New Lone Stars to check out

Almost Home by Joan Bauer
What is it like to have no home to go to at the end of the day? Sugar’s learning. Her grandfather just died and her father, who is a gambler, just left again, leaving Sugar and her mom with no way to pay the rent. Her mother has always been a Southern gentlewoman who didn’t work.  They are kicked out of their home and leave Missouri hoping a friend has come through with a job offer in Chicago. When they arrive to find no job waiting, it’s up to Sugar to pick up the pieces when her mother falls apart. She manages to find them a homeless shelter, but her mom’s sensitive nature makes it difficult for them to stay there. Complicating things is the stray dog Sugar refuses to let go of, that’s really against the rules. It’s not long before the administration at the shelter start to question Sugar’s mom, and then she is sent to live with a foster family. Sugar’s lucky that her dog is welcome there. She’s also lucky enough that they are people who can help Sugar sort through all her own confusion, allow her to just be a girl, and help get her mom back on her feet.

Legend by Marie Lu

This is my pick to be the next Hunger Games. In this dystopian North America, there is a constant civil war raging between the republic and the colonies. June represents the republic, as an exceptionally talented student in military school. Representing the resistance is a boy named Day who is on the run due to his status as public enemy # 1. June is given a special assignment as her first- a sort of tset. She is to bring in the criminal Day. She decides to go undercover to do it. He ends up saving her life, and in the few days she “runs” with him, she sees a very different view of the world. After having him arrested, she doubts what she was told about him- that he was the man responsible for her brother’s death. What if it’s been the Republic that’s been lying to her?

The Running Dream

Thanksgiving- just around the corner. Something to be thankful for: the ability to walk. Brought to my attention by the story, The Running Dream.

This story is about an incredible journey of a 16 year old track runner named Jessica. She’s in the hospital. There was a very bad wreck. On their way home from a meet, the bus was crashed into. One girl lost her life, but Jessica lost only her leg below the knee. She doesn’t know how she can manage to adjust to this new life. She can barely walk, much less run anymore. The pain is excruciating, she’s missing weeks of school, and she’s pretty depressed. Luckily she has a fantastic best friend- always there for her, bringing her make up work, taking her out, and finally convincing her that it’s time to face the inevitable- returning to school. The day she goes back, she uses a wheelchair to make it around because her prosthetic leg is not yet ready. That’s how she meets Rosa- a girl in a wheelchair she will never leave. She has CP. But she’s a math whiz and helps Jessica get caught up with everything she’s missed. Months later, when she can walk again with her new leg, the track team begins fund raising to get her a runner’s leg. Her dream is to run again. But she can’t leave Rosa behind. Maybe she will know the joy of running again, but Rosa never will. Jessica comes up with an amazing idea to help Rosa experience life as she has never been able to again.

Weekly News

What's going on this week at the library? View the original, full -size glog at http://rockett6.edu.glogster.com/news-week-3/

Library Promo

What's going on @ the library this year....
My Animoto Video

TLA Day 3

Revolutionary 2012
Interesting comments from authors Dom Testa, Veronica Roth, Cherie Priest, Neal Susterman and Robison Wells:

Dystopia is a utopia with a fatal flaw.
Zombies are a way of looking at what we are afraid of.
Survival 3 days in 3 ways- you need what it takes to survive for 3days. You need to know 3 ways to get out of the city.
War drives technological inventions.
The sex aspect is still more controversial than violence. We also think our kids aren't likely to go out and be violent, but we do fear they will get involved sexually.
Testa has a radio show.

Books boys and boxing: Motivating males:
Matt Johnson-very hs and college level
Mat Johnson is the author of the novels Drop,Hunting in Harlem, and Pym, the nonficion novella The Great Negro Plot and the comic books Incognegro and Dark Rain.
Greg neri-loved to draw as a kid.
Neri is the 2011 Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy, and a two-time American Library Association Notable Book honoree. In 2010, he was the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award for Chess Rumble. His novels for teens include Surf Mules and his latest, Ghetto Cowboy.  He lives on the Gulf coast of Florida with his wife and daughter and likes to troll for alligators.

