The recent Christmas Day PlayStation Network and Xbox Live network outages caused headaches for people hoping to connect and play games. But one Florida teenager thought the downtime was enough of a problem to call 911 to see if authorities could do anything about it.
WPTV reports that a teenager from Palm Beach County called 911 dispatch, asking about the outages: “I was wondering, do you guys know anything about that?”
The dispatcher told the caller to check in with platforms holders instead. Authorities went on to tell the young man, “Last time I checked, that wasn’t an emergency. Try going outside or read a book.”
The Read Naturally program allows students to work independently at their own level.
Former second grade teacher Colleen Zimmerman has started the Read Naturally volunteer program for first through third graders at West Side Elementary. The program, funded by Richland Pump and Supply, combines fluency, vocabulary and comprehension and gives kids a sense of self-confidence as they can visibly chart their results and see their progress. The small groups of students work independently, following the steps of the program and spend their time interested and focused on their reading. Working independently also allows readers of varying levels to participate at the same time.
There are currently 35 students who come to the Read Naturally program which is in addition to their regular classroom reading. Students participate during their daily intervention time, time allotted to challenge kids at whatever learning level they’re at. They begin with a Cold Read: students are timed for one minute as they read aloud a story they’re unfamiliar with and then chart their progress in blue. Then, after listening to the story three times, kids are timed for another minute while they reread the story aloud; this is the Hot Read and they chart their progress on the same graph in red. This method allows students, teachers and volunteers to see each day’s improvement. Worksheets about the story help with students’ comprehension and Zimmerman notes that working one on one with each child allows her to give individualized attention and phonetic tips. Every student is in the program via teacher recommendation and Read Naturally is ideal for anyone with a first through eighth grade reading level allowing kids to advance at their own pace.
“It’s more than just a reading program. I want them to be able to use vocabulary and word recognition in any setting,” says Zimmerman of the benefits.
Read Naturally began in October of 2014 and was piloted in two classrooms one on one with students and soon sparked teachers’ interest as they saw advances. Zimmerman bought the program including CDs, workbooks, cd players and headphones. West Side Elementary donated a room to Zimmerman and students come for about 30 minutes each day from 8 am to noon Monday through Friday. Each student chooses the story they’ll be reading the next day so that worksheets can be printed out in advance and CDs are ready and waiting for them when they walk in the door. Daily volunteers Kay Fulkerson and Marlys Anvik along with weekly volunteers help to make the program possible.
Zimmerman’s goal is to have 50 students in the program and is in the process of purchasing a second set of CDs. There is currently a need for additional volunteers and Zimmerman is grateful for anyone who’s willing to donate their time on any basis. Volunteers often work with the same group of kids giving them the opportunity to see long term advancement and build relationships with the students. Those interested in volunteering or who have additional questions can contact West Side Elementary at 406-433-2530.
When asked why she choose to donate her time and energy, Zimmerman said, “I have a passion for education. The students love coming; they walk in the door ready to learn because they understand that they’ve practiced and they’ve improved and they’re responsible for their progress.”
Teachers are happy with the gains they’ve seen as well.
Colleen Zimmerman works one on one with students helping them develop their reading, comprehension and fluency skills.
“It’s a wonderful program and I’ve seen the kids benefit in their self-confidence, academics and sense of encouragement. As a teacher, having students feel their success is so important. It is bringing self-confidence into the classroom and we’re very grateful for Colleen,” said second grade teacher Sara Romo.
“I have seen them soaring in reading fluency,” first grade teacher Nicole Simonsen said. “Reading fluency transfers into everything; now we’re reading for practice, but most reading will be done for understanding. You can tell she (Zimmerman) is passionate about it and we’re so grateful for her investment of time and to Richland Pump and Supply for donating their resources.”
Zimmerman is encouraged by the confidence and progress she’s seen in students and the interest and support she’s received from teachers and the school. She hopes volunteers from the community will continue to help make the Read Naturally program possible.
