Sea of Monsters trailer

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters comes out on Aug. 16....looks pretty intense!




Coming in 2013:

• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
• Catching Fire
• Ender's Game

Also, looks like these movies are coming next year:

2014:

•  The Book Thief
•  Maze Runner
•  Blood Sisters (Vampire Academy)
•  Divergent
•  Mockingjay part 1

 

Gateway Winner Announced

The winner of the Missouri Gateway Award was announced last night at the Missouri Association of School Librarians Spring Conference. 

The winner is..........

 



The nominees were:

• A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
• Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
• Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
• Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
• Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
• Matched by Ally Condie
• Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
• Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
• Sea by Heidi Kling
• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
• Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
• Split by Swati Avasthi
• The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Which ones have you read?  Please share your thoughts!

Facebook!

The CHS Library now has a Facebook page, which is an even better place to keep up with what's going on.  I will be putting links to blog posts, fun pictures, news, and events at the library.  Come on, you know you already check Facebook 1,573 times a day anyway, there's no reason not to "like" your library!

Click here and spread the word:

Cape Central High School Library

Promote Your Page Too

Missing Books #2

Though it wasn't successful in getting any of the books back, the "Missing" sign I created did draw student attention and was a good conversation-starter, so we are going to try again with another set of books.  I also made it more colorful and did not only include books that were brand new when they vanished.  We shall see if it works!

The Mortal Instruments Trailer #2!

I'm like a little girl....I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!!

Books, Books, and More Books!

We have been really busy getting new books in the library (there are so many coming out!).  Here is just a sampling of some of the new titles, links will take you to the Barnes & Noble page for that book/series: 

• Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent
• Tiger's Curse series by Colleen Houck
• Game Changers by Mike Lupica
• Island of Silence (Unwanteds #2) by Lisa McMann
• Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt
• So Close to You by Rachel Carter
• Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
• True Legend by Mike Lupica
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
• Going Vintage by Linsdsey Leavitt
• The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
• Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
• The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan
• Several titles from the Kimani Tru series

and many, many more....

Final United We Read Activity

For the final activity of United We Read 2013 at CHS, a class of 4th grade students from Alma Schrader Elementary visited the CHS Library to have a book discussion with high school students.  The 4th graders had been reading A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin to go along with the book A Dog's Purpose for older readers.  The class arrived at the high school in the morning and took a tour of the halls, a science lab classroom, our new performance hall, and the library (of course!).  After that, 2 classes of high school students came in and were paired up with an elementary student to have a discussion.  For each question, the students were given a certain amount of time to take turns answering and discussing their opinions, experiences, etc.  This was a great thing for the younger students because each of them were able to share their story and connections to the text.  Unfortunately, in your regular every-day classroom, this can't happen  because of all of the things that have to fit into a day.  The 4th graders really enjoyed getting to talk with a "cool" high schooler. 

The 4th grade class also brought in a LOT of donations for our local animal shelters, The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri and Safe Harbor.  We combined those with the donations that the CHS staff members had already made and were able to come up with quite a nice pile! 

Donations collected by CHS staff and 4th graders

Teacher's Pet Display

I've been WAY busy with United We Read activities, so I apologize for not posting lately.  In relation to the book A Dog's Purpose, I created a new display outside of the library entitled "Teacher's Pet" and it features all the adorable cuteness you could ever need! :)  Several teachers responded to my request for photos of their pets and then I added stuffed animals and pet-related books in the bottom of the display.  Here it is!



United We Read (Community Read) Book Announcement!

 

The book I have chosen for this year's United We Read program is...

A Dog's Purpose: a Novel by W. Bruce Cameron

 



Book Summary (from goodreads.com):  This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?
Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey’s search for his new life’s meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.
But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey’s journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders—will he ever find his purpose?
Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.   

