It’s Winter! Time to Warm Up with a Good Book!

 

In the flurry of holiday excitement and finals, it’s hard to find time to read a book purely for pleasure. With winter vacation coming up, the BCS library is featuring all sorts of titles for students to read over break.

In the Middle School Nook, we have a bulletin board featuring classic literature for grades 5-8. From Island of the Blue Dolphins to White Fang and Little Women, there are plenty of classic titles to delve into. Some of the selected titles we have out are:

·      Heidi

·      Hatchet

·      A Day No Pigs Would Die

·      Wind in the Willows

·      The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

·      Journey to the Center of the Earth

·      The Chocolate War

·      Robinson Crusoe

Elsewhere around the library we are featuring other popular and classic titles for the Upper Schoolers. Some of these titles are:

·      A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

·      Jurassic Park

·      Ender’s Game

·      The Hunchback of Notre Dame

·      The Bell Jar

·      War of the Worlds

·      Fight Club

We even have a selection of graphic novel versions of some classics! Check them out at the Graphic Novels section.

And to celebrate the holiday season we’ve put out a section of Charles Dickens’ titles and featured his best holiday works!

To help students pick their next book, we’ve put together some recommended reading LibGuides:

• Middle School Recommended Reading
• Young Adult (YA) Recommended Reading

And in keeping with the theme of classic for winter, you can also check out our Classics Reading Resource Lists to see all the classic literature we have in our collection:

• Classics grades 5&6
• Classics grades 7&8

So stay warm and get wrapped up in a great book! 

Happy Holidays from the BCS Middle/Upper School Library!

Caption Chronicle:

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

The chronic mystery of Harris Burdick has inspired many a chronicle, including those contained within Chris Van Allsburg’s The Chronicles of Harris Burdick.  Burdick left illustrations in the care of Peter Wenders, a children’s book editor. Wenders was interested in publishing the accompanying stories, but Burdick never returned.  Some of the world’s most popular authors have drawn inspiration from Burdick’s drawings. Chris Van Allsburg has published two volumes containing the pictures. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick  is a collection of pictures and the captions. The aforementioned Chronicles of Harris Burdick, features stories from many established writers.

Chris Van Allsburg created a website, and a system of ongoing submissions to continue to encourage readers and writers who feel inspired by Burdick’s pictures.  Many illustrious writers, including Lois Lowry and Jon Scieszka, have written stories based on the illustrations. Following that example, students of the Berkeley Carroll Middle School have contributed captions to accompany a selection of illustrations.  See below for images and submissions!

 

 

Interested in expanding a caption into a short story submission?    

Scan the QR code for a direct link to the Chris Van Allsburg’s submission page!

Another Place, Another Time

Original Caption: If there was an answer, he’d find it there.

Maya S.

They felt the boat slip away into the darkness of the angry waves.

Natalie H.

The wind is picking up. We are almost there!

Lucy

An ongoing journey.

Nola M.

We are almost there. We are almost there!

Sadie M.Their journey had just begun

Archie Smith, Boy Wonder

Original Caption: A tiny voice asked, “Is he the one?”

Adeleen R. “He’s mine,” said a voice under the bed.

Captain Tory

Original Caption: He swung his lantern three times and slowly the schooner appeared.

Helena A.

He saw the ship and a second later it was gone.

Mac O.

                      The fog ship appears.

Ana M.

There they stood, man and boy, watching and waiting.

      

Just Desert

Original Caption: She lowered the knife and it grew even brighter.

Graham (Gravel) S.

The longer she looked at the pumpkin, the brighter it became.

Peter B.

She lowered the knife and it grew even brighter. That is very scary.

Sophie G. Trying...to cross...my eyes!

Nola M.

The voodoo pumpkin was just perfect.

The House on Maple Street

Original Caption: It was a perfect lift-off!

Alicia M.

The house popping out of the ground and shooting up like the ground does not want to have the house standing there.

The Third-Floor Bedroom

Original Caption: It all began when someone left the window open.

Sadie M. But the window wasn’t supposed to be open

                                   Anonymous 

I thought I shut the window.

Under the Rug

Original Caption: Two weeks passed and it happened again.

Freya R. The  bump under the rug never moved. It was just there.

Uninvited Guests

Original Caption: His heart was pounding. He was sure he had seen the doorknob turn.

Mary D. I’m pretty sure I heard the doorknob turning. Who could be here at this time?

Emily B. The door had definitely not been there last night. 

It was tiny. Not even big enough for a cat. “But what would fit?” he wondered.

A Wicked Season: Halloween Reading at the Berkeley Carroll School Library

It’s autumn! It’s time to get cozy with a hot drink and a cool book. When we think of October we think of Halloween, so what’s more fitting for your autumn reading list than spooky mysteries, exciting thrillers, and chilling tales? This season at The Berkeley Carroll Middle/Upper School Library, we have a great collection of eerie reads from all genres. Check out the bulletin board in the Middle School nook for a display of some of our best titles!

