KevMo at MissionMission recently referenced the classic shot of the Valencia St. Hotel between 18th and 19th after the 1906 earthquake.   But that shot doesn’t do justice to how big the sinkholes on Valencia were or how much of the hotel sank. The hotel before the quake:

“When the quake struck, patrons in an all night coffee shop on the bottom floor of the four-story hotel ran from the building just in time to watch the building simultaneously lurch forward and sink, making the hotel’s fourth floor the hotel’s only floor above ground.” (Bancroft Library)

(UC Berkeley)

A sinkhole opened up later, right where all those people were standing. Reader Dave Dennison points out that the sinkhole was due to a broken water main, and at least 40 people drowned.

(All these years I thought these shots with the Valencia St Hotel on the left were looking south, but I was wrong — they are to the north. It certainly makes the above shot with the approaching fire make more sense.)

Here’s the 1899 Sanborn map of Valencia between 18th and 19th.  You can see the two big water mains, 22″ and 16″, running down Valencia.

Another view of the sinkhole – you can see the water mains.

The steeple in the first two shots aren’t visible in the picture below, or in the sinkhole shot. There was a 5.0 aftershock at 2:25pm on the 18th. Did it come down in the aftershock or during the rescue attempts?

(via sfmuseum.org)

Soon after these pictures were taken, fire swept through the area. Those still trapped who didn’t drown, well…

(via SFPL)

More on the Valencia St Hotel here.

The “18th St Gulch” (for the lack of a better term — feel free to come up with a catchier name) was bigger than I realized.  This sketch of the Mission from the 1850 looks NE from around 21st and Liberty and gives some indication of its depth.

Zooming in on the bottom right, we see the gulch at what will be Dolores and 18th, with a stagecoach hurtling out of control (ok, probably not, as it’s not even the steepest part).

I traced the topology contour lines from the 1859 US Coast Survey Map and made quick and dirty overlays to show just how much was filled in before the 1906 quake.  Each color gradient is a 20 foot change.

The gulley dropped over 40 feet in half a block! At roughly 12 feet per storey, that pretty much explains where the Valencia St Hotel went. (The green area is the Willows beer garden from the 1850s/60s, and the Valencia St Hotel would later be built on the bottom left corner.) Zooming in a bit:

Note also the gulley along the west side of mission between 21st and 18th, as well as between Lapidge and Linda.

Here’s the overlay of the Valencia St Hotel on the gulch map. (Valencia on the right, Guerrero on the left). Click to zoom.

This litho of the Mission in 1860 looks west from around what is now Mariposa and Utah (via Calisphere):

Zooming in on the left we see the steep ascent above Mission Creek, with the Willows in front of the trees.  The road in front of the Willows is what will be Mission Street. (via Calisphere).

Here’s the 1859 US Coast Survey Map.  The building on the bottom left of the map (and the top center of the lithograph) may be the Jewish Cemetery. If so, Dolores Park would be to the right on the lithograph.

The background of this picture of the Willows in the 1864 taken from the Union Race Course (via SFPL) gives some indication of the slope.

I leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine where not to buy a house (or invest in a sound foundation).

Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the much vaunted punk/new wave movement of the late ’70s. The group was formed in New York City in August 1974 by singer Deborah Harry (b. July 1, 1945, Miami), formerly of Wind in the Willows, and guitarist Chris Stein (b. Jan. 5, 1950, Brooklyn) out of the remnants of Harry’s previous group, the Stilettos. The lineup fluctuated over the next year. Drummer Clement Burke (b. Nov. 24, 1955, New York) joined in May 1975. Bassist Gary Valentine joined in August. In October, keyboard player James Destri (b. Apr. 13, 1954) joined, to complete the initial permanent lineup. They released their first album, Blondie, on Private Stock Records in December 1976. In July 1977, Valentine was replaced by Frank Infante.

