The Watsons Go To Birmingham -1963

I enjoyed Elijah of Buxton so much, I thought I'd listen to something else by Christopher Paul Curtis. So I downloaded The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 and I was not disappointed. This book has won the California Young Readers Medal, The Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newbery Honor. The Watsons, nicknamed the 'Weird Watsons' by their neighbors, are an average African-American family living in Flint, Michigan. The story is told by the middle child Kenny who has a lazy eye. Byron, the oldest of the Watson siblings whom they've nicknamed 'Daddy Cool', has been getting in to lots of trouble, or in Byron's words, having 'wild adventures.' Byron's parents decide it would be good for Byron to spend the summer with his grandmother in Alabama, where he might learn some manners. The whole family treks from Flint to Birmingham in the family car, the 'brown bomber' but they all get a bigger dose of reality than they were prepared for. Every family has their funny stories, the big family moments that each family member remembers just a little bit differently. This is how Kenny relays this story to the readers, through a hilarious series of family moments, similar to the way Ralphie narrates "A Christmas Story." I think everyone will be able to see a bit of their own family in the Watsons. And kids, be sure you ask your parents (or grandparents) about the cartoon references - Felix the Cat, Beanie and Cecil, and Soupy Sales!

In other news, Knuffle Bunny, Free by our pal Mo Willems is out today! I will get a copy of this for the library as soon as I can. In the mean time, check out the Pigeon's webpage. Good times!

Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis. This book made me laugh, made me cry, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next! It's no wonder it won so many awards, including the Coretta Scott King award in 2008. It was also a Newbery Honor book that year. The story centers around 11 year old Elijah Freeman, the first free born child in the settlement of Buxton in Canada, in 1859. Runaway slaves from the south of the United States would sometimes run all the way to Canada because once they crossed the border, they could not be recaptured by American slavers and sent back to their former masters. Once they established themselves in a town like Buxton, they would work hard to save money so they could buy freedom for their family members, as one of the characters in the story, Mr. Leroy, tries to do. When Mr. Leroy is cheated out of his money, Elijah, who is more educated than Mr. Leroy, tries to help him retrieve his money. This book left me wanting to know more about Elijah and how his life would have changed after the last incident in the story. I won't tell you what that incident is because I don't want to spoil it for you. I think this excellent book would be good for grades 5 and up.

And here are the socks I was working on while I was listening to the Elijah of Buxton audiobook. These will be a gift for my father-in-law. I don't even know if he likes wool socks, so I hope he likes these!

Last time, I showed you a tiny picture of the new online catalog for the Marshall Lane library. I hope that teased you and now you can't wait to explore it and see what's new! Well, you don't have to wait any longer! Click this link to see the new library catalog!
The first thing you will see is a list of schools and below that a check box that says 'Always use this server.' Put a check mark in that box and then click on Marshall Lane. You'll only have to do that part once. From there, click around and explore and rate your favorite books! Have fun and let me know what you think!