2011 Newbery Medal Winners!

You read some of the nominees, now check out the official 2011 Newbery Medal Winner and Honor books!

The 2011 Newbery Medal Winner is Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.

Looking for clues to her father's past, Abilene instead stumbles instead on a little tin filled with some keepsakes and letters, piquing her interest in a couple of young men named Ned and Jinx, and a spy called "the Rattler."

The 2011 Newbery Honor Books are:


Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.

Sassy eleven-year-old Turtle finds her life turned on end when she is sent to live with her aunt in Depression-era Key West. With vivid details, witty dialogue and outrageous escapades, Jennifer Holm successfully explores the meaning of family and home… and lost treasures found.



Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus.

Shipwrecks, whaling, a search for home and a delightful exploration of cultures create a swashbuckling adventure. This historical novel is based on the true story of Manjiro (later John Mung), the young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, becomes a samurai.



Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen.

Welcoming her readers into the “wild, enchanted park” that is the night, Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Companion prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as tuneful and graceful as the poems. This collection is “a feast of sound and spark.”



One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.

The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully nuanced, humorous novel set in 1968 Oakland, Calif. One crazy summer, the three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their estranged poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the Black Panthers.

All these books are available at the BCS Library...don't miss out!

BCS Book Quilt Project

THE BCS BOOK QUILT PROJECT

We are excited to announce the launching of the BCS Book Quilt Project! This spring, members of the Middle and Upper School community will have the chance to celebrate and share their favorite books through a patchwork quilt and interactive website.

Keep checking the blog for updates and photographs!

For now, here are the 8 easy steps you'll complete as part of the project. Join us!

-Ms. Mermelstein

How to make a patch for the BCS Book Quilt Project

1) Sign up in the library.

2) Think of a book you love (if you and a friend share the same favorite book, you’re welcome to work together).

3) Think about how to share that book with others in an original and visual way. You can portray a theme, a character, a scene, a quote, etc… Be creative!

4) Sketch it out on paper.

5) Show your sketch to Ms. Mermelstein and get a blank patch (9”x9”) in return.

6) Turn your vision into reality! We have colorful fabrics you can cut out and glue or sew onto a patch. We have fabric markers for you to draw or write on the patch. You can use your own materials if you have them. Fabrics, buttons, embroidery… the possibilities are endless!

a. Make sure you leave a quarter inch blank around all edges (this is marked on the patch so you remember).

b. The title of the book and author’s name should appear somewhere on the patch.

c. Be original! Don’t copy the book cover or any illustrations from the book; this is a chance to use your imagination!

7) After you finish your patch, we will ask you to write up a brief paragraph about the patch and the book it represents. What book did you choose and why is it important to you? If you want, you can explain why you portrayed it the way you did on the patch, give us more details about the book, share why someone else might want to read it, etc. We’ll put a photograph of your patch AND your writing on an interactive quilt website (coming soon!).

8) Sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful art and website we’ve created together!

Stop by the library to work on patches during morning break Mon-Wed or after school Monday.

We welcome participation from all students, faculty, and staff at BCS Middle and Upper School!