Literature Awards for 2010

The American Library Association has recently released its 2010 award winners. If you are looking for suggestions on what to read next, try one of these.


John Newbery Medal recognizes the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

Four Newbery Honor Books:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Randolph Caldecott Medal recognizes the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.

Robert F. Sibert Medal recognizes the most distinguished informational book for children.

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

Profiles thirteen women who challenged social norms and government policies to prove they could be exceptional astronauts.

For more information about these books and others that were award winners, check out our Book Ideas page on the Prairie Web site.

We're Back!

After a bit of a hiatus, we are back and ready to talk books and technology. First, though, I need to let you know about our new look on the Web. Prairie, along with three other schools in the district, are the first to unveil the new Barrington220 Web site. We hope that this new look will make it easier to follow our news and find the resources needed for projects, research, and events. Our blog link will be located on the LMC News page. Please add your comments so we know what you think of our new site, our tips and the books we share.

Anne Frank Video

This video is from the Anne Frank Museum and is believed to be the only film image of Anne Frank. It was taken before she went into hiding.

Google Query

Google allows users to send a search query via their phone to 466453. You will receive a text message reply with the query results. Go ahead and try it - text "cubs" to 466453 and you will receive back the latest game score results. Standard text message rates apply.

Get a Voki now!

Summer Reading

Summer is approaching which means we have more free time to spend reading. Please check our Middle Schools' Summer Reading Suggestions wiki. You can find this link on our library homepage.

Mrs. Woods and I are signing off for the summer. Be sure to check on the Prairie Picks blog when you return to school in August. Enjoy your vacation!

Fun with Wordle

Try your hand at creating a word collage using Wordle @ www.wordle.net. Watch out, it's addictive! You provide the text and wordle will create the cloud.

Show what is important to you. Either paste in text on a topic that interests you or provide a URL to a Web site you like. Press "Go" and presto, you have created a word cloud. Tailor your cloud to your own tastes by changing the layout, color and font. Words that are used more frequently are more prominent in the cloud.

What a great site to use for an end of year project! Imagine creating a word cloud that represents what is important to a character you have read about or studied. Word clouds could represent a biome you may be studying in science. Think of how you could use this in your own life to express your individuality. Create collages for a bulletin board in your room. The uses are endless.