Tuesday, 5/22/12 -- Books given the the MSL by FOESL

Friends of the OES Libraries (FOESL) recently gave the Middle School library many beautiful (and useful!) books in recognition of Paula Spooner's years of service. Just a few of them are listed below:

The Art of the Cookie: Baking Up Inspiration by the Dozen
Shelly Kaldunski
641.86 KAL
The Art of Cookie presents over 40 delectable recipes and inspiring decorating ideas. With a focus on transforming a simple cookie into a masterpiece, each recipe promises both exceptional flavor and visual appeal. The cookie recipes are divided into two main chapters. The first offers favorite and versatile roll-and-cut dough recipes, such as brown sugar cookies and gingerbread, followed by clever, yet simple ideas for decorating them: vibrant vanilla-sugar flowers; alphabet shapes flooded with icing and sprinkled with colorful sugars; and petits fours stacked to resemble a miniature wedding cake. The second chapter includes classics with a modern twist, such as sparkly macarons; wreath-shaped sugar cookies baked with lemon and thyme and decorated with icing ornaments; and striped cookies that taste and look like peppermint sticks. Recipes for various fillings to use with many of the cookies round out the collection. (Publisher)

The Conference of the Birds
Peter Sis
818 SIS
In The Conference of the Birds Caldecott Honor-winning children's book author and illustrator Peter Sís breathes new life into this foundational Sufi poem, revealing its profound lessons.
Sís's deeply felt adaptation tells the story of an epic flight of birds in search of the true king, Simorgh. Drawn from all species, the band of birds is led by the hoopoe. He promises that the voyage to the mountain of Kaf, where Simorgh lives, will be perilous and many birds resist, afraid of what they might encounter. Others perish during the passage through the seven valleys: quest, love, understanding, friendship, unity, amazement, and death.
Those that continue reach the mountain to learn that Simorgh the king is, in fact, each of them and all of them. In this lyrical and richly illustrated story of love, faith, and the meaning of it all, Peter Sís shows the pain, and beauty, of the human journey. (Publisher)

Good Poems: American Places
selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor
811 GOO
Garrison Keillor, the editor of Good Poems and Good Poems for Hard Times, host of The Writer's Almanac, and all-around arbiter of fine American poetry, introduces another inspiring collection by a range of poets, some beloved favorites and others brash unknowns, organized by regions of America.
From Nantucket to Knoxville, Manhattan to Minnesota, the heart can be exalted anywhere. Think of these poems as postcards-from Billy Collins, Nikki Giovanni, William Carlos Williams, Naomi Shihab Nye, Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, and many more.
Like the previous Good Poems collections, this volume celebrates the high-spirited, the witty and antic and jazzy voice that in many ways defines the land of the free. Choosing poems full of humor, sharp insight, and warmth, Garrison Keillor once again makes good poetry accessible and immensely enjoyable. (Publisher)

Tuesday 5/1/12

The Girls of No Return
Erin Saldin
FIC SAL
A troubled sixteen-year old girl attending a wilderness school in the Idaho mountains must finally face the consequences of her complicated friendships with two of the other girls at the school. (NoveList)

The List
Siobhan Vivian
FIC VIV
Every year at Mount Washington High School somebody posts a list of the prettiest and ugliest girls from each grade--this is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, and how they are affected by the list. (NoveList)


Rebel Fire
Andrew Lane
FIC LAN
In 1868, teenaged Sherlock Holmes discovers that his American tutor is hunting a notorious killer who was supposedly killed by the United States government, but who is apparently alive and well in Surrey, England. (NoveList)


Serpent's Shadow
Rick Riordan
FIC RIO
He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles. (Publisher) (We'll have this in the library by Friday!)

Summer Reading Program

It's time to roll out our annual Summer Reading Program list! Here's a link to the site where we post all of the information about the program and also list titles, reviews, and place where the book may be purchased or borrowed.

Tuesday, 4/24/12

One World Kids Cookbook: Easy, Healthy and Affordable Family Meals
by Sean Mendez
641.5 MEN
This healthy eating cookbook is aimed at encouraging young people to think about what they eat through emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet. It contains kitchen tips and suggests vegetarian substitutes to the meat recipes. One World Kids Cookbook aims to instill a passion for good, wholesome, healthy food as well as a passion for life. (Publisher)

Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes
Lauren Child
FIC CHI
 Everyone knows that Clarice Bean is exceptionordinarily keen on the Ruby Redfort books. Now in her own starring role, Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, along with her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, but she's always ice-cool in a crisis. Just take a classic screwball comedy, add heaps of breathtaking action, and multiply it by Lauren Child's writing genius, and what have you got? Only the most exciting new middle-grade series since, like, ever. (Publisher)

