Author Visit

Yesterday, Jordan Sonnenblick came to visit our campus.  He ate lunch with the winners of the Book Battle, then spoke with two different groups of kids.  It was amazing!  He's such a great guy!  He based his stories on different events that happened in his life.  It was such a pleasure to hear him speak about his life, his inspirations, and his stories.

Here are some pictures to prove I'm not lying!  :)

Battle of the Books!

 

Jordan Sonnenblick, author of some really awesome YA books, is visiting Hunt on Monday, December 12th in the afternoon.  In order to garner some interest in his books, the librarian at Scoggins (Mrs. Turner) and I decided to have a Battle of the Books!

Each campus would have their students read as many pages of Jordan Sonnenblick's books as possible.  The top readers would then participate in the trivia battle.  We Skyped with Scoggins thanks to help from my technology guru.

The kids had a BLAST!  The technology worked, the kids answered questions like crazy.  There was even clapping and cheering happening in the library.  Scoggins was quite a formidable foe!  We were head to head for most of the competition.  Mrs. Turner gave us two points for a spectacular answer: Acute Lymphoma Leukemia.  That gave us the edge.  In the end, despite Scoggins' awesomeness, we WON!

GREAT JOB HUSKIES!!

Photography Club

This month's photos were even more impressive than last!  What fun!

Here's yesterday's student's choice winner:

Great job, Victoria!  This "low angle" shot was great!  Love the fall colors.

This month's "assignments" are:

• Someone you love
• Something blue
• Childhood memory
• Sunset

Happy snapping, photographers!

Lost Stories by John Flanagan

Lost Stories (Ranger's Apprentice #11)

Summary (from GoodReads)
Inspired by questions and letters his loyal readers have sent over the years, John Flanagan offers a gift in response: a collection of "lost" tales that fill in the gaps between Ranger's Apprentice novels. For the first time, readers can learn the truth behind how Will came to be orphaned and what his real relationship to Halt is, or watch Alyss in action as the young Araluen diplomat disguises herself and becomes the perfect spy.

Personal Thoughts
LOVE LOVE LOVE!  I just love when a series as good as this one ends in a way that I found so satisfying.  Even though this technically isn't a novel (it's a bunch of short stories), I just felt that this book filled in the gaps and holes and lingering questions I had.  Oh, and it just ended the series so nicely!  I will admit...I cried!  Totally worth the splotchiness, though.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie

Summary (from GoodReads)
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Personal Thoughts
Well, okay then.  It was not a slam-bang action adventure.  It is a lot of Cassia's inner dialogue and questioning.  If you liked Matched  you will like Crossed.  I hope the third book is GREAT!  I'd love to see a lot more action, more of the Rebellion, and see a little more interaction between Ky and Cassia.  Worth a read...if only so you know what's going on in the next one.

Writing on the Walls (or windows)

Writing on the windows is a favorite activity here at Hunt.  The kids see me getting out the markers and BAM! They're begging me to write.  Well, of course they can!  I most recently asked them for their favorite author.  Here are some pictures of those windows.

Please excuse the weird angles and strange glares.  Where the windows are, it's hard to take pictures of what's on them.  Oh, and they're clear.  So, you know....

Digital Photography "Winner"

This month, Julz B.'s photograph of "something green" won the student's choice award!  Great job, Julz!

This month's "assignments" are:

• high angle
• low angle
• fruit
• bad habit

Will your photo be next?

Digial Photography Club

I need members of the photography club to e mail me their pictures as soon as you can.  I want to be ready for our meeting on Wednesday!

Chess Club

Our first chess club meeting was tons of fun!  One person learning, one person teaching, lots of people playing.  Just awesome!

Here's a chess puzzle for you to solve.

Realistic Boy Fiction

I have never been into reading realistic fiction where the boy is the main character...until now.  Authors like Jordan Sonnenblick, Gary D. Schmidt, and Mark Shulman (is it weird that their last initial is "s"?) have really nailed the genre. 

