New YA Books

Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Under the Baseball Moon - John H. Ritter
Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair - Laura Amy Schlitz
At the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, eleven-year-old Maud is adopted by three spinster sisters moonlighting as mediums who take her home and reveal to her the role she will play in their seances

New Christian Education Resources

New games from Cook Communications Ministries:

Kid's Choices - Designed for ages 9 and up, players are confronted with a series of decisions to make, using biblical principles, concerning such everyday questions as friendship, forgiveness, obedience, etc. The game is for 3-6 players and may be played in teams.





Teen Choices - Designed for ages 12 and up, players are confronted with a series of decisions to make, using biblical principles, concerning such everyday dilemmas as peer pressure, honesty, purity, etc. The game is for 3-6 players and may be played in teams.





Noah's Memory Match-Up Game - For 2-4 players ages 4 and up, this game requires players to match the people and animals that were aboard Noah's Ark. No reading is required.





Bible Dominoes - For 2-4 players ages 4 and up, this game teaches Bible truths.


Bible Bingo - For 2-4 players, ages 4 and up, this game teaches Bible truths while playing a familiar game.



Kid's Bible Challenge - Designed for 2-4 players ares 6-12, this Bible trivia game challenges players with questions in six categories: Objects/Events, Numbers, Old Testament, General Knowledge, New Testament, and Places.



Bible Charades - Designed for ages 10 and up in 2-4 teams, players must guess charades of clues in one of six categories: Old Testament Stories, New Testament Stories, People and Places, Parables, Proverbs, and Hymns and Music.

New big book

A new addition to the collection of big books is:

A Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats
The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day. A Caldecott Medal winner that conveys the silent wonder of a city snowfall and a small boy's solitary delight in it.

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

The winner of the 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was announced on Monday, January 15. The winning book is The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. The Green Glass Sea takes place in 1943, when 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is traveling west on a train to live with her scientist father--but no one will tell her exactly where he is. When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, she learns why: he's working on a top secret government program. Scott O'Dell, author of Island of the Blue Dolphins, established the $5,000 award in 1982 to encourage authors, especially new authors, to focus on writing historical fiction. The award goes to a meritorious book for children or young adults published during the previous year. For more information about the Scott O'Dell Award and a list of previous winners, see the award's website. To see a list of the O'Dell award books that the CMC has in its collection, click here.

New today

New resources in the CMC today:

Netherlands Cultural Overview video - from the Royal Netherlands Embassy

Two new additions to the Math and My World series:

Money Math - Kieran Walsh
Tells how math can help you earn, save, and make even more money.







Music Math - Kieran Walsh
Discusses ensembles, notes and octaves, beats per minute, buying music, and MP3s.

New in the CMC today

Chickens to the Rescue - John Himmelman
Six days a week the chickens help the Greenstalk family and their animals recover from mishaps that occur on the farm, but they need one day to rest.



AIMS Education Foundation - 3rd Grade Life Science

AIMS Education Foundation - 3rd Grade Physical Science

New resources

Received in the CMC today:

Four Square Personal Writing Coach for Grades 7-9

AIMS Education Foundation Earth Systems (Ohio) - Grade 3
Teacher Resource Book and Activities Integrating Math and Science

New children's books

New trade books in the CMC today include:

To Dance: A Memoir - Siena Cherson Siegel
The author describes how she first decided she wanted to be a ballerina at the age of six, and how that dream carried her from her home in Puerto Rico to dance class in Boston to performing with the New York City Ballet, in the form of a graphic novel.



Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything - Lenore Look
After Ruby Lu's deaf cousin, Flying Duck, and her parents come from China to live with her, Ruby finds life challenging as she adjusts to her new family, tries to mend her rocky relationship with her friend Emma, and faces various adventures in summer school.


Banjo Granny - Sarah Martin Busse and Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Baby Owen's grandmother learns that he is wiggly, jiggly, and all-around giggly for bluegrass music, so with her banjo, she travels by curious means to visit and play for him.



