Fabulous Fantasy

The Wheatley School Book Club affectionately known as BAA ( Book Addicts Anonymous) has created another fantastic display of our favorite fantasy books. Of course, we had to make sure that the books have eye catching covers, because as you know, we do judge books by their covers, especially when they are on display at the front of the IMC!  Thanks to our resident creative artist and banner maker, and stellar book club member Alexandra for making the most beautiful banner for our display.

Speking of fantasty, what is your fav? ( I love Gracling )

THE HUNGER GAMES TRAILER!!!!!

NO NEED FOR COMMENTARY: MARCH 23. PERIOD THE END!

Stages on Pages

Attended The Dolphin Bookshop Stages on Pages event this afternoon with Rick Leidenfrost-Wilson. Great to meet authors who have written about the arts in YA fiction. Bought all the books and am looking forward to reading them. One of the authors turned me onto a cool website netgalley.com where you can download ARC's ( Advanced Reader Copies) of books not yet published. How cool is THAT!

Field Trip to meet Conor Grennan



Conor Grennan



If you hang with me or have asked for a book recommendation in the past 6 months, you know I will recommend Little Princes by Conor Grennan. I LOVE this book, thus I LOVE the author. The Book Addicts Anonymous book club of the Wheatley School, affectionately known as BAA, will be taking a field trip to hear Conor Grennan tell his story THIS  THURSDAY! And guess what? I am unable to attend.! BOOOOO HOOOO. I follow him on FB and he seems just as wonderful in real life as he does in the pages of his book. Anyhow, our terrific book club  read this book as our first selection of the year, and the feedback is unanimous- everyone is moved and impressed by the book. Here is a video that explains it in a nutshell. Donna Rosenblum, the wonderful librarian at Floral Park Memorial High School invited our group to hear Conor speak at her school. I am sure it will be wonderful. The good news is, I will be able to finally meet Conor in May at the LISMA dinner for librarians. And May is not too far away,, right?

Event at The Dolphin Booskshop tomorrow night

The Dolphin Bookshop


299 Main Street

Port Washington, NY 11050

516-767-2650

www.thedolphinbookshop.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH

5:30 PM TO 9 PM

THE DOLPHIN BOOKSHOP

FEATURED AUTHORS INCLUDE:

Matt Blackstone A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie

Christopher Grant Teenie

Michael Northrop Trapped

Gae Polisner The Pull of Gravity

Lena Roy Edges

Nova Ren Suma Imaginary Girls

Arlaina Tibensky And Then Things Fall Apart

Meet The Newest Authors in TEEN FICTION

And find out what it takes to be a writer in today’s world

This is a free Event! Refreshments and live music by MARK KLEIN

20% discount for purchasing two or more books

Falling Apart and Picking

Up The Pieces...Why We Write

Hanging with New Authors of Teen Fiction

The Help: A field trip

Before even the first official meeting of the Wheatley book club, we had our first field trip. Off to Roosevelt field for a viewing of the movie, The Help. A dozen students met at 11:30 am, Caitlyn with cream cheese in her handbag ( don't ask!) and celebrating the birthday of James ( HBDAY!) to screen the movie of the book many had loved. Our assessment is , it delivered as a movie, but was lacking so much of the depth that the book delivered. We discussed racism in the south as portrayed in the movie, as well as how racism still exists today- on Long Island, Hispanic immigrants often suffer from the hate and ignorance of their fellow men. After the movie, off to lunch at Nordstroms Cafe, a hidden gem that Nicole turned us onto. We left each other at 4PM  and vowed to do it again!

The US Open starts Monday.

Reluctant readers?

From the New York Times, a discussion about reluctant readers ( mostly boys) and how to reach them. Video interview with our heroes, James Patterson and Rick Riorden.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/what-about-the-reluctant-reader/

Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise

Ok, I saw the movie and YES IT WAS AWESOME! My kids showed me this fun video and it is stuck in my head.- get it out!

TopTen Teen 2011-VOTE

Young Adult lit readers- now is the time for you to read as many books as you can from the YALSA teen book awards list http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm. YALSA is a division of the American Library Association. Voting will open on August 22, so read up and then cast your vote. Instructions are on the website so click the link to find the list and the instructions. I know there are favorites on mine on the list... what are your fav's?

POV - Biblioburro: The Donkey Library | PBS

POV - Biblioburro: The Donkey Library | PBS
Of course, librarians will go to any length to help people -this should be great!

Synopsis

Biblioburro is the story of a librarian — and a library — like no other. A decade ago, Colombian grade-school teacher Luis Soriano was inspired to spend his weekends bringing a modest collection of precious books, via two hard-working donkeys, to the children of Magdalena Province’s poor and violence-ridden interior. As Soriano braves armed bands, drug traffickers, snakes and heat, his library on hooves carries an inspirational message about education and a better future for Colombia. His simple yet extraordinary effort has attracted worldwide attention — and imitators — but his story has never been better told than in this heartwarming yet unsentimental film. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting.

Listen Up!

Downloaded my first two FREE audiobooks last night from SYNC-YA Listening from Audiobook.com. Each week, for 8 weeks, you can download a classic book and a contemporary YA book  (YA stands for young adult). Last night I downloaded Romeo and Juliet by some guy named Shakespeare- and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I cannot wait to jump into my car and listen. ( I listen on the way to work). You can sign up for email reminders when new titles are ready, and you can also participate in an online discussion of the books. Enjoy!

Book Club for Educators: Free and Online

Teachers and educators are always looking to learn new things. Reading American Educator yesterday and found this online summer reading group focusing on topics in eduction today. The group meets online and is held 4x/year. Not a huge commitment but probably a huge payoff. After the book is read there is a 3-5 day online discussion. the next book is Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning by Mike Schmoker.Check out the website here http://www.edweek.org/tm/section/bookclub/index.html

The Wheatley School website: Top Honors!

