Welcome to BookBuzz! Reading is both a rewarding individual activity and an exciting shared experience. I hope this blog will help to connect the community of readers at Ecole Heritage Park Middle School by introducing new books in the library, publishing student reviews, advertising events and contests, and discussing the latest trends in reading. If you wish to publish a book review, please email it to Christine.Schmor@mpsd.ca.
The library is hosting an exciting contest for November. The prize is a box set of the Divergent trilogy in hardcover - many of you have loved this series, now you have the chance to own all three books to read or reread at your leisure. To enter, all you have to do is write a review of any book and submit it to Ms. Schmor in the library. You can submit it in person or by email to Christine.schmor@mpsd.ca. Names of entrants will go into a draw that will take place on Thursday, November 21st at 3:30 pm. You can write up to four reviews for four chances to win. Good luck!
HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW***************************************
Your reviews do not have to be lengthy. You should begin with an introduction to the main characters, the setting and the plot. Set the scene and hint at future twists, but no spoilers please. If you know the genre or type of literature (paranormal, fantasy, romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction, humour, survival, dystopian, steampunk, relationship issues etc.) make mention of it.
Next, explain what you most liked about the novel. Try to be specific and provide examples where you can. If you simply say the story was interesting, you're not telling us much. But if you describe the characters as multi-dimensional, realistic and compelling and the plot as original, suspenseful and surprising, we have a much more clear impression. You can mention some weaknesses at this point, but they should not overshadow the novel's strengths.
Finish with a recommendation. What kind of reader would be most drawn to this story? Is the novel appropriate for a certain age group or for anyone? Does the novel put forward an important theme or lesson about life? Is this a series book that will have readers looking for the sequels? Is this a book that will change a reader's life?
Yes, it is finally here. Those of you who have been dying to know what happens to Tris and Four can now finish the Divergent series with the long-awaited Allegiant. We have two copies that are out with readers right now, but we have more coming next week. Here's a look at the upcoming movie.
One of the most eagerly anticipated sequels has arrived! The House of Hades, book four of The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, has already been snatched from the shelves and the early student reviews are excellent. We have 3 copies of what appears to be a fast read - no putting this one down- so you shouldn't have to wait too long for your turn at the adventures.
If you love to read and chat about books, then you should join one of our amazing book clubs! Laurel Bieber, the teen librarian at the Mission Public Library, and I will be hosting two book clubs on Fridays this year.
JUNIOR BOOK CLUB (Grades 7-9)
Our first book is the thrilling Across the Universe by Beth Revis. This science fiction novel has all of the dystopian elements we crave and a dash of romance. Here's the synopsis...
Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed.
She expects to wake up on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years
before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is
nearly killed. Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense.
Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and
frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that
she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries
to kill again.
We'll meet at lunch in the library on Friday, October 11th to discuss the first half, then we'll meet at lunch on Friday, November 1st to finish exploring the novel while munching on pizza. Oh, and at each meeting we'll have a draw for free books. What could be a better way to spend your lunch break?
SENIOR BOOK CLUB (Grades 10-12)
This group meets in the library after school on Fridays until about 4:30. The first book is a modern classic set in Germany in 1939. In The Book Thief, author Marcus Zusak uses a very unusual narrator to bring a fresh perspective to the Holocaust. By the way, this novel fulfills the requirements for Mr. LaFontaine's Social Studies 11 and History 12 courses.
The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
This group will meet on Friday, October 11th to discuss the first half and then on Friday, November 1st to explore the entire novel. Afterschool snacks will be provided and there will be draws for free books!
COME DOWN TO THE LIBRARY TO PICK UP YOUR COPY!!! The books are going quickly.
I hope you have loved these long, lazy, sunny days as much as I have! Ah, the luxury of time! But we're now in the waning days of August and it's time to starting looking towards the start of school. It's going to be an exciting fall in the library with dozens of terrific new books arriving daily. I
thought I'd ease back into posting by telling you about some of the eagerly anticipated series' sequels
being released over the next few weeks. The top of the list is the third book in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Fans of this thrill-ride dystopian saga will have to wait until October for Allegiant,
but I've got this title on preorder!
I am Number Four, a hit sci-fi series by Pittacus Lore, has its next installment in The Fall of Five.
This action-packed series has lots of dedicated followers. By the way, aliens are the next big trend in YA publishing; I'll introduce some new books on this subject in an upcoming post.
Readers of fantasy adventure stories will likely be familiar with The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Book 12, I am Alice, is out this fall just in time for the movie version of the story, Seventh Son. The trailer looks amazing! Read the series before the movie arrives in theatres.
Alex Scarrow's exciting Time Riders series has a new book, The Mayan Prophecy. Even Skullduggery Pleasant continues his bone-rattling adventures in Last Stand of Dead Men.
Pretty Little Liars gets more complicated in Crushed, book 13 in Sara Shepard's long-running series. Ellen Hopkins, whose verse novels are deeply satisfying reads, will publish the prequel to her best-selling Crank; it's called Smoke and we'll have it on the shelves.
Sarah Porter's mermaid trilogy started with Lost Voices and now ends with The Twice Lost. Croak, a surprisingly funny story about grim reapers, by Gina Damico is getting a third installment in Rogue.
Need more zombies? Jonathan Maberry's violent and creepy horror series spirals even further into darkness with Fire & Ash. Ilsa J. Bick began her series with Ashes and finishes the trilogy with Monsters. Fans of apocalypse fiction should check out these books!
There are no better spy-thriller stories than Cherub by Robert Muchamore or the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Both series have sequels arriving this fall: Cherub continues in Black Friday and
Alex Rider fights for his life in Russian Roulette.
Manga readers, you haven't been forgotten. When you check the shelves in September, you will find more volumes of Naruto, Black Butler, Sailor Moon, and One Piece!
Take the new poll on the right. If there are any series' sequels that you are looking for that I haven't mentioned here, please add the titles in a comment, so I can be sure to look for them.
In the next post, I'll introduce new books and series by familiar, beloved authors.
Here we are - the school year is coming to an end. While part of me yearns for the warm, easy days of summer, I am also sad to close up the library for the next two months. I'll never get used to telling students that they can no longer take books out - it breaks my heart. But it has to be done, especially since there are still hundreds of books to be returned.
This June is especially difficult because I must say farewell to six of the Library Club students who are graduating this year. Emily, Felicia, Stefan, Miranda, Morgan and Katelyn have been stalwart friends to the library for three years. While I will be forever grateful for their help, I think that what I miss most will be the frequent friendly visits, the book chats, the library improvement discussions, and the sharing of future aspirations. Wonderful ambassadors, every day they demonstrated their love for the HPSS library. They should be tremendously proud of their accomplishments and I wish them all that is most wonderful in their future lives.
Of course, there are younger members of the Library Club whom I hope will continue to work with me next year to provide excellent library services to the students of HPSS. Thank you to all for your amazing contributions.
