December/January in the Library
2015/2016
It's Been So Long!
I'm sure you've been wondering about all the fabulous going ons in the library! And there have been all sorts of going ons!
Spotlight On...
In December the spotlight was on Heroes. On display were books on superheroes and their sidekicks, but we also had books on real life superheroes such as Ghandi, and Malala Yousafzai.
In January, the spotlight was on Sports. We had sport books of all kinds. Books on baseball, football, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, martials arts and more. There were fiction books, nonfiction and biographies. The sports books were very popular!
Makerspace
Mousebots!
In December the Makerspace activity was building Mousebots, a complex, light-seeking robot that involved attention to detail and a lot of welding! Mr. Sleeman was great help, teaching the students how to weld the tiny parts together. The students loved welding! Students were so enthusiastic about the project they came back the following day to work on them for another hour. At the end, we had two Mousebots.
Building Structures!
In January students gathered to build a structure of their choice. Using popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and straws, students built all kinds of creations, from wells to boxes. Many students used sites such as Pinterest to get ideas.
Classes in the Library
6th Grade
In January, Ms. Huff's English students worked on poetry unit. Poetry books by authors such as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and many modern poets as well, were checked out from the library to be used in class.
Ms. Christopher's science students were studying plant and animal cells, and used print books from the library to begin their research.
7th Grade
Missed you the past couple months, but we'll be seeing you for science in February!
8th Grade
Ms. French's English students were in the library in January to pick out books for the new term. Students listened to books talks on books in a variety of genres before choosing a book to check out.
Book Reviews
Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain by James Patterson
How it FEELS to have a body that won't stop moving, to be really different from everyone else, to be made fun of every day, to be totally reckless, to never relax, to be shut out of everything, to break FREE and TAKE CONTROL.
James Patterson's Against Medical Advice riveted adults with the page-turning drama of one teenager's courage, sacrifice, and triumph in confronting an agonizing medical condition. Now this deeply personal account of Cory Friedman's intense struggles with Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder--as well as depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction--is available for teen readers. -From Goodreads.com
James Patterson's Against Medical Advice riveted adults with the page-turning drama of one teenager's courage, sacrifice, and triumph in confronting an agonizing medical condition. Now this deeply personal account of Cory Friedman's intense struggles with Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder--as well as depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction--is available for teen readers. -From Goodreads.com
First Flight Around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race by Tim Grove
A 2016 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
In 1924 the U.S. Army sent eight young men on a bold attempt to be the first to circumnavigate the globe by flight. Men from five other countries—Great Britain, France, Portugal, Italy, and Argentina—had the same goal. The race was on!
First Flight Around the World documents the exciting journey of four American planes—the Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, andSeattle—and their crews on a race around the world. The trip held many challenges: extreme weather, tricky navigation, unfamiliar cultures, fragile planes, and few airfields. The
world fliers risked their lives for the sake of national pride.
Based in part on the journal of one of the crew members, First Lieutenant Leslie Arnold, along with commentary, newspaper reports, and archival images, First Flight Around the World is a captivating tale about American ingenuity, gumption, and perseverance. - From Goodreads.com
In 1924 the U.S. Army sent eight young men on a bold attempt to be the first to circumnavigate the globe by flight. Men from five other countries—Great Britain, France, Portugal, Italy, and Argentina—had the same goal. The race was on!
First Flight Around the World documents the exciting journey of four American planes—the Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, andSeattle—and their crews on a race around the world. The trip held many challenges: extreme weather, tricky navigation, unfamiliar cultures, fragile planes, and few airfields. The
world fliers risked their lives for the sake of national pride.
Based in part on the journal of one of the crew members, First Lieutenant Leslie Arnold, along with commentary, newspaper reports, and archival images, First Flight Around the World is a captivating tale about American ingenuity, gumption, and perseverance. - From Goodreads.com
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.
Corinne La Mer isn't afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They're just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn't belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne's house, cooking dinner for Corinne's father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine's plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn't know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.
With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale "The Magic Orange Tree," The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. -From Goodreads.com
Corinne La Mer isn't afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They're just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn't belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne's house, cooking dinner for Corinne's father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine's plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn't know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.
With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale "The Magic Orange Tree," The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. -From Goodreads.com
Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz
SOLVING CRIME, ONE FACIAL EXPRESSION AT A TIME
Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions.
But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate's birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It's up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin's frequent tormenter, didn't bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn't have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun...
Colin Fischer is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and his story--as told by the screenwriters of X-Men: First Class and Thor--is perfect for readers who have graduated from Encyclopedia Brown and who are ready to consider the greatest mystery of all: what other people are thinking and feeling. - From Goodreads.com
Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions.
But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate's birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It's up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin's frequent tormenter, didn't bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn't have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun...
Colin Fischer is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and his story--as told by the screenwriters of X-Men: First Class and Thor--is perfect for readers who have graduated from Encyclopedia Brown and who are ready to consider the greatest mystery of all: what other people are thinking and feeling. - From Goodreads.com
Almost Time for February Vacation
What do you have starting up after break I can help with?
Email: alechan@dedham.k12.ma.us
Website: http://dms.dedham.k12.ma.us/pages/Dedham_Middle_School/academics/Library
Location: 70 Whiting Avenue, Dedham, MA, United States
Phone: 781-310-7413