Charles smith- csk award, photography and writer, a lot of sports, performs his own poetry
Don Tate
He has illustrated numerous critically acclaimed books for children including DUKE ELLINGTON'S NUTCRACKER SUITE, SHE LOVED BASEBALL and RON'S BIG MISSION.
Joe rivers
In elem he began to notice something unique about himself. He not only possessed a great amount of intelligence but also the gift to write poems. Joseph also won various awards for his brilliant academic performance as many of his teachers believed he was far to advanced for the grades in which he was placed. Joseph continued to write poems which eventually transpired in journal entries that focused on real aspects of life. He then began to use his life as the center of attention making a commitment to himself to write one page per day which listed the troubles, challenges, and accomplishments that were made in that day.
Joseph goes to show you that anything can be accomplished with hard work, dedication, commitment and a dream. In November 2009, Joseph announced that with the journals entries and live testimonies that he had collected over the years of his life will be transformed into a book entitled, A Young Man with a Plan. With this book he plans to motivate, educate, and inspire not only his peers but the world. Today, Rivers is a sought-after motivational speaker.

TLA day 2

Extreme makeover for a Website- 1st session
3 things
1 How do you know if it's bad?
Looking nice isn't everything
Bad navigation is an issue
People ask u where things are on website
Google.com/analytics. Copy code to put on all we pages-gives demographic info-watch for checkboxes about who to share the info with.
Ex of a need: Need to translate into spanish?
Where are people clicking and how long do they spend there?
Don't want too many pics cause of download times
Need good color contrast

2Tools to use
Drupal
Wordpress
Omeka
No need to enter hand code
Content management systems- Wordpress- blogs? Free websites for a free blog, but Wordpress mu does more than one site/blog
Drupal- is an application development program- can work with forms- go to Drupal gardens to try a free one.
Omeka- digital archive. Open source. Easy to install. Free server trial site.

3What patrons need in a website
Profiling users- use google analytics. Advanced info can be obtained with surveys.
Create profiles for your user groups.
Card sorting- use index cards and ask your users to sort them into groups. Tells you how they want data arranged.  Closed card sorting- you put website data on cards first. Open card sort-have users write Down the categories
tells you more about the user.
uxpunk or usability.gov

Usability testing-
Video record students navigating thru the website.

Webpagesthatsuck.com
Newsfeed about event- keep content current

Book buzz in children's lit- 2nd session
Little brown bks
Monster book
Nighttime ninja- pic bk
All the awake animals are asleep- abc pic bk
Forget me nots poems to learn
Extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. 
Ghost knight
Storm makers- twins and storms, fighting evil, gr 3-5
Nanny piggins and the wicked plan- series age 8-10
Ms :get me out of here-no no more Patterson crapublisher
Starry river of the sky-companion where the mountain meets the moon /grace Lin .
Iron hearted violet- ms, princess who tells stories, age 8-12
The diviners-bray, 15 and up, new York in 20 s, serial murder

Candle wick-picture bks
A bus called heaven by graham- a bus becomes a playhouse
Robot zombie Frankenstein by Simon
Just ducks-by davies, gr k and up
Themdunderheadsmbehind bars-by fleischman, gr 3-7 . Illustrated
New bear series- a birthday for bear, a visitor for bear
Because Amelia smiled- cumulative tale by david stein, interesting art technique
Hold on to your hat- klassen- little fish steals a hat
Sky color- author of the dot, Reynolds, the create trilogy
Otter and odder- a love story by James Howe. With a fish. Gr 1-5. The food chain works against them
Show me a story- why pic bks matter, Marcus, gr 7and up
We believe in picture books- videos- one a day anniversaryvideo website

harpercollins
Goldilocks and the 3 dinosaurs- willems
Pete the cat and his four groovy buttons and the cat saves Christmas- free video you can download
Everything goes in the air- interactive big book series by  Briggs
Cat tale by m hall- age 2-5 homophones and homonyms
Seed by seed- Johnny Appleseed by Cordell and Perkins 
Survivors- dog series by Erin hunter, age 10 and up, humans disappear
The heroes guide to saving a kingdom- the prince tales of the princess stories, age 8-12
Summer of the gypsy moths- pennypacker, age 8-12, guardian died and the 2 12 yr olds are trying to make it on their own.
Ungifted by Korman- prankster gets into gt class
The great unexpected by creech- 2 orphans meet a boy named Finn. Woven with a plot in Ireland. Redoing all covers.
Spindles- by Oliver! Brave heroine. Like liesl and po. Souls being stolen.very fantasy. Dark world
The cup and the crown- by Stanley, age 10 and up
The peculiar by new author stefan bachman- get a galley from the booth
Dodger by Pratchett- 13 and up, author has alzheimers

