Winter Reading

NEW BOOKS AT THE LIBRARY!

Need a book (or two) to get you through the winter break? The library has lots of new books, perfect for curling up with a cup of hot chocolate. New titles include:

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.

The latest book from a favorite author.

Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself.

Love, Ruby Lavender By Deborah Wiles

If you are dreaming of summer, this book is for you.

When her quirky grandmother goes to Hawaii for the summer, nine-year-old Ruby learns to survive on her own in Mississippi by writing letters, befriending chickens as well as the new girl in town, and finally coping with her grandfather's death.

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

The first book in a 6-book series. Guarunteed to get you hooked!

6,000 years ago, twelve-year-old Torak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.

Misson Control, This is Apollo by Andrew Chaikin and Alan Bean

Space! Who doesn't like space?

Recounts various important events from the history of space exploration, covering the Mercury missions, the voyage of Apollo 17, and more, with illustrations by ex-NASA astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the moon during the Apollo 12 mission.

Athena, Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor

Percy Jackson got you interested in mythology? This graphic novel might be for you.

An illustrated retelling of the Greek myth that details the story of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war.

These are only a few of the new books available for you at the library. Come on by and see what else we have to offer!

BCS Mock Newbery Club

The 2010-2011 BCS Mock Newbery Club has chosen a list of finalists. 8 books out of the original 31 were voted as the best of the bunch. They are:



Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleave
Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole
Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Scumble by Ingrid Law
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Stay tuned for the announcement of the winning books...

Storytelling At Break Time

Middle schoolers enjoyed another round of stories during morning break told by Ms. Mermelstein. Among them The Worm Story and The Stick Woman, originating from such diverse places as Japan and South Africa.
The common thread: you get to draw when telling the story.
Inspired by the drawings, several students eagerly shared the story versions they knew. The take away: some tales to share with family and friends, along with tips on how to create a drawing story using words, rhythms and gestures.

Bookland : Fiction

5th Grade Bookland : Fiction

For this edition of Bookland, BCS 5th graders read a work of fiction and created a book cover, complete with plot summary, author bio and reviews.

Bookland is a year-long independent reading program where 5th graders read across a variety of genres and create projects to share what they've read.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Imagine if you had the power to lift characters off the page of your book. If you could read aloud any page from and book & boom! they were right there, so real that you could touch them. It would be magical.

But then, you never knew it would go this terribly wrong.

This is what happens to Meggie, a twelve year old girl who lives with her father, Mo. When a mysterious man is standing at their door Meggie is suddenly whisked off into a journey she never dreamed about. She must find courage, & who she really is. ---S.M.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Sadie and Carter Kane are two siblings that do not live together. One Christmas eve when Carter visits Sadie in London things go completely wrong. Their father destroys the Rosetta Stone and releases Egyptian gods!

Then Carter finds out that he is hosting Horus and Sadie's hosting Isis! They also are born to 2 different ancient pharaoh blood lines! Now they must stop the evil god Set from destroying the world!

Can Carter and Sadie destroy Set? Can they trust magicians or gods? ---I.E.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy is a very good book about a girl with a big imagination. She has a really good friend named sport and they hang out together a lot. She also has a friend named Janie who loves to experiment.

In her own time she always spies on friends, family, and neighbors and takes notes in her notebook all the time. But remember to be careful about what you write in your notebook Harriet! ---M.K.

"I love this book and it made me want to go spy with Harriet" ---M.K.

Found by Margaret Haddix

The book Found is about two boys named Jonah and Chip who are receiving mysterious letters about their adoption. Jonah knew about his adoption since he was very young, but Chip's adoption was a huge surprise.

Both boys are trying to investigate the anonymous letter writer. Jonah's sister Katherine helps in the search. Mr. James Reardon, a FBI agent, believes that Jonah's adoption was illegal.

Will Jonah and Chip figure out who wrote the letters? Were their adoptions illegal? READ FOUND!!! ---J.N.

A Dog's Life: An Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin

Squirrel is an independent dog, full of courage, who is sometimes treated well and sometimes not. She looses important things in her life like her mother, brother, and even her friend.

Squirrel learns to live on her own, surviving by finding reliable sources of food, water, and shelter whether living in a shed, a forest, a barn or best of all a house with a roof and fire. ---J.W.

"A heart-warming tail about a dog named Squirrel who's mother dies when she's young and has to live alone in life" --Terrier Times

A Tale Inspired By Halloween

With Halloween just around the corner, students gathered in the Middle School Reading Nook at break time to hear Ms. Mermelstein tell a story. They were treated to a creepy story about a woman, a dog and a murderer followed by an improvised version of The Little Witch and the Jack O' Lantern House, a cutting and folding story which follows a little witch on a romp through the woods. When it starts to rain, she quickly realizes that she needs a house but not just any old house. After some clever cutting and folding, the result: a pumpkin dwelling, custom made, especially for her!

Thrills & Chills: Happy Halloween!

October is here, and you know what that means: Halloween!

If you've walked by the library bulletin board recently, you may have noticed students pointing at the three-headed dog or the Dachshund dressed as a hot dog. Unfortunately, we don't have any actual dogs in our library, but we have plenty of creepy, funny, and mysterious books you might want to read for Halloween!

