Best Books of 2014: 10-6

Travis Jonker and I are counting down the top 20 books of 2014. Head on over to Mr. Jonker's blog to read our annotations. 

20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

_____________________

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier | Graphix (Scholastic)

Raina visited my school library on October 27th. 

I created this Blendspace lesson to help my students prepare for Raina Day! 

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate; illustrated by G. Brian Karas | Clarion (HMH)

Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate talks about Ivan. 

Download the Ivan discussion guide. 

Katherine Applegate, G. Brian Karas, and Anne Hoppe participated in a Sharp-Schu trifecta.

Katherine presented at the 2013 National Book Festival. 

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo | Clarion (HMH)

Lauren finished my sentences on June 6, 2014.

The Sharp-Schu Book Club celebrated The Troublemaker on July 23. 

A Q&A with Lauren Castillo 

Browse Lauren's shop. 

Jules Danielson caught up with Lauren in June.

Follow Lauren on Vine and Instagram. 

The Scraps Book by Lois Elhert |Beach Lane Books

"Trust me when I say, The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert is amazing with an A+!  It's a museum of her life's work.  It will find a place in my selection of Mock Caldecott books for 2015." -Margie Myers-Culver 

Take a look inside The Scraps Book. 

"I grew up in a house with a younger brother and a sister, a mom and a dad, and everybody seemed to be making things. I thought everybody in the world lived that way. It wasn't until I got to be an adult that I realized that this was rather unusual because my mother and my dad had other jobs to do.  And so they would make things in their spare time. And they understood that I was interested in art and so they made a bargain with me. They said they would put up a folding table for me to work on. As long as I kept working I could keep my mess on this table and I wouldn't have to clean up every time I wanted to make something. So I grew up getting art supplies from both of them. My dad was a woodworker. My mom was a seamstress. So I had the most beautiful fabric, wonderful colors, and a lot of textural things from my dad like nails and wire and wood."-Lois Ehlert

Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon | Dial (Penguin)

Five Questions with Abby Hanlon 

Explore Abby Hanlon's website. 

Look for Dory and the Real True Friend on July 7, 2015. 

20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

_____________________