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October 19, 2013 by Travis Jonker

Saturday Night, Feelin’ Alright

October 19, 2013 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

Whenever I hear the first couple seconds of 50 Cent’s In Da Club on a Saturday night, my first instinct is to get up and visit the bookstore to purchase children’s books. Above is my most recent haul – a mix of gap-fills, extra copies, and new high-interesty selections.

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Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

Last year I talked about how the Dork Diaries series was a hot commodity at one of my schools, but heat wasn’t necessarily felt across the district. Here I’m playing catch up, buying another copy of #1 for the school I’m at full time this year.

The One and Only Ivan

What can I say? Students have been requesting more copies.

Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog

The first book in the stick dog series has done well, so I’m expecting a similar fate for this installment.

Doll Bones

I’m kinda stretching the low end of the spectrum with this book at my school, which goes up to fourth grade. But I feel like there are enough fans of creepy to make it fly.

Cool Creations in 35 Pieces

There are certain topics where the popularity seems to be black hole-like in its endlessness. I keep feeding it, but am barely making a dent. Seriously, folks, LEGOS have never been more popular than they are at this second.

Underwater Dogs

It occured to me last year when the whole Boo craze was in full swing that kids really respond to cute. Cute ain’t typically on my radar. See, I’m growing.

The Snatchabook

Satchabook publisher Sourcebooks has been giving it the full court press to build interest in this book, and I have to say their efforts are well placed – it’s a lovely book that will be charming read-aloud crowds for a while.

Discover the Extreme World

A bit o’ high-interest to close things out. Fans of Guinness World Records will be pleased, as this book mirrors the format of that popularity hall of fame series.

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Niki Barnes says

    October 20, 2013 at 11:38 am

    Awesome! That’s my school library! 😉

  2. Owen Gray says

    October 25, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Nice haul. Seems like a silly question, but do you just have the Book Store do a P.O. for you? Any other tips for purchasing local?

    • Travis Jonker says

      October 25, 2013 at 2:35 pm

      In the past, I’ve had a purchase order that I bring to the store and they bill me. Now I have a school purchase card that makes the process a bit smoother.

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