Technical Difficulties

Hey ya'll. I'm having some technical difficulties and haven't been able to blog about the Quote of the Day or the Reading Challenge. I haven't forgotten those who've entered the contest. I'll get back to blogging as soon as I sort out these issues. Happy Reading!

 P.S. I'm finally getting around to reading Jack Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt, this year's Newbery Award Winner. Loving it so far!

P.P.S. What are you reading?

KidLit Quote of the Day #2

Thanks to all who have guessed at yesterday's quote. Today's quote comes from one of my favorite childhood books that I've read to my own children many times.

He was a Real Rabbit at last, at home with the other rabbits. 

If you have a guess, leave the title and author of the book in the comments section. Get an extra entry if you tweet your guess using my handle @wellreadchild or link to this post from your blog. Those who guess correctly by  Saturday 6/30/12 will receive a copy of Cy Montogomery's Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia. 

Good luck, and have fun!

Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter (Review and Giveaway)

Thousands and thousands of years ago, a little boy named Kali was big enough to learn to hunt. After practicing shooting arrows, he sat down to rest and plucked his bow string. From that moment, he discovered a passion for music, and the music was so good that even the stars and mammoths came close to listen. Kali discovered a special talent within himself and used his strengths to become a healer instead of a hunter.

Kali's Song is a beautiful book that celebrates art, finding your own passion, and using that passion to help others. Jeanette Winters' illustrations of cave paintings, mammoths, and Kali happily making music are rendered in acrylic paint, pen and ink, and handmade paper. Their simplicity and color add to the magic and message of the book. This is definitely one I recommend for personal and school libraries.

Would you like your own copy? Go over to this post and guess which famous children's book the quote comes from. Even if someone has already correctly guessed, add your guess in the comments section by Friday 6/30 at midnight. I will randomly draw one winner to receive a copy of Kali's Song.


   

The product links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

KidLit Quote of the Day Contest: Quote 1

Tonight, we read 6 books, and as we were reading, I realized that there are some lines in books that just resonated with me, you know, the lines that make you smile and give you warm fuzzies. So, I thought we would have a bit of fun.

Every night during our summer reading challenge, I'll post a quote from a book my kids and I read before bedtime. You guess the the book and author the quote came from, and you will be entered into a drawing to win a picture book for your family or classroom. The book will come from my personal collection. Sounds like fun, right?



 I'll make the first one a little easy for you.

 "...They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws 'till Max said, 'Be STILL!'" 

Those who guess the title and author right will be entered into the drawing to receive a copy of Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter. Submit your guess by Friday 6/30 at midnight.

At the end of the week, I will do a random drawing from those who guess correctly from each post. I'll announce the winners and will send winners their books.

For extra entries:

• Mention the giveaway on Twitter using my handle @wellreadchild
• Link to the daily contest from your blog and add your link in the comments section. 

That's it! Be sure to check in tomorrow night for tomorrow's quote.

Summer Reading Challenge: Week 2

We've been trapped inside due to a 100+ degree weather here in the DC area, so our evenings this week have been filled with reading. Instead of linking to every book we've read, I'm adding them to the widget in the right column of the blog and just highlighting some of the week's favorites in the posts.

 My little boy is COMPLETELY obsessed with The Monster at the End of this Book. I bought the iPhone app a while back, so he alternates back and forth between the book and the app. I love the interaction he has with the book as I race to read the words before he turns the page.

I also picked up some books at Kohl's last weekend. Their Kohl's Cares Program offers books and stuffed animals at affordable prices. All of the proceeds go to help community initiatives. Kohl's isn't paying me to say this, but I really like the program and how I can pick up a book for $2.50 or $5.00 and sometimes pay $5.00 for a matching stuffed animal. This time, I bought two copies of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  for baby-shower gifts as well as The Very Busy Spider for my kids. I think we've read The Very Busy Spider about 20 times already.

In total, we've read 30 books this week, bringing our total to 70! 230 to go! Our local library has a summer reading program for kids of all ages, where the kids can track their books online and come to the library for prizes when they read a certain number of books. I signed both kids up for that, and we're going in for our first prize this weekend.

