Battle of the Books 2012

Sweet! The 2011-2012 WI Battle of the Books list is official!!

Find all things Battle at:

http://www.wemta.org/programs/battle_of_the_books.cfm

Speaking of Battle of the Books (BOB), our first meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, September 29th in the LMC during 6th hour. We will also be using MyBigCampus again this year, so make sure to check out group page often!

How To Save a Life

What is an ARC anyway??

According to Wikipedia, an Advanced Readers’ Copy (or ARC) is:

“As a marketing tool, publishers provide free copies of new titles to booksellers, journalists and even celebrities.

Such books are variously referred to as readers editions, an advance copy, an advance reading copy, ARC or ARE. It's the book privately released by its publisher before the book is printed for mass distribution.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_copy

SO, ARCs are basically books that are sent out to people to read before the actual book is published. Our LMC is lucky enough to receive at least one ARC a month. This gives our students at BHS the chance to read some books before they even come out!

Our newest ARC is How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Zarr has written other ya books—Once Was Lost, Sweethearts, and Story of a Girl—and How to Save a Life comes out January 2012.

Description from Goodreads:

Jill MacSweeney just wants everything to go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends–everyone who wants to support her. You can’t lose one family member and simply replace him with a new one, and when her mom decides to adopt a baby, that’s exactly what it feels like she’s trying to do. And that’s decidedly not normal. With her world crumbling around her, can Jill come to embrace a new member of the family?

Mandy Kalinowski knows what it’s like to grow up unwanted–to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, she knows she wants a better life for her baby. But can giving up a child be as easy as it seems? And will she ever be able to find someone to care for her, too?

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about what it means to be a family and the many roads we can take to become one.

I’m looking forward to reading this one this weekend! Come to the LMC to check out How to Save a Life and take a look at our other ARCs!

Happy School Year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the BHS 2011-2012 school year! This year in the LMC, we have a lot of exciting things planned…fun displays, book discussions, trailers, reviews, and more. Check back here often for LMC announcements, updates, cool tools, and reading recommendations.

The Battle of the Books team will have an organizational meeting sometime within the next couple of weeks. Listen to the announcements for more information!

Looking to get back in the swing of things quickly? Check out these books about school, friends, hallway drama, and finding your way in it all:

Awkward freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible.

Describes the high school experiences of Rachel, Quinn, Puck, Kurt, Finn, and other characters from the television program "Glee" before Mr. Schuester created New Directions.

While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of his new baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

When wealthy, seemingly perfect Brittany and Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, develop a relationship after Alex discovers that Brittany is not exactly who she seems to be, they must face the disapproval of their schoolmates--and others.

When Alex, a junior at an elite preparatory school, realizes that she may have been the victim of date rape, she confides in her roommates and sister who convince her to seek help from a secret society, the Mockingbirds.

Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

An angry, grieving seventeen-year-old musician facing expulsion from her prestigious Brooklyn private school travels to Paris to complete a school assignment and uncovers a diary written during the French revolution by a young actress attempting to help a tortured, imprisoned little boy--Louis Charles, the lost king of France.

After going through traumatic times, a troubled, socially awkward teenager moves to a new school where he tries to reinvent himself.

Following her parents' bitter divorce as she and her father move from town to town, seventeen-year-old Mclean reinvents herself at each school she attends until she is no longer sure she knows who she is or where she belongs.

When three teenaged boys suspect that their English teacher is responsible for their friend's disappearance, they must navigate a maze of assorted clues, fraying friendships, violence, and Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" before learning the truth.

Student essays, scholarship committee members' notes, and other writings reveal interactions between a group of modern-day students at an exclusive New South Wales high school and their strange connection to a young Irishman transported to Australia in the early 1800s.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Book Trailer!

Check out Misty's booktrailer for Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick!

Spring Treats!

What a treat to come back from a relaxing spring break to find a brand new box of books from Junior Library Guild!

Click on a cover to learn more about each individual title.

When a school bus accident leaves sixteen-year-old Jessica an amputee, she returns to school with a prosthetic limb and her track team finds a wonderful way to help rekindle her dream of running again. Walk (or run!) a mile in Jessica's shoes!

This fantasy sounds intriguing: The adventures of two teenaged cousins who live in a place called The Floating Islands, one of whom is studying to become a mage and the other one of the legendary island flyers.

Cassia lives in a society where the officials decide everything--who you love, where you work, when you die. This utopian fantasy is definitely at the top of my list-to-read!

I've heard a lot of buzz about this one in the past couple of months. Check out the teaser from Little Brown Books here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKEj3oE3BJE

The sequel to Hex Hall!

Adventure? Heroism? Treachery? Count me in!

A movie based on Alex Flinn's book Beastly has just recently hit theaters. Here's Alex's newest fairy tale mash-up.

The classic underdog story: High school nonentity Cammy Hall lives with her grandparents and has one friend--Gerdi, the Danish foreign exchange student--but when someone starts sending her mysterious text messages with instructions that make her more noticeable, and even popular, she must decide what kind of life she wants to lead.

Here's a new one by the author of the well-loved Ender's Game series:

Thirteen-year-old Rigg has a secret ability to see the paths of others' pasts, but revelations after his father's death set him on a dangerous quest that brings new threats from those who would either control his destiny or kill him.

And, two new graphic novel informational books:

Come to the LMC and check 'em out!

Battle of the Books 2011

Congrats to all members of the 2011 BOB team:

Rachel

Susan

Lucas

Amberlee

Kyle

Brianna

Emily

Great job everyone!

This year's booklist was filled with awesome selections. If you're looking for a sure-hit, check out one of the following books:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan; adapted by Richie Chevat

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

If you are interested in being on the 2012 BOB team, listen for the announcements at the end of the school year or ask Ms. Gietzel anytime!

Ms. Gietzel for Pi Judge!

7 Reasons why Ms. Gietzel would make the perfect Pi Day 2011 judge:

1. It’s time. I have been an amateur food connoisseur for over 25 years. It just so happens that desserts are my specialty! This is the first time I have been honored with the invitation to apply to be a Pi Day judge and am excited for the opportunity this invitation provides.






2. I love to bake and I know how much work goes in to making the perfect pie. As a judge, I will have the utmost appreciation for every single pie served during the competition.






3. Recipes. Have you seen the LMC’s collection of cookbooks, recipes, and instructions for, among other things, constructing the perfect pie? If you come to the library to expand your cooking horizons, I can show you exactly where to begin!






4. Peace. If I am chosen for the dubious honor of judgeship, all involved can have peace of mind that I will be a fair, just, and honorable judge.






5. Service. As a library media specialist, I love having the opportunity to work with a variety of students. Rest assured that, if selected, I will take this honor to serve as a Pi Day judge very seriously.





6. Variety is the spice of life. As an amateur food connoisseur, I have developed a large palate for an assortment of types of foods. Fruits, chocolate, savory, sweet, crustless...I love them all! I currently have no favorite type of pie and am always willing to try new concoctions.





7. I have great appreciation for every student of the 2010-2011 Calculus classes for selecting me to apply to be a judge for Pi Day 2011. As a sign of my appreciation, I would like to dedicate this commemorative wall hanging to all of you. Thank you!