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!

Getting Serious About Humor in the Berkeley Carroll School Library

"LoL Book Alert" at BCS 

Who doesn’t love a hilarious book about teenage sidekicks who’ve outgrown their costumes? Or an outrageous story about an evil-genius criminal mastermind who uses fake mustaches to rob banks, influence people, and run for president? How about a laugh-a-minute mystery from the point of view of a 12-year-old detective investigating the murder of a hippopotamus?

The student body at Berkeley Carroll School proved that they too have a great sense of humor, as the recent “LoL Book Alert” display in the library was a huge hit. Laughs, sly smiles, and jokes were told by many during the daily breaks in the middle school nook.  

Some of the most popular humor books in the BCS library include:

• Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo
• Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
• The Schwa Was Here by Neil Shusterman
• Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger
• Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
• Flush by Carl Hiaasen
• Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka
• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan

What do YOU think makes a book funny? What is your favorite "LoL" read?

Wonder author, R.J. Palacio, visits the BCS Mock Newbery Club!

"It was really cool to have the author here to talk about the book." (Rory S.)

"I thought it was really great.  Especially people asking really distinct questions about the book’s characters.” ( Kate S.)

“Made me look at the story from a different perspective.  I saw a lot more of why in the book.” (Henry S.)  

“It made Wonder an even better book for me!” (Ben S.)

This is just a sampling of students' enthusiastic responses to the author's visit.

R.J. Palacio (second from left top row) with the BCS Mock Newbery club grades 5-8

Wonder was awarded the top honor by this year's BCS Mock Newbery club and spirits were high in anticipation of Mrs. Palacio's visit. Here are a few excerpts from her responses to student questions:

Why didn’t you tell part of the story from Julian’s perspective?

"As a mom and a reader, I didn’t want to give a bully a platform to talk. There would be kids who looked like Augie and I didn’t want them to hear something mean especially since it wouldn't advance the story."

Are you going to write a sequel?

"It doesn’t seem like that kind of book. The fact is that we know as the reader, that life is not going to be easy for August. I choose to end the book on a moment of triumph but we know that’s just one moment of his life and he’ll face many more challenges. Hopefully, he will find enough Summers and Jacks that he’s gonna be okay. That’s the point of the story."

Is there another book on the way?

Yes but we didn’t expect this book to take off like it did. It’s been a great opportunity to travel across the country and talk to middle schooler’s about choosing kind...."

Dear Mrs. Palacio,

As a group, we would like to say a big THANK YOU for taking the time out of your busy schedule to drop by and talk to us. We are all eagerly awaiting your next book! No pressure...