As for me, I am reading the most beautifully-written book I've read in quite a while - The Snow Child: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey. This is a retelling of a Russian fairytale. I'm a sucker for retellings of fairy and folk tales, so that was enough to lure me in. But oh my, is it a beautiful, beautiful story of a lonely couple in the 1920's Alaskan wilderness who build a child out of snow. I'm not finished and am purposefully not reading any reviews until I finish, but I am loving it so far.


How is your summer reading going? Anything you or your children absolutely love?

 

The product links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Summer Reading Challenge: Week one recap

It's officially been a week since we started the challenge. I feel like I need some sort of book ticker that can count the books read. Hmmmm...

Anyway, this weekend, we were recovering from various illnesses and had a lot of time to read. I don't have my lists of the books we read handy, so I'll post them in a different post.

I do know that since the last update earlier this week, we've read 25 books, bringing our grand total to 40. 260 to go!

I've also finished two "grown-up" books and have started three more.

We've had so much fun reading. My daughter has decided that she doesn't want to read the same book twice, so she's set on reading every book in the house. It's pretty cool to see her examining book covers and asking me to read the titles, trying to figure out which one she wants us to read together. And it's always interesting to see if the cover and title of the book meet her expectations. I'm in the process of writing some blog posts about titles didn't quite meet them.

Okay, so this week I want to continue reading about five picture books a night with the daughter, have a short individual reading session with my son every night and read something for myself every night.

What are your reading goals for
the week? How many books are you reading this summer?

Summer Reading Challenge - Days 1-4

I'm so excited that some of you have joined the summer reading challenge! Our challenge thus far started on Friday.

My goals include:

• Read 300 picture books or easy readers with my 5-year-old by September 4th 
• Read with my 2-year-old every night 
• Read something for myself every night. This is a tough one because I'm pooped by the time I get the kids to bed, but I've neglected my personal reading for a while. 

So, here's how it's gone so far:
Since Friday, my daughter and I have read 15 books. We normally average about five books a night, but we had a super busy weekend and didn't read as much on Saturday and Sunday.

1. The Cloud Spinner by Michael Catchpool
2. Dear Tyrannosaurus Rex by Lisa McClatchy
3. Potty Poo-Poo Wee-Wee! by Colin McNaughton
4. Machines Go To Work by William Low 
5. Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
6. Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems
7. I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems 
8. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressedby Mo Willems (We are fans of Mo) 
9. Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problemby Chris Monroe
10. The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin
11. The Cajun Cornbread Boy by Diane de las Casas
12. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
13. What Dat? The Great Big Ugly Doll Book of Things to Look at, Search for, Point to, and Wonder About by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim
14. Scholastic Discover More: See Me Grow by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris
15. Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasonsby Il Sung Na 

285 to go!

My son and I have also read every night. He normally listens while I read with my daughter, but I'm making sure to give him his own special reading time as well. Here are some of his favorites:

1. Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs? by Karen Katz
2. Baby Lamb Finds a Friend by Laura Gates Galvin
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

It is so fun to watch him grow and learn to love books. He actually loves to read to my daughter and has many of the words memorized. So adorable.

As for me, I'm reading the following books:

1. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. 
2. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy 

So, that's today's update. What have you been reading? Feel free to leave your links in Mister Linky or comment below!

The product links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Summer Reading Challenge: Quest to 300

My little chica will be starting Kindergarten in September. We attended the Kindergarten Open House at her school a couple of weeks ago where they passed out a list of reading recommendations for the summer. I'm still a little in shock how quickly the little baby in my arms grew into a sassy and spirited five year who walked into the school like she owned the place.  When I told her she had to read five books by the end of summer, she scoffed and said we would read 300.

I'm always up for a challenge, so this past Friday, we started our quest to read 300 books together by September 3. We're talking about picture books and easy readers here because she's five, and we haven't been very successful with chapter books thus far.

I'm using this blog to keep track of the challenge. If you'd like to join in, please feel free to leave a comment. I'll attempt to post daily.