Random house
Rocket writes a story- word tree
Boy and bot-  robot turns off, boy falls asleep
Oh no by Candace Fleming and rohmann- tiger chases a frog who falls into a hole
Bon appetit- pic bk of julia child
I have a dream- pic bk version of speech
The mighty miss Malone by Curtis related to another of his books
Crow- coup d'état in us, African Americans have power in Michigan and are overthrown
Wonder- boy with facial deformities in 5th grade
Chomp by hiassen- takes on survival reality tv
Crush- sequel to liar liar
The day I died- Candace fleming, different 
In a  cemetery
Rush for the gold- Feinstein
 Nf olympics bk
The fire chronicle- sequel to the emerald atlas
City of ember gn
Liar and spy- Rebecca stead
Discovering wes more- nf blacks
Black gold- nf oil book
Starters and Enders- prime destinations, the older lady is going to murder someone

Egmont
Horse camp- age 8-12, go to uncle stretches farm, not horse camp, alternating perspectives
Invasion of the,dognappers - Jennings, dogs disappearing
The paradise trap by jinks, secret passageway to an underworld that sends them on vacation.
Goofballs- early reader series by Abbott, became famous in town, mystery solvers
Double trouble- vordak the incomprehensible 3rd book
Jaguar stones 3- the river of no return by voelkel. Middle grade good speakers
The code busters- the haunted lighthouse - use codes to solve mysteries
Horse- basketball game

Macmillan- see handout

Penguin- see handout

tla day 1

If  you give a kid a book
Apr 17 TLA
Iygakab list will be on titlewave
Chomp-wild animal sanctuary and reality tv. Star gets lost.
Dead end in norvelt- citizens dropping like flies.
Getting over Garrett delaney- Sadie has been in love with Garrett. He has fallen in love w someone else. 12 step program to get over him. Needs to save friendship.
Past perfect- 1774 Chelsea works at a colonial reenactment village in summers. Trying to get over Ezra. Her friend takes over? Make up answers to tourist questions. Love triangle.
The future of us- 1996 historical fiction. Change their future via the Facebook posts.
Cross my heart- hf 16th cen. Laura comes from convent when sis drowns. she has to marry the fiancé, an old merchant. Secret society offers to help her if she can tell them a secret.
Erebus- buy multiple copies of this bk for males. From Germany. Secret  game his friends are sharing. Addictive game w a disturbing agenda.
The vanishing game- Gail Giles genre. Psychological thriller. House is a former foster home. Letter from her dead brother arrives. Clue game online to find jack.
Double- boy in a homeless shelter pretends to be a missing boy.
No safety in numbers- lord of the flies in a mall. Exits are barricaded and there's a bomb? 7 days cut off from outside.
Quaranteen- the loners. Trapped in a hs. Gory and violent. Teens get quarantined until 18 because of something outside. Trilogy. Boys will like.
The night she disappeared- Henry. Fellow employee disappears and you learn you were the intended victim.
Dead to you- mcmann. Kind of like Giles. When Jeff comes home and counterfeit son. Ethan was 7 when he was kidnapped. He returns at 16. He can't remember anything.
Variant- 17 yr old boy from 33 foster homes gets a scholarship to a private school more like a prison- all foster kids. No adults. Split into 3 groups. Escape is his only hope.
The hunt- vampire dystopia. The humans are going extinct. There are rules for survival. He's masquerading as a vampire.
Night circus- adult book? Trespassers will be exsanguinated. Twins are being groomed for magic tricks.
Scorpio races- what is in the sneak peak edition? Celtic legends.
Fracture- at TLA. Paranormal romance. Will not want to put it down. AARP article mentions them 50 going on15. Partials by wells. And greenes the fault in our stars. One day to live. Girl falls thru a fracture in the ice and is there for 11 minutes. Shes in a coma but wakes with up with the ability to sense death.
Ashes-one of voyage top 10. Gross.
Starters-plague has killed everyone but teens and old people. The old people are called Enders. They rent the bodies of the young.
Cinder- after ww4. Cyborg mechanic meets prince and he falls in love.
The false prince- trilogy. Medieval fantasy. Nobleman all poisoned and dead. 4 boys are trained to pretend to be a lost prince.
Legend- future based on your test scores. Like a future robin hood.
Kings of Colorado- top choices for youth in detention. Very graphic. Camp for boys in reform. Boys break horses.
Somebody please tell me who I am- boy enlists and ends up in a coma. Doesn't know who he is when he wakes up.
The list- the ugliest and the prettiest girl of each grade level.
Beneath a meth moon- popular cheerleader becomes an addict.
Ashes gritty grotesque gruesome and gratifying.

