Have a great year. Come see us often in the media center. Read some books YOU want to read!

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1 Sharp Middle School Library Mrs. C. Reid, Media Specialist Mrs. D. Hisel, Computer Lab Manager August 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1 FIRST LINES A Library Newsletter for Staff, Students, and Parents WELCOME BACK! It s been a long time since we ve been here! OK, maybe not, but we have still been away from each other for a while or maybe it is your first time at Sharp. Welcome! We are glad you are here! While some of you were at the pool or at the beach, I was working the library back into some order. Along the way I found new books to add to the shelves, and I found old ones that just needed to go. Stop in and check out some of the changes. We hope you like what you see. This year, we hope to see you more often. We hope to have more fun things to bring you into the library, and maybe you will learn something along the way as we do. We have several computers that are available for school-appropriate work. All are welcome to join in the fun. The library opens at 7:35 in the morning, and it closes at about 3:30 in the afternoon. If the teachers and the lunch monitors give you permission, you may come see us when you have finished lunch. That is the perfect time to check out a book, especially when you know exactly what you want. Stop in. Browse. Check out books. Return them promptly so others will have the chance to read them. (Feel free to renew them, too, if you aren't finished with them yet.) We will be glad to see you and to help you in any way that we can. Have a great year. Come see us often in the media center. Read some books YOU want to read! TURN IN THOSE AUP S! Do you want to be able to get on the computer while you are at school? What about bringing your own device? Do you want to be one step closer to using it? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you need to be sure to turn in your acceptable use policies (AUP s) as soon as you can. You cannot get on a computer without one, and you cannot get a Bring Your Own Device permission form if you don t have an AUP on file. Important: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS on your AUP form! If your password is written incorrectly, you will not get to use the computer as quickly as you might want. Be sure that your password does NOT use any part of your name and that it contains a capital letter and at least one symbol OR number in it; also, be sure it has a parent and a student signature. Following the instructions will make computer life much easier for you! INSIDE THIS ISSUE KBA Awards...2 Banned Book Week...2 Reid s Reviews...3 KBA Nominees...3 Battle of the Books...4 Webpages and OPAC...4 Upcoming Events...5 SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST Banned Book Week: September 21-27, 2014 (Celebrated throughout September) Scholastic Book Fair: October Read Before You Watch Event: Divergent Nov. 13

2 KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARDS Each year, libraries across the state highlight the Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominees. These books are nominated by adults for age categories (3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grades), and young people then read them and cast votes for their favorites. The award is given to the book that wins the most votes state-wide. Sharp Middle School Media Center keeps at least four copies of each book in the library. Because the books are so popular, we ask students to read them and return them within a two-week period. They may, however, renew them once if they need to do so. This year s nominees are on prominent display in the library. Reading may start immediately! Voting will occur in March All the votes will be tallied and sent to the state coordinator before spring break begins. The list always contains the best of the best books that are published within the past two years. For this year s list of nominees, please see the sidebar on page 3 of this newsletter. Read, students and parents! Read! I believe you will find at least one book that you will not be able to put down. Let me know what your favorite is before spring break! Every burned book enlightens the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson TOP CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2013 Out of 307 challenges as reported by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, via ala.org: 2 Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey The Bluest Eye, by Toni MorrisoN The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone Looking for Alaska, by John Green The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya Bone (series), by Jeff Smith BANNED BOOK WEEK SEPT Teachers assign books for class. Libraries offer and promote books to the students and to the community. But what happens when some parents and community members disagree with what is in those books, and they demand that the books be removed from the classroom or the library? Communities all over the world have dealt with this scenario each year for nearly as long as books have been written. Through the centuries, authors have introduced ideas that have sometimes frightened people and have at other times made them face life in ways they do not want to consider. When those readers encounter these books, they sometimes want to protect their communities from the content of the books; in order to do that, they file a challenge with the library or the school. A parent asking a teacher for an alternate assignment for his or her child is NOT a challenge; neither is asking a librarian to keep his or her child from perusing certain books. A book is considered to be challenged only when a person files the necessary forms to remove a book from a classroom or a library from everyone s access. The challenge itself is not enough to remove the book; it is only a beginning. Removing a book is a long process with several steps because it is important that everyone s rights are protected the rights of the person filing as well as the rights of others in the community. While books are challenged each year, very few are banned, at least in the United States; and if they are banned, they are banned on a level that is agreeable to the entire community. In other countries, however, banning is not as uncommon. Islamic countries have banned the Bible and all books which counter the Islamic way. Other countries ban books because the leaders feel the books make their countries or people look foolish. Nazi Germany banned all books that promoted independent thinking. Teachers, librarians, and parents choose reading selections carefully for young people. Others may not agree with those selections, but steps are in place to protect the rights of all who wish to read.