The Supreme Court A to Z, 5th ed.
by Kenneth Jost
REF 347.73 SUP
The Supreme Court A to Z offers accessible information about the Supreme Court, including its history, traditions, organization, dynamics, and personalities. The entries in The Supreme Court A to Z are arranged alphabetically and are extensively cross-referenced to related information. This volume also has a detailed index, reference materials on Supreme Court nominations, a seat chart of the justices, the U.S. Constitution, online sources of decisions, and a bibliography to help simplify research. The fifth edition of The Supreme Court A to Z has been thoroughly updated to incorporate coverage of significant new cases and recent changes on the bench and includes more than 350 alphabetized entries. Presented in an engaging reader-friendly design, this edition includes: - Biographies of recently appointed Associate Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor - Updated entries on key issues and concepts, including abortion, campaigns and elections, civil rights, class action, due process, freedom of the press, retired justices, reapportionment and redistricting, school desegregation, and war powers - New entries on criminal law and media and the court, which highlights the Court's online presence - This timely resource also includes updated seat charts of the justices, online sources for finding decisions, and a selected bibliography. (Publisher)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Calico Joe
by John Grisham
FIC GRI
In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen.  The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.

Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever… (Publisher)

The Night She Disappeared
bu April Henry
FIC HEN
Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete's Pizza. One night, Kayla — another delivery girl — goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can't move beyond the fact that Kayla's fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete's. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn't dead — and to find her before she is. (Publisher)

Science: The Incredible Visual Guide
by Clive Gifford
500 GIF
One Million Things: Science is a spectacular show and tell experience. Learn all about DNA from a crime scene, or watch a cake being baked to understand the difference between a mixture and a chemical reaction. Find out about animal classification with a personality test, or play spot the difference to see the effects of erosion. From biology and earth science to physics and space, there's something new to discover on every page. (Publisher)

Tuesday, April 11, 2012

Fear (a Gone Novel)
by Michael Grant
FIC / GRA
As the young residents of Perdido Beach begin to better comprehend the truths of who they are and their relationships to one another, the Darkness finds a new way to be born, bringing their understanding of fear to a new level. (NoveList)



Space: The Incredible Visual Guide
There are millions of stars in the sky and millions of things to learn about the universe, and One Million Things: Space serves up imagery and information about all things cosmic: from planets, moons, and comets, to black holes, nebulae, distant solar systems, and more. (Powell's/Publisher)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
FIC SMI
Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day. (NoveList)

Chomp
by Carl Hiaasen
FIC HIA
When the difficult star of the reality television show "Expedition Survival" disappears while filming an episode in the Florida Everglades using animals from the wildlife refuge run by Wahoo Crane's family, Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon set out to find him while avoiding Tuna's gun-happy father. (NoveList)



Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
by Jordan Sonnenblick
FIC SON
After an injury ends former star pitcher Peter Friedman's athletic dreams, he concentrates on photography which leads him to a girlfriend, new fame as a high school sports photographer, and a deeper relationship with the beloved grandfather who, when he realizes he is becoming senile, gives Pete all of his professional camera gear. (NoveList)


The Poets Laureate Anthology
edited and with an introduction by Elizabeth Hun Schmidt
As a record of poetry, The Poets Laureate Anthology is groundbreaking, charting the course of American poetry over the last seventy-five years, while being, at the same time, a pleasure to read, full of some of the world's best-known poems and many new surprises. Elizabeth Hun Schmidt has gathered and introduced poems by each of the forty-three poets who have been named our nation's poets laureate since the post (originally called Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress) was established in 1937.
Poets range from Robert Pinsky, William Carlos Williams, and Elizabeth Bishop to Charles Simic, Billy Collins, and Rita Dove. Schmidt's spirited introductions place the poets and their poems in historical and literary context and shine light on the interesting and often uneasy relationship between politics and art. This is an inviting, monumental collection for everyone's library, containing much of the best poetry written in America over the last century. (Publisher)

Spring Reading Challenge

The Challenge for Students, Faculty, & Parents:

Spring Into Reading!

Sponsored by Friends of the OES Libraries

Your Name: ________________  

·      Read 5 books or 1,005 pages or 15 hours between Monday, 3/5/12 and Friday, 5/18/12.

·      Record the books (new to you) or pages or hours below.

·      Your name will go into a drawing for a $25 Powell’s gift card or a $10 GOBS gift card.