In August, Chrysalis Records bought their contract from Private Stock and in October reissued Blondie and released the second album, Plastic Letters. Blondie expanded to a sextet in November with the addition of bassist Nigel Harrison (born Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), as Infante switched to guitar. Blondie broke commercially in the U.K. in March 1978, when their cover of Randy and the Rainbows’ 1963 hit “Denise,” renamed “Denis,” became a Top Ten hit, as did Plastic Letters, followed by a second U.K. Top Ten, “(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear.” Blondie turned to U.K. producer/songwriter Mike Chapman for their third album, Parallel Lines, which was released in September 1978 and eventually broke them worldwide. “Picture This” became a U.K. Top 40 hit, and “Hanging on the Telephone” made the U.K. Top Ten, but it was the album’s third single, the disco-influenced “Heart of Glass,” that took Blondie to #1 in both the U.K. and the U.S. “Sunday Girl” hit #1 in the U.K. in May, and “One Way or Another” hit the U.S. Top 40 in August. Blondie followed with their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, in October. Its first single, “Dreaming,” went Top Ten in the U.K., Top 40 in the U.S. The second U.K. single, “Union City Blue,” went Top 40. In March 1980, the third U.K. single from Eat to the Beat, “Atomic,” became the group’s third British #1. (It later made the U.S. Top 40.)

Meanwhile, Harry was collaborating with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder on “Call Me,” the theme from the movie American Gigolo. It became Blondie’s second transatlantic chart topper. Blondie’s fifth album, Autoamerican, was released in November 1980, and its first single was the reggaeish tune “The Tide Is High,” which went to #1 in the U.S. and U.K. The second single was the rap-oriented “Rapture,” which topped the U.S. pop charts and went Top Ten in the U.K. But the band’s eclectic style reflected a diminished participation by its members – Infante sued, charging that he wasn’t being used on the records, though he settled and stayed in the lineup. But in 1981, the members of Blondie worked on individual projects, notably Harry’s gold-selling solo album, KooKoo. The Best of Blondie was released in the fall of the year. The Hunter, Blondie’s sixth and last new album, was released in July 1982, preceded by the single “Island of Lost Souls,” a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and U.K. “War Child” also became a Top 40 hit in the U.K., but The Hunter was a commercial disappointment. At the same time, Stein became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. As a result, Blondie broke up in October 1982, with Deborah Harry launching a part-time solo career while caring for Stein, who eventually recovered. In 1998, the original line-up of Harry, Stein, Destri and Burke reunited to tour Europe, their first series of dates in 16 years; a new LP, No Exit, followed early the next year.

Blondie All Music Guide Biography

Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the much-vaunted punk/new wave movement of the late ’70s. The group was formed in New York City in August 1974 by singer Deborah Harry (b. July 1, 1945, Miami), formerly of Wind in the Willows, and guitarist Chris Stein (b. January 5, 1950, Brooklyn) out of the remnants of Harry’s previous group, the Stilettos. The lineup fluctuated over the next year. Drummer Clement Burke (b. November 24, 1955, New York) joined in May 1975. Bassist Gary Valentine joined in August. In October, keyboard player James Destri (b. April 13, 1954) joined, to complete the initial permanent lineup. They released their first album, Blondie, on Private Stock Records in December 1976. In July 1977, Valentine was replaced by Frank Infante.

In August, Chrysalis Records bought their contract from Private Stock and in October reissued Blondie and released the second album, Plastic Letters. Blondie expanded to a sextet in November with the addition of bassist Nigel Harrison (born in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), as Infante switched to guitar. Blondie broke commercially in the U.K. in March 1978, when their cover of Randy and the Rainbows’ 1963 hit “Denise,” renamed “Denis,” became a Top Ten hit, as did Plastic Letters, followed by a second U.K. Top Ten, “(I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear.” Blondie turned to U.K. producer/songwriter Mike Chapman for their third album, Parallel Lines, which was released in September 1978 and eventually broke them worldwide. “Picture This” became a U.K. Top 40 hit, and “Hanging on the Telephone” made the U.K. Top Ten, but it was the album’s third single, the disco-influenced “Heart of Glass,” that took Blondie to number one in both the U.K. and the U.S. “Sunday Girl” hit number one in the U.K. in May, and “One Way or Another” hit the U.S. Top 40 in August. Blondie followed with their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, in October. Its first single, “Dreaming,” went Top Ten in the U.K., Top 40 in the U.S. The second U.K. single, “Union City Blue,” went Top 40. In March 1980, the third U.K. single from Eat to the Beat, “Atomic,” became the group’s third British number one. (It later made the U.S. Top 40.)

