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 - Group X:

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

This is a book about a boy named Roy Eberhardt who moves to Florida but doesn't want to. On the way to his new school, he meets a bully on the bus. The bully's name is Dana Matherson. At school there is another bully named Beatrice Leep. One day when Roy was getting on the bus, he saw a boy running with no shoes on and wondered where he was going. He followed this boy and found out that he is called Mullet Fingers. He also found out that he was Beatrice the bully's step brother. They get to know each other and become good friends. Later on in the book, they have to stop people from building a pancake house because it will harm the owls that are living there. - L.P.

"People should read this book because it makes more people aware of endangered species." - E.G.

"This book has something for everyone! It is action packed but also realistic." - C.S.

Nerds by Michael Buckley

Jackson and his brother were ordinary boys. Everyone else at

school was a nerd or so they thought. Jackson didn't like the nerds because he thought they were geeky and uncool. In short, Jackson and his brother weren't very nice boys at the beginning of this story. But one day after school, Jackson found out that he had to get braces. From the moment his braces were put on, his friends ignored him and suddenly he found himself to be among the nerds. It was then that he began to question what it really meant to be cool, and if it was really cool to try and be cool.

Having nowhere to turn, Jackson turns to the Nerds and discovers that each of the Nerds have their own nerdy super power. Jackson learns that he too has his own power --coming from his braces no less. Together, Jackson and the nerds in NERDS (otherwise known as the National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society) embark on their missions of saving the world and stopping the evil Doctor Jigsaw from conquering the world with his continental drift machine designed to disastrously move the continents back together. Can Brace Face (Jackson) save the Nerds held in Doctor Jigsaw's captivity? Is Dr. Jigsaw victorious or can Brace Face and the Nerds save the world.

- L.M.

"NERDS is a nerve wrecking delight." - Nervous Nellie Ningleberry Reviews

"For all the nerds out there - this book shows just how really cool it is to be one!!" - Nerdy Neal McGraw, author of The Nerd's Guide to Nerdiness

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June is a book about two girls in an exchange program. Each girl goes to live with the other for two weeks to see what another life is like. Ivy June lives in the country in Kentucky. She is very poor. Catherine lives in the city in Kentucky. Her mother has pneumonia. Each girl keeps a journal and writes about what a different life is like. Throughout the book, the girls learn more about each other and are close to becoming friends. - G.M.

"Heart warming." - G.M.

"Like Spring: changing and renewing." - L.G.M.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen-year-old girl who is going to be in the Hunger Games. She lives with her mother and her younger sister Primrose. Will Katniss survive the Hunger Games? - M.S.

"I liked the Hunger Games because I loved how brave Katniss was." - Jane Flag

"No book is good without a fight!" - John Blackbird

Middle School: The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Rafe is already having trouble in school. When he decides to break every single rule in the school rule book, he gets in much more trouble than he expected. he might not even make it to the next grade. Will he move on or will he be held back? Read and find out! - N.E.

"Parents, keep this book out of your children's hands. It might give them ideas." - from the How to Keep Your Child from Reading Anything Good Magazine.

"This book was very funny from start to finish. I had to guess what happened at the end because my mom took it away." - Anonymous

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In a nation called Panem, a game, the Hunger Games, causes fear throughout. Katniss Everdeen has been involved with the games..."May the odds be ever in your favor." - D.P.

"Stunning! Romance, action, drama - everything needed to make a good book!" - The Daily Dylan

"Absolutely Amazing!" - CC Journal

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Lucky, age 10, has so many questions. She lives in Hard Pan California (population 43) with her guardian Brigitte. Lucky works at the wind chime museum , cleaning after the meetings there. She always eaves drops and hears how all these people hit rock bottom, then after a while, find their higher power. Lucky wishes she could find her higher power. She thinks that Brigitte is planning on moving back to France. Lucky does not want to go to an orphanage home. She has to come up with a plan. In the end Lucky puts her life on the line and learns a valuable lesson in trust. - H.A.

