Reading Road Trip 2016-2017 Themes and Destinations

WHAT ON EARTH? 

AROUND THE WORLD IN 1075 PAGES

Where Is the Great Wall?  by Patricia Demuth

Where Is the Parthenon?  by Roberta Edwards

Where Is the Amazon?  by Sarah Fabiny and Daniel Colon

Where Are the Great Pyramids?  by Dorothy Hoobler

Where Is Mt. Rushmore? by True Kelley

Where Is Stonehenge?  by True Kelley
Where Is Alcatraz? by Nico Medina

Where Is the Great Barrier Reef?  by Nico Medina

Where Is Mount Everest?   by Nico Medina

Where Is the Grand Canyon?  by Jim O’Connor

Where Is the Brooklyn Bridge? by Megan Stine

THE WRITE STUFF: 

AUTHOR BIOS AND COMPANION BOOKS

Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?  by Patricia Demuth

Companion Read: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Who Was Dr. Seuss?  by Janet B. Pascal

Companion Read: The Sneetches  and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Who Is J.K. Rowling?  by Pam Pollack

Companion Read: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Who Was Roald Dahl?  by True Kelley

Companion Read: The BFG by Roald Dahl

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka

Companion Read: The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy  by Jon Scieszka

PRIZES IN THE PAGES: 

BURIED TREASURE IN BOOKS

Windcatcher by Avi

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Berton

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library  by Chris Grabenstein

Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

Treasure Hunters series by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein:

            Treasure Hunters

            Danger Down the Nile

            Secret of the Forbidden City

            Peril at the Top of the World

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton

READ GREEN: 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ANIMAL STORIES

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Who Is Jane Goodall?  by Roberta Edwards

Who Was Rachel Carson?  by Sarah Fabiny

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin

Who Was Jacques Cousteau?  by Nico Medina

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

ABRACADABRA: 

A MAGIC READING SHOW

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

Dorko the Magnificent by Andrea Beaty

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick

Who Was Harry Houdini?  by Tui Sutherland

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: 

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND SURVIVAL STORIES

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret

Dive, Everest, Island, and Titanic series  by Gordon Korman

Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

I Survived… series by Lauren Tarshis

GO FOR THE GOLD: 

NEWBERY AND CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNERS

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 

We're Taking an American History Road Trip!

We're on the homestretch of our 2015-2016 school-year journey! Reading Road Trippers have been traveling the timeline of United States History, exploring events that shaped our nation’s story, and checking out books from a wildly popular series....

Making History, Taking Flight:

Who Were the Wright Brothers? by James Buckley, Jr.

1903: The Wright Brothers Take Flight.

Gateway for Immigrants: 

What Was Ellis Island? by Patricia Demuth

What Was Ellis Island? Poster Project by Molly E. and Khushi P.

1900: Immigrants at Ellis Island.

What Was Ellis Island? Project by Sarah F.

Attack on Hawaii: 

What Was Pearl Harbor? by Patricia Demuth

1941: Damaged U.S. Naval Ships at Pearl Harbor.

Harvest Celebration in New England:  

What Was the First Thanksgiving? by Joan Holub

1621: The First Thanksgiving.

Discovery in California: 

What Was the Gold Rush? by Joan Holub

1852: Miners Hoping to Strike It Rich.

Protest in Colonial Massachusetts: 

What Was the Boston Tea Party? by Kathleen Krull

1773: The Boston Tea Party.

Political Rally for Human Rights: 

What Was the March on Washington? by Kathleen Krull

1963: Coming Together in Our Nation's Capital.

Secret Route to Freedom: 

What Was the Underground Railroad? by Yona Zeldis McDonough

19th Century: The Underground Railroad.

Turning Point in the Civil War: 

What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? by Jim O’Connor

I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg by Lauren Tarshis.

1863: The Battle of Gettysburg.

Disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey: 

What Was the Hindenburg? by Janet Pascal

1937: The Hindenburg Disaster.

Important Battle in Texas: 

What Was the Alamo? by Pam Pollack

1836: The Battle of the Alamo.

Remember the Alamo, Reading Road Trippers...
and Remember to Read about American History!

A Whole Other Story: Bookish Adventures at Lafayette School

As winter melts into spring, Lafayette School journeys to a page-turning destination, celebrating books about reading, language, and libraries and topped off with a top-notch Author’s Day visit with one of Lafayette School’s favorite story-spinners, Chris Grabenstein. Let's take a look at three of Mr. Grabenstein's books....