Happy reading!

 

Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, illustrations by John Parra

A bookmobile frequently visited the little valley where I spent the first five years of my life. The closest "real" library was a good half hour across a mountain full of twists and turns, so the to the bookmobile was such a treat. I still remember stepping into the bookmobile, inhaling the smell of books and looking at shelves packed with books. I'd check some out and have my mom read them to me over and over until the next time the bookmobile pulled into the valley, and I could exchange them for more.

Monica Brown's Waiting for the Biblioburro takes readers to a place far more remote than my little valley. Ana, a young girl, lives in a small village in Colombia. Because she only owns one book, she makes up her own stories and tells them to her brother. She has a beautiful imagination but longs for more books. Her wish comes true one morning when she sees a man ride into the village with two donkeys, one holding a sign that reads "Biblioburro." As children gather round the man and his donkeys, named Alfa and Beto, he tells them stories and allows them to check out some books that he's carrying on his donkey. While Ana is awaiting his return, she reads the books over and over again and is inspired to write her own story to share with children in other villages.

Waiting for the Biblioburro is based on the real-life story of Luis Soriano, a librarian who travels throughout Colombia and brings books and the gift of literacy to children living in the villages and mountains. The story itself is simple and heartwarming and illustrates the impact one person can have not only like a child like Ana but an entire village and country. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the story, and a pronunciation guide and glossary are in the back.

John Parra's brilliant folk-like illustrations give the story a sort of magical feel and offer glimpses of a simple, yet rich culture. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of book go to Luis Soriano's BiblioBurro program.

 Publisher: Tricycle Press (August 9, 2011) |  ISBN-10: 1582463530 | ISBN-13: 978-1582463537 | Source: Review copy from publisher


The product links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Happy New Year! I'm super excited about the new books 2012 will bring, and when looking back on my favorites of 2011, Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life stands at the top of the pack. I'm always eager to get my hands on Zarr's new books as soon as I can because her fiction offers a raw and realistic look at humanity that draws me in from the very first line. I read How to Save a Life in one sitting, staying up late into the morning.

Jill MacSweeny is grieving over the sudden death of her father, the parent she most identified with and felt closest to. She's effectively shut out all of her friends, her boyfriend, and her mother who is also grief stricken.  When Jill's mother decides to adopt a baby, Jill can't help but feeling that her mom is trying to replace her dad with a new baby.

Mandy has grown up in a world completely different than Jill's. Her mother has gone from man to man, in search of the one that will take care of her, making Mandy feel unwanted and like a burden for her entire life. When Mandy ends up pregnant, she is sure of one thing - she must give her baby a better life and seeks out a family who will adopt the newborn.

When Mandy comes to live with the MacSweenys until the baby is born, it's heartbreaking, yet sometimes humorous. While Mandy is getting accustomed to living in a wealthy home and eating "chewy" bread forced on her by Jill's health-conscious mother, Jill teases her for her naivety and is less than welcoming. But as time progresses, they all learn how to deal with grief and change and come to understand the true meaning of family.

Sara Zarr expertly weaves a beautiful story together with the alternating voices of Jill and Mandy. The pain they're both experiencing is raw and heart wrenching. Jill works at a bookstore, and that's the only place where she can be herself:

The sad fact about me and work is that I'm my best self when I'm here. I can be human to strangers and coworkers, just not to the people who actually care about me. Pg. 81

When the baby's birth is getting closer, Mandy finds herself having to make a courageous decision:

All my life the only reliable person, the one I could count on, the one who hasn't abandoned me, is me. What I can't figure out is what staying means and what leaving means. If I stay, it means I'm willing to abandon my daughter. If I leave, I think maybe I'm abandoning myself. And that's one thing that, through all of this, I've never done. Page 294.

 In the end, Mandy realizes she can't make her decision alone, and a tiny baby brings them all together in a way they never expected.

This is a powerful story that I highly recommend.

Reading Level: Young Adult | ISBN: 978-0316036061 | Source: Bought personal copy

Author's Website: http://www.sarazarr.com/

Buy this book! 