The Moon - Robert Louis Stevenson
Pictures of a father and child out in the moonlight illustrate Stevenson's poem from "A Child's Garden of Verses."




Clip-Clop! - Nicola Smee
When Mr. Horse gives a ride to his friends, Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck, they urge him to go faster and faster.

New curriculum materials

New in the CMC today:

The Glencoe Reader (2004) for grades 6-12. We have the teacher editions and the student editions.

New YA Books

Jane Addams: Champion of Democracy - Judith Bloom Fradin
Presents a biography of Jane Addams, suffragist, civil rights activist, and founder of Hull House in the slums of Chicago that draws from hundreds of historical documents and contains archival photographs of her life and activities.

Beowulf - Michael Morpurgo
A retelling in prose of the Anglo-Saxon epic about the heroic efforts of Beowulf, son of Edgetheow, to save the people of Heorot hall from the terrible monster, Grendel.

The Kin - Peter Dickinson
Suth and five other children may be all that's left of their Kin - the Moonhawks. Told in four parts, the story follows Suth, the oldest, as he leads this small group even though he is not yet a man; Noli, who can sense danger and sometimes even see the future; Ko, the young, impulsive boy determined to be a hero; and Mana, whose strong heart is always in search of peace - for the Kin and herself.

The Loud Silence of Francine Green - Karen Cushman
In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.

My Name Is Sally Little Song - Brenda Woods
When their owner plans to sell one of them in 1802, twelve-year-old Sally and her family run away from their Georgia plantation to look for both freedom from slavery and a home in Florida with the Seminole Indians.




Street Love - Walter Dean Myers
This story told in free verse is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.

New picture books

New picture books in the CMC today:

Our 50 States - Lynne Cheney
Each of the fifty states is represented by important people, ideas, and events in the history of the United States.




Merry UnChristmas - Mike Reiss
For Noelle and her friends Holly, Carol, and Claus, the most wonderful day of the year is Un-Christmas. It's the only day of the year that they actually go to school. And the mail gets delivered. But the best thing about Un-Christmas Day is that they don't have to open any presents!


Ballet of the Elephants - Leda Schubert
The story of how "Circus polka," a dance of 50 elephants and 50 ballerinas, choreographed by George Balanchine, was created.

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses - Jan Brett
Fritz, a pony excluded from the group of beautiful horses within the walled city, becomes a hero when he rescues the children of the city.

Probuditi! - Chris Van Allsburg
On his birthday, Calvin and his friend Rodney see a magician perform, then copy him by hypnotizing Calvin's little sister, but the joke is on them when they are unable to snap her out of it.

How Nearly Everything Was Invented - Lisa Swerling
An amazing journey with the Brainwaves to discover everything about the important inventions that have changed the way people live.

Once Upon a Banana - Jennifer Armstrong
Everyday signs serve as captions for this pictorial tale of what happens after a man tosses a banana peel into the garbage can and misses.

Today's new books

New in the CMC today:

From the Check It Out! series of science-related books for young readers:

Materials - Clint Twist
Find out how materials are alike and different, the places they come from, and the many ways we use them every day.





Light and Sound - Clint Twist
Examines facts about different kinds of energy.






Electricity - Clint Twist
Learn all the ways that electricity is used today.






The Somebodies - N.E. Bode
Continuing her magical adventures, Fern travels with Howard to an underground city to save the Anybodies from the horrible Blue Queen, who sucks the souls out of books.

Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself - Kris Bordessa
Introduction to U.S. history of the Colonial period, with projects to help readers in their understanding.

Dairy Queen: A Novel - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.

Incantation - Alice Hoffman
During the Spanish Inquisition, sixteen-year-old Estrella, brought up a Catholic, discovers her family's true Jewish identity, and when their secret is betrayed by Estrella's best friend, the consequences are tragic.

