Zombies-How very nice!

WARNING- IF YOU DON'T LIKE SCARY MOVIES-SKIP THESE VIDEOS

This is the short version of Charlie Higson's The Enemy
Here is the long version.


Totally unsettling- and a testament to how far book marketing has come. After viewing the video and I am certainly going to put this on my MUST BUY list,as well as it's sequel,The Dead, which is due out this September. True creepiness is my cup of tea. If you liked Rick Yancey's The Monstronomolist,( I LOVED IT) I imagine this is a great read for you.
Which trailer do you prefer?

Public Libraries and Mom's Apple Pie!

What does a great public library mean? Apparently a lot! East Williston Public Library is featured in this Fox 5 piece. Go Libraries!

50 Years of To Kill A Mockingbird

A classic book, a classic film. Celebrate 50 years of a literary icon. To Kill A Mockingbird was Harper Lee's only published book. Read more about her life in the YA book I am Scout by Charles J. Shields, or his book for the adult audience, Mockingbird. Both are excellent reads and give the reader insight into the world of Harper Lee and the world of her memorable characters.
A website has been established with videos, sweepstakes, and information.

FREE AUDIOBOOKS MP3 format

What is SYNC?
• SYNC is an online community that seeks to build the audience for audiobooks among readers 13 and up.

• Each week, SYNC will give away 2 FREE downloads--a popular Young Adult title paired with a Classic title that appears on Summer Reading lists--starting July 1 through September 1, 2010.

• SYNC is hosted by Audiobook Community, a new social networking site for the discovery of audiobooks.

• Listeners can choose to join a conversation about these titles with authors, narrators, publishers, librarians, and other listeners. (Listeners are not required to join Audiobook Community to follow the conversation on SYNC nor to download FREE titles from SYNC.)

SYNC Titles
Audiobook downloads available as MP3s
Summer 2010
Available July 1 - July 7
The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Available July 8 - July 14
Over the End Line by Alfred C. Martino
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Available July 15 - July 21
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Available July 22 - July 28
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Available July 29 - August 4
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Available August 5 - August 11
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Available August 12 - August 18
Coming Soon...
Available August 19 - August 25
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Available August 26 - September 1
Handbook for Boys by Walter Dean Myers
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Click HERE for additional information

Books Expo America- Cornelia Funke, Vlad Todd and MORE!

Well, Book Expo America 2010 was exhilarating and exhausting. Day One-School Library Journal Day of Dialogue. Imagine a roomful of librarians and authors and lots and lots of - well, BOOKS and you have a clear picture of the set up. What did we discuss? STEAMPUNK! On the panel, Scott Westerfeld, one of Wheatley students fave's, Cherie Priest, with her blue hair, Cory Doctorow, another Wheatley fave, and Karen Grenke, who billed herself as Library manager NYPL and fan girl ( you should have seen her hat!) We discussed what exactly Steam punk is- think Victorian age meets science fiction witha mantra of reuse, recycle, re purpose. Basically, what would the 19th century have been like with technology?Another way to look at it "home made machines" or "technology should be beautiful". Very cool. What are the benefits to students? Well, since there is an historical aspect to it- it makes history fun- and can lead to a reader doing research on what the era was like. There is a whole steampunk movement- parties, art, poetry, books and a way of dressing. Want to get a taste of it in literature? Try Westerfelds Leviathan,Uglies, or Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.
In the afternoon we got to preview a TON of new titles and we got Advanced Reader Copies to boot- so come on into the IMC and check them out.We learned the 12th and final installment in the Vlad Tod series will be published shortly- many Wheatley students will vie for the right to be the first to read it- but Daniel C. gets it first... and I WON an autographed Cornelia Funke copy of her newest soon to be published book, Reckless.. That is her at the podium. She read the beginning aloud and the audience was mesmerized. All in all a great two days.
Can't wait until BEA 2011!

My favorite search engine

Doing a research project is not easy. The easy availability of information on the internet has made it easy to access content, however, the quality of the content in not necessarily reliable. And quality of course, is what separates a good research project from a great one. If you have not yet tried Finding Dulcinea I highly reccommend it. They market themselves as the Librarians of the Internet- essentially, they have scoured the web for the highest quality content that you can rely on for your research. While I too, love Google, I know I have to be meticulous in investigating the creator of the information. With Finding Dulcinea, I can focus more on the content and not worry about who wrote it. Check it out- it can only help. Here is a blog posting about how Finding dulcinea works, vs. Bing and Google. I can also highl recommend their hints on how to best approach a research project.

School Library Journal: Battle of the Books

March is known for March Madness but for those that want a more cerebral challenge School Library Journal sponsors a Kids Battle of the Books. . Last year the winner was a Wheatley School fave, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This year, who knows. One of our Book club picks, Marcelo In the Real World is in the running, but also Fire, the prequel to another Wheatley fave, Graceling. You can participate in the process- there is a new feature -"The Undead", in which YOU can select one book, that IF axed by a celebrity judge , will be resurrected in the final round. Sort of an American Idol for the bookish set. Check it out and post your comments here!