3 KBA NOMINEES 2015 The nominees for grades 6-8 are: The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson; Holocaust biography Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan: Death and acceptance Doll Bones by Holly Black: Ghost story/adventure Foul Trouble by John Feinstein: Sports/college recruitment/ corruption The Great Trouble: a Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson: Historical fiction/mystery Paperboy by Vince Vawter: Stuttering/semi-autobiographical/ coming-of-age Rump by Leisl Shurtliff: Fractured fairy tale about Rumpelstiltskin Soldier Dog by Sam Angus: Historical fiction/war REID S REVIEWS: SOME KBA NOMINEES This month, I am highlighting some of my favorite middle school KBA nominees. It is a hard choice! Rump by Leisl Shurtliff. Rumpelstiltskin was never one of my favorite characters in fairy tales. Anyone who would demand a mother s baby as payment is a horrible person, regardless of his circumstances. I never expected to be in any way sympathetic toward the character, but then I got the rest of the story! Shurtliff takes the fairy tale we all grew up hearing, and she gives us explanations for many of the behaviors we see in the fairy tale. We get answers as to why he was named such a ridiculous name and how he can turn straw into gold. We even get a REASON for his request for the queen s first child! The story is fun and funny, and the characters are believable in spite of their fairy-tale existence. A treat! Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson: Superhero dystopia/sci-fi Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington: Mental illness/ coming-of-age Soldier Dog by Sam Angus. When Stanley s father drowns his favorite puppy in a rage, Stanley runs away from home and joins the Army during World War I, hoping to find his brother who is stationed in France. Stanley is thirteen, much too young to enlist, but the desperate times and Stanley s insistence make the recruiters turn the other way when he asks to join up. He makes it through training and is assigned to War Dog School, a place that is supposed to be less dangerous and demanding; however, he soon finds himself shipped to France along with Bones, his assigned dog. What he finds there is more than war. He finds the truth. Based on actual dogs and accounts. As a dog lover, I was afraid to read it. I am so glad I did! Paperboy by Vince Vawter. When Victor s friend goes away for the summer, Victor agrees to take his paper route for the month in spite of a debilitating stutter. Victor enjoys delivering the paper, but dreads the Friday collection days. Along the way, he finds friendships and even his first crush. He also finds danger for himself and for his beloved housekeeper. Autobiographical in nature, this book reminds me and others of To Kill a Mockingbird because of its tone, but the story is its own. I loved it! 3

4 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY Johnson, Jaleigh. The Mark of the Dragonfly. Piper finds a girl in some wreckage, and realizes she must get her home to her own world and Piper must get out alive. A fantasy. MacColl, Michaela. Almost Emily. A mystery based upon the lives of the Bronte sisters. Auxier, Jonathan. The Night Gardener. Two orphans are sent as servants in a crumbling Irish home that has met up with a curse. A thrilling ghost fable. Philbrick, Rodman. Zane and the Hurricane: a Story of Katrina. Zane is on vacation when Katrina hits, and there he sees the best and the worst of man. Tougias, Michael J. The Finest Hours: the True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue. Based on a true account of a Coast Guard rescue during a nor easter in Adler, David A. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. The life of Theodore Roosevelt and how his life impacted his presidency. Dillon, Patrick. The Story of Buildings. The history of amazing buildings and their builders. Illustrated by Stephen Biesty. Shusterman, Neal. Tesla s Attic. A family inherits a broken-down Victorian home that is full of junk. The family sells the junk at a garage sale, and the neighborhood children find that it is all full of extraordinary properties, apparently placed upon them by the eccentric inventor and physicist Tesla. Sci-Fi and adventure. BATTLE OF THE BOOKS Sharp Middle School is setting up Battle of the Books teams for This year s battle will be based on the Kentucky Bluegrass Books. This year will be a trial run, so we will compete in-house only, but the competition will still be lively and fun, so come join the fun! Battle of the Books is a team-based competition based upon the Governor s Cup academic competition model. Students read books from a list, and teams are formed around the middle of the school year. Some practices are held just to get the feel for the competition, then competition is held on one day in mid-march. Teams have their own themes, mascots, and sponsors. Not every team member has to read every book, but the team will hopefully be composed of students who have read enough of a variety that all books are well-known by the teams. Students will receive more information about this event shortly. Our goals are to have fun and to have fun reading! Let s do that this year! WEBPAGES AND ONLINE CATALOGS Sharp s library is linked to the world by two different means. The first is our online catalog, Destiny. Destiny allows you to see what is in our library, and it is accessible 24/7 from any internet-accessible computer. Just go to destiny.pendleton.kyschools.us and type in a title, an author, or a topic (keyword) to see if we have what you are looking for. You can search any school in the district in this way. Also, my personal webpage is updated with information about current happenings in the library, including programming dates and times and other information. Stop by my page at to see what is going on in the middle and high school libraries and to check out other resources we have. DESTINY QUEST: CONNECTING READERS Teens LOVE social media. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other forms of virtual connection have taken kids by storm over the past few years. We like to take advantage of things students enjoy and use them for other means, so...on our Destiny online catalog page (see above), we have an option called DestinyQuest. Students can register using their Infinite Campus ID s, create a username and password (we recommend using the school username and password), and browse! Students can connect to friends in order to recommend books, and they can also write reviews and read others reviews of the literature that is in the library. If you would like to know more about DestinyQuest, see Mrs. Reid in the library. She will help you set up an account, and she will show you all DestinyQuest has to offer! 4