I read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie a few weeks ago by Jodan Sonnenblick.  Who'd have thunk that I'd be reading a boy book and crying?  Or laughing so loudly that the kids in the library look at me funny?  (And have even "shushed" me!)  It's an amazing book.  Boys will get it, girls will get it, and it's pretty much an all around awesome novel.

I listened to Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars on a recent car trip.  Also a powerful boy novel.  It just goes to show that boys have feelings too.  Even if they often punch people so they can feel the same emotion.  It made me smirk and laugh and gasp...especially when the rats fell out of the asbestos-tiled ceiling. 

I also read Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt.  Wow.  Just...wow!  This book talks about how a boy finds himself through art, the library, and some teachers/librarians who are willing to take their time with him.  It details the struggles kids can have when their families are "messed up," they're new to town, and they're teenagers.

I read Mark Shulman's Scrawl which is also a book on the LoneStar Award's Nominee list.  It was an interesting read from a bully's point of view.  It has a narrative that will open anyone's eyes to the fact that most bullies are bullied themselves.

I'd recommend any of these books to both genders...although I think boys will enjoy them the most.

BYOD in the library

So many worries about technology messing with the library or interfering with education.  I have to say I was super excited about it.  Here are some pictures to support how awesome this can be in the library.  Both of these happened this morning!

Chess Club Meeting

Chess club meeting #1 will be on Tuesday, October 4th.  (Not Wed, Oct 5.)  Sorry for moving it!  There's a meeting in the library.

Club Dates

Here are the dates that the clubs will be meeting.  We'll meet after school on Wednesdays for about an hour.

Book Club: 9/28, 10/26, 11/30, 12/14, 1/25, 2/22

Chess Club: 10/5, 11/2, 12/7, 1/4, 2/1

Digital Photography: 10/12, 11/9, 12/7, 1/11, 2/8

Manga/Anime Club: 10/19, 11/16, 12/14, 1/18, 2/15

See you then!

The 24/7 Library

Is anyone else out there a nerd, like me?  You know...getting up early on a Sunday and wondering why on Earth the library isn't open that early.  Or coming home from a late Varsity game and trying to do research only that the library is closed that late on a Friday night.

Well, I'd like to introduce to you the 24/7 library.  Students in my school can research, create, share, present, collaborate and even check out books any time they wish!  Between the district's adoption of Google Aps, the library's purchase of Overdrive, and the district's re-purchase of database (like Gale and Ebsco) students are free!

Wait!  What does this mean for the library?  Won't it drive away patrons?  Some patrons, perhaps.  But, let me ask you this...Even though the Wendy's drive through is open 24/7, don't you still stop in and purchase a meal during "normal hours?"  You can purchase shoes online, but don't you usually like to try them on in the store?  Truly, the library's job is to make information (and books) accessible to the kids, right?  Right!  If we can get them the information and make it easier and faster to work at school and at home, why wouldn't we? 

As of this moment, I still have students chomping at the bit to get into the library.  They're pretty upset we haven't opened before or after school yet.  I have students with devices come in every day and ask for help with the new system.  Even those that have been on our public library's system still come in and ask for physical books or suggestions for books.  In short, I'm as busy as ever!

I think the physical library and the e-library (or e-brary) can be good friends.

Also...I promise I've been reading!  I haven't had time to post reviews, though.  Soon!

BOOK FAIR!

Oh, excitement!  The new book smell!  It's all coming to Hunt!

Check out the Scholastic webpage and the online fair.
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/hunthuskies

The Cozy Library

How do you keep kids in the library?  Make it someplace they want to be, right?

Recently, thanks to a grant from my PTA and money from a bookfair, I was able to afford four of the chairs below.  The kids LOVE them!  They're in here every morning and try to be first so they can claim the seats.  When they're sent here to catch up on reading for classes, they like sitting at the front of the library and putting their feet on the little tables. 

Oh!  Speaking of little tables...I got four of these $10 tables from IKEA.  They're easy to move, relatively durable, easy to wipe clean with some Clorox wipes, and very movable.  The kids have been moving them around so they have a place to put their binders, feet, work, whatever!  It's great that they're taking advantage of that flexibility.