New dystopia sequels!

In case you haven't heard, the vampires have had to move over and make room for all the dystopia YA fiction coming out these days. A couple that I read after hearing their authors speak last April at TLA were Delirium and Ship Breaker. Their authors are riding the waves of fame and have produced seconds in the series. Lauren Oliver was at the Southlake Barnes and Noble to promote the publication of the MUCH awaited sequel to Delirium, Pandemonium. Her writing is absolutely incredible. Even more incredibly, she says that plotting in her novels is one of her biggest challenges. If you have read either of these titles, you know how hard she must work at it because they are page turners! Unfortunately, I can't say much about the book itself. It would just give away too much of the suspense if I did. I'll just dangle a tidbit: following her escape from the city of Portland where she was going to be forced to have the cure for love induced upon her, Pandemonium alternates between now and then. Lena's hearbreaking exit from the city left readers wondering if she could possibly continue at all in the face of her losses. She takes it one day at a time, as we all do. But glimmers of hope come in the form of the now chapters, where she has found a group of Uncureds like herself to help her learn survival in the Wilds. Rest assured that you will LOVE this book. My prediction is that it will follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games as the next international YA bestseller/ culture-shaker-upper.

Drowned Cities is the companion novel to Ship Breaker. Not a sequel because most of the main characters are new. Tool does return as one of the protagonists in this story, which is much darker than the first. We move away from the coast and inland at the beginning of the story, away from the Drowned Cities where a small village is trying to scrape out a humble farming existence and escape the attention of the war boys. Unfortunately, Tool's escape from one of the militaristic factions in one of these Drowned Cities brings a squad of sadistic soldiers down upon them. In the village is where Mahalia and Mouse live, with a doctor who does his best to help when he can get his hands on proper medicine. The two are just children, ages not mentioned, but survivors of attacks on their cities. The good doctor took them in, but when the soldiers hold the villagers hostage, Mahalia tricks them so that she can escape. Tool, hiding in the nearby woods after a violent encounter with the squad of soldiers, has taken Mouse hostage while Mahalia returned to the Dr. to get  him medicine and free her friend. Things do not turn out as well as Mahalia had hoped, but luckily Tool values her loyalty to Mouse and agrees to help her get to one of the Drowned Cities (Washington DC) to hopefully leave America behind for a better life. Dark, indeed. A compelling read if you don't mind a little blood, violence and inhumanity.

BOGO Book Fair!

We have books and lots of them! Here's a little preview of a few of the hottest titles we've got: all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Matched, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Birthmarked, Big Nate, new 39 clues series, Bluford books, Guiness book of World Records, Maximum Ride manga, the new Twilight graphic novel, Green Lantern, Justin Beiber, Rick Riordan books, Ruby Red, Paranormalcy, Dead End in Norvelt, Rot and Ruin, the Gardener, Eleventh Plague, Fat Cat, Origami Yoda and Darth Paper, and most of the titles on the new Bluebonnet list. If you have a special request, just let me know and I'll see if I can get it. So what are you waiting for? Come over and buy some books!

On Tuesday, we'll be Open before and during Open House, so parents can stop and shop. Also, check out the special prize drawing for everyone who comes to the the book fair during parent night. I'll be giving away a Dr. Seuss gift in honor of the famous writer's birthday this week!

New Newbery

I love Jack Gantos. Joey Pigza cracks me up. I even named my son Joey! Gantos' biography, Hole In My Life, was surprising, but gripping. So I really looked forward to reading Dead End in Norvelt when I learned that his latest book won the biggest award in children's literature. Soooooooo, what did I think? I don't know. I'm all over the place with this. My first impression was how hilarious it was that the main character was actually Jack himself, who did indeed grow in in Pennsylvania. Interesting. All the characters were intriguiing. Maybe characterization is what Gantos specializes in. The plot though- it was a bit random. We had the dad building a plane, though I'm not sure why, the dying town and its dying residents, Jack grounded cause he shot his dad's gun because, as we learned in the, his uncle had loaded it. That part really lost me. The uncle really came out of left field. Of course, if I'm honest with myself, I do regularly miss the big picture. Maybe I just need someone pointing it to me. Maybe my readers will tell me what they see in it that I missed. I mean I liked it, but I didn't love it.