Meanwhile, Harry was collaborating with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder on “Call Me,” the theme from the movie American Gigolo. It became Blondie’s second transatlantic chart-topper. Blondie’s fifth album, Autoamerican, was released in November 1980, and its first single was the reggae-ish tune “The Tide Is High,” which went to number one in the U.S. and U.K. The second single was the rap-oriented “Rapture,” which topped the U.S. pop charts and went Top Ten in the U.K. But the band’s eclectic style reflected a diminished participation by its members — Infante sued, charging that he wasn’t being used on the records, though he settled and stayed in the lineup. But in 1981, the members of Blondie worked on individual projects, notably Harry’s gold-selling solo album, KooKoo. The Best of Blondie was released in the fall of the year. The Hunter, Blondie’s sixth album, was released in May 1982, preceded by the single “Island of Lost Souls,” a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and U.K. “War Child” also became a Top 40 hit in the U.K., but The Hunter was a commercial disappointment.

At the same time, Stein became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. As a result, Blondie broke up in October 1982, with Deborah Harry launching a part-time solo career while caring for Stein, who eventually recovered. In 1998, the original lineup of Harry, Stein, Destri, and Burke reunited to tour Europe, their first series of dates in 16 years; a new LP, No Exit, followed early the next year. After more touring, this was followed by another studio set, The Curse of Blondie, in 2003, and a DVD of the Live by Request program from A&E was released in 2004. In 2006, Blondie celebrated their 30th anniversary with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the release of Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision, a best-of collection that contained all their classic videos as well.

Here’s Looking at You, Patrick Dougherty installation at Bosque School,
Albuquerque, October 2009, photo © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

 
 
 
 
One evening last week I went to see North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty give a talk to an audience of parents, students, faculty and staff of Bosque School, plus a few members of the broader Albuquerque community. The turnout was solid. All seats were filled, yet I couldn’t help but lament how tucked away this globally recognized, soft-spoken artist was—how very hidden his presence in our city was to the public at large. And just how much they were missing by not being here.
 
Dougherty was guest artist at the independent Bosque School (grades 6-12) from October 5-23. According to the multi-arts organization collaborative LAND/ART, which sponsored the sculptor, Dougherty was here to create “a site-specific work on the grounds of the school adjoining the Rio Grande Valley State Park, using willow saplings harvested from the site and involving the students and teachers in the process.” (Bosque School is known for the way it incorporates study of the adjacent cottonwood forest—also known as “the bosque“—and river into its Science curriculum.)
 
This was Dougherty’s first time working with students this age. He’s done installations at museums, university and college campuses, and on sites of all types, from Ireland to France, Connecticut to California—over 200 works in the US, Asia, and Europe over the past two-plus decades.

He wasn’t in New Mexico to create art in a highly visible public space. His primary job was to work with students and teachers. The installation was open to the public most days and weekends during his stay, and many people took advantage of visiting hours. But still, hearing him speak on a late afternoon in October was like stumbling upon the city’s best kept art secret.
 
 
 
 
 

Patrick Dougherty poses for a shot after his talk (left), building the installation
required scaffolding (right), which visitors were sometimes allowed to climb,
October 2009, photos © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

 
 
 
 
Drawing with sticks
 
Dougherty began his talk by walking the audience through a slideshow, starting with images of the log cabin home he built by hand, then moving to samples of his installations. He was funny and charming and deep in an unassuming way. He told us that he thinks about sticks as drawing material. “Consider the stick as a line,” he suggested, talking to us as if we were fellow artists.