5 UPCOMING EVENTS Scholastic Book Fair will be in the building from October to offer popular young adult literature to our students. The fair usually contains the most popular of titles, such as The Hunger Games and Divergent series, as well as non-fiction reference books. The fair will be open from 7:40-3:30 except on Thursday, October 25, when it will be open until 4:30 for parent access. Read Before You Watch events will be held each trimester this year. Just as the title implies, students who participate in this event will be expected to read a book, then watch the movie at an after-school event. Discussion will follow. Scheduled are: Divergent November 13 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Jan. 22 The Giver March 26 The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries. Rene Descartes...BUT THEIR WORK LIVES ON The school year saw the passing of some irreplaceable authors. All of these people entertained us with their imaginations, and some of them brought us insights that made our lives brighter. Try out a book from at least one of them this year. (Stars indicate works for mature readers.) *Tom Clancy 1947-Oct. 1, 2013: Writer of many political thrillers, including The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger. Barbara Park 1947-Nov. 15, 2013: If you are a fan of Junie B. Jones, Park has touched your life significantly! Ned Vizzini 1981-Dec. 19, 2014: This writer turned many heads in his short life as he related in a humorous fashion his own struggles with depression. His most popular work is It s Kind of a Funny Story. *Gabriel Garcia Marquez April 17, 2014: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for One Hundred Years of Solitude. *Maya Angelou 1928-May 28, 2014: Writer, poet, actress, dancer, director, singer, humanitarian.the list goes on. The much-honored artist was best known for her autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and she was nominated for the Pulitzer in 1972 for Give Me a Cool Drink of Water Fore I Diiie., and she won many other awards and honors. Daniel Keyes 1927-June 15, 2014: Writer of Flowers for Algernon, a classic favorite of teens everywhere. Mary Rodgers 1931-June 25, 2014: Author of Freaky Friday and composer of several children s musical scores. Daughter of the composer Richard Rodgers, an adult musical legend. Walter Dean Myers 1937-July 1, 2014: Author of over 100 books, and winner of many awards and honors. Myers is best known for Fallen Angels and Scorpions, and many books depicting street life and juvenile crime and their hardships and consequences. 5

6 SHARP MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY MRS. C. REID, MEDIA SPECIALIST MRS. D. HISEL, COM- PUTER LAB MANAGER LIBRARY POLICIES The library circulation policies are as follows: Students may check out most books for a period of 30 days. These books are eligible for two renewals, allowing the student to keep the book up to 90 days. Books that are unusually popular may be checked out for a period of 14 days with one renewal, allowing the student to keep the book up to 28 days. The library s goals are to support the curriculum of the school, to provide age-appropriate leisure and informational reading, and to promote the love of reading to all students through programming and promotions. Students may check out up to four books at a time. That limit may be revised if a revision is deemed necessary by the staff. The library charges no fines, but does charge for the cost of the book if it is lost or damaged. Equipment is to be checked out by teachers only. DVD s and other loadable media may be checked out by teachers only. All library materials should be returned promptly to the drop box; do NOT place items on carts or counters, and do not replace returned books on the shelves. ADULT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES The library welcomes volunteers. If you are interested in working in the library with us, please be sure you have completed the necessary volunteer training and that that training is up-to-date. Volunteers would be appreciated for the following: General upkeep: shelving, processing, etc. Book Fairs: monitoring, straightening, reordering, etc. Read Before You Watch: possible concessions, crowd control (Teacher volunteers welcome, too) Battle of the Books: team sponsors, costume and mascot creation, minimal coaching (Teachers?) Displays and programming décor (the media specialist has no visual artistic ability) On-call people for whatever may fall in our laps! Any help that you can give will help give our students a better experience in the library. If you are interested, call , extension 5143, and ask for Carolyn or Denise. We will give you more details. Thank you!