Publisher: Henry Holt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/29/2008
ISBN: 9780805079036
ISBN-10: 0805079033

Not for ourselves alone: The story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony is a Ken Burns film chronicling the forty year friendship of these two remarkable women who spent their lives fighting for the birthright of every woman – that of equality and her right to vote. I knew their names but little else. Watching this documentary, the adversities, the hardships and their own personal struggles, each willing to make the sacrifices necessary so that we women could vote today, gave me a sense of pride and indebtedness to these two whom I did not even study about in school. I have taken voting for granted and yet women have only been given this right since 1920.

Publisher: Paramount Home Video
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/28/2004
UPC: 00841887051361

After seeing the Burns film, I saw this new children’s picture book biography by Tanya Lee Stone, Elizabeth leads the way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the right to vote. She emphasizes Stanton’s perseverance and never giving up but rather standing up for what she believed. The story begins when Elizabeth is 11 years old in her father’s law office learning firsthand how laws forbade women the right to own property, earn wages or have legal rights over their own children even after their husbands die, leaving them destitute. She thought cutting the laws out of the law books would solve the injustices. Her father urged her to talk to her legislators when she grew up. She did-for 50 years. 

Publisher: Holiday House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2003
ISBN: 9780823416899
ISBN-10: 0823416895

Tom Birdseye’s Attack of the mutant underwear finds 5th grader Cody Lee Carson leaving his old self behind and starting a new school. He is going to keep a journal of this transformation into the new Cody—“very cool, confident, popular and smart.” Unfortunately, before the first day of school starts, a classmate sees him in his underwear.

Publisher: HarperTrophy
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/1/1998
ISBN: 9780064407236
ISBN-10: 0064407233

In Elizabeth Levy’s My life as a fifth-grade comedian, a joke begins each chapter, but it isn’t so funny when the principal threatens to send Bobby to the School for Intervention when he stops doing homework--unless he can organize a school wide “Laugh-off” between the teachers and the students.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/26/2007
ISBN: 9781416909835
ISBN-10: 1416909834

Andrew Clements presents another challenge in No talking. This time it is the 5th grade class dubbed “the Unshushables” -boys vs. the girls, a no talking contest for 48 hours where students are only allowed to answer teachers’ questions with a 3 word response and otherwise, silence. This is all Dave’s idea, when he does a report on India and learns that Gandhi didn’t speak at all one day a week to bring order to his mind.

Publisher: Strand Releasing
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/24/2001
UPC: 00712267990023

This movie is a parody of all those Gidget and Annette Funicello movies from the 50's and 60's. It's trashy, uses vile slang words and has juvenile delinquents running amuck; what could be more fun? Florence, aka 'Chicklet,' just wants to have fantabulous, super, way out there summer, filled with boys and surfing. But someone is murdering the locals. Who could it be? Can you dig it? 32 BTE. DVD Disc.

Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/2004
ISBN: 9780823026012
ISBN-10: 0823026019

This book has a little of everything. There is a chapter on polymer clay, shrinky dinks, wire jewelry, crocheted jewelry and my two favorites resin and picture jewelry. The resin chapter demonstrates the versatility of resin when it comes to jewelry and it gives good project ideas. I also love the chapter on picture jewelry, or jewelry that uses images in some way. There are lots of funky projects that can be adapted to anyone's personal style.

Publisher: Pocket Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/1/2006
ISBN: 9781416509875
ISBN-10: 1416509879

This romance novel has it all, werewolves, vampires, valkyries. What's a girl to do when she is kidnapped by a hot and hairy werewolf and her i-pod doesn't work? The story was suspenseful, action-packed and of course full of romance. But it is also hip and quirky. How many romance novels do you know of that have references to South Park?

First Chapter  

Publisher: Overlook Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2002
ISBN: 9781585670734
ISBN-10: 1585670731

This book is full of beautiful film noir movie posters from the 1940-50's. These artists have amazing talent and I can only wish that I could paint like they could. The posters are bright and colorful, sometimes using surreal colors for everyday things. This book also includes international posters of American film noir. To think that these posters were meant to be thrown away after the movie was no longer playing. Luckily, some were saved and can be seen in this book.

Publisher: Universal Music & Video Distr
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/31/2006
UPC: 00602498864807

This album is great! It's like the perfect 80's album, but it's new. Just released in 2005, this two guy band has managed to create something really spectacular. Thank goodness they left their hip-hop roots to make this album that is a little bit goth, a little bit new wave and a whole lotta 80's.

Publisher: A. Whitman
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/1/2003
ISBN: 9780807505717
ISBN-10: 0807505714

A fun and adventurous story about a family of mice that go out on a picnic, encounter an unfriendly creature out for a lunch of his own, and escape because of one of Mamá mouse’s many talents. A great read aloud that illustrates the importance of being bilingual.

Publisher: Turtle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/1997
ISBN: 9781890515034
ISBN-10: 1890515035

I adore this store about Martina, a little cockroach, searching for the sweetest sound she has ever heard. She is relentless in her quest and although there are many obstacles and sounds that get in her way, she finally does find the source of the sweet sound.

Publisher: Innovative Dist Network
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2003
UPC: 00082161811725

A great way for both kids and family to learn another language is by listening to music. I have used this album for bilingual story times and my favorite is “Mi cuerpo hace música.”

Publisher: Walt Disney Records
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2003
UPC: 00050086007271

My favorite new find is this album that presents traditional Spanish children’s rhymes in different musical styles of Latin America. The musical rhythms vary from the Argentine tango to the indigenous rhythms of the Aztec and Tarahumara Indians. My favorites so far include the famous piñata rhyme “Dale, Dale, Dale” in a Colombian cumbia beat, and “Hola Don Pepito” in an upbeat Cuban cha-cha-cha.

Publisher: University of Texas Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/1/1996
ISBN: 9780292781405
ISBN-10: 0292781407

The greatest contributor to my somewhat fairly good Spanish is my love of Spanish poetry. Growing up it was difficult to read long lengthy novels in Spanish, but poetry was a different story. I could stop every now and then to look up those words I didn't understand, and I wouldn't have to start reading from the beginning of a chapter. I included this selection because it's HUGE, and my favorite poet, Jaime Sabines, is included. A major plus are the English translations!

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2/1/2000
ISBN: 9780312969196
ISBN-10: 0312969198

Terrific mysteries set in the upper Michigan Peninsula. This introduces the series and features Alex McNight, an ex-Detroit cop. The writing is crisp, the setting is cold, the plot is dark and twisted.

First Chapter  

Publisher: HarperPaperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/1/2000
ISBN: 9780061097348
ISBN-10: 0061097349

Massey's first mystery,Salaryman's Wife, won the Agatha and her latest, Girl in a Box, was just released. The series star Rei Shimura, a Japanese-American antiques dealer and amateur detective. Read these for the detailed look at Japanese culture, history, and contemporary life. The Flower Master is set in the Kayama School of Ikebana.

Publisher: Perennial
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/1/2002
ISBN: 9780060959678
ISBN-10: 0060959673

A young Scottish military bride in Peking has an affair with a Japanese soldier, Count Kuriha. As a result, she is ostracized by family and friends, and in a country that doesn't accept her.

First Chapter  

Publisher: G&H Ltd
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2004

The late mezzo-soprano's penultimate recording vividly captures her passionate musical intensity. It's one of the greatest Handel aria recordings out there.

Publisher: Washington Square Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/1/1995
ISBN: 9780671507039
ISBN-10: 0671507036

A family scandal forces choices about doing what is right. Short, potent, well-written.