• IndieBound
• Amazon
• Kindle
• Barnes & Noble 

The product links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals by Catherine D. Hughes

My little girl is going into her third month of Pre-K, and she's having soooo much fun. I think I was more excited than her when she brought home her first Scholastic Book order form. I let her pick out two books, and her first choice was National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals. Since it arrived a few weeks ago, we've read it cover to cover at least three times. She also used it as last week's book report in Tae Kwon Do.

Because it's a NatGeo book, there is naturally amazing photography of all types of animals, but what makes the book stand out is its child-friendly format and content. I've seen TONS of non-fiction for kids that is packed with big words and tons of details, but this one presents information in easily digestible chunks and the author chose facts that seem to be naturally interesting for young children. The book is organized into different habitats with spreads of the types of animals that live in those habitats. The book is oversized (10x10), so there is plenty of real estate for fun facts. Each spread contains a call-out box with quick facts such where the animal is from, what it eats, and how many babies it normally has at once. The pictures also have captions and call-outs with fun facts. There are also typically a couple of paragraphs that provide more detail.

I tend to prefer non-fiction that tells more of a story or narrative, but this is a great choice for a quick reference. I can see it being used across the curriculum for language arts, geography, and science. This would even be good in math and technology classes.

4-Year-Old's Review:

"I like this book because it has a red-eye tree frog. The red-eye tree frog has red eyes all of the time, but that doesn't mean he's sad. It lays its eggs on a leaf, and they look like fish when they hatch. And I like all of the pictures, especially the one of the giraffe drinking water. Next time I go to a pond, I'm going to try to drink like that if the water isn't green."

ISBN: 978-1426307041 | Publisher: National Geographic, 2010 | Source: Purchased copy

The links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann

Sometimes I'll see a picture book, and without even opening it, will know that I'll love it. That's what happened with Eric Rohmann's Bone Dog. The cover shows a boy in a skeleton costume with his arm around a skeleton dog. They are sitting on the grass, their backs toward the reader, the skeleton dog wagging his bony tail. Something about that tender moment between a boy and his dog tugged at my heart a bit, and of course, the idea of a boy and a bone dog was intriguing.

I'm a fan of Eric Rohmann. I think he's a fantastic storyteller and artist, so I had high expectations for the book. I was surprised when the story exceeded my expectations. I absolutely loved it.

The plot begins with Ella (a furry brown dog) and Gus (the young boy on the counter) playing. One night, under a full moon, Ella tells Gus that she's old and won't be around much longer but promises that she will always be with him (pretty sad, huh?) Then she seals the deal by saying, "A promise under a full moon cannot be broken." Then the story cuts to a time when Ella is no longer around, and Gus seems to be moving through the motions of life and forcing himself to do things like leaving the house and doing chores even though he doesn't really want to. On Halloween, he doesn't even want to go trick or treating, but he pulls on his skeleton costume and goes anyway. On his way home from trick or treating, Gus meets up with some spooky skeletons in a graveyard, and Ella's fulfills her promise and comes to Gus's rescue.

This book is bittersweet, a bit spooky, and funny all at the same time. And the illustrations are superb and full of emotion. But above all, in just a few pages, Eric Rohmann is able to capture the love between a boy and a dog and tell an exciting story.

It's not often that I experience such a range of emotion in a children's book. Highly recommended.

I nominated this book for the picture book category for the 2011 Cybils. Head on over and vote for your favorite children's and YA books published between October 16, 2010 and October 15, 2011.
Nominations close at midnight (Pacific time) on October 15, 2011.

Publisher: Roaring Book Press, July 2011 | ISBN: 978-1596431508 | Source: Advanced Reader's Edition from Publisher

The links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

School for Bandits by Hannah Shaw

My four-year-old often tells me, "It's really hard to be good all day." Ralph the Racoon has a different problem. He is so "disturbingly" well behaved and "shockingly polite" that his parents are extremely worried. They decide to send him to bandit school where he will hopefully learn to be a bad bandit like his Grandpa Cutlass and Uncle Whiskers. Poor Ralph does poorly in school from the very first day. When the teacher Mrs. Mischief presents the first lesson on unpleasant behavior, Ralph says "pardon me" on the instruction to burp, causing the other students to laugh at him. The rest of the term didn't get much better at all, and when it's time for school vacation, Mrs. Mischief hands out loot bags telling the students that the racoon who fills his or her bag with the most loot will win the Best Bandit in School competition. It looks hopeless for Ralph until his natural good behavior surprisingly earns him a lot of loot.