 

 

W. Bruce Cameron started his writing career as a humor columnist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News.  He is a Benchley award winner for humor and was the 2011 NSNC Newspaper Columnist of the Year.  He has written for TV (the show “8 Simple Rules” was based on his book) and co-wrote the feature film “40 Happens”,  which is to be released in 2014.  This novel, A Dog’s Purpose, spent 48 weeks on the NY Times Bestseller list.  DreamWorks is developing it as a film and he and his writing partner, Cathryn Michon, wrote the screenplay.  The sequel, A Dog’s Journey, was published May 6, 2012, and was instantly a NY Times Bestseller.  His new novel, The Dogs of Christmas, will be published in the Fall of 2013. 

 

Here is the corresponding website:

 

http://www.adogspurpose.com/

I feel that this is a book that will appeal to readers of all ages, and even to those who don't always enjoy reading.  Who doesn't love dogs?! After reading the book for myself, I recommended it to everyone.  The choice was announced to the staff at CHS right before Christmas break and several have given me positive feedback already.  My family members each received a copy for Christmas and are in the process of reading the book now.  I am ordering several more copies for the library, and we have 6 Nooks with the title available for reading.  Please see me if you are interested in reading this wonderful book!  Keep an eye out for updates relating to the Community Read/United We Read program at CHS Library.  We will be doing events/activities during the month of February relating to the story.

This is the website created for our event:

http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/chs/library/2013_united_we_read.htm

Merry Christmas!

I hope all my readers have a great holiday break!  I'll be back in January....unless I am just dying to post something before then.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Oh, and a Merry Christmas from my Annabelle also!

 

What's New Wednesday 12/19/12

New books at CHS:

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

BOMB: The Race to Build-and Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
 

Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos
 

Bright Young Things series by Anna Godbersen
 

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
 

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
 

Keep Jumping/No Hating (a Flip book) by Stephanie Perry Moore (we also got 3 others in this series)
 

A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan
 

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin
 

Grace, Gold, & Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas with Michelle Burford
 



Top Ten Tuesday 12/11/12

Here are the top ten checkouts at the CHS Library this week:

1. Nook (not a book I know, but there are books on it!)
2. Warm Bodies: a novel by Isaac Marion
3. Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
4. Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
5. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
6. Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan
7. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
8. City of Glass by Cassanrda Clare
9. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
10. Dead is Not an Option by Marlene Perez

Missing book solution?

 

 

This is something new I'm going to try in the library for books that grow legs and walk away (taken without being checked out to anyone).  I chose 4 books that were new titles when they disappeared.  I am going to see if drawing attention to the covers/titles helps us recover the book.  I offered a small (but valuable in our library!) reward for those that are turned in to us.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

 

Every Day by David Levithan

Summary (from www.goodreads.com): In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: I LOVED this book!  I wanted to read it from the minute it walked into our school library, but I was in the process of reading another book and had lots going on.  I left it so someone else could have the chance to read it, and someone checked it out right away.  When I went to the Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis at the beginning of November, I was excited to see that this author was going to be at the Book Blitz signing copies of this title.  He was my first stop and I read the book right after I got home.  Yes, it's taken me awhile to get to this review!  Anyway, the book is easy-to-read and fast-paced (rightly so considering the character is in a different person's body each day).  The character is a very well-developed and dynamic character that you want to know more about.  You never really know if A is male or female, but it doesn't really matter as you're reading.  It is also a love story which will appeal to many of my readers.  This is not a concept that is usually written about, so I am recommending this to any and everyone who stops in because it just has that wide appeal.  There is the usual teenage drama and angst, but it's told in such a different way that it isn't annoying and you want to fully support the character.  My verdict: READ IT! :)

What's New Wednesday 12/5

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The Panther by Nelson DeMille
 

Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos
 

Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber
 

A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans
 

Don't Sit on the Baby: The Ultimate Guide to Sane, Skilled, and Safe Babysitting by Halley Bondy

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
 

 

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

 



Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Trailer!

