Library Display

Come check out the book display near the Weir Study to see the results of our Twilight Wordle. While you're there, see if any of these books look good:

A Great and Terrible Beauty
Companions of the Night
Hawksong
Midnight Predator
Masquerade
Blue Bloods
Armageddon Summer
Feed
Abarat
Cirque Du Freak
Allies in the Night
The Vampire's Assistant
Witch Child

Some Book Wordle Fun

Lots of us have been reading and talking about the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series recently--so I think it is time to make a book wordle about them. Comment to this post by Derby Day with words that you associate with the book. Don't worry if someone else has already put that word, it will just give it more emphasis in the final wordle.

If you don't know what a wordle is, check out the Wordle website.

Want a Sneak Peak of the Harry Potter Trailer?

inthenews.co.uk is linking to the trailer of the 6th Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which will come out this November.

Golden Turkeys

Grades 1-6, Read 8 Books, Get one Free

Barnes and Noble's summer reading program can earn kids a free book. Take a look.

Sophomores and Juniors Vie for Birthday Book Club Party

This morning the sophomore class was sure to win the Birthday Book Club end of year party. They had 29% participation and the juniors, even with a few additions in the last few days, had just made it to 25%.

But, just after lunch today, the juniors took the lead, jumping to a 35% participation. The deadline is the end of the day Tuesday...

Need a Birthday Book Club form? Get one here.

Is it Still Sweet?

If you are unfamiliar with the Sweet Valley High series of 156 books, ask your Mom about them, she might know. Originally published from 1983-2003, the books are being reissued, but first they're getting modernized. Instead of a Fiat, the Wakefield sisters now drive a Jeep Wrangler. Instead of working for the school newspaper, Elizabeth works for the school website, and, of course, there are cell phones, text messaging, blogs, etc. One change I notice just from the covers of these books is that it used to be a lot easier to tell which was the "good" sister and which one was more likely to get into trouble.

According to vice president and publisher of Bantam Delacorte Dell Books for Young Readers, "Girls today are still drawn to stories about the bad girl and the good girl, sister relationships, friendships, family and high school life. And has any of those things changed much? I don't think so." Now it is up for debate if the SVH books really said anything useful bout sister relationships, friendships, family, or high school life, but that sure didn't stop my friends and me from devouring these books when I was a kid.

How will these reissued books stand when compared to the Clique series? The Unicorn Club seems kind of tame in comparison to the Clique.

Laura and Jenna Bush Have a New Kids Book

Story hour gets exciting in Read All About It by Laura and Jenna Bush.

Read Your Way around the World

Traveling this summer? Whether you are really heading to these places or will be an armchair tourist, consider reading the books that the Columbia Spectator thinks “capture the essence of each state.” So far they’ve done the following states:

• Alabama
• Michigan
• North Dakota
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Arizona
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Louisiana
• Maryland

I wonder what they'll pick for Tennessee?

And if your summer travels are a little more international, take a look at The English Pen World Atlas.

My Favorite Book: Ramona and Her Father

Ms. Thomas ('90) shares her affection for Ramona and Her Father, a book she has loved for years and years.

Snoop Dogg Writes Kids Books?

Snoop Dogg is working on a new series of picture books called Where's the Cheese. The books will be about Lil Mouse and her hunt for cheese in the city.

Happy National Library Week!

Just what are librarians up to?

A Very New Kind of Book: Inanimate Alice

Is it a book? A movie? A game? It is digital fiction and it is all kinds of fun.

100 Best Last Lines from Novels

What's the best way to end a book? There's always a lot of talk about first lines in fictional works. You can't help but love the annual love Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest that celebrates the "opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels." Now the American Book Review has come up with a list of the top 100 last lines. Download the whole list here.

THE TOP 10

10. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision. –Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (1927)

9. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. –Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902)

8. ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’ –Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

7. He loved Big Brother. –George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

6. “Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” –Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (1926)

5. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before. –Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885)

4. …I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes. –James Joyce, Ulysses (1922)

3. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. –F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)

2. Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you? –Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)

1. …you must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on. –Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable (1953; trans. Samuel Beckett)

My Favorite Book: The Great Gatsby

Mr. Throckmorton considers the greatness of his favorite book--F. Scott Fitzgerald's great American novel, The Great Gatsby. Listen in and be transported with him to Long Island Sound in the summer of 1922...

Listen to this episode.

Recent Reads that Rocked: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

One of the most avid readers on the SMS campus is Ms. Shove ('96) in the Development Office. Need an idea for a hot book...she's your go to girl! In this episode of Recent Reads that Rocked she talks about the book Year of Wonders, which she says is dark, but hopeful, and has a little bit of everything.

Listen to this episode

Birthday Book Club Update

Congratulations to Rosemary and Amanda for winning the March birthday cake drawings! Right now the 5th grade and 10th grade are still in the lead for the end of year parties. Get those April, May, and June birthday forms in so your class can win!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Split in 2

Can't get enough Harry Potter and preparing to be super sad when the credits roll on the last movie? Well your sadness will be delayed a little bit since Warner Brothers has decided to make Deathly Hallows into two movies instead of just one. More info.

My Favorite Book: East of Eden

Mrs. Goodman and Mrs. Ray discuss their shared love for John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Listen in as the discuss the importance of timshel and how this book is different than Steinbeck's others. Join in the conversation by submitting your ideas about this book in the comments.

What's Missing from our Shelves?

Know of a book that we should have? Want to request a new magazine or newspaper? Let us know about it by filling out the online purchase request.

Gordon Korman Signs Books at SMS

What's Your Favorite Book?