If you have a child with a Vancouver library card, there’s a good chance you have taken home a “Wimpy Kid” book in the past couple of years.
Data from the Vancouver Public Library reveals that the nine-book series by Jeff Kinney dominates the lists of most checked-out children’s titles, with “Wimpy Kid” books taking the top two spots for each of the past three years.
At The Vancouver Sun’s request, the VPL provided data on the most popular adult, young adult and children’s books for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
If you’re on a mobile device, please click here to see the chart.
According to the data, adult books typically remain popular for only a short time.
For example, “Death Comes to Pemberley” by P.D. James, the most popular adult book in 2012 with 1,893 total checkouts, didn’t even make the Top 20 in 2013. Similarly, “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling — 2013’s top book with 1,558 checkouts — is nowhere to be found on this year’s Top 20, which is instead topped by Khaled Hosseini’s “And The Mountains Echoed” (1,356 checkouts to date).
In contrast, the data reveals that kids and teens have far more consistent tastes, going back to the same trilogies and book series again and again.
Four of the Top 10 most checked-out children’s books in 2014 were “Wimpy Kid” titles, led by “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck” which was checked out a total of 1,995 times.
And while the exact title has changed from year to year, “Wimpy Kid” books have been the most checked-out kids book, and the second most checked-out, for each of the past three years. And in 2012, the top three books were all “Wimpy Kid” titles.
Julia McKnight, a children’s librarian at VPL, said the “Wimpy Kid” series — written in the style of a middle-school kid’s hand-written diary — seems to really resonate with younger readers.
“I think kids can really put themselves into the story,” she said.
While not nearly as popular as “Wimpy”, Rick Riordan’s “Heroes of Olympus” series and Lincoln Peirce’s “Big Nate” series have also been consistently popular among young library goers, taking several spots among the Top 20 each year.
McKnight said younger readers, more so than adults, seem to gravitate to the familiar when making their reading choices, which helps explain the popularity of book series.
“They develop a familiarity with the setting and they bond with the characters,” she said. “Even when kids get attached to a stand-alone title, they tend to come back to the library saying, ‘Can you give me more like this?’”
Like their younger siblings, teens’ taste in books has also been pretty consistent in recent years, the data shows.
The three books in Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy — “The Hunger Games”, “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” — were the three most checked-out young adult books in both 2012 and 2013.
However, Collins has some competition this year from Veronica Roth, whose book “Allegiant” — the third title in her “Divergent” trilogy — took the top spot with 1,171 total checkouts. The other two titles in Roth’s trilogy, “Divergent” and “Insurgent”, were also in the top five this year.
The data suggests teens’ reading habits are heavily influenced by what is in movie theatres.
The popularity of the Collins’ books roughly coincides with the release of the “Hunger Games” movies beginning in 2012. And the only “Hunger Games” book to remain in the Top 5 this year — “Mockingjay” — is the subject of this year’s movie.
Similarly, Roth’s surging popularity is likely due to the release of the first “Divergent” movie in March.
Aside from Roth and Collins, the data shows that Cassandra Clare’s “Mortal Instruments” series of fantasy novels and Pittacus Lore’s “Lorien Legacies” series of science fiction books have also been consistently popular among teen readers over the past three years.
VPL said it does its best to keep up with demand for popular titles, typically ordering one copy for every six people on the waiting list for a book.
It also keeps a close eye on the condition of its books, as they tend to deteriorate the more times they are checked out.
“The Diary of a Wimpy Kids books get destroyed pretty fast,” said McKnight. “We are constantly having to check those titles for condition and get new copies of them.”
Talk about an unlikely story: A failed cartoonist writes a book for adults that ends up on the CHILDREN’S best-seller list! Unlikely or not, it’s the story our Rita Braver has to tell:
“I think that every family road trip longer of more than about three hours is a nightmare family road trip,” Kinney said of his new book. “I think I got the cover image just right, which is Greg in the way-back of the minivan under a pile of luggage. Every time I show that to kids, they say, ‘That’s me, I’ve been there.'”