His favorite piece, which he said he liked precisely because of its good lines, was “Tension Zones,” installed in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1995 at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. (Unfortunately, the only image I found was in a hard-to-read archived article from the Milwaukee Sentinel.)
 
He went on to talk about his work in three ways, showing examples of each:

1. Architecture: Many of his installations have an interplay with buildings. Stick sculptures climb walls, cap towers, or lean into buildings.
2. Trees: Dougherty often uses trees as “a matrix.” He might make use of the limbs, trunks, or the canopy of the tree, building his installation in relation to one or all of those parts. He showed us pieces that seemed to sprout leaves in spring and shed them in winter.
3. No thing: Many of his installations, he said, were built in “just space,” indoors or outdoors. 
    

After the talk, members of the audience had many questions. “How did the students catch on?” someone asked. “Great,” Dougherty said, “we know all about sticks; it’s the Hunter-Gatherer in our blood.” He reminded us that the stick is a universal play thing for all children. They use sticks to draw in the dirt, as instruments, building material, weapons, and utensils.
 
 
 
 
 

Drawing-with-sticks details from the Bosque School installation,
October 2009, photos © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

 
 
 
 
Two Years and Three Weeks
 
Dougherty’s pieces generally have the same lifespan as that of a stick, which is about two years. After two years, most installations come down.

In an interview (date unknown) on Don’t Panic Online, Dougherty talked about the temporary nature of his work:
 
 

I think that part of my work’s allure is its impermanence, the life cycle that is built into the growth and decay of saplings. My focus has always been the process of building a work and allowing those who pass to enjoy the daily changes or drama of building a sculpture as well as the final product. However, the line between trash and treasure is thin, and the sculptures, like the sticks they are made from, begin to fade after two years.  Often the public imagines that a work of art should be made to last, but I believe that a sculpture, like a good flower bed, has its season.

 
Other highlights from Dougherty’s talk include (italics direct quotes; the rest paraphrased):
 

• On Art and Being an Artist: The art world is not a wall; it’s a loose-knit group of people. Artists are just normal people who are looking for their place in the world.

 

• On finding that Place in the world: Hysteria rides on the shoulder of every creative person.

 

• On building his own house, a log cabin: He wanted to build a house that was functional, with no maintenance once it was done. That way he could live and work there when the money wasn’t rolling in.

 

• On living in North Carolina: Lots of maples in North Carolina, and the stones there have color. Some places have a lot of stones, but they’re not different colors like they are in North Carolina.

 

• On using willows to build art: Every time you cut the base of the willow, you get twice as many sticks that grow back. (Which was good to hear, given that my daughter was worried that nature was being sacrified for art. It wasn’t.)

 

• On how long it takes: Dougherty stays for about three weeks in each locale, which, he joked, is about the maximum amount of time before his hosts get sick of him.

 

• On climbing the pieces: Please don’t. Even though the structures are solid due to the layers and layers of sticks, as well as the stick foundations that gird them, climbing tends to destroy the surface over time. However, people (drunk adults, especially!) love to climb the sculptures.
• On whether the students liked it: They loved it, although they felt at times constrained by doing things the way Dougherty wanted. In order to give the kids some freedom, there were three experimental installations where the students could do whatever they wanted.

Long view of the installation (left), and looking out from inside an experimental
sculpture, October 2009, photos © 2009 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.

Brown meets Green

After the talk we were invited to go outside to see the installation and walk around and inside of it. The piece is made up of three two-sided heads, like masks with eyes and noses, which, according to Dougherty, are a combination kachina and Green Man, who often can be seen adorning ancient cathedrals.

The masks were much larger than I had expected. I’d seen them just a few days before during an admissions open house at the school, but my viewing was brief plus I was distracted by the other goings-on. In my mind’s eye, the sculptures were about twice as large as a person. Wrong! They are many times taller than the average person, as you can see by the photo below, which shows someone standing in the doorway/mouth of one of the masks.

