Emoji Book Reviews

Thank you to the team at NIST in Bangkok for sharing this great idea for Emoji Book Reviews.  I was wondering what to do to get students to review more books (because I can't keep my review shelf full all by myself) and this idea is really taking off.  Students love it!

I used many ideas from this NIST blog post.  The NIST bookmarks are beautiful; I wish our colors were green and blue but we went with Tiger orange to show our school spirt.

Here are a few photos from our review shelf:

AudioBookSync

Get your free Audiobooks this summer (April 26-July 25) from AudioFile at www.audiobooksync.com  Two free audiobooks each week throughout summer for teens aged 13+.

You need the OverDrive App to listen to the audiobooks.  OverDrive is also the service we use for our school eBooks and audiobooks and we have over 1300 titles available.  Check some out this summer!

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

(Amazon.com)

I liked this book.  I wasn't sure I would because the plot/characters weren't what I was expecting.  Because I can't do it justice with me own words, I am going to copy the blurb from Amazon.com.  I know, it's the cheat book review.  Come see me in the library if you'd like to know more about the book!  It's an enjoyable read about a trip through Europe.

Henry “Monty” Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
So Monty vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Witty, dazzling, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is an irresistible romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

Find this book in our library at: HISTORICAL F LEE 

Her Stories

The creators of Her Stories are coming for a visit! 

"Told over the span of 1000 years, HerStories explores the lives of 21 outstanding women of Bengal and present day Bangladesh. Educationalists, poets, athletes, artists and activists, the heroines of HerStories are home-grown role models for future generations."

-Her Stories Website

See the newsletter or one of the librarians for visit details.  And, enjoy this Her Stories book trailer:

  

Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

 Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer was my first spring break read and one of our new books to arrive in the mid-year library order. 

I am admitting my age, and lack of TV series knowledge, by saying I did not know Chris Colfer was an actor in Glee until I conducted a quick Google search about him.

I picked up this book because I  have a weakness for books about famous people and thought: "TV star on a road trip...sounds fun!"  Plus, it had just arrived in the mid-year order and I love new books.

Stranger Than Fanfiction was a fun book and the best part about it were following the storylines/lives of all five characters.  The stories of each character are a bit over-the-top but that is what makes it fun and also thought-provoking because I think all readers can find something relevant to their life in the life stories of the characters.

Try this book out for a fun read!

Find Stranger Than Fanfiction in our library at: REALISTIC F COL

Buddy Reading in the MS/HS Library

This week our middle school students are buddy reading with our elementary students.  This is one of our most requested library activities by students and teachers at all grade levels.  We enjoyed several great picture books and Grade 7 even read the tall tales they wrote to Grade 1 students. Over the 2 years we've been doing this, I've seen the read-aloud skills of our middle school students improve a great deal!

Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

Amazon.com

Drew grows up on a small farm, which I learned from Mr. Jobling was based off a fantasy version of the US.  (Previously, I had a European map in my mind!)
One evening he and his mother are attacked by a werecreature and for the first time, Drew changes and becomes a werewolf.  After running from home when his father returns and mistakenly believes he killed his mother, the first book in the series follows Drew's adventure through the kingdom as he discovers how to use his ability to transform and learns his rightful place as king of the werelords.  There are six books in the Wereworld series.  A great read!

Find the entire Wereworld series in our library at: FANTASY F JOB