New Books for Fall

I really love when new books arrive at the library. I ordered a bunch of new titles over the summer, and one of the very first things I did when I came back to school was to open the boxes of books to see what new things we'll be adding to the Highland collection.

I was busy getting the library ready to open after school one day, when I picked up one of the books off the cart. An hour or so of reading later, I realized I was really enjoying the book I picked up!

The book was Janet Tashjian's Fault Line. Here's the review I wrote on my LibraryThing page:
Becky is a smart, funny, driven seventeen-year-old. When she meets Kip, an aspiring comic, she totally falls for him. Although when he starts to make her choose between him and her friends, becomes more and more controlling, and seems to turn on her for no reason, she starts to wonder if this is the relationship for her.
Interspersed throughout the narrative are notes-to-self Becky makes and Kip's journal entries that give more insight into what each character is thinking. A powerful exploration of an abusive dating relationship.

All of the new books that are being added to the Learning Center's collection this August and September will have purple tape on the spine and will be shelved on the "New Books" shelf. Add a comment to this post with your feedback on any of the new books you read.

Highland Summer Reading Wall of Fame

It is hard to believe that it is already time for school to start. I'm looking forward to get the library opened for business once again.

What was your favorite book of the summer?
Students and staff members are invited to contribute their favorite reads of the summer to the Highland Summer Reading Wall of Fame. To participate, simply submit a short description of the book and why it was a favorite. Then have your picture taken with the book. The resulting flyers will be posted outside the Learning Center.

I read mostly young adult books this summer. Here's the picture I took to use in the Wall of Fame with my favorite summer reads: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. Of course, the end of Eclipse has left me anxious for book four. It won't be published until August 2008 at the earliest!

Summer Reading

Hi!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of summer reading. I picked up a handful of advanced reader copies (books that are not yet published) at the ALA conference. I just read the second Adam Canfield Book and FINALLY read Twilight and New Moon. I had heard so many good things about those books by Stephanie Meyer, I was afraid I was going to be disappointed. I was not. I LOVED them! I’ve been writing reviews and rating all my summer reads on my LibraryThing page.

Also, I took a podcasting class at the beginning of the summer. I made my first podcast doing book talks about the books I had read at that point. Listen to my podcast.

What books have been your favorite so far this summer?

Book Clubs go Virtual

I’m excited to try this experiment of online conversation about books.

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Over the summer, this is a forum for us to “talk” about what we’ve been reading. By commenting on posts, you can participate in the conversation.

What books are on your reading list this summer?

'06-'07 Book Clubs Wrap up Face-to-Face

It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is near. The 6th and 7th grade lunch bunch groups had our final meetings of the year yesterday.

The seventh graders talked about James Howe’s The Misfits. We had a really good discussion about what it means to be a misfit, how you find your niche, and comparing the environment at the school in the book with our school.

The sixth graders did a Caudill Round Table. Everyone in the group read at least one of the books from the 2008 Caudill list and reviewed it for the group. After hearing the reviews there are several books I am more excited about reading than from just looking at the cover on the shelf. (I know, I know I am not supposed to judge a book by its cover but it is really hard not to sometimes.)

The book clubs really went well this year.

I am anxious to see what kinds of discussions we have using this blog.

Final 8th Grade Meeting of the Year

It’s hard to believe it is the last 8th grade Lunch Bunch meeting of the year today. We’re going to watch the movie Speak after school today and compare it to Anderson’s book of the same name.

The book club formed last year after I came to Highland. Some participants have been part of the group since the beginning. We also added several new faces this year. I wish the members all the best as they graduate and move on to high school. One of the goals of this blog is to keep our conversations going even after school lets out for the summer.

Here’s a list of what this group has read and discussed over the past two years:

• September 05- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• October - Time Windows by Kathryn Reiss
• November - Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris
• January - So B. It by Sarah Weeks
• February - Son of the Mob by Gordan Korman
• March/April - Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
• May - Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
• October 06 - Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
• November - Misfits by James Howe
• December - Book Club Round Table
• January - Blizzard’s Wake by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• February - Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville
• March - Real Time by Pnina Kass
• April - Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine - One Book, One Community
• May - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

More soon on the response of the group to Speak

Welcome to the Blog

Welcome to the Highland Book Buzz blog.It’s the Highland Learning Center’s first blog.

Since summer break has nearly arrived, book clubs will start to meet virtually rather than in our monthly lunch time meetings. In this space we’ll talk books and authors.

Welcome and stay tuned!