Plumfield Moms

Librarian Notices: Robin Pack’s Library Story

From that moment forward I became obsessed with adding every living book possible to my collection to share with the children of my community. Sometimes fear and doubt would crowd my thoughts as boxes of books towered around me, but I persevered and books kept coming to me from every possible direction. Shortly after this fire was ignited, I was presented with what I call my confirmation. I heard of a book sale in Knoxville, Tennessee, of thousands of discarded books. Two homeschool moms came upon a large truck full of books thrown out by the Knoxville public school system. The men were about to put the books in the dumpster when the moms jumped out and said, “Please! You can’t do this! We will buy these books.” They rented a U-Haul, took those books to their basements, priced them from .25 to.75 each and hosted a sale. Oh, what treasures I found! My collection more than doubled with that sale as I hauled three packed van loads home. I still have many books bearing the colorful round price stickers as a reminder of God’s provision that day.
https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/robin-pack-of-childrens-legacy-library-in-tennessee/

Author Interview: Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt 
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt 
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
The Big Jump by Benjamin Elkin
Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt 
Zack Taylor: Young Rough and Ready by Katharine E. Wilkie 
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt 
The Labors of Hercules by Gary D. Schmidt 
The Sin Eater by Gary D. Schmidt 
Mara’s Stories by Gary D. Schmidt 
In Memory's Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin
When I Grow Up: The Lost Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teenagers
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan  
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt 
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt 
Biblioguides Online Comunity

Book Review: B is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood

I have a sweet young patron who is an independent reader but who just isn’t interested in many traditional chapter books yet. Her mother and I have been trying a variety of books to see if one will capture her imagination and help her find her inner bookworm. We have tried a wide variety of subjects, authors, and styles. We have found that she does enjoy Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, but for reasons that are particular to the family, these books are not a great fit for their home. So, I went looking for similar alternatives. Read More: https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/b-is-for-betsy/

Reflection: The Shepherd’s Voice

We sheep won’t learn the Shepherd’s voice by having someone describe the sound to us. Perhaps our parents introduced us to the Shepherd. Perhaps it was a friend. Praise the Lord! But they still can’t explain to us the sound of his voice calling our names.

Librarian Notices: Sandy Hall’s Library Story

Over the years, I went to many book sales and gathered more and more books for our own children and began sharing them with other families in our church on a casual basis. The collection grew to over 6,000 books, all housed in a 1,200 square foot house, no basement, and five children. There were bookcases in every room. 
One day, my husband came home from work and said, “Go look at my car.” “Why, what happened?” I asked, thinking he had had an accident. When I went to look, the car, a little Ford Festiva, was full to the top with books some person had sent home for me. Another time, an elementary school closed near us. The library was to be boxed up and taken to the dump by Two Men and a Truck. Can you imagine? The driver told the other man in the truck, “I don’t feel right about this,” so he drove instead to the local public library and asked the librarian if she wanted the books. “Yes!” she said. She began going through the books, keeping what she wanted, and putting the rest on carts near the front desk, and priced them three for a dollar. I bought hundreds! Over the years, I have seen God provide many times in unusual ways. We had committed to quality reading for our family and to share the books with others, and He provided.
 
https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/librarian-notices-halls-living-library-from-state-to-state-over-five-decades/

Our Reading Life: November 2023

Sarah Kim’s References:
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus 
Nothing Else but Miracles by Kate Albus
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The False Prince by Jenifer A. Nielsen
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner I
Black Out by Connie Willis 
All Clear by Connie Willis
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 
Fire Watch by Connie Willis  
Sara Masarik’s References: 
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan 
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner 
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery 
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin 
The Mouse Adventures by Torben Kuhlmann 
Dinotopia by James Gurney
Lindbergh by Torben Kuhlmann
Armstrong by Torben Kuhlmann
Edison by Torben Kuhlmann
Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann
Einstein by Torben Kuhlmann
Torben Kuhlmann Website With Videos 
Tanya’s References: 
Tales from Grimms by Wanda Ga'g
Biblioguides Tales from Grimms
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Wanda Ga'g
I Am David (North to Freedom) by Anne Holm
Diane’s References: 
Switch Board Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini
George Patton General in Spurs or General George Patton: Old Blood and Guts by Alden Hatch
America's First World War: General Pershing and the Yanks by Henry Castor
The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert 
Rowan Farm by Margot Benary-Isbert
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Gary D. Schmidt 
First Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Horatio Hornblower by C. S. Forester

Book Review: Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West

"This is a touching, but well-balanced story of Velma’s crusade for the wild horses." Velma becomes known as Wild Horse Annie. 

Book Review: A Long Road on a Short Day

     “Early on a white January morning, Samuel’s mother said, ‘I do wish we had a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby.’”
     So Papa sets out to get Mama a cow, and Samuel goes with him. “‘Keep up,’ said Samuel’s father. He looked up at the gray clouds. ‘It’s a long road on a short day.’” Papa takes his best Barlow knife with him, but he doesn’t explain to Samuel how he plans to get a cow. He shows him. 
     At the first farm they come to, Papa trades his knife to Mr. Snow for two tin lanterns. It’s a good trade for the knife, but as Samuel plays with Mr. Snow’s dog, he wishes, “just a little bit, it wasn’t a brown-eyed cow his mother was wanting.”

Reflection: The Choregos

The Choregos - The Supplier of all our needs. 
 
Peter speaks of the strength God supplies to enable each person to use his gifts (1 Pet. 4:11). In his second epistle, he says that an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided (2 Pet. 1:11).

Librarian Notices: Kathie Johnson’s Library Story

Back in Berkeley the next year, I was now a single mom and had to work. My son’s childcare provider was devoted to books, and I loaned her many of mine. I continued to buy—now from garage sales, and sometimes used book stores (both readily available in a town of readers). When this woman started a preschool, and later an elementary school, they continued to use my books, and I continued to buy. My books were stored in a neighbor’s garage, which was dark and spidery, so I was the only one who went in.
In 1985, I had been remarried for several years. An uncle died, leaving me a small bequest. I knew just what I wanted to do—create my dream library, with the feel of the basement in Detroit. I had my garage and basement refinished and built-in shelves added. I cleaned all the books and arranged them by topic on the shelves. I included a toy room, with lots of things for kids to play with. The toy theme now changes, with a rotation of seven months. In 1986, the library opened. At first, there were just a few neighborhood kids, but then a mom who had started a play-date group discovered me and soon after, a Jewish home-school group. Soon I had the library open in two-hour time slots four times a week, and it was always busy. 
https://plumfieldandpaideia.com/librarian-notices-kathie-johnsons-library-journey/