So think of the trees! Return your books on time!
In an attempt to keep books circulating here at CMS, rather than having books sit in backpacks all year, I've been printing overdue slips every week to remind students to either renew or return their library books. Well, each week I'm using more and more paper to print these slips. So now it's time to raise awareness. When you return or renew your books by the due date, you don't get that slip of paper which saves paper, which saves trees. You can even log on to the library catalog with your username and password and renew your books from any computer with Internet access.
So think of the trees! Return your books on time!
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You may have noticed that I was not in the library on Wednesday. I was not in the library because I was at the County Office learning about the best new books of 2014 for teens and middle schoolers. It was presented by Patti Tjomsland and she is renowned for her best books lists. She also has great ideas for book talks and resources for promoting reading. I hope to implement some of them very soon. In the meantime, here are some of her picks that we already have in the library so you can come and check them out. (Summaries by Patti Tjomsland)
Magestetium Book One: The Iron Trial, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare Although twelve year--old, Call, succeeds in failing the Iron Trial to get into mage school, he is chosen as an apprentice where he starts breaking all of the rules he's been taught. He and his two new friends discover that they have major roles to play in the Mage's War. Kinda Like Brothers, by Coe Booth Jarrett's mother fosters babies frequently, but when she takes in Kevon, a bit older and thinks the two boys should be friends, Jarrett doesn't think that's fair. The two boys have to learn to get along. Nest, by Esther Ehrlich In 1972, on Cape Cod, 11 year-old Chirp's dancer mother is diagnosed with MS and struggles with severe depression. Chirp tries to cope by bird watching and making friends with the Joey who lives across the street and also has difficult family issues. Story of Owen, Dragon Slayer of Tronheim, by E. K. Johnston Siobhan 16, becomes bard to Dragon Slayer, Owen in a contemporary fire-breathing, carbon eating, dragon story. Dragon attacks have increased, their breeding grounds are spreading and it looks like Owen and Siobhan better have a plan. A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd Midnight Gulch used to be a place of magic and Felicity is determined to find out what happened to it. She sees words everywhere and this is the first place she's seen the word, "home." She's also met Jonah, who makes her heart beat faster. She wanted to stay in Midnight Gulch, but will her rambling mother settle down? FIve Kingdoms Book One: Sky Raiders, by Brandon Mull Cole and his friends are captured by slavers from a parallel universe and once in the Outskirts of the Five Kingdoms, Cole struggles to free himself, find his lost friends and return to Earth. Surrounded by Sharks, by Michael Northrop 13 year-old Davy runs into trouble on the first day of his beach vacation. Will his younger brother be able to save him? Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival, by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis First person sties of children from a variety of ages hidden or giving during WWII in the Neterhlands. Accompanying website has audio stories from the survivors. www.hiddenlikeannefrank.com/about.php If You're Reading This, by Trent Reedy Mike is about to turn 16 and he starts getting letters from his dad each with a mission to complete; each giving him stories and wisdom that Dad didn't get to share in life. His dad died when he was eight. What is the story behind the mysterious arrival of the letters? The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan Gaea seems to be winning the war. The demigods are having more visions of a huge battle at Camp Half-Blood. The gods are still having personality disorders and time is running out. Spirit Animals Book Two: Hunted The four main characters have bonded with the Great Beasts, but they now have to learn to bond with one another and continue their quest to get the four tokens. They discover there is a darker way to create a spirit animal bond and find they have new foes to battle. Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier Graphic novel, follow up to Smile. Mom and the three kids head off on a cross country road trip from San Francisco to Colorado in a van with no air conditioning. Along the way the sisters are going to have to learn to move away from their antagonistic relationship. The Ghost of Tupelo Landing, by Sheila Turnage Miss Moses LoBeau and Dale are back in this companion to Three Times Lucky. An historic inn with a ghost, a homework assignment, a new boy, and of course a mystery combine for another rollicking read with a great voice. Loot: How to Steal a Fortune, by Jude Watson March and his twin Jules are the children of famous cat burglars and have their own set of skills which lead them to the hunt for the famous stolen moonstones. Friends, cons, betrayals and close calls await! The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer Holm Evil Librarian, by Michelle Knudsen So that's a pretty good start. If you'd like to see her complete list, which is over 300 titles, stop by the library, I'd be happy to share it with you. Some of you may have noticed that the library has been open the last couple of Fridays. That is because the library is now open on Fridays! I'm very excited to announce that I will now be working 5 days a week with some added duties such as helping to maintain and update the school website and also maintaining the A9 computer lab. So since I'm on campus for these duties, the library will be open during break and lunch and available for drop in class visits on Friday. I am absolutely thrilled that the library is now accessible every school day. Come in and check out a book!
I decided to walk to work this morning, now that the weather has cooled off. I've been thinking a lot about the traffic around the school and how it seems very few children actually walk to school anymore. I live so close to work it only takes me about 5 minutes to drive here. And I found out this morning that it only takes 20 minutes to walk here at a casual pace. And I saw very few kids walking to school. It's really a shame. A twenty minute walk to school adds that much exercise to my day, reduces traffic on the street and in the parking lot, cuts down on fuel consumption and gives me time to listen to an audiobook on my way. And the view is not bad as I get to walk through the park. I'd love to see more kids walking to school so I've decided I will be the change I want to see in the world. At least when it's not too hot or raining. In other news, our previous Information Resources Technician, Ms. Mac, has given the CMS library a wonderful gift of new books from Scholastic. Here is a picture of the processing table. I told some students about this generous gift yesterday and when I asked if they remembered Ms. Mac, a couple of them said "Oh, I love Ms. Mac!" and clearly she loves them, too because she bought them some books! They are already in circulation and many of them have already been checked out. The rest are on display in the library. Come and take a look!
Parents and students! I have a added a link on the library catalog page for some homework help resources. Specifically, there are video tutorials to help parents help their students with their Engage New York math homework.
There is also a link to the public library's online tutoring for all subjects. You need a library card to access this, but luckily, we've just had a successful library card drive so students can get help right away. If you missed the library card drive but would still like to get a public library card, I have extra applications in the library. Come by and ask for one. Happy October everyone. October is the best month because it contains both Halloween and Octoberfest!
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love scary stories and costumes and haunted houses. One way to celebrate Halloween is to participate in All Hallow's Read. It's very simple. The idea is to share scary stories with friends and loved ones by either giving them a scary book or reading scary stories with them. I've put some scary books on display in the library to make them easy to find this month. Why not check out some scary stories and share them with a friend or sibling? You could even make up your own scary stories to tell. |
Mrs. RichardsI am the Information Resource Technician at the Campbell Middle School Library. I like to read and listen to books, knit, and take pictures of my poodle. Tell me what you've been reading! Archives
May 2017
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