The best part of the event was watching people of all ages marvel at the creations. Inside, outside, peeking around corners. A father dressed in a suit and tie (he must have come straight from work) played a sort of hide-and-seek tag with his two daughters, running in and out of each structure. I walked slowly into the giant heads, looking at elegant lines of the willows and taking in the most wondrous fragrance of sage and willow. One woman turned to me and exclaimed, “If only we could bottle that smell!”

The sun was sinking as the visitors scattered. I went over to the experimental installations. The sticks were not nearly as tightly layered as in the giant masks, but they had shape and structure. What an opportunity to learn with a master. Art in the Schools like it’s never been done before.

More information on Patrick Dougherty

• Patrick Dougherty’s Incredible Nest Houses, on Environmental Graffiti
• Patrick Dougherty: Artist in Residence, University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art
• Stickwork: Interview with Patrick Dougherty, Don’t Panic online magazine
• Yardworking: An Interview with Patrick Dougherty, ArtFocus Online

I said we were going to a place with nothing, I was wrong – it has everything…
‘We’re going to a place called ‘the retreat’ which is in behind Lake Coleridge – no electricity, no phone coverage, no nothing!’
View Larger Map

This is what it looked like on Saturday morning – after it had snowed all night. This is October, OK – Spring?!

‘Oh and you have to do a 4WD trek for about 20 minutes (or more depending on how high the river is and if it’s dark or not!) to get to the dwelling.’ This is the drive – in daytime when it’s not snowing…  This is the Harper River on the left as you look back toward Ryton and Glenthorne Stations.  I took this shot on the way home

The view from the front door on Saturday morning…

Did I mention no phone, no power — but there was hot water (heated by gas) until the water flowing down from the hill behind got blocked off – NO water!! but we were able to use chilly fresh water from the stream flowing in front of the building until Manly Jack trekked up the hill and got the water going again.

I did mention something about “Sheba is going to love it – there will be RABBITS!’ Tonight she is hardly moving – she wandered for miles and miles and yes, there were RABBITS!
That teeny tiny red/brown dot is Sheba traversing the confluence of the Avoca and Harper Rivers…

…but despite her best efforts to completely disappear underneath this willow tree, she didn’t manage to get a rabbit out – they were there OK?!

It was a wonderful time, and I wish we had longer there.

Photographed by ecstaticist

Sparkles on the ocean.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

– License

Each month, we will feature a cause in our shop where a portion of our profits from each sale will go to.

.:: THE WILLOWS THEATRE ::.

20% of all profits from the sales of these pendants is donated to the Willows Theatre in Concord, Ca.

The Willows Theatre may be forced to close for good if they are not able to raise $350,000 by November 1.

For more information about the story

http://claycord.blogspot.com/2009/09/after-33-years-willows-theatre-might.html

http://www.willowstheatre.com/PressRoom/Sep_2_Press_Rel.htm

Watch a video:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7007048

]]> http://loft965.com/2009/09/09/introducing-the-love-willows/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:19:03 +0000 loft965 http://loft965.com/2009/09/09/introducing-the-love-willows/

A week ago The Love Willows released their debut album Hey! Hey!. It had a couple of cyber hits and their name has risen some waves. But this week, The Love Willow have been dropped. This is not an indication of the band’s quality, but more of the record industry fickle nature. For they had some solid tunes had it been marketed right. But, Decca records abandoned them without promoting them. At any rate, the debut is fun and has some good tunes. Maybe this release will give them some exposure for a second release.

Author:  Diana Wynne Jones Copyright Date:  2008

“A chaotically magical sequel to How’s Moving Castle” quoth the cover of this book.  It is exactly as it says magical and chaotic.  It vaguely reminds me of Piers Anthony in its apparent randomness.  Things come together in the end for the great climax of the novel but it is hard to follow at times or maybe I’m just tired.  This book demands a skilled reader with a love for fantasy. A bit complicated for a K-8 library a better pick for 7-12.