"Sad but AWESOME! - The Newbery's

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

Zulaikha means "a brilliant beauty" but in reality she doesn't feel like that. Zulaikha was born with a cleft lip so the mean boys call her "donky face". When she meets Mena, Zulaikha seems to forget about trouble. Soon the army offers her surgery. Her sister gets married. Zulaikha needs her words more than ever. - A.T.

"Touching and unforgettable." - Children's Library

"His character teaches you about Afghan culture and many ways of Life. - Chicago Times

Celebrating Nonfiction

The Library is celebrating nonfiction this month with a colorful bulletin board display that features some great books. A growing interest in nonfiction for kids has led to the publication of some well-researched, very readable books including Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley. This award-winner follows the mysterious journey of the very first submarine to sink an enemy ship. But how and why did it disappear without a trace after its successful attack on a Confederate navy boat? What did archaeologists discover when, after 131 years, they raised the Hunley from the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Charleston, NC? The answers may surprise you.

Another nonfiction title written for kids, The Day-Glo Brothers tells the story of how Bob and Joe Switzer came to invent the fluorescent oranges, yellows, and greens we see everyday on traffic cones and fluorescent markers. Find out how two teenagers, end up creating a series of brand new colors in their basement!

Maybe you’ve seen the film Supersize Me! If you read the book Fast Food Nation, you’ll learn even more about the effects fast food can have on your body. Can you guess how many ingredients are in McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets? (see answer below.)

It’s important to explore quality nonfiction, not only for the information it imparts, but for the critical thinking skills it introduces. It models concepts like how to ask good questions, how to conduct effective research, and how to present evidence in an engaging way. Some nonfiction gives you instructions on how to perform a task (think cookbooks or how-to books).

The more nonfiction you read, the more you will know about the world and how it works. Check out some nonfiction today. You’ll find books that tell remarkable true stories, provide surprising facts, and teach you amazing things.

How many ingredients in Chicken McNuggets? 38!!

2012 BCS Mock Newbery Finalists Decided!

The members of the Mock Newbery Club, grades 4-8, have voted. Out of 44 books, 6 have emerged as top contenders. This year's finalists are:

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Inside Out and Again by Thanhha Lai
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booraem
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo






Stay tuned for highlights from our discussions.

Halloween in the Library!

Ms. Bruce reads from A Tale Dark and Grimm

Halloween festivities kicked off Monday, Oct. 24 and finished on Halloween itself.  Every day at 10:00 a.m, the Middle School Nook was packed with students who came to hear stories that are inexplicable, spooky, and just plain fun.

They learned about the Curse of King Tut's Tomb. They heard The Golden Arm and The Hitchhiker from Lynne Brunelle's Campout: The Ultimate Kids' Guide.  They were read to from Adam Gidwitz' A Tale Dark and Grimm, which tells the real (and bloody) stories behind the fairy tales we know.  They heard a segment from Sid Fleischman's Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini.

Halloween Monday we finished with a classic: Two stories from Alvin Schwartz' Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark series.

Ms. Clarke reads a campfire story

One student listened in silence, her eyes growing larger and larger, to Schwartz' tale High Beams.  At the story's end, she gave a shudder and declared, "that story was so CREEPY!"
 

   

Students examine the Mysteries display board

The fun began with a Mystery-themed display. Students lifted flaps on the board to reveal questions and quotes from classic mysteries.
































Here are some of our Halloween favorites:

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Who is sending Miranda strange notes and instructions?
"The trip is a difficult one.  I will not be myself when I reach you." - p. 60



 




 The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd
How can someone go for a ride on a Ferris wheel...
...and not get off?
"He defied the law of gravity.  He went up, but he didn't come down.  Which means Newton got it wrong." - p. 62

 





The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Who will solve the mystery laid out in Samuel W. Westing's will, thereby inheriting the fortune?
"Who were these people?... They were mothers and fathers and children.  A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge.  And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake." - p. 6




Check out more in Destiny: click "Resource Lists", then "READING - Mysteries" or "READING - Halloween"

Countdown to Halloween with Creepy Stories and Mindbending Mysteries

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!