Fortnite read-alikes

I found this fun display idea online at the Skinner Middle School Library website and related MinervaReads blog.  Fortnite is a big hit with our MS/ES students so we decided to copy their display idea.

Here's our new display:

And here's a close up of the books we have.  Unfortunately, we don't have all of them from the book list Skinner Middle School provided, but still a good selection!

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
 
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Why you should read this book:

• It's a modern-day Cinderella story, wicked stepmother and all.
• Embrace your inner geek.
• If you don't know what Cosplay is, Google it (I had too!)
• I am a sucker for books where a famous person/prince/billionaire falls for a normal person.

Find Geekerella in our library at: ROMANCE F POS

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

In this explosive sequel to the New York Times bestselling Warcross, Marie Lu delivers an addictive finale that will hold you captive till the very last page.

 Why you should read this book:

• I finished Wildcard in two days.  If you know me, you know I am a slow reader.  Two days means I was enthralled (and also on winter break!)
• The ending surprised me.
• If you haven't read Warcross (Book 1) yet, read that first!
• I never thought I'd enjoy a book about gaming.  This series proved me wrong.
• This series would make a great movie.  I hope they decide to make them into one, or two!

Coming soon in our winter book order!
Find Wildcard in our library at: SCI-FI F LU

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

(Amazon.com)

A New York Times bestseller

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Why you should read this book:

• The characters go to an International School; you will make connections between this story and your international life.
• It has been on the YALSA Teen Top Ten List.
• Italy and Ice Cream....need I say more?
• I am a sucker for a good romance book and this is a good YA romance.

Find Love & Gelato in our library at: ROMANCE F WEL

Happy Winter Break!

The library wishes you a wonderful Winter Break.

We are open during break! Check the newsletter for dates and times.

Thank you to our assistants for making our library so festive.  Our book tree has received many compliments.

Slime Time

The library makerspace has been busier than usual this week.  By student request, it was slime making week!  It's possible I may be banned from the supply room for excessive glue usage....

Thank you to the 6th graders who suggested this idea and also helped me adjust the slime recipe.  My first try at slime failed and the slime experts helped me fix the recipe.

HOW TO MAKE SLIME

Supplies:
Elmer’s Glue (a small handful)
2 pinches baking soda
1 squirt contact lens solution
glitter or food coloring

Instructions:

1. Pour out Elmer’s Glue into a bowl. 
2. Add color/glitter and mix.
3. Add 2 pinches of baking soda and mix quickly.
4. As your mixture starts to get sticky, add a squirt of contact lens solution.
5. Mix until slime forms.If it’s too sticky, add a bit more contact lens solution.
6. Wash the bowl and spoon. Take your slime home.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

Why you should read this book:

• A magical, mysterious, fantasy with romance and adventure thrown in.
• Caraval is a best-seller and on a pick on the Teens Top Ten list this year.
• I stayed up late to finish this book.  It's one of my favorite new series of this year.
• It kept me guessing until the end.  And then...it still kept me guessing because it's a trilogy.  Book 2, Legendary, is on the way in our winter order and Book 3, Finale, comes out in May.

Find Caraval in our library at: FANTASY F GAR