Rating  #1 (Highly Recommended)   #2    ✓  #3    #4 (Not acceptable)

Interest Level:  7-12  Reading Level:  8+

Curriculum Area:  Language Arts

Themes/Topics: Magic, Fantasy, Wizardry

This book would be suitable for    Lit Circles    Kit Materials    ✓ Read-Aloud (Gr.)  6

Publisher Website

Reviews – Zubon, Becky’s Book Reviews

Author: Robin Stevenson Copyright Date: 2008

I like impossible things and I love them in this short novel.  Robin Stevenson creates a cast of lovable, quirky characters and allows them to triumph over their trendy and cool nemeses.  I must admit I love stories with underdogs and outcasts and Impossible Things is a great re-telling of this age old story.  Cassidy Silver and her little brother are trying to support each other through difficult times at school.  A new girl moves to town and strikes up a friendship with Cassidy.  With her new friend by her side suddenly previously impossible things seem to be happening.  A great addition to the K-8 library.  The opening chapter would make a good introductory read aloud with opportunities for talking about bullying, friendship and for teaching making connections and predicting.

CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 4-6        Reading Level:  Grade 4+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Health

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Friendship, Bullying

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 4-6

Diamond Willow nominee 2009

Title:    Dear Jo
Author: Christina Kilbourne Copyright Date: 2007

Dear Jo has an action driven plot line told through a reflective diary format.  Kilbourne’s characters are well-developed and consistent with the exception of the police officer whose behaviour feels a bit over-friendly.  The embedded educational element dealing with online safety is a bit strong and feels didactic.  I found the rules in the appendix somewhat excessive and wonder if they would feel strange and silly to the very clientele for which they are intended.  It would be helpful to have added some statistics on cyber-stalking to put the scare tactics into perspective.

A suggested read aloud portion for introducing the book could be pages 28-31.  It would open possible discussion of online relationships and risks and would allow for predicting and making connections.

CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended)    #2    ✓    #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 7-9        Reading Level:  Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, ICT, personal and social values

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Internet Safety, relationships, online dating, cyberstalking, chat spaces, depression

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 6-8

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author:  Sharon E. McKay Copyright Date: 2008

War Brothers is an outstanding piece of realistic fiction.  We follow the lives of several boys and a girl as they survive being captured by Northern Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army.  Sharon McKay is kind to the reader and allows us to see the situation through the eyes of a boy who remains kind and wholesome throughout his experience while his experiences are neither kind nor wholesome.  This story allows the reader to reflect on the possibilities of good and evil in humanity. A painful read at times, McKay does not leave us without hope for her characters and Uganda.  A necessary addition to the 6-12 library.  A great accompaniment for other stories on growing up around the world – Iqbal, Parvana’s Journey, Tree Girl.  It is difficult to pick a read aloud portion from this book.  A possible introductory read aloud would be pages 56-61 where the boys are discussing life in America.  This piece would allow for some discussion of cultural differences and dorm life and teaching students about making connections and contrasts as a strategy for increasing comprehension.
CM Review
Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 7-9        Reading Level:  Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Social Studies

Theme(s) Topic(s):  War, Peace, Child Soldiers, Africa, Fear, Survival

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 7+

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author:   Katherine Holubitsky Copyright Date: 2008

Gordie Jessup is just trying to survive as his family falls apart in the face of his brother’s addiction to crystal meth.  A compelling story which never lets you go. Told in a diary style with the intension of highlighting the troubles and pitfalls of drugs, Holubitsky never gets preachy.  A great addition to a 6-12 library.

The first chapter would make a good introductory read aloud and would offer opportunities for looking at predicting,  connecting and use of flashback.
CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 7-9        Reading Level:  Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Social Studies, Health

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Drug addiction, survival, family relationships

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author: Maureen Ulrich Copyright Date: 2007

