"On the first day of school, a dragon danced down the center aisle of the Liberty School auditorium.

I noticed fire engine tights.  I spotted a dragon ring on the left pinky.

'Good Grief, Patty Lee!' Carmen Rosa Pena poked me hard. 'Who is THAT?'

'It's Mrs. Skorupski,' I whispered. 'You can tell by her accessories.'"

Reviews and Awards

"Buzzeo knows what she’s writing about because she’s been a Library Media Specialist for sixteen years. She writes straight out of her life, out of her desire to keep kids reading, and out of her willingness to help grade schools succeed in reading programs." ~ Children's Literature Network

"With this second tale of Mrs. Skorupski, Buzzeo continues with an inspiring story about the relationship between children and their school librarian and the impact they can have on one another. " ~ Kate Prestwood, Colorado Association of Libraries

"The second Mrs. Skorupski story, Fire Up with Reading! is a children's picturebook that enthusiastically celebraytes the joy of reading.  Young Patty Lee wants to be recognized as the top reader in fourth grade and earn the right to wear the Chinese dragon costume during the Read Across America Day parade.  But her rival, Carmen Rosa Pena, just might surpoass her!  When Carmen takes the lead, Patty Lee goes to Mrs. Skorupski for help and a new plan--listening to audiobooks as well as reading normal books!  The exuberant color illustrations suit this gung-ho cheerful tale perfectly." ~ Midwest Book Review, December 3, 2007 (reprinted in full with permission of the publisher)

"Patty Lee desperately wants to be the top reader in the fourth grade, which would give her the right to wear the dragon costume in the Read Across America Day Parade. But will Carmen Rosa Peña read her out of the running? The race is on as Patty Lee devours books, read-alouds, and audiobooks. But with Carmen in the lead, Patty Lee turns to Mrs. Skorupski for a new plan that just might put her at the top. With the help of the clever and thoughtful librarian, Patty Lee can still have a major part in the parade. This story is full of real-life drama and human emotions. It is a great book for children, as well as for teachers who could use it for “thought teaching” help. The pictures are great because they really depict what is going on. The colorful cover will attract children to the book. It is a readable book with manageable vocabulary." ~ Naomi Butler, Children's Literature (reprinted in full with permission of the publisher)

"Mrs. Skorupski, the irrepressible librarian of Liberty School, launches a new reading campaign.  Carmen and Patty attempt to out-read one another utilizing a multitude of strategies to become the top fourth grade reader." ~ Library Media Connection, February 2008

"Check out librarian/author extraordinaire Toni Buzzeo's latest, Fire Up with Reading illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, in which a school librarian helps her patrons to "scale" new reading heights with the help of a dragon dance promotion that's fun to replicate (lots of firey and fetching support materials available from Upstart)." ~ Esme Raji Codell

Read More About FIRE UP WITH READING
Read more about the story behind the story and Toni's real life experiences on the web.  Stop by and visit these sites:

 

Coming soon!