Share your favorite book with the SMS community by recording a podcast! Starting next week, we'll begin recording brief podcasts about our favorite books and why we love them. It will be a great way to get some new reading ideas and learn a lot about the people we're at school with everyday. If you'd like to record a podcast about your favorite book, talk to Mrs. Akers in the Upper School Library.

The awesome logo for My Favorite Book was created by Claire B. Thanks Claire!

Birthday Book Club Update

Just a few months to go before the Birthday Book Club is finished for the year and we know what grades get the party. Right now the 5th and 10th grades are leading. Find more Birthday Book Club info here.

Congratulations to Theresa G. and Mary P. for winning the birthday drawing cakes!

More of the Decor You'll See in the New Library

Picture it--you are curled up by the fireplace with a great book on comfy furniture with great fabrics, in beautiful colors, and interesting combinations. Just a few more months before that furniture gets delivered and we move the Middle School and Morrow Room libraries together. For now, here's another glimpse of what it will look like.

Calming Colors, Rich Textures, and Space, Space, Space

Though it has been cozy to have the library in the Morrow Room, its getting really exciting to think forward to the new library! Here’s a sneak peak at the color palette we’ll have in the new space. This “finishing board” shows the carpet, paint colors, and the tones of the wood and metal that will be in the building.

Get Ready for Battle of the Books

The 6th grade library ambassadors are getting set for the ultimate Battle of the Books, which will take place on Monday April 14th during National Library Week. This year, these reading Turkeys will strut their stuff against the the 6th grade PDS Crusaders.

Battle of the Books Reading List

Avi
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Crispin: At the Edge of the World
Something Upstairs

Balliett, Blue
Chasing Vermeer
The Wright 3

Banks, Lynne Reid
The Indian in the Cupboard

Barker, Clive
Abarat
Abarat: Days of Magic; Nights of War

Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson
Peter and the Starcatchers
Peter and the Shadow Thieves

Choldenko, Gennifer
Al Capone Does My Shirts

Christie, Agatha
Murder on the Orient Express
The A.B.C Murders
And Then There Were None

Colfer, Eoin
Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
Artmeis Fowl: The Lost Colony
The Supernaturalist

Curtis, Christopher Paul
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
Bud, Not Buddy

DuPrau, Jeanne
The City of Ember
The People of Sparks
Prophet of Yonwood

Funke, Cornelia
Inkspell
Inkheart
Dragon Rider
The Thief Lord

George, Jean Craighead
My Side of the Mountain

Haddix, Margaret Peterson
(Shadow Children Series)
Among the Hidden
Among the Imposters
Among the Betrayed
Among the Barons
Among the Brave
Among the Enemy
Among the Free

Henry, Marguerite
King of the Wind

Hiaasen, Carl
Hoot
Flush

Horowitz, Anthony
(Alex Ryder Series)
Stormbreaker
Point Blank
Skeleton Key
Eagle Strike
Scorpia
Ark Angel
Snakehead
Hunter, Erin
(Warrior Series)
Into the Wild
Fire and Ice
Forest of Secrets
Rising Storm
A Dangerous Path
The Darkest Hour

Jacques, Brian
(Redwall Series)
Redwall
Mossflower
Mattimeo
Mariel of Redwall
Salamandastron
Martin the Warrior

Kerr, P. B.
(The Children of the Lamp Series)
The Akhenaten Adventure
The Blue Djinn of Babylon
The Cobra King of Kathmandu

Kimmell, Elizabeth Cody
Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition

Konigsberg, E. L.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
The View from Saturday

Korman, Gordon
No More Dead Dogs
Schooled
The 6th Grade Nickname Game

L’Engle, Madeleine
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters

Lewis, C. S.
(The Chronicles of Narnia)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle

Lowry, Lois
The Giver
Number the Stars
Gathering Blue

Nimmo, Jenny
(Children of the Red King Series)
Midnight for Charlie Bone
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy

Naylor, Phyllis
Shiloh

Paolini, Christopher:
Eragon
Eldest

Paulsen, Gary
Harris and Me
Hatchet
The River
Brian’s Winter
Brian’s Return
Brian’s Hunt

Rawls, Wilson
Where the Red Fern Grows

Rodgers, Mary
Freaky Friday

Rowling, J. K.
Harry Potter and the:
Sorcerer’s Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Order of the Phoenix
Half-Blood Prince
Deathly Hallows

Sachar, Louis
Holes

Sage, Angie
Magyk
Flyte
Physik

Snicket, Lemony
(A Series of Unfortunate Events)
The Bad Beginning
The Reptile Room
The Wide Window
The Miserable Mill
The Austere Academy
The Ersatz Elevator
The Vile Village
The Hostile Hospital
The Carnivorous Carnival
The Slippery Slope
The Grim Grotto
The Penultimate Peril
The End

Spinelli, Jerry
Stargirl
Love, Stargirl
Maniac Magee
Wringer
Crash
Loser

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Treasure Island

Stroud, Jonathan
The Amulet of Samarkand
The Golem’s Eye
Ptolemy’s Gate

Taylor, Mildred
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Let the Circle Be Unbroken
The Land

Tolan, Stephanie
Surviving the Applewhites

Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King

Vande Velde, Vivian
Never Trust a Dead Man

White, E. B.
Charlotte’s Web
Stuart Little

Gordon Korman is Coming to SMES

On Thursday, February 28th, Gordon Korman will be on campus, having lunch with 5th and 6th grade library ambassadors, speaking with the middle school, and signing books.

Korman is the author of several young adult books, including the Kidnapped and Everest series. His newest books are Schooled and The Swindler. You can check out Korman's books from the Middle School Library.