“Greg” is Greg Heffley, perpetually stuck in middle school, as he puts it, “with a bunch of morons.” He’s always being embarrassed by his parents, and he’s got two awful brothers: the nasty older one, and the tattle-tale toddler.
Greg is a very nervous, sneaky, fearful and bullied and bullying protagonist.
Braver asked the author, “Why have someone as a main character who’s not the least bit heroic?”
“When I was writing ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ I was actually reading Harry Potter,” said Kinney. “He is brave, he is magical, he is powerful. And I wasn’t any of these things as a kid. So I wanted to create a character who was more like I was.”
“Were you a wimpy kid?”
“I was an average kid, but I had very wimpy moments,” he replied.
Jeff Kinney grew up outside Washington, D.C., dreaming of becoming a cartoonist. He actually created a successful comic strip, called Igdoof, for the University of Maryland’s campus newspaper.
An “Igdoof” strip by Jeff Kinney.
Jeff Kinney
But when he tried to land a cartooning job after graduation:
“I went through about three years of sending out submissions and then getting rejected,” he said, “so it was really kind of soul-crushing.”
He got a day job designing online games. Then on the side, he started writing and illustrating “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
But it wasn’t FOR kids.
“In fact, the first draft was 1,300 pages long,” Kinney said, “and it was meant to be sort of a primer or a nostalgia piece for adults.”
He worked on that draft for eight years.
Braver asked, “Why didn’t you give up?”
“Because I was prolonging the rejection, in a way,” he laughed. “Part of it was, you know, just putting off the inevitable for me.”
“And then he just looked at the first page — he didn’t read anything at all — and he said, ‘This is exactly what we’re looking for, and this is why we’re here,” Kinney recalled. “And then he said, ‘It’s going to be for kids.” And believe it not, that was a huge shocker to me at the time. Never for a second in the eight years I was working on ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ did I think that I was writing for kids.”
But when “The Wimpy Kid” was marketed to a young audience, it took off beyond Kinney’s wildest dreams.
“I’ll never forget when The New York Times list came out, and I had made the list,” Kinney said. “I couldn’t believe it. My wife and I were jumping up and down on the bed, and in fact, it stayed on the list for more than five years straight. I pinch myself every day!”
“It was surprising, it’s still surprising to us,” said Kinney’s wife, Julie. “Every now and then we’re like, ‘How did this happen? Why did it happen? This is nuts!'”
Nuts or not, Julie and their sons, Will and Grant, seem to take it all in stride — even the fact that Jeff has been an executive producer of three films based on the series.
To stay close to his readers, Kinney travels all over the country, turning up at places like Edward Molin School in Newburyport, Mass., where everyone seems to be a fan.
It is hard to find a kid who has not succumbed to the charms of The Wimpy Kid series, so if they need a new book to devour, how about one that features a troll – in middle school! Now don’t worry, I wouldn’t steer you wrong. This is a twisted take on the fairytales that any kid who loves to laugh will enjoy.
Don’t forget to visit my website at www.onegreatbook.com for more books that will satisfy your kid’s book cravings after they have finished Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Title: Life of Zarf
Author:Rob Harrell
Target:Grades 3-7
Series: This is the first book in a planned series
What this book is about: Zarf is a troll who is doing his best to survive middle school. This school is ruled by the princes and princess followed a close second by your knights and fair maidens. Of course your wizards and witches are bit geeky but trolls, well they are on the bottom rung. An incident between Zarf and Prince Roquefort leads to a duel (with nerf lances of course) and it ends up landing Zarf in the dungeons. The only way restore his dignity is to find the king (who has mysteriously disappeared) but Zarf is not exactly the brave and noble type, or is he?
Why I love this book: This book has been described and Shrek meets Wimpy Kid, and an apt description it is. Zarf is appealing and hysterical as he tries to make the best of his rather low social standing. Of course when you have friends such as the jester’s son, who can’t tell a joke to save his life and the little pig who can’t get enough mutton, well the laughs keep coming. I can’t imagine a kid not giggling through this one.