Our Top Story: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. Twelve-year-old class clown Kyle Keeley wins a sought-after spot at a sleepover in the new town library—a building designed by famous game-maker Luigi Lemoncello. When morning comes, Kyle and friends must work together to open locked doors and escape the library. Reading Road Trippers declare this puzzle-packed New York Times Bestseller a Lafayette favorite!

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Diorama Project.

Let the Reading Games Begin: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein. In this sparkling sequel, world-renowned game maker Luigi Lemoncello invites teams from across the country to compete in the first-ever Library Olympiad. It sounds like a rollicking good time! But something suspicious is going on: books are missing from Mr. Lemoncello’s library. Is someone trying to censor what the kids are reading? Kyle and teammates must solve mind-boggling challenges to unravel the mystery, and Lafayette readers are thronging to the shelves (FIC GRA) to find out!

Lafayette Library Olympics Bulletin Board.

Mr. Lemoncello's Olympics Amusement Park by Emily, Sarah, and Molly.

Mrs. Cifrodella and Lafayette School got in the Library Olympic spirit
to welcome Author Chris Grabenstein!

Characters Come to Life: The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein. Twelve-year-old Billy Gillfoyle is spending summer vacation in a lakeside cabin that belongs to mysterious Dr. Libris. Strange things are happening: whenever Billy opens books from the owner’s bookcase, he hears strange sounds coming from an island in the the lake. Has Dr. Libris found a way to make stories come alive?

The Island of Dr. Libris by Emily, Molly, and Laura.

More Bookish Adventures 

from Our Reading Road Trip Shelves:

We’re Off to Read a Wonderful Story: Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? by Avi. After Becky is accused of stealing a rare edition of The Wizard of Oz from the local library, she and twin brother Toby set out to prove her innocence and to catch the real thief. Ingenious clues concealed in four other books lead to hidden treasure for adventurous Reading Road Trippers.

An Open Book: Storybound by Marissa Burt. When Una Fairchild stumbles upon a mysterious book concealed in the basement of her school library, she opens the cover and flips through the pages. This is an extraordinary book! Quite suddenly, the shy twelve-year-old finds herself written into the Land of Story—a world filled with incredible heroes, astonishing villains, and fantastic fairy-tale characters. With the help of a new friend and a talking cat, Una digs deep into Story’s past and works to discover her own part in the story.

Land of Stories: We Hit the Books with a Hit Series!

Perfect Spelling: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. Twins Alex and Conner Bailey leave the modern world behind and find themselves in a land full of enchantment, magic, and classic fairy-tale characters. After a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls, returning home proves difficult!

The Wishing Spell Video Project by Sarah S.

Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell Diorama by Sophia I.

Back to the Books: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer. In this sequel to The Wishing Spell, Alex and Conner defy their grandmother and journey to the Land of Stories to rescue their kidnapped mother and to save the fairy tale world from a terrible threat: the vengeful return of the Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty.

Reading Loud and Clear: A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer. Thirteen-year-old Conner Bailey believes his fairy-tale adventuring is behind him—until he receives a mysterious warning from the famous Brothers Grimm.  Accompanied by classmate Bree, he returns to the Land of Stories, reuniting with twin sister and Fairy Godmother-in-training Alex just as war breaks out.

Reading Between the Lines: The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer. Reading. It’s perfect. How can you get into trouble reading a book? After less-than-perfect behavior during summer vacation, William and Marty’s mother begins dropping them off at the library several afternoons a week.  The nine-and-ten-year-old brothers dread boredom and fear the menacing librarian, Mrs. “Spud” Murphy—but they are in for some surprises. Reading Road Trippers are spending time in their own library, checking out this entertaining first-in-a-series.

Legend of Spud Murphy Interview 

with Katherine, Sydney, Callahan, and Ryland.

Legend of Spud Murphy Puppet Show

with Azniv, Isabella, Meredith, and Jackie.

Legend of Spud Murphy Skit

featuring Mackenzie, Sarah, Olivia, and Ava.

Figures of Speech: Punished by David Lubar. While playing tag in the library, Logan literally runs into enigmatic Professor Wordsworth, who pun-ishes the rambunctious protagonist for disrespectful behavior with a dose of magic pun dust. Before we can say MADAM, IN EDEN I'M ADAM or A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL, PANAMA, Logan is in big trouble with his parents, his teachers, and his best friend. The only way to reverse his linguistic curse is to find seven oxymorons, seven anagrams, and seven palindromes in three days. Can Logan complete the word-play challenges? WAS IT A BAR OR A BAT I SAW? Lafayette Readers will answer the questions and find the palindromes when they read this book cover to cover!

ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD TO NEW ERA? 

Yes, indeed! That’s our palindrome, this is our story... and we’re sticking to it!

Chris Grabenstein and Lafayette students share the Library Olympic spirit!