Jessie’s family has moved from Saskatoon to Estevan and Jessie is having a rough time. Some of the girls have started to bully her and make her life miserable. Power Play is part Klutzhood and part Egghead; a bully story set in small town Canada. Despite the high hockey content, this is a girl’s book. The relationships and romance drive the story line. The characters are well-developed and likable. The plot is believable and reasonably compelling. There would be many opportunities to look at real life connection to the events of the book. This book would make a good companion to Outsiders by S.E. Hinton as a more up-to-date coming of age story. Some passages would be useful in a Health Guidance class for opening discussion on use of instant messaging and protecting yourself from bullying. As with Dear Jo, there is a didactic component to this book. The final pages from the book are self-help for bullying victims and bystanders. I’m not sure I like these kinds of incursions into my personal reading but maybe that’s not the intent of this book, to be pleasure reading. Still, I would recommend this book for school use and as pleasure reading for your girl hockey fanatics. I can think of some of my kids for whom this might be an excellent read.

CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓ #2 #3 #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level: Grade 7-9 Reading Level: Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Health, Personal and Social Values

Theme(s) Topic(s): Bullying, MSM, changes, hockey, small town vs. city, fitting in, growing up

This book would be suitable for: ✓ Lit Circles ✓ Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 7+

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author:   Drew Hayden Taylor Copyright Date: 2007

A vampire novel set on an Ontario reserve was not something I was expecting.  I’m not a huge fan of vampires but this story has more going for it than teeth and blood.  Tiffany is struggling with making her way through high school, figuring out how to deal with her parents and their divorce, balancing friends and boyfriend and trying to see if a native girl can date a white boy in her backwoods town.  Taylor’s characters are rich and nuanced.  His setting is real and authentic.  The tensions of the novel are compelling.  This is a great read and it challenges cultural assumptions about Canadian First Nations people.  Add this book to your K-12 library collection.  A Must!

A possible read aloud for introducing the book would begin on page 8 at “Normally, Tiffany wouldn’t be in the library…”  and finish at the top of page 12.  This passage would introduce two of the main characters and some of the racial tensions of the novel.

CM Review

Quill and Quire

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 7-9        Reading Level:  Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Social Studies

Theme(s) Topic(s):  mystery, adventure, race relations, life on reserve, vampires

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author:   Eric Walters Copyright Date: 2008

Alexandria of Africa is one of Eric Walters latest offerings.  Alexandria is a strong character and the story is told through her eyes.  This offers a first hand glimpse of her motivations and perspective.  She is not an attractive character to begin with and we are allowed to see inside her shallow and self-centered soul.  The plot that follows is unlikely but interesting.  The settings and characters are well described and detailed.  The plot offers possibility for the contrast of cultures and experiences from North to South.

The first chapter would make a good read aloud passage for introducing the character and setting to new readers.  It would allow for teaching of visualization and descriptive writing.

CM Review

Quill and Quire

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended)    #2 ✓  #3     #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 7-9        Reading Level:  Grade 7+

Curriculum Area:  Social Studies, Language Arts, Health, Personal and Social Values

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Coming of age/growing up, wealth and poverty, making a difference, entitlement, change, consumer culture

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Title: Juvie Three
Author: Gordon Korman Copyright Date: 2008

Another book by Gordon Korman, again it is great fun. Three boys from Juvenile Detention are moved into a group home with an unconventional group leader. No one thinks it will work and one of the boys is determined to find trouble. The relationships and antics of this group make it well worth reading. Excellent character developments, well-told story, interesting sub-plots.  Recommend this one to your middle years boys. They will not be disappointed.

Many chapters would make great stand alone read alouds. Chapter Eight shows the introduction to one of the characters and would be particularly good on its own. The book offers possibilities for teaching predicting and inferring.

CM Review

Quill and Quire

School Library Journal

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓ #2 #3 #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level: Grade 7-9 Reading Level: Grade 7+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts

Theme(s) Topic(s): Justice, Reform, Crime, Punishment, Honesty, Friendship, Change, Growing up, Realistic Fiction, Gangs

This book would be suitable for: ✓ Lit Circles ✓ Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Title:    The Nexus Ring    Series: Veil of Magic Book 1
Author:  Maureen Bush Copyright Date: 2007

The Nexus Ring is a fun and fantasy story.  Maureen Bush explores the BC wilderness, family relationships and takes us to a parallel universe.  This story will appeal to children who are reading the Droon series and need something new.  An engaging read.

CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 4-6        Reading Level:  Grade 5 +

Curriculum Area: Language Arts

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Fantasy, Magic, Family

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Diamond Willow nominee 2009

Author: Gordon Korman Copyright Date: 2008

Swindle is a fun and exuberant adventure.  Filled with humour, Gordon Korman adds another great read to the K-8 library.  Intelligent and believable characters takes us on an improbable but convincing chase for justice.  Gordon Korman knows his audience and I expect boys in particular will love this story.  I was a Korman fan at fourteen and this new offering is every bit as good as what I came to love then.

Chapter One makes a good introductory read aloud.  A good piece for discussing the nature of friendship, pulling stunts and the nature of the relationship between adults and kids.  The passage could lead to opportunities to teach inferencing and predicting.

CM Review

School Library Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓    #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade 4-6        Reading Level:  Grade 4+

Curriculum Area: Language Arts

Theme(s) Topic(s):  Adventure, Humour, Justice, Law, Friendship, Honesty

This book would be suitable for:    ✓ Lit Circles  ✓  Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.)

Diamond Willow nominee 2009

Author: Caroline Pignat Copyright Date: 2008

Caroline Pignat has created a nuanced and vibrant story filled with lovable and detestable characters. She retells the age old story of bullying from the viewpoints of two bystanders; one close to the bully and one close to the bullied. She explores the emotions and motivations of all four characters the bystanders, the bully and that bullied. The bullied character interjects his point of view through free verse poems interspersed through the timeline of the plot. An excellent addition to the 6-9 library.

The first three short chapters would do an excellent job introducing the book and its themes. Poems in the book would make fine examples when introducing free verse poetry. A good story for teaching about point of view, descriptive writing and developing characters.

CM Review

Jane on Books review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓ #2 #3 #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level: Grade 7-8 Reading Level: Grade 7,8 +

Curriculum Area: Language Arts, Health and Social Studies

Theme(s) Topic(s): Bullying, Friendship, Survival

This book would be suitable for: ✓ Lit Circles ✓ Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 7,8

Snow Willow nominee 2009

Author: Jonathan Baillie and Marilyn Baillie Copyright Date: 2008

Animals at the Edge is junior non-fiction. Animals are appealing for many children and this book is a well-written one to peek their interest. The layout is effective and the photography is excellent. The factual content is interspersed with biographies on scientists working in the field studying the endangered creatures. They highlight their action plans to intercede on behalf of these animals.

Any single section would make an excellent read aloud for non-fiction text, discussion of text features, how to read for details, make use of captions and glossary.

A wonderful addition to the library!

Quill and Quire

CM Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended) ✓ #2 #3 #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level: Grade 4-6 Reading Level: Grade 3-6

Curriculum Area: Science, Language Arts

Theme(s) Topic(s): Environment, habitat, extinction

This book would be suitable for: Lit Circles ✓ Kit Materials ✓Read-Aloud (Gr.) 3-8

Diamond Willow nominee 2009

Author:   Deborah Sherman       Copyright Date:    2007
Series: ✗

Triple Chocolate Brownie Genius is a fun and energetic story.  Deborah Sherman populates her story with realistic characters expanded from typical archetypes. This makes a great addition to a K-8 school library for student personal reading.  A suitable choice for grades 4-6 with great appeal for boys and students looking for humourous tales.

A possible read aloud teaser would be from chapter two – the family at breakfast.  This passage could be used to teach about making connections, writing ideas, voice, description, show not tell writing.

CM Review

School Library Journal Review

Rating: #1(Highly Recommended)   ✓  #2        #3         #4 (not acceptable)

Interest Level:  Grade    4-6            Reading Level:  Grade 4-6

Curriculum Area: Language Arts

Theme(s) Topic(s): Humour, school, growing up

This book would be suitable for:  ✓   Lit Circles  ✓  Kit  ✓  Materials Read-Aloud (Gr.)4-6

Willows 2009