Books Set in Hawaii

Enjoying reading about Hawaii in Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet? I have always wanted to visit the beautiful islands of Hawaii and some day I'm sure I'll get there! In the meantime here are a few more books I plan to read to keep me in the island frame of mind...

City of Fire by Lawrence Yep (City Trilogy #1)

Twelve-year-old Scirye and her companions travel to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island created by magic, where they enlist the help of volcano goddess Pele in an attempt to stop an evil dragon and a mysterious man from altering the universe.






The Million Dollar Putt by Dan Gutman

Assisted by his neighbor, Birdie, blind thirteen-year-old Ed "Bogie" Bogard will win one million dollars if he can sink a ten-foot putt in Hawaii's fifth annual Angus Killick Memorial Tournament.







High Tide in Hawaii by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #28)

Jack and Annie travel in their Magic Tree House back to an Hawaiian island of long ago where they make friends, learn how to surf, and encounter a tsunami.






Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury

Tomikazu Nakaji's biggest concerns are baseball, homework, and a local bully, until life with his Japanese family in Hawaii changes drastically after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Author Graham Salisbury

The author of our April book, Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet, is Graham Salisbury. Find out more about him at his website. And read more books about Calvin!

Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix

Calvin tries to earn money to buy Stella, the babysitter, a present for her sixteenth birthday because he feels guilty for taking advantage of her allergy to cats.







Calvin Coconut: Dog Heaven

When his teacher asks him to write a persuasive argument about something he really wants, fourth-grader Calvin creates a unique way to express his desire for a dog.






Calvin Coconut: Zoo Breath

When Calvin gets a school assignment to do some original research, he decides to investigate his dog's stinky breath and ends up learning about more than just smells.







Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii

When a hurricane causes the river near his Hawaiian home to flood, a boy named Calvin Coconut makes a daring rescue.







Calvin Coconut: Kung Fooey

Fourth-grader Cal learns a lot about teasing and standing up for others when a weird new student joins his class, while Stella, the tenth-grader who lives with Cal's family to help his mother, practices for her driving test.






Calvin Coconut: Man Trip

Calvin Coconut and his mom’s boyfriend, Ledward, are good buddies. When Ledward wins some plane tickets, he invites Calvin to fly to Hawaii, the Big Island, for a day of deep-sea fishing. A day full of adventure, fishermen, fish tales, and the lure of the sea opens Calvin’s eyes to some important ideas about respecting nature.

April Book Selection

The April book selection is Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury. We will meet to discuss the book on Monday, April 9th @ 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room. We are always happy to have new members join the book club. To sign up visit the Children's Desk, call 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email cantonio@newportlibraryri.org.

Copies of the book are available at the Children's Desk.

Nine-year-old Calvin catches the attention of the school bully on the day before he starts fourth grade, while at home, the unfriendly, fifteen-year-old daughter of his mother's best friend has taken over his room.

March Meeting Wrap-Up

The Book Buddies Book Club met yesterday afternoon to discuss our March book, Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. We had a terrific discussion followed by a very fun cattle drive game!

We talked a lot about the character of Emily Wiggins how much she changed both physically and emotionally over the course of the story. She became a much stronger person and much more adventurous. We thought that Jackson was integral to her development as a person and that her journey to Redbud would not have been as successful without his help.

As expected, nobody liked Uncle Victor and we were all very happy to see his scheme to take over Emily's inheritance foiled at the end. We were also very happy that Jackson got to stay with Aunt Hilda at the end of the story.

While it was very interesting to read about pioneer times, we all agreed that it's not a time period we'd be particularly anxious to live in. We thought it would be very difficult to adjust to not having the modern conveniences we are all so used to today.

Overall we all really liked the story and look forward to reading more from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor!

Following our discussion we made and played a very fun cattle drive game. We all thought of the many things both positive and negative that could happen during a cattle drive across the prairie. By adding and subtracting beans (representing cattle) for good things and bad we played the game. The winner was the player with the most beans (cattle) left over after all the cards were drawn. This terrific game came from the wonderful book, Westward Ho!: An Activity Guide to the Wild West by Laurie Carlson.

It was another terrific meeting and I look forward to seeing everyone back in April!

Rhode Island Children's Book Award Winner!

The winner of the 2012 Rhode Island Children's Book Award has been announced! And the winner, with 1, 213 votes is.... The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger!

Coming in second place with 730 votes is Pop: The Invention of Bubblegum by Meghan McCarthy and in third place with 675 votes is Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst.

There were 6,954 total votes from 73 schools and 1 public library.

Learning About Pioneers

If Emily's Fortune has you interested in learning more about Pioneers and life in the Wild West, here are a few terrific books you can borrow from the library...

Don't Know Much About the Pioneers by Kenneth C. Davis j978.02 Dav (j978.02 Dav)
Explores the hardships faced by American pioneers, both on the trail and in frontier towns.








Welcome to Kirsten's World, 1854: Growing Up in Pioneer America by Susan Sinnott (American Girl collection, j978 Sin)
Presents a look at daily life in pioneer America during the 1850s by following a family that emigrates from Sweden to Minnesota.





Westward, Ho! by Darren Sechrist (Graphic j978.02 Sec)
A graphic novel account of the expansion of America from from 1800 to 1860.










Skillet Bread, Sourdough, and Vinegar Pie: Cooking in Pioneer Days by Loretta Frances Ichord (j641.5 Ich)
Presents a look at what was eaten in the American West by pioneers on the trail, cowboys on cattle drives, and gold miners in California camps, with available ingredients, cooking methods, and equipment.

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Book Buddies Book Club will meet this coming Monday, March 12th @ 3:30pm in the John Clarke Children's Program Room to discuss our March book, Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Registration is required - to register contact the Children's Desk at 401-847-8720 ext. 204 or email cantonio@newportlibraryri.org.

Hope to see you there!

Emily and Alice

Kids Reads has a terrific interview with Phyllis Reynolds Naylor about Emily's Fortune. Read on to find out all about how she wrote Emily's Fortune and her life as a famous author.

One of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's most popular series is her 28-book Alice series about plucky Alice McKinley. Alice has her very own website with lots of interesting facts about the books and about the author. This is also a great place to visit if you are wanting to read the books in order (it can be hard to keep track with 28 books!)