Enna Burning - Shannon Hale
Enna hopes that her new knowledge of how to wield fire will help protect her good friend Isi--the Princess Anidori--and all of Bayern against their enemies, but the need to burn is uncontrollable and puts Enna and her loved ones in grave danger. Enna and Princess Isi became fast friends in The Goose Girl, but after Isi married Prince Geric, Enna returned to the forest. Enna's simple life changes forever when she learns to wield fire and burn anything at will. Enna is convinced that she can use her ability for good-to fight Tira, the kingdom threatening the Bayern borders-and goes on secret raids to set fire to the Tiran camps and villages. But as the power of the fire grows stronger, she is less able to control her need to burn. In her recklessness she is captured by the Tiran army and held captive by a handsome, manipulative young captain who drugs her to keep her under his influence.

The Green Glass Sea - Ellen Klages
It is 1943, and 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is traveling west on a train to live with her scientist father--but no one will tell her exactly where he is. When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, she learns why: he's working on a top secret government program.

The Braid - Helen Frost
Two Scottish sisters, living on the western island of Barra in the 1850s, relate, in alternate voices and linked narrative poems, their experiences after their family is forcible evicted and separated with one sister accompanying their parents and younger siblings to Cape Breton, Canada, and the other staying behind with other family on the small island of Mingulay.

And, two more books for the Big Book collection:

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? - Martin Waddell
When bedtime comes Little Bear is afraid of the dark, until Big Bear brings him lights and love.

Polar Bear, Polar, What Do You Hear? - Bill Martin
Zoo animals from polar bear to walrus make their distinctive sounds for each other, while children imitate the sounds for the zookeeper.

New materials

New in the CMC today:

Houghton Mifflin Reading, Grades 1-6 (student editions only)

VeggieTunes CD - songs from the video series

New book

New in the CMC today is the first of a number of new titles that we will be adding to the Big Book collection over the coming weeks:

The Napping House - Audrey Wood

In this cumulative tale, a wakeful flea atop a number of sleeping creatures causes a commotion, with just one bite.

January Newsletter

Happy New Year! The January CMC newsletter is now available online.

More new books

The Night Before Christmas - Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Gennady Spirin







The Boy Who Ate Stars - Kochka
Upon moving to a new apartment, twelve-year-old Lucy befriends an autistic boy who lives upstairs and, along with her friend Theo and a pampered pooch, takes Matthew on neighborhood adventures hoping to open him up to the world around them.

Thumb on a Diamond - Ken Roberts
The kids from New Auckland are dying to see something outside of their little villiage. Then, Thumb come up with a plan to form a baseball team so the kids can go to the big tournament in Vancouver, but there are a few problems with their plan. There is no grass in New Auckland, no baseball diamond and no place large enough to put one. Also, none of the kids have ever played baseball before.

Cyrano - Geraldine McCaughrean
Ashamed of his ugliness, long-nosed Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant seventeenth-century poet and expert swordsman in the French army, helps a rival woo and win Roxane, the beautiful cousin Cyrano loves in silence.

Emily's Balloon - Komako Sakai
A little girl's new friend is round, lighter than air, and looks like the moon at night.

Regards to the Man in the Moon - Ezra Jack Keats
With the help of his imagination, his parents, and a few scraps of junk, Louie and his friends travel through space.

Tree Ring Circus - Adam Rex
In this cumulative tale, a tree becomes a hiding place for various animals, a runaway circus clown, and even an elephant.

Hardworking Puppies - Lynn Reiser
One by one, ten energetic puppies find important jobs as dogs who help people in different ways, including by pulling sleds and saving swimmers.

Playing it Cool - Joaquin Dorfman
While tracking down the long-lost father of his best friend Jeremy, popular eighteen-year-old Sebastian calls on a network of favors and debts and begins to question his way of life.

Letters to My Mother - Teresa Cardenas
A young African-Cuban girl is sent to live with her aunt and cousins after the death of her mother and begins to write letters to her deceased mother telling of the misery, racial prejudice, and mistreatment at the hands of those around her.