Get More: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Jamie Campbell Bower, Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Top Ten Tuesday 11/13/12

Here are the top ten checkouts in the CHS Library this week:

1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
2. Nook (again, not really a book but students are reading books on them!)
3. The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (preparation for the movie?)
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
6. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
7. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
8. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
9. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
10. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Empty Coffin novels by Gregg Olsen

About the Empty Coffin series (from goodreads.com): New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with Empty Coffin, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Summary of Envy (from goodreads.com): Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.  Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined. Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

Summary of Betrayal (from goodreads.com): In this action-packed thriller sequel to Envy, foreign exchange student Olivia Grant is stabbed to death after a party--and the prime suspect is her best friend. As twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan get pulled into the aftermath of this Amanda Knox-like crime, they realize nothing is what it seems. Could it be betrayal of the ultimate kind?
Betrayal features real-life crime-solving techniques, heart-stopping suspense, plenty of red herrings, hard-hitting ethical questions, and information about the Amanda Knox case that inspired the novel. As the crime unravels, so does the twins' past…and they must face off against a family member who may unexpectedly have carried out the worst betrayal of all

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: I had not heard of this series, but saw that a sequel (Betrayal) came out to a book we already had in the library (Envy), so I ordered it thinking that they looked interesting.  When we received Betrayal, I read the summary and was intrigued seeing that it was loosely based on the true-crime story of Amanda Knox.  I had to read it at that point!  The first novel is based on the story of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after being cyberbullied by a "friend's" mother.  Though the story had a paranormal touch to it when it came to twins Hayley and Taylor, there was definitely some touches of the actual event worked into the story.  I enjoyed reading Envy, and the concept behind the writing (who doesn't like to read about things based on real events?!), so I immediately followed it up with Betrayal.  The Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher case was pretty fascinating to me, so I was interested to see how Gregg Olsen would incorporate that into the story.  There are many small details that he used from the real case to make the story seem similar to it, but the story stood on its own also.  I was impressed with the twists that were involved in the stories and did not predict most of the things that happened which is the case with many crime mysteries and stories unfortunately.  Gregg Olsen does a good job of portraying the teens in a relatable way (especially for those like them), but makes the story interesting for anyone that likes reading crime fiction and has followed these types of stories.  I am anxiously awaiting the next title in the series to see what it is based on!  The author's notes are pretty important to the story as he helps explain the actual event that the story is based upon. 

You can find out more about the Megan Meier story here:
http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/megansStory.php

And more about the Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher story here (no I don't use Wikipedia often, but it was the best summary I could find for this situation):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Meredith_Kercher

Top Ten Tuesday 11/6/12

This week's installment of the top ten checkouts in CHS Library:

1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
2. Nook
3. Thirteen Reasons Why: a Novel by Jay Asher
4. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
6. The Dead by Charles Higson
7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
9. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
10. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I find it very interesting that the Hunger Games trilogy is still dominating our Top 10!

Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown

 

Summary (from goodreads.com): Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.

Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.

Ms. Kiplinger's Opinion: As I've mentioned before, I am a huge Jennifer Brown fan (and I get to see her this weekend at the YA Lit Symposium--yay!), so I was all set to love this book...and I did!  OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) as a disease has always somewhat fascinated me.  So many people suffer from this ailment, many in only minor ways, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into what it would be like to live with someone who has it severely.  The story is more about the relationship between these two siblings though, and how it evolves throughout the road trip that the two take.  Kendra is running from a problem at school while thinking she can also cure her brother, Grayson, by exposing him to the things that set him off.  Along the way, they pick up a "hitchhiker" with a small baby and learn that they have both felt overshadowed by one another growing up.  This revelation is a defining moment for the brother and sister, as they try to figure out how they are going to get back home with only $46 in their pockets.  This story kept me interested the whole time and I was able to read it fairly quickly.  Even if you don't have a brother or sister with a mental illness, you can still relate to the sibling rivalry relationship that everyone deals with at some point or another.  For those who do have a sibling with a mental illness or physical impairment, it will be nice to read about someone you can sympathize with and relate to.