sad parts. Much like life, good stories aren't always happy. The best ones are ones that people can relate to. Have a variety of emotions to create a well rounded book.


If you are interested in hearing more from Lois Lowry, check out this interview she did for the Library of Congress. It is very similar to the presentation she gave at my library, but it is longer.

                                       

I think this would be a great foundation for a writing program for tweens. What do you think? 

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Remember to chase your dreams & explore your passions. It is sure to lead to something wonderful. 

Until next time, 

Pamela

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

Release Date- October 14, 2014

Age Range- 10-14 years old

Pages - 164

The Story 

“And only easy prey

as far as my eye can see

are millions words on million pages

just waiting.”

Set in verse, this book is centered around a character named Kevin who is the school bully. His parents don’t pay attention to him, and his older brother Petey bullies him. So Kevin preys on kids he thinks are weak.  He even found a secret way to make fun of kids and teachers in poems (from stolen pages of library books). One day, someone that Kevin has picked on finds Kevin’s book of poems. Suddenly, Kevin is no longer the bully but the kid who is being bullied! Kevin must now try to navigate his new status while he learns about the power of words.

The Review

While working on a "Whats New in Middle Grade" presentation, I came across this book. Since it was from last fall and I didn't hear much hype about it , I was skeptical. 

I was  surprised by the depth of this novel. 

Even though it is set in verse, it provides some excellent well rounded characters.
I also think a lot of boys may find some humor in it too. For instance, at one point Kevin says, "We will die. The smell is killing us! Teacher smell is deadly. Barf." 

I don't think this is that funny, but I do think some of tween boys will find its content historical. Even though I felt like this book was okay, I do think that many schools will use this book to address bullying. Since it is set in verse, it makes it a great read to address bullying. The thing I love most about this book is that it is a little bit different. Kevin enjoys to write poetry. I liked that by the end, Kevin found other ways to express his feelings. I foresee some poetry units with this book! I hope it makes it on some state lists.

What's your favorite anti-bullying book?

- Pamela