I've even had a few teachers sneak in here during their conference period to relax for a minute.  Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone!

Having these chairs up here has also increased circulation of the "Smith's Picks" (which are my favs that I recommend constantly) and the LoneStar Award winners which are across from "Smith's Picks."



Thank you, PTA!  We could not have done this without you!!

National Library Legislation Day

I know I haven't been blogging as much as I should be.  It's the end of the year and we all get a little overwhelmed...I know!  I've been reading, though, I promise!

But!  Right this second, there's something even more important.

Tomorrow is National Library Legislative Day.  Sounds…um…exciting, right?  Well, with librarians and library budgets being slashed across the state (and the nation), it’s time to take action.  Libraries improve literacy and test scores across the curriculum.  We support technology use, teachers, free choice, and privacy.  I recently read an article that ended thusly: “The libraries’ most powerful asset is the conversation they provide = between books and readers, between children and parents, between individuals and the collective world.  Take them away and those voices turn inwards or vanish.  Turns out that libraries have nothing at all to do with silence.” (Bella Bathurst, written for the Observer)

For more information go to this site…pay special attention to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890532-312/speak_up_may_10_national.html.csp

Please contact your elected officials with the following requests:
APPROPRIATIONS FY2012

• Fund the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) at $232 million, the level last authorized in December 2010;
• Preserve the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program with its own budget line and appropriate the program at its FY2010 level of $19.1 million;
• Maintain funding for the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Compendia Branch at $2.9 million in order to preserve publication of “Statistical Abstracts” and other publications;
• Fund the Salaries and Expenses work of the Government Printing Office (GPO) at $42,173,000 to preserve public access through the FDLP and FedSYS.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (School Libraries):

• Support student performance by including an effective school library program as part of ESEA through the LEARN Act to include:
• A school library staffed by a state-certified school librarian;
• A school library with up-to-date books, materials, equipment, and technology, including broadband connectivity; and
• Instruction by librarians for students and staff on digital and computer literacy skills, including collaboration between classroom teachers and school librarians to develop and implement the curriculum and other school reforms.

While these issues are the most urgent at this time, there are many other critical pieces of legislation impacting libraries.  For full list of key issues that will be discussed at National Library Legislative Day, click here.  ALA has also drafted issue briefs on the following areas: Access, Appropriations for Libraries, Broadband & Telecommunications, Copyright, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Government Services & Information, Surveillance & Privacy and the WILL Act.

QR code CRAZY!

After learning about QR codes, I felt inspired.  David, my tech guy, had made the suggestions to link to book trailers.  Needless to say, I jumped on it!  I put these signs up on my tables with 2 QR codes linking to two different trailers.

This morning, I asked a table full of girls if they had smart phones.  They did!  When I told them about the QR codes and that these would lead them to a book trailer, they immediately downloaded the app and took off to the book trailers.  All of the copies I had of these two books are now checked out.  These girls are not my frequent fliers...they're not great readers.  But, they loved the trailers so much that they wanted to read!

In addition, one of the girls got up and started walking to other tables to see what other trailers I had out.  Unfortunately, I had only made those two codes and put them on all of the tables.  I'll have to make more and switch them out.  What a wonderful experience!  With a little bit of technology, I got a bunch of kids to read books that they've passed up all year long.  Yeah!

QR Codes

Have y'all ever seen those crazy box-things that are black and white and strange-looking?  Kind of like this?

QR code to take users to
Neal Shusterman's website

Well, if you're like me, you knew they were like barcodes but didn't have a clue what to do with them or how they worked.

I was listening to my tech person discuss this nifty word wall and how the kids in her class would see the word and be able to scan this code and go out onto the internet to find more information about it.  All you need is a smart phone with internet access and a camera.  Wow!

So, after hearing this I was reminiscing about how awesome that would have been when I taught Spanish.  My tech person promptly gave me suggestions on different ways to use them in the library.  Needless to say, I jumped on it!