Hannah Shaw's School for Bandits is full of wit. My four-year-old just started Pre-K and is learning about school rules, so she thinks it's pretty hilarious when the teacher tells the class to burp. Shaw's quirky illustrations, rendered in pen and ink, printmaking techniques, and Photoshop, are full of detail and provide many opportunites for laughter.  The twist at the end is a clever way to show that good manners aren't so bad at all. This is a great choice for a funny, read aloud.

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | ISBN:  978-0375867682 | Source: Review copy from publisher

The links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Library Finds: Seashells!

I'm always finding surprises in drawers, boxes, and closets that my little four-year old explorer finds on our nature walks - pine cones, leaves, rocks, flowers, etc.

Her latest fascination is seashells, so we stopped by the library to find photo books of shells. Here are our two favorites.

The World's Most Beautiful Seashells  by Leonard C. Hill, photography by James H. Carmichael (ISBN: 978-1884942037)

This is our favorite. The book contains more than 300 stunning photographs of rare and beautiful seashells. The text is a high level, but we really got the book for the pictures.

Seashells: Jewels from the Ocean by Budd Titlow (ISBN: 978-0760325933)

This is also a great find. The book features tons of different types of shells, and most of the captions for each photo are just the right length for young readers.













The links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Back to School Books

We had a super busy summer, and I stayed true to my promise of spending more time with the kids and family and less time on the computer. I also stayed true to my Book A Day pledge and read with my kids every day. My little daughter, who was just seven months old when I started this blog, is starting Pre-K next week, and she is so excited she can hardly stand it. I, on the other hand, am probably like most parents when their kids go to school for the first time - proud of the little girl she's become but also a little tearful because she seems to be growing up so quickly. She is SO eager to learn how to read. We've been practicing letters and sounds, and I keep telling her that it takes time and that she's still very young. A part of me is super excited to see her reading books, and another part is secretly hoping that she'll still want me to read to her when the time comes. It's become such a routine that I think she will. She's only 4 1/2, so there's time before she starts to read independently.

The little dude is 19-months-old now and has started developing a real interest in books. He's starting to name the objects he sees in books and brings me books to read to him. Our reading sessions last about 10 minutes before he gets restless, and it's definitely fun to see him show an interest and get excited when he sees something he can name.

Now that school's almost here, my daughter has asked me to find books for her about kids starting school. We have a few that she loves (Splat! The Cat is one of her favorites), but the books we've found so go something like this:

Kid is nervous about going to school. Kid goes to school and discovers that it's a wonderful place. Kid can't wait to go back the next day.

Until we read some of these, my daughter didn't even think about being nervous. Do any of you have recommendations for books in a school setting where the kid is happy and excited about being back to school?

Thanks, and I hope everyone has a very happy school year!

If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk

Alphabet books are a dime a dozen, but once in a while, I come across truly unique alphabet books, and Leslie McGuirk's If Rocks Could Sing is one of them.

The book is a collection of "found rocks" that just happen to look like letters and other things like ghosts, toast, a nose, and more. The book goes through each letter of the alphabet featuring a rock in the shape of that letter along with an object or concept that illustrates the letter.

For example, T is for toast. 

The rock really looks like a delicious slice of toast.

Some are a little more abstract. For instance O stands for "Ouch" and the rock on that page looks like it's wincing in pain.

G is for "Ghost," and it features a spread full of eerie looking rocks that really do resemble floating ghosts.

Check out N:

Seriously cute, right? What I really love about this book the most is the creativity it inspires. My daughter loves rocks, and on our daily walks, she hunts rocks and points out the things she sees. This is a truly unique book that is definitely worth checking out.  

