Library Reference Game!

I have created a new Library Reference Game to teach students common library terminology. Visit my TpT store to see more!

Looking forward to a great week!

I was amazed with the Ruta Sepetys', Between the Shades of Gray. The book was a remarkable, seldom told story of Stalin's regime in Lithuania in 1941. Lina, the main character is forced out of her home in the middle of the night, into a cattle truck and sent to a labor camp in Siberia.

This is a part of history that I did not know much about prior to reading this book. If you enjoy historical fiction, as I do, you will enjoy the emotional story of Lina and her struggles. Ruta Sepetys brings Lina's story, based on her research, to life in an amazing way.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For grades 5th and above

It's Friday!

For a short week, it sure felt extra long! The weather here in AZ has been a bit odd so I am ready for the weekend.  

Because I am a school librarian, the Marzano Method is in every classroom on our campus. I have been working on some new Marzano Scales lately and I came up with a "Monster" themed scale. Check them out!

I cannot wait to report on a book that became available in March of 2011 entitled:

 Between The Shades of Gray  by Ruta Sepetys.

Here is a snippet from the "GoodReads" website:

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. 


Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart. Sounds like an amazing read! I look forward to reporting back to you with my review!

Welcome to Daisy's Book Bag!

Welcome to Daisy's Book Bag! This blog is here to introduce you to books that students in your classroom or your own children may enjoy. Also, to connect with other Media Specialists and elementary school teachers that have an interest in library skills.

There is a real "Daisy" and she is my lovable 3 year old yellow lab. The chocolate lab on the left is my 8-yr old, Blue, he's a book lover too!

During the current book fair at my school, I came across a series by Alex Scarrow. Now, this is not a brand new series, just new to me! I read the first two chapters to a group of 5th and 6th graders and they were HOOKED! 

Here is a taste:

Liam O'Connor should have died on the Titanic in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died in a plane crash in 2010 and Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in the year 2026. But before all of them took their final breaths, a mysterious man came and gave them another option. Their job now is to protect the past from being significantly altered. 

The 7th book in the series was just released August 22.

The series is recommended for grades 5 and up.