We're having Neal Shusterman visit our school.  I created a QR code that takes kids to Shusterman's website and put it on display.  So exciting!  I plan on using this a LOT more in the library.  So many of the kids have smart phones...Let's play to their love of technology and incorporate books and library as much as possible!

Library display incorporating the QR code above.

Ranger's Apprentice

I've read books 2 and 3 and am in the middle of 4.  I can't stop!

Spring Book Fair

Spring Book Fair will run from February 14-18th.

Come buy your favorite book, add to your teacher's classroom library, and help purchase books for children in hospitals.

Family Night is on February 17th, from 4:00-6:00.  The Chick-Fil-A cow will be here!  Come by!

Visit with Cinda Williams Chima

This past week, I got a chance to go over to Pioneer and meet and listen to an amazing author, Cinda Williams Chima.  It was very interesting to hear about her writing process and what kind of thought she puts in to her different books.  She writes fantasy novels...She says she does that because that's what she likes to read.  So far she's written the Seven Realms series and the Heir series.  She was a very interesting person to meet and talk with.  Check out her website if you like the books Demon King or Warrior Heir.

http://www.cindachima.com/

Here's a picture of me with Cinda Williams Chima.

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan (#1)

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Summary (from GoodReads)
He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied .

Personal Thoughts
This series is super popular in my library.  I couldn't quite figure out why.  A students would turn one in and immediately check out the next one.  After I asked a fellow librarian, she said that they're good and I should read them.  WOW!  I loved it!  I couldn't wait to see what happened on the next page.  I really connected with the characters and could sense their personalities and how likable (or not) some of them are.  The only thing I didn't love about the book was that I had a hard time visualizing the kingdom.  I'm currently reading the second book and will post a review as soon as possible.  So far, it's as good as the first.  By the way, this is a rather long series, so the next several posts will probably relate to these books!

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Summary
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Peronal Thoughts
Hmmmmm.  I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it.  I kept wanting to find out what exactly was going on...What big secret was Laurent Kate keeping from us, the readers?  Well, I had it figured out but was sure there had to be something more.  This novel left a lot of my questions unanswered.  Why did Cam need to be involved in all this?  What makes Luce and Daniel so doggone special?  And the list goes on, but I don't want to spoil.  I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.  They just didn't seem as developed as I would have hoped.  I know this is (will be) a trilogy so I'm intrigued to read the sequel The Torment.  Hopefully that will clear up some of my confusion.

Tangled

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Summary (from GoodReads.com)
Paradise wasn't supposed to suck.

Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean.
Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.

Personal Thoughts
Hmmm.  I wasn't sure about this one when I started.  There's a fair amount of language (especially in Dakota's section) and a few lustful passages throughout.  The story was well-written and brings everything together nicely, but wasn't contrite.  Middle schoolers probably think and speak the way the characters in the book do, but it's a little raunchier than the books I normally go for.  Due to some of the more mature scenes, I would say this is more of an 8th grade book.

2011 Lone Star List

With something for everyone on this list, you're sure to find a good book!  I've read a few of these and plan on reading lots more!  Stay tuned for reviews.

2011 Texas Lone Star Reading List

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. Little, Brown, 2010.
Bell, Cathleen Davitt. Little Blog on the Prairie. Bloomsbury, 2010.
Brande, Robin. Fat Cat. Knopf, 2009.
Carter, Ally. Heist Society. Disney Hyperion, 2010.
Childs, Tera Lynn. Forgive My Fins. Katherine Tegen Books, 2010.
Condie, Ally. Matched. Dutton, 2010.
Deuker, Carl. Payback Time. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
Dionne, Erin. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. Dial Books, 2010.
Falkner, Brian. Brain Jack. Random House, 2009.
Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron. Dial Books, 2010.
Gephart, Donna. How to Survive Middle School. Delacorte, 2010.
Golding, Julia. Dragonfly. Marshall Cavendish, 2009.
Henderson, Jason. Vampire Rising. HarperTeen, 2010.
Klass, David. Stuck on Earth. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010.
Shulman, Polly. The Grimm Legacy. Putnam, 2010.
Shusterman, Neal. Bruiser. HarperTeen, 2010.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. After Ever After. Scholastic Press, 2010.
Stork, Francisco X. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010.
Wiles, Deborah. Countdown. Scholastic Press, 2010.
Yancey, Richard. The Monstrumologist. Simon & Schuster, 2009.