Reading level: Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Tricycle Press (May 24, 2011) | ISBN-13: 978-1582463704 | Source: Review copy from publisher


Images from If Rocks Could Sing by Leslie McGuirk, copyright © 2011 by Leslie McGuirk. Reprinted by permission of Tricycle Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Third Annual Book-A-Day Challenge

Donalyn Miller, aka, The Book Whisperer is hosting her third annual Book-A-Day challenge. (Thanks to Jen Robinson for tweeting about it and raising my awareness of the challenge.) You can read all about here, but the idea is pretty simple. Read one book every day during the summer. You pick the start and end date, and all books and genres count - picture books, nonfiction books, etc.

My kids aren't in school yet, but I have definitely noticed that during the summer, reading with my kids every day gets more challenging since we are busier with more outdoor activities. So my goal is to read at least one book a day with my kids, and if we read more, that's great!

Tonight was our first night, and we immersed ourselves in Rob Scotton's Splish, Splash, Splat! . We've been Splat the Cat fans for quite a while, and in this book, Splat comes face to face with his fear of the water as well as the dreadful Spike who steals all of his toys.

The illustrations are amazing as always, and the storytelling is engaging and charming. Highly recommended.

Interview at Children's Books and Reviews

Aaron Mead, who blogs at Children's Books and Reviews, recently interviewed me about The Well-Read Child and my thoughts on reading and children's literature. It was really fun to be the interviewee and answer his thought-provoking questions.

If you haven't checked out Children's Books and Reviews, take a minute to explore the site. Not only does Aaron feature interviews with children's literature bloggers, but he helps adults find great books for kids. I particularly enjoyed reading his "How to Choose Children's Books" series.

A big thanks to Aaron for the opportunity!

When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

When a little boy builds a sandcastle at the beach, an impressive fire-breathing dragon moves in. At first, it's pretty cool to have a dragon living in your sandcastle. He does things like scare away the beach bullies and roast marshmallows. But when no one but the boy believes a dragon moved in, the dragon gets a little more mischievous and claws the brownies and eats all of the sandwiches. Soon, the entire family, including the boy have had enough of the dragon.

This is a super cute book that celebrates the imagination. My daughter has asked me to read it to her many times and never fails to laugh at all of the mischief the dragon and little boy get into. Because the story never directly tells you whether or not the boy is imagining the dragon, she always asks, "Is the dragon real? Or is the boy making it up?"

The illustrations really steal the show though. Howard McWilliam brings the story to life, from the vivid images of the beach setting to the expressive faces of the characters. Check out the publisher's website to see some of the excellent illustrations. They certainly inspire my daughter and I to go the beach and see if a dragon moves into our sandcastle.

I highly recommend this book for a fun, engaging read.


Reading level: Ages 4-8  | Publisher: Flashlight Press (May 1, 2011) | ISBN-13: 978-0979974670 | Source: Review copy from publisher

The links in this post are affiliate links. With every purchase you make through clicking on these links, you are helping support The Well-Read Child.

Guys Lit Wire Book Fair

I just learned of this awesome book fair Guys Lit Wire is holding for Ballou Senior High School in Washington, D.C. When the fair was announced on May 1, the school library only 1,185 books for a student population of 1,200.

Check out the full details about the book fair here, but the gist is simple. Guys Lit Wire has teamed up with Powell's books. Those wishing to donate can choose from a wishlist of over 900 books and send them to the school. Here are some instructions from Guys Lit Wire that will ensure your books are going to the right place:
According to Guys Lit Wire,

Once you have made your selections head to “checkout” and you will be prompted to inform Powells if the books were indeed bought from the wishlist. This lets the store know to mark them as “purchased” on the list. After that you need to provide your credit card info and also fill in the shipping address. Here is where the books are going to:

Melissa Jackson, LIBRARIAN
Ballou Senior High School
3401 Fourth Street SE
Washington DC 20032
(202) 645-3400

As of yesterday evening, 500 books had already been purchased. I'm heading over now and buying some books for this very worthy cause. I hope you'll consider doing so as well.