Seuss Saturday

In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Day...some words of wisdom from the master each Saturday:

Seuss Saturday

In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Day...some words of wisdom from the master each Saturday:

March Madness!

Tuesday marked the beginning of Evergreen Library's March Madness tourney! Students AND staff can compete and win prizes. 

Will your favorite book(s) make it to the Final Four???

Round 1 voting is open until Friday, 3/21 @ 3pm. (Sweet 16 voting starts Saturday, 3/22). Stay tuned to see which books advance.

Details:

WHAT IS IT?                                                                                                                            
A contest to pick the best book at Evergreen! (The Top 32 books based on circulations this school year are competing).                                                                                                                                                                  
HOW DOES IT WORK?                                                                                                                               
Students and staff will vote for their favorite books. Books are divided into brackets, starting with 32, then Sweet 16, Elite 8, and then the Final 4 & Winner.                                                                                                                                
Vote each round to ensure your favorite books make it through the bracket.
                                                                                                                                
ARE THERE PRIZES?                                                                                                                               
YES! There will be prizes awarded each week (fun stuff) and grand prizes awarded at the end of the tournament.                                                                                                                                

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN?                                                                                                                         
Campaigning for your favorite book IS allowed (and I've already seen one instance where campaigning for a book is making a HUGE difference in the voting)…but you can only vote ONCE each round. If you have a favorite book and want it to win, get other people to vote for it. To see how your favorites are doing, check out the giant bracket in the library for updates!                                                                                                                            
Voting is open online (on Haiku) for Evergreen students and staff. If you would like to vote using the paper bracket, come to the library ASAP and fill one out!     
                                                                                                                

Trailer Tuesday

This week, the Divergent movie is finally in theaters! 

So, the movie trailer is the perfect Trailer Tuesday selection:

Seuss Saturday

In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Day...some words of wisdom from the master each Saturday:

Seuss Saturday

In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Day...some words of wisdom from the master each Saturday:

Non-Fiction Friday

Title: Pure Grit 
Author: Farrell
Genre: Non-Fiction; Survival; War
Pages: 160
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Grades: 6th and up

From the publisher:
In the early 1940s, young women enlisted for peacetime duty as U.S. Army nurses. But when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 blasted the United States into World War II, 101 American Army and Navy nurses serving in the Philippines were suddenly treating wounded and dying soldiers while bombs exploded all around them. The women served in jerry-rigged jungle hospitals on the Bataan Peninsula and in underground tunnels on Corregidor Island. Later, when most of them were captured by the Japanese as prisoners of war, they suffered disease and near-starvation for three years. The women cared for one another, maintained discipline, and honored their vocation to nurse anyone in need.

I am always on the lookout for the next great non-fiction book that I can recommend to my students. This new title (which I read an advance copy of over Christmas break) has it all: action, adventure, survival. In addition, this is a thoroughly researched narrative with first-person interviews and accounts throughout. This attention to detail and staying true to the telling of these nurses' personal stories brings the reader right into the action and immediacy of what happened. 

Much has been written about the Bataan Death March and the battles in the Philippines and on Corregidor Island during WWII. However, the story of these women and how they survived the three year ordeal is a perspective that is often missing from the history books. Credit to the author for her diligent research and well-written account. The numerous archival photographs add much to the entire reading experience.

I will be recommending this to students and teachers alike, especially our 8th graders who study WWII. An excellent example of narrative non-fiction.

Throwback Thursday

This week's Throwback Thursday has been making the round with our 8th grade girls who are looking for something to read after "The Fault in our Stars." 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman. 

Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make.

This isa beautifully written novel that will haunt you long after you finish it. I hope that Mia's journey will move you to think about what is important in your life: family, friends, love. 

I am a little apprehensive to see the movie adaptation when it comes out in August of this year. I LOVED this book. It literally moved me to tears. I truly hope that the movie can live up to how I feel about this book.

Please, please, please make sure you have read this book (and everything by Gayle Forman for that matter)!

Read Across America

Our March reading challenge will celebrate Read Across America. 

We challenge students and staff to read their way across the USA all month long. 

Pick your favorite state, your dream destination, or plot a reading road trip using this book list. 

Happy Reading!

And thanks to Epic Reads for letting us borrow their image...

Seuss Saturday

In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Day...some words of wisdom from the master each Saturday: