Banned Books Week Virtual Read Out

Berkeley Carroll's Reading Angels read "The Thing" from Alvin Schwartz's More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. The Scary Stories series is a perennial favorite in the Library, a perfect choice for reading aloud at break time!

The Reading Angels Have Arrived!

A group of middle school students who call themselves the Reading Angels descended upon the Middle School Library Reading Nook at morning break to read several short stories from Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Their appearance helped to raise awareness about censorship and the freedom to read at the end of Banned Books Week 2011.

The group of 7^th graders who often gather at break times in the Library to read stories to each other proclaimed their mission at Morning Meeting today:

"We are the Reading Angels. Our mission is to defeat those who find words boring. By reading stories out loud we can make the world even more awesome!"

The Scary Stories series is listed at number 7 in the American Library Association’s List “Top 100 Banned/Challenged books: 2000-2009”. It is a collection of traditional and modern-day stories from folklore and urban legends about ghosts, witches, and vampires. It is often challenged over objections to its subject matter.

Today’s audience was rapt! As Schwartz says in his introduction, scary stories are “meant to be told” because it makes them more scary. Excited by their welcome reception, the Reading Angels are already planning their next appearance. Updates will be posted here, so stay tuned!

Banned Books Week September 24-October 1

The buzz around the library this week is all about banned books.

The Library’s bulletin board celebrates Banned Books Week, an annual event that draws attention to the freedom to read and the importance of the 1^st Amendment. It features popular books that are frequently banned or challenged in schools and libraries across the country.

Students are always shocked to discover that some of their favorites, like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, are regularly challenged. The displays have led to a lot of lively conversations among students of all ages on censorship and freedom of expression.

Students talking about banned books.

Which of these books was challenged most frequently in 2010?

Welcome Back to the Library!

The first full week of school is upon us and the Library is in full swing!

If you are new to our Library or just need to review how to use Destiny, our Libraries' catalog, go to Destiny Check Out for instructions on how to check out books.

For tips on how to get the most out of your user account (login, search, recommend, renew, review and hold), go to Destiny How-to for a user's guide. Please see the Library staff for your Login password.

After a long summer, Lincoln, our Library Lion, gets caught up on some reading with Middle School friends.

BCS Book Quilt Website Launch!

After months of sketching, drawing, sewing, and writing, the BCS Middle & Upper School Book Quilt is complete, and the website has launched! You can stop by the library anytime to see the quilt in person, but you can also access the quilt through your fingertips from any computer!

Not only does the website tell you more about the project and show you photographs of the process, but you can also click on each patch to see a closeup of that particular patch, and an explanation of the book by the patch's artist. Can you find your friends on there? Do you agree with their descriptions of Harry Potter, The Lightning Thief, The Hunger Games, The Rock and the River, The Secret Garden, Peace, Locomotion, Stargirl, and more?

Thanks to the twelve 5th graders, two 6th graders, three 8th graders, one 9th grader, one 10th grader, and six faculty members who participated in this project!

Summer Reading!

At the library, we love summer because it gives us so much more time to read!

We have created a list of hot summer reads. You can find it at the Berkeley Carroll Amazon Store. The list includes both old favorites as well as new titles.

Can't find something you like on the list? Come into the library before school ends and ask a librarian for more suggestions.

BCS Poetry Evening 2011

Poetry filled the spring air as students from grades 4-12, parents, faculty and friends gathered for the Library's 10th annual Poetry Evening on Monday, April 25th.

JoAnne McFarland, an artist, poet and parent of two BCS alums, who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY was this year’s featured poet. She began by describing her work "which centers around creativity and how to keep ourselves going as artists and writers and just human beings with something to say and do". The audience was captivated by her "lyrics of liberation" and her masterful, spellbinding use of two voices when she was joined by writer and friend Gretta Keene.

JoAnne is the author of six poetry collections and her work has appeared in national and international publications. Check out her art and poetry at www.joannemcfarland.com .

Featured poet JoAnne McFarland and Gretta Keene

Robert Frost, Billy Collins, Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda and Ogden Nash were among the poets whose works were read, along side a host of original poems. Students from Mr. Moyano's 11th grade Spanish class offered a stirring rendition of Federico García Lorca's Canción de Jinete/Song of the Rider, and 4th graders offered up finely crafted original poetry.

Everyone who read received a glowing response from the audience, and the evening was deemed a success by all in attendance.

Fourth graders shared their original poetry

An ensemble reading by Mr. Moyano's 11th grade Spanish class