At the most recent Nassau BOCES School library system meeting, our school website received a NOVEL (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library) award for the leadership level, the top level that is recognized. The award means that our library website provides a top level of access to information from virtually anywhere.So access away! Pictured with me is my colleague Carl Vitevitch, from Nassau BOCES, who is always helping me to improve the website among other things he does daily! Thanks Carl

School Library Journal Day of Dialogue

What an exhausting and great day! Tons of authors, educators and books books books. Great advance reader copies to share with my bookclubbers. It is intoxicating- better than shoe shopping!

My favorite book of the year:Little Princes

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Watch this video-buy the book- or borrow it from the library!
This book has it all; A wonderful,inspiring story, romance, suspense, humor. AND Conor is going to be the guest author at the LISMA dinner next May. Yep, I am already booking my calendar for May 2012. He is also going to be at the fantastic Port Washington Public Library on August 9th at 7:30. I am planning on attending and hope you will be there too. ( I sound like a Conor Grennen stalker- maybe I am!)

Why social media is a game changer

Thanks to Dave Cassamento for sharing this ( he did it the old fashioned way- he told me face to face!)

The responsible internet?

Battle of the Books!Your Vote Counts!

It's School Library Journal's Battle of the Books! Vote for your undead book..(you KNOW I voted for Will Grayson, Will Grayson, but feel free to vote for your own favorite).

What will Sunday morning feel like now?

Every Saturday morning,I get the Sunday New York Times. Not the whole paper, just the special sections that are actually printed during the week, and are part of the large bundle affectionately known as The Times. The first thing I do when I get the Sunday Times sections on Saturday is peruse the Travel Section, read the Book Review ( I know, shocking), then I look at the cover of the magazine section. This has been my routine for the past few DECADES. I read the last page of the magazine, which is always a great story, then I turn to the front and read the following two columns, On Language, then The Ethicist. I browse the articles and then dig into the Sunday puzzle. It is a ritual. Well, this past Saturday, lo and behold, the writers of both The Ethicist AND On Language announced that this was to be their last columns. I am totally out of sorts. What will I do? I am a creature of habit, I love these columns. And why oh why, both ending on the same day! Poor planning New York Times,,, Poor planning. Maybe it was deliberate. Get the shock over with all at once and be done with it. I guess I will just have to adapt. I do like the column The Medium, so I guess I am not set totally adrift.

Talking about a REVOLUTION

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly is a book of historical fiction, taking place in the current era, in Brooklyn Heights NY and during the French Revolution in Paris. The author has intertwined two wonderful stories and created a fantastic read, a page turner, a romance, a mystery and an adventure. I learned a lot about the French Revolution, and it was certainly a fascinating time.Coincidentally, National Geographic ran a cover story about the catacombs of Paris, which is where most of the drama of this book takes place. Check out the interactive maps of the city underground. I recommend this book for all readers.

Book Club Contest

Everyone and anyone living who can type on a computer, join the book club's contest! Whether or not you are in book club, you can still enter this contest! Get an entry form from Mrs. Roberts, and your only job is this; WRITE AS MANY REVIEWS AS YOU CAN IN THE OPAC! From fiction to non-fiction, or historical to sci-fi, write reviews and rate the books of your choice. Winners will recieve either an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Elixer by Hilary Duff or an ADVANCE READER'S COPY of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. There are only 5 COPIES available of each book. I repeat, 5 COPIES ONLY!! So be sure to hurry up and write those reviews! Winners will be picked on March 1st, 2011. Books have been provided courtesy of Simon and Schuster. So hurry up Mister or Miss, don't delay, start today!

Wheatley Authors

Do these published authors look familiar to you? If you have been at Wheatly for at least a year, they should. Former students, professionally known as A and A Andrews have self published a book, The Will of the Chosen.(The A's stand for Andre and Andrew) It is a fantasy with a message to YA readers. The book was written over the past two years, ( that means they were 11th graders when they started) and according to the authors, it has been a wonderful journey. There is a website and a you tube video featuring music by another former Wheatley student(Sharif). We are fortunate enough to have multiple copies in the IMC for your reading pleasure. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon and I DOWNLOADED MY COPY to my Kindle. The authors will be here for the midterm experience to discuss how they self published their first book, so reading the book before they get here will greatly enhance your experience. I am off to bed now, Kindle in hand, to start reading!

Zombies vs. Unicorns

Zombies vs. Unicorns was an awesome compilation of many different talented authors. The stories alternate between zombies and unicorns. I liked that the "battle" between the two was not literal and just a battle of words. It was interesting to make the decision between the two, being swayed to either side by the stories. Some of my favorites included one about a unicorn who kills people and a zombie who just wants a friend. Contributors include Libba Bray (author of Going Bovine), Meg Cabot and Cassandra Clare. The symbolism between zombies and unicorns may be seen as good vs. evil. Zombies stand for death, destruction, sickness. Unicorns stand for pure innocence, healing and love. The stories stepped away from these stereotypes and many times the unicorn stories were darker and more about the evil side of life than the zombie stories. The zombie stories tended to be lighter and funnier. The book went deeper than just the "zombie vs. unicorn" battle and into teenage issues, like family, friendship and fitting in. The book had something for everyone and in the end you get to decide: Zombies or Unicorns?

Printz Awards- My favorite

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association. This link Mock Printz 2011 will take you to a list of the MOCK PRINTZ AWARDS created by the venerable BANK STREET SCHOOL. I always make sure to read all of the actual winners and the runners up. Some years are truely thrilling, some a puzzle, but the books generally have quite a lot to offer YA readers. How many on this list have you read? What books do you think are missing?