Matched

Matched by Allie Condie

Summary (from book jacket)
Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow - between perfection and passion.

Personal Thoughts
Oh. My. Stars.  This book was GREAT!!!  I can see this book being the next Hunger Games.  I loved how easy this story was to read and how much it reminded me of some past classics like 1984.  It was a magnificent tale and should be read by anyone who like the Hunger Games.  Romance, intrigue, scandal, rebellion, questions...Seriously, it was fabulous!  The sequel is titled Crossed and is due out in  November of this year.  (I can't wait!)

The Roar

The Roar by Emma Clayton

Summary (from book jacket)
Mika lives in future London, behind The Wall, safe from the Animal Plague beyond.  Or so he's been told.  But ever since Ellie vanished a year ago, he's suspected his world may be build on secrets - and lies.  When a mysterious organization starts recruiting mutant kids to compete in violent virtual reality games, Mika takes the chance to search for his twin sister - and the truth.

Personal Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fascinating read...it was also a completely scary because I could see it happening in the future if we're not careful.  I think Clayton did an excellent job of weaving this particular tale.  Like many of the other books I read over break, I'm wondering if there will be a sequel.  And, yes, it is called The Whisper and is due out in Fall 2011.  I'm excited to read it and see how Mika and Ellie work through the Secret and find out what lies beyond The Wall.  Highly recommended for fans of Sci-Fi and Dystopia.

The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (sequel to The Maze Runner)

Summary (from Horizon)
After surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with nineteen other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race.

Personal Thoughts
That summary absolutely does not do this book justice.  In fact, if the book jacket summary hadn't been so long I would have copied that one.  The Maze Runner was a fabulous book and The Scorch Trials is a fitting sequel.  The characters are splendid, the scenery is described (but not to death), and the plot is fantastic and mystifying all at the same time.  WICKED, while they keep saying they're good, are just...well...wicked-sounding.  Although, without being a spoiler, this novel throws in some bizarre flashback twists that will blow your mind!  If you liked The Maze Runner, you'll love The Scorch Trials.

100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

Summary (from Horizon)

Twelve-year-old Henry York and his cousin Henrietta discover 100 hidden portals to other worlds in the bedroom wall of his aunt and uncle's house.

Personal Thoughts
I'm usually a huge fan of books with cubbies, and shrinking, and magical places...but this book seemed to drag.  I didn't hate it, but I felt that it skipped around, lacked a lot of character development, and ended very suddenly.  In addition, there were lots of things that made absolutely no sense within the plot line, but appeared anyway.  For example, (spoiler alert) at the end, there's an appearance of an evil old witch that was nowhere in the story previously.  It made absolutely no sense to me.  Not a book I would recommend strongly.

The Gardener

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

Summary (from book jacket)
Mason isn't supposed to know about the Greenhouse.  He isn't supposed to meet the beautiful girl who is part of the experiment, and who doesn't need food or water to survive.  Now Mason is on the run with the girl.  And the Gardener, who is the mysterious mastermind of an institution that grows humans, wants them both, dead or alive.

Personal Thoughts
I really like the concept of this book.  And for the most part I thought it was well-written.  However, there were things left unexplained and the action scenes seemed a little lack-luster.  I'm interested to know if there will be a sequel to help answer some of those questions.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi.

Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Summary (from book jacket)
In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day.  But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

Personal Thoughts
This was a good read that went pretty fast.  Despite the sometimes awkward and new terminology, it was easy to read and understandable.  The characters were well-fleshed out and the plot interesting and fast-moving, too.  Overall,  I liked this book.  I'm curious to know if there will be a sequel...Aha!  According to sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.com, Bacigalupi is planning a sequel called The Drowned Cities due out in 2011.