You also have to read this book if you want to know the fate of Goldilocks! Can anyone say lunch lady?
Who this book is for: Kids who like Wimpy Kid will eat this one up. Large type, appropriate content and pictures throughout make this book suitable for younger readers as well as middle school kids.
Final thoughts: I love the fairytale twist to this story, but with ogres and dragons, don’t worry, this isn’t Cinderella!
I am a mom of three with a passion for literature! No matter what book series our kids devour, as they come to an end, we as parents ask the inevitable question – what is next? I am ever on the job, trying to answer that question. I try to do it with a variety of books. Some are silly, some true to life, some pure fantasy, but in the end I hope they make my children love words, explore new ideas, and laugh!
Here are the best-selling books from Publishers Weekly for the week that ended Dec. 28.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Gray Mountain” • John Grisham
2. “Hope to Die” • James Patterson
3. “Revivial” • Stephen King
4. “All the Light We Cannot See” • Anthony Doerr
5. “Tom Clancy: Full Force and Effect” • Mark Greaney
6. “The Escape” • David Baldacci
7. “The World of Ice & Fire” • George R.R. Martin
8. “Leaving Time” • Jodi Picoult
9. “Flesh and Blood” • Patricia Cornwell
10. “The Burning Room” • Michael Connelly
11. “Prince Lestat” • Anne Rice
12. “Redeployment” • Phil Klay
13. “Edge of Eternity” • Ken Follett
14. “The Cinderella Murder” • Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
15. “Pegasus: A Novel” • Danielle Steel
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Killing Patton” • Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. “41: A Portrait of My Father” • George W. Bush
3. “Yes Please” • Amy Poehler
4. “Guinness World Records 2015” • Guinness World Records
5. “Make It Ahead” • Ina Garten
6. “What If?” • Randall Munroe
7. “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” • Ripley’s Believe It or Not
8. “Money: Master the Game” • Tony Robbins
9. “Dreamers and Deceivers” • Glenn Beck
10. “You Can, You Will” • Joel Osteen
11. “Thug Kitchen” • Thug Kitchen
12. “Not That Kind of Girl” • Lena Dunham
13. “No Hero” • Mark Owen
14. “The Big Book of Minecraft” • Triumph
15. “The Andy Cohen Diaries” • Andy Cohen
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “Unbroken” • Laura Hillenbrand
2. “Unbroken” (movie tie-in) • Laura Hillenbrand
3. “American Sniper” (movie tie-in) • Chris Kyle
4. “Gone Girl” • Gillian Flynn
5. “Wild” (movie tie-in) • Cheryl Strayed
6. “The Boys in the Boat” • Daniel James Brown
7. “Gone Girl” (movie tie-in) • Gillian Flynn
8. “Captivated by You” • Sylvia Day
9. “The Martian” • Andy Weir
10. “Saga Vol. 4” • Brian K. Vaughan
Best-sellers at area independent stores for the week that ended Dec. 28. Stores reporting: the Book House, Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Subterranean Books.
ADULTS
1. “St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline” • Carol Ferring Shepley
2. “Yes Please” • Amy Poehler
3. “All the Light We Cannot See” • Anthony Doerr
4. “Amazing St. Louis” • Charlie Brennan
5. “Famous-Barr” • Edna Campos Gravenhorst
6. “How to Be an Explorer of the World” • Keri Smith
7. “The Strange Library” • Haruki Murakami
8. “Americanah” • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9. “St. Louis’ Big League Ballparks” • Joan M. Thomas
10. “Syllabus” • Lynda Barry
CHILDREN/YOUNG ADULTS
1. “St. Louis Night Before Christmas” • Ryan Nusbickel
2. “Goodnight St. Louis” • June Herman & Julie Dubray
3. “Shooting at the Stars” • John Hendrix
4. “Sidekicked” • John David Anderson
5. “The Gift of Nothing” • Patrick McDonnell
6. “My First Book of Girl Power: DC Super Heroes” • Julie Merberg