            If fiction is what you crave with your cider then check out the bulletin board for some of our top reads. Novels such as Breathe: a ghost story, The Westing Game, Vanishing Act, and In a Glass Grimly (the newest Grimm installment!) are sure to intrigue and bewitch readers.

            Looking for something a bit more colorful? The library has a great collection of spooky graphic novels. Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a consistent favorite. We also have many illustrated versions of classic tales. Check out the graphic novel shelves for the illustrated versions of Dracula and Frankenstein.

            Ever wonder about real life ghost stories, scary places, and odd phenomena? Take a look at some nonfiction titles such as Strange Stuff: True Stories of Odd Places and Things and Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead to learn about the creepy myths and spooky wonders of our world.

                  We have a lot more chilling novels, collections of short stories, and nonfiction to offer. Many of them are on display around the library so take a look around or ask a librarian for your next spooky read!

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.

5K - The Tick Tocks:

Minli is a girl who lives with her family in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain. Very tired of her poor life, her mother, tells her not to believe the stories about wealth and fate that her father tells her. Minli believes them and sets off on a quest to meet the Old Man of the Moon. - E.D.

"A beautiful, heartfelt story that will make you cry for joy! This book will make you think of life from an entirely new angle! A classic!" - E.D.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is a do or die situation.

Oh, by the way, I'm not joking.

Once you're in that arena, there is no turning back.

The beginning of this story takes place in district 12 of Panem but then the setting changes to the Capitol where the Hunger Games takes place. In Panem, there are 12 districts. Well, there used to be 13, but that's another story. Panem is where North America used to be. In The Hunger Games, there is a 16 year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She gets chosen for the Hunger Games. But she wasn't supposed to go. Her 12 year-old sister got chosen but Katniss volunteered so her sister would NOT have to go.

Well, at this point, you're probably wondering what the Hunger Games are... kids fight an all out battle to the death on TV... and the last one standing wins! I know you probably think that this is gross to force people to do something like that. Guess what? You're right. - V.D.

"The best book of the year." - J.A.

"This book will leave you on the edge of your seat." - J.P.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

We have one minute until the gong rings. One minute to take in our surroundings. Then, it's war. The golden horn glints in the sunlight. Around it is all the food, knives, and everything you could possibly need to kill 23 other tributes. On the left is a big lake and beyond that a plain with long stalks of wheat easily reaching above my head. Then I see the woods. That's where I'm headed. I scan the other tributes but my eye catches on something else... a silver bow equipped with at least 10 arrows. Should I take it? I have no time to decide. The bell has rung. - T.P.

"An excellent page-turner... will keep you in bed reading with flashlight." -Book Lists, starred review

"Watch out Rowling, your series is now in second place." - T.P.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss volunteers for a survival test called the Hunger Games, the only way to save her little sister Prim from death. As Katniss gets ready for the Hunger Games to begin, many things run through her mind. Will anyone be nice enough to sponsor her during the Hunger Games? What will the contestants look like? Will they look like... Strong, fast, strategic? Katniss thinks about these things as she speeds towards the Capitol. But all this leaves

everyone wondering one thing, can Katniss survive the Hunger Games - the ultimate test of survival..... - C.W.

"Baked with mixed emotions. More intriguing with every chapter. Leaves you wanting more!" - C.W.

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Aubrey has been a brave eleven-year-old who knows how to take care of herself and her pet fish Sammy. When her father and sister are not there for her, and her mother left her, her heartwarming grandmother takes her in. Aubrey has to move, make new friends, and start a new school. The only way she can keep her family together is by writing letters. It all comes down to when Aubrey has to make the biggest decision in her life.

"A heart warming story." - L.M.

"Every page made me want to jump in and hug Aubrey." - J.B.

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Love, Aubrey is about finding peace after a life-changing tragedy. When a terrible accident happens in Aubrey's family, her life starts to fall apart. She thinks that Sammy (her goldfish) is the only thing that matters and the only one that cares about her. She struggles to get out of bed each morning. Ultimately she finds love and faith in her friend Bridget and her grandmother. Then her life can begin again. - E.M.

"A touching story told in a realistic way." - S.M.

"LaFleur has made so many cry with this book, including me." - J.P.

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

After a terrible accident, Aubrey is left alone with her pet fish Samson and SpaghettiOs. But after her grandmother comes to rescue her, there was still one question - where did her mother go? Aubrey can't seem to let go of her past and hears the memories of talking and laughing. With her new friends, Aubrey will learn to start her future. - L.M.

"The realistic fiction book of the year." - Weekly review

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

Five years after the Rebel Alliance defeated the Emperor, Princess Leia has married Hans Solo and is pregnant with twins. But the New Republic is having problems. Among those problems is the brilliant military tactician Grand Admiral Thrawn. He has taken control of what is left of the empire and declared war on the New Republic.

How will this problem be resolved? What about Luke, Chewie, Lando, R2-D2, and C-3PO? Find out by reading this book! The first in a great new series. - G.M.

"A true masterpiece!" - The Tribune