Mind-Bending Math & Science Activities for Gifted Students - Rosemary Callard-Szulgit

New books

New in the CMC today:

Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin - Gene Barretta






Zoo-Looking - Mem Fox
While Flora visits the zoo with her father, not only does she look at the animals but some of them turn to look at her.

The Adventures of Marco Polo - Russell Freedman

Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea - Chris Buttterworth
Readers will discover the secrets of the endangered sea horse, one of nature's most mysterious fish, through clear, engaging text and intricate engravings by the award winning illustrator of This Little Chick.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Valeri Gorbachev

Looking for a Moose - Phyllis Root
Four children set off into the woods to find a moose.





The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams - Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Peace Corps - Celeste A. Peters

Force & Motion - Clint Twist

New Science DVDs

The following DVDs from Bill Nye the Science Guy were added to the CMC collection today:

Reptiles
The Science of Music
Volcanoes
Blood and Circulation
Wetlands
Lakes and Ponds
Outer Space
Insects
Dinosaurs
Gravity

New book

Just one new book today -

The Best of Internet Activities

New resources

New in the CMC:

Second-Grade Math: A Month-to-Month Guide - Suzy Ronfeldt

Third-Grade Math: A Month-to-Month Guide - Suzy Ronfeldt

Web Hunts and Virtual Field Trips, Grades 3-5: Projects and Lesson Plans Using the Internet - Deidre Kelly
Includes reproducible work sheets

Web Hunts and Virtual Field Trips, Grades 2-4 - Caryn Dingman
Includes reproducible work sheets

New books

New in the CMC today:

Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements
When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids - Kathryn Slattery

William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim - Gary D. Schmidt
Leaving behind a prosperous life in England, William Bradford and the other Pilgrims traveled on the Mayflower to a strange land in search of religious freedom. There Bradford established a stable colony, trying to be fair to both the colonists and the local Native Americans.

Father and Son: A Nativity Story - Geraldine McCaughrean
A new telling of the Christmas story imagines how Joseph might have felt that first night with his very special son.

Berlioz the Bear - Jan Brett
Berlioz the bear and his fellow musicians are due to play for the town ball when the mule pulling their bandwagon refuses to move.

Snow Is My Favorite and My Best - Lauren Child
When the weatherman predicts snow, Lola absolutely cannot wait.

The Little Match Girl - Jerry Pinkney
The wares of the poor little match girl illuminate her cold world, bringing some beauty to her brief, tragic life.

Gingerbread Baby - Jan Brett
A young boy and his mother bake a gingerbread baby that escapes from their oven and leads a crowd on a chase similar to the one in the familiar tale about a not-so-clever gingerbread man.

The New Girl...and Me - Jacqui Robbins
Two girls, Shakeeta and Mia, become friends when Shakeeta boasts that she has a pet iguana and Mia learns how to help Shakeeta "feel at home" even when she is in school. On her first day of school, who will be her friend?


Big Alaska: Journey Across America's Most Amazing State - Debbie S. Miller
Learn about this spectacular state and its animals.

Deniers of the Holocaust - Ted Gottfried
Explains what the holocaust was and how people today deny that it happened.

Clementina's Cactus - Ezra Jack Keats
After a rainstorm, Clementina and her father discover a surprise in the prickly skin of the cactus that they've watched growing in the desert.

December 2006 Newsletter

The December 2006 CMC Newsletter is now available.

Kevin O'Malley Visits Cedarville

Children's author and illustrator Kevin O'Malley paid a visit to the campus yesterday. He spoke to Dr. Sweigard's class in the CMC about the process of writing and publishing children's books. Following his presentation, the students were invited to attend a reception, where they were able to talk further with Kevin about the writing and publishing process. Special thanks go to Kathy Buck, Xenia Schools Elementary Librarian, who offered to bring Kevin to Cedarville during his week-long visit to the Xenia Schools.