Check out the display just inside the library doors, the books on display in the Middle School nook, and the Halloween resource list on Destiny, complete with all these titles and more.


Middle Schoolers: Stay tuned for a Halloween-themed morning break on Wednesday, October 27!

Graphic Novels Galore!

ATTENTION GRAPHIC NOVEL LOVERS!

The library has just received lots of new graphic novels. If you're looking for classics, we have Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts. Current series favorites Bone and Amulet are making an appearance, as well as brand new books like Calamity Jack and Katman.



New to the library's graphic collection are graphic non-fiction books. Check out The Murder of Abraham Lincoln or Journey into Mohawk Country for amazing illustrations and fascinating history.

For science types, we have The Explosive World of Volcanoes and Corpses and Skeletons. If you like philosophy, try Thoreau at Walden.

These are just a taste of the new graphic novels and graphic non-fiction the library has on the shelves.

There are graphic books if you are looking for action, adventure, mystery, humor and more.

Come in and check out the displays for more great reads!

Search, Login, Recommend, Review, Renew and Hold! A Destiny User's Guide.

Instructions for using and navigating Destiny: Berkeley Carroll's Online Catalog.

SEARCHING
There are two types of searching – Basic and Visual. Use a Basic search if you know what you are looking for and a Visual search if you want to browse lists for ideas and recommendations. The red arrows show how to go between the two types of searches by clicking on the tabs.





LOGIN
Each student has a login for the library system and can sign in by clicking “Login” in the Middle & Upper School Library catalog (see blue rectangle above). In most cases the User Name is the first initial of their first name followed by their whole last name. The Password is their student ID #. Please see Library staff to get your ID # or if you have problems logging in.



CREATE A LIST
You can create lists of books that sound good to you so that you can easily find them again when you come to the library! Click on "My Info" (red arrow below) and "Add List" (green arrow) to create as many lists as you would like.




ADD TO THIS LIST
You can add titles to your lists directly from the results of a catalog search. Click “Add to this list” (red arrow) to add to your chosen list and Resource Lists (blue arrow) to see your list. Click on the title of the book to see more information, such as summaries, reviews and publication information.




RECOMMEND and REVIEW
Recommending a book (yellow arrow) allows you to send a message to a friend recommending a book to them. They will see your recommendation the next time they login.

Reviewing a book (pink arrow) creates a starred review that stays in the catalog. Let people know about the books that you love and find books other students enjoyed!

HOLD: You can put a hold on a book by clicking Hold (blue arrow above)



RENEW
Click on the My Info tab on top (blue arrow below) and find the button that says RENEW near the book you want to renew (red arrow). This is also a good place to check when your book is due (green arrow).

Be sure to Login to Destiny to explore and to try some of the features highlighted above.

Self Check Out and Library Policy

Self check out is new this year in the Middle/Upper School Library. Here's an overview of Library privileges and how to check out a book.

Maximum Number of Books and Loan Period

• students may check out up to 5 books for a 3 week period
  
• books may be renewed but prompt return of library materials is greatly appreciated
• to return books drop them in the book bin located on the left of the Circulation Desk upon entering the Library

Self Check Out in 3 Steps

1. Scan the barcode on your student card or type in your student ID#

• student ID cards for grades 5-8 are hung on the left side (see orange arrow)
• lists with ID#'s for grades 9-12 are hung on the right side (see yellow arrow)

2. Scan the Berkeley Carroll barcode located on the back of the book in the upper right hand corner

3. Scan the Reset barcode (green arrow above) attached to the scanner, to clear the computer screen


To check due dates and to renew books, students need to Login to their Destiny account. For instructions, see the Destiny user's guide or ask Library staff.

Welcome Back to the Middle/Upper School Library!

What's new in the Library this school year? We've created a larger, more open space for students to read and work in, the entire Middle School fiction collection can now be found in the Middle School Reading Nook and there is self check out at the Circulation Desk. It's no surprise we're breaking records this year in terms of the number of students using the Library space and its resources. We are looking forward to a lively and productive new school year!

Main Reading Room during morning break

Middle School Book Nook during morning break

Read any great books this summer that you'd like to recommend and review? Let us know so we can feature them in the upcoming weeks.

National Poetry Month - April 2010

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Library hosted its ninth annual Poetry Evening. Students from all divisions, parents, faculty and friends gathered together to share their favorite poems.

Fourth graders read selections from "A Tree of Many Leaves", a collection of poems they wrote during a recent eight-week poetry residency.

Elizabeth Bishop, Langston Hughes, Billy Collins, Walt Whitman, Julianna Baggott and Federico García Lorca were among the chosen poets whose work was read aloud.

Featured poets this year were students from the Middle and Upper School who all read original poetry, thrilling listeners with their poetic skills and unique poetic voices.

All in all, a remarkably satisfying and enjoyable evening.

Bookland Biography

For their Bookland Project, fifth grade students read biographies or autobiographies and wrote scripts describing their person’s life, including why they chose to read about them and what inspired them. Several students from each section recorded excerpts from their scripts so that you can listen to them. Just click on the arrow to hear more.