SWJH Media Center
December 7-11
Spanish Classes Flex Their Writing and Speaking Skills!
Toys for Tots Dropoff
Monday, Dec 14, 2015, 07:00 AM
SWJH Media Center, 200 10th Avenue East, Shakopee, MN 55379
Check out some of our newest eBooks!
With the winter break quickly approaching, please know that we continue to add new eBook titles to MackinVia, our eBook database. The app is very user-friendly and it will alleviate a trip to the public library, unless you want to go there as it is a very cool place!
http://www.scottlib.org/SitePages/default.aspx Happy reading!
16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler
Heart attacks happen to other people
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
Travis is missing his old home in the country, and he’s missing his old hound, Rosco. Now there’s just the cramped place he shares with his alcoholic grandpa, a new school, and the dreaded routine of school. But that’s before Travis meets Mr. McQueen, who doesn’t take "pass" for an answer—a rare teacher whose savvy persistence has Travis slowly unlocking a book on the natural world. And it’s before Travis is noticed by Velveeta, a girl whose wry banter and colorful scarves belie some hard secrets of her own. With sympathy, humor, and disarming honesty, Pat Schmatz brings to life a cast of utterly believable characters—and captures the moments of trust and connection that make all the difference.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
After Dark by James Leck
Fifteen-year-old slacker Charlie Harker is stuck in the sleepy town of Rolling Hills for the summer, helping his mom renovate his great-grandfather's creaky old inn. It's not entirely dull, thanks to Charlie's new neighbor Miles Van Helsing, who insists there's paranormal activity happening in Rolling Hills. Charlie chalks it up to Miles being the town nutcase. But many townspeople are falling prey to a mysterious illness, and wisecracking Charlie quickly gets wise?: there's something sinister going on in Rolling Hills.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
Team Seven by Marcus Burke
In contemporary American fiction there are very few examples of novels that have portrayed the realities of black inner-city life with honesty, empathy, and storytelling skills. Into that near-vacuum steps Marcus Burke and his first novel, Team Seven—a literarily accomplished, autobiographically tinged coming-of-age family drama with an undeniably authentic feel for place, language, and character.
As Andre Battel, a native of Milton, a town south of Boston, ages from age eight through his teenage years, he grows away from his Jamaican family, discovers genuine prowess on the basketball court, and eventually falls into dealing drugs for the local street gang, Team Seven. But when Andre and his crew fall behind on payments, dire and violent consequences await. The story is told primarily through Andre's voice, but we also see the point of view of his mother, Ruby, a hardworking medical secretary; his older sister, Nina; his mostly-not-there and typically drunk-and-high father, Eddy, a halfhearted reggae musician; and Reggie and Smoke, the kingpin of competing drug crews.
What emerges is a rich portrait of a black family, a black community, and one young man poised between youthful innocence and ambiguous experience.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
Call Me Amy by Marcia Strykowski
1973 has been a lonely year for Amy Henderson, filled with too many awkward moments to count—that is, until she helps rescue an injured seal pup. In order to help save Pup, she forms an unlikely alliance with Craig, a mysterious boy in a worn-out army jacket, and Miss Cogshell, an eccentric older woman whom the children in the town call “Old Coot.” As she nurses Pup back to health with the help of Craig and Miss Cogshell—while simultaneously attempting to hide him from the harbormaster and a group of nosy popular girls infatuated with Craig—Amy discovers that people aren’t always what they seem. Just as she starts to feel at home with her newfound friends, however, an unexpected challenge arises that could change the future of her town as well as her own life.
Summary credit: Goodreads.com
Activities to Keep Students Busy over Winter Break!
Catch up on Your Reading
Seriously – when was the last time you read a book that you didn’t have to? Pick up a book because it looks interesting, cozy up and get lost in it. Enjoy – you’ll be happy you did!
Have a Snowman Building Party (if we get any snow!)
Pull together a pile of old winter accessories, buttons and carrots (for decorating, of course). Then invite over all the friends (or siblings, or neighbors) you can, pair up and build some snowmen! Hand out awards for the biggest, the funniest and the most original snowmen. (Be sure to take lots of photos!) Cap it all off with some hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies.
Hang Out With School-Only Friends
I'm talking about the friendly people in your classes whom you haven't gotten around to hanging out with outside of school. With your main pals on vacation, winter break is the perfect time to bring a couple of new friends into the fold. Make some low-pressure plans like holiday shopping at the mall or going out for brunch.
Volunteer
Why not? Thanks to the holidays, you'll already be in the giving spirit - and with school out, you have no excuse not to give a little love to your community. Get some inspiration from this list of community service ideas.
Take On a Two-Week Creative Project
You know what feels darn good? Making something - and actually finishing it. How about making an old-school zine, making a YouTube video set to your favorite song, painting your bedroom (with your parents' permission, of course) or sewing a new tote bag?
See How Strong You Can Get!
Try doing these easy strength-building exercises, or these slightly harder ones, every other day of winter vacation. Balance it out with some jogging, some walking around - really, anything besides sleeping or hanging around the house in your pajamas. By the time school starts again, you'll feel great!
What books/eBooks would you like to see in the Shakopee West JH Media Center?
Mr. Finke, Media Specialist
Email: bfinke@shakopee.k12.mn.us
Website: http://www.shakopee.k12.mn.us/domain/345
Location: 200 10th Avenue East, Shakopee, MN, United States
Phone: (952) 496-5752
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shakopee-Junior-High-Media-Centers/328543260568853
Twitter: @ShakoJHMedia