·      All those who meet the challenge will be invited to gather in the MSL and eat chocolate cover strawberries on Monday, 5/21/12

      Author                                Title                                                                   # pages

1)  _______________________________________________________________

2) _______________________________________________________________

3) _______________________________________________________________

4) _______________________________________________________________

5) _______________________________________________________________

# of hours  _____

Parent signature ________________________________

Tuesday, 2/28/12

Awaken
Katie Kacvinsky
FIC KAC

In the year 2060, when people hardly ever leave the security of their houses and instead do everything online, Madeline Freeman, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the man who created the national digital school attended by all citizens, is wooed by a group of radicals who are trying to get people to "unplug.". (NoveList)

The Hugo Movie Companion
Brian Selznick

A companion book-and much more!-to Martin Scorsese's movie of the #1 bestseller and Caldecott Medal Winner. Brian Selznick takes readers on an intimate tour of the movie-making process as his Caldecott Award-winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret is turned into a 3-D major motion picture by Academy Award-winning director, Martin Scorsese, written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, John Logan. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs from the movie, and filled with fun, informative interviews of the cast and crew, comparisons of artwork from the book alongside people, props, costumes, and sets from the movie, plus fascinating information about automatons, filmmaking pioneer Georges Melies, and an essay on the birth of movies written by Martin Scorsese, The Hugo Movie Companion beautifully extends the experience of the book and the movie, and is a must-have for fans of all ages. (Publisher)

The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry
edited by Rita Dove
811 PEN

Penguin proudly presents an unparalleled survey of the best poems of the past century.Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U .S. Poet Laureate, introduces readers to the most significant and compelling poems of the past hundred years. Selecting from the canon of American poetry throughout the twentieth century, Dove has created an anthology that represents the full spectrum of aesthetic sensibilities-from styles and voices to themes and cultures-while balancing important poems with significant periods of each poet. Featuring poems both classic and contemporary, this collection reflects both a dynamic and cohesive portrait of modern American poetry and outlines its trajectory over the past century. (Publisher) See info on the controversy about the anthology.

The Summer I Learned to Fly
Dana Reinhardt
FIC REI

Thirteen-year-old Drew starts the summer of 1986 helping in her mother's cheese shop and dreaming about co-worker Nick, but when her widowed mother begins dating, Drew's father's book of lists, her pet rat, and Emmett, a boy on a quest, help her cope. (NoveList)

Tuesday, 2/21/12

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan
Hildi Kang
FIC KAN

Called to follow the wind and search for information about his father who disappeared many years ago, thirteen-year-old Chengli, carrying a piece of jade with strange writing that had belonged to his father, joins a caravan charged with giving safe passage to the Emperor's daughter as it navigates the constant dangers of the Silk Road in 630 A.D. (NoveList)

Titanic Sinks!
Barry Denenberg
910.91 DEN

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Barry Denenberg has created a one-of-a-kind, high-concept book that's a unique combination of fiction and nonfiction. He uses a fictional framework to present the true story of the building and launching of the Titanicand to give a "you are there" feeling as the ship goes down. Lavishly designed with authentic period photographs and illustrations throughout, Titanic Sinks!immerses you in the era of the Titanicand reminds you why it's still a cultural touchstone a hundred years after its demise. (Publisher)

The Unidentified
Rae Mariz
FIC MAR


In a futuristic alternative school set in a shopping mall where video game-playing students are observed and used by corporate sponsors for market research, Katey "Kid" Dade struggles to figure out where she fits in and whether she even wants to. (NoveList)

Monday, 2/13/12

Getting Over Garrett Delaney
Abby McDonald
FIC MCD


Seventeen-year-old Sadie Allen has spent the last two years pining for her best friend, Garrett, but when he heads off to literary camp for the summer without her, she decides to kick her unrequited crush for good, with the help of her co-workers, another boy, and her own summer twelve-step program. (NoveList)





The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, 3rd edition
REF 503 KIN

With today's emphasis on fast-moving technology and the focus on testing standards for science and math, the need for students to grasp key scientific principles has never been greater. The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, 3rd edition is the one reference that includes all of the information students need to know in a concise and trustworthy package. Fully revised and updated, with clear, accessible writing by scientific experts and plenty of illustration for visual learners, this volume provides in-depth insight and succinct authoritative answers to all areas of scientific inquiry-avoiding the need to hunt and peck for information across multiple sources. An impressive supplementary section at the end of the book includes mini-biographies of famous scientists, and an illustrated time line of key inventions and discoveries. Arranged thematically into ten subjects, with reference summaries for each chapter and a full index, this encyclopedia does more than merely provide facts-it helps the reader develop an integrated, hands-on understanding of the science which drives everything around us. (Publisher)

Legend
Marie Lu
FIC LU

In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy. (NoveList)




  

Top Ten of Everything 2012
Caroline Ash and Alexander Ash
031.02  ASH

The bestselling Top 10 annual is back, with more than 700 updated lists and brand-new feature spreads revealing exactly who or what is the best, worst, richest, deadliest, biggest, or baddest of almost everything under the sun!  Featuring over 7,000 of the most intriguing facts about history, science, sports, music, movies, nature, people, and places, this fascinating full-color resource will astonish, inform, entertain, and educate. (Publisher)