Ian Fleming
Happy birthday to Ian Fleming, born May 28, 1908!
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Fleming is the author behind the James Bond series of thrillers, but did you know he also wrote the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? He also wrote several non-fiction books, some of which, like The Diamond Smugglers, arose from his background research for his stories, in this case, Diamonds are Forever.
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Fleming was not necessarily the inspiration for James Bond, but he had more than enough experience to rely on for creating his character. Educated not only at English prep schools but in Munich and Geneva as well, he was pulled into the British Naval Intelligence during World War II. He worked on several secret missions – including one code-named Operation Goldeneye, the name he would give to his home in Jamaica.
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Fleming’s 1950’s, post-war design of Bond was to have a dull, every-man character that events seemed to 
happen to. He stole the name James Bond from the author of an ornithology manual he owned, a name he thought was as dull and plain and ordinary as could be. It wasn’t even until the second film that he began to give Bond a nationality and sense of humor. His books have had mixed reviews over the years, yet sold more than 30 million copies before his death. Two were published posthumously – Man With the Golden Gun and Octopussy and the Living Daylights. He ranks number fourteen on the list of “50 Greatest British Authors since 1945.” Fleming was a notoriously heavy smoker and drinker, and died of a heart attack at age 56.
Who is your favorite Bond?
One high reading is not a reason to panic. Blood pressure can fluctuate from day to day, even minute to minute. One false reading of high blood pressure is called “white coat hypertension” – people sometimes get nervous in a doctor’s office, or they’ve rushed on the way there and are stressed out. If your doctor takes a reading when he or she first comes into the office, ask to have it taken again just before you leave. Chances are, it will be lower the second time around. Another problem can be a blood pressure cuff that is too small – if you have big arms, whether due to fat or muscle, ask for the larger cuff. A cuff shouldn’t pop off while inflating – if it does, you’re not going to get a reliable reading. Blood pressure readings will also differ if someone is reading it by hand with a stethoscope or if a machine is doing it. Machines tend to read a higher score.
If you have a young reader that is able to read independently (for the most part) and ready to make the change from the more difficult easy readers to chapter books then this is the list to take note of. When a child begins reading fluently their efforts are more automatic and exploring a wider variety of subjects and authors and showing less reliance of the illustrations to glean the meaning of new words and phrases. They are using more expression and taking pauses to coordinate with punctuation and the natural flow of language. Their energy is devoted to understanding, have good command and use of the various comprehension strategies, and can correct their own mistakes most of the time while still being willing to ask for assistance as needed.
sure I missed some perfectly wonderful books for this reading level, and if I missed your favorites please mention them in a comment so others can check them out. If you are browsing our fiction shelves in the children’s room looking for books for these readers, I can give you some quick hints to find even more. The transitional chapter books have a 
