Library Lab is Here!

In the spirit of creativity and play, a new activity is available in the library--Library Lab! Every even day, students are welcome to join us in the library any time between 7:15 - 8:00 AM to play, construct, and create!

Today was our first gathering, and we had many students visit. LEGOs were available (thanks so much, Mrs. Reels, for the tub of LEGOs!), as were K'Nex and a marble run.

Lego Bricks. Link. 19 Oct. 2014.

K'nex - Big Bal Box. Druyts.t. Link. 21 Dec. 2011.

Not feeling like building something? That's OK--origami books and paper were out on tables, too. 

Still not finding something that interests you? The iPads and computers are available for you to use as well. You're welcome to use iMovie or GarageBand, play on any of the apps, or code using the computers. On the library main page, students can access a Symbaloo with tips and tutorials, as well as links to coding websites like Code.org and Codeacademy.

CLICK HERE to access the Symbaloo.

Several students stopped by this morning to see what Library Lab was all about--maybe you'll see someone you know or spy an activity you'd like to try!

If you didn't make it to Library Lab this morning, no worries! We'll be here every morning on even days--stop in as you like! Hope to see you soon!

New Year, New Book Club!

Now that the first quarter is under our belts, it's time to start with Book Club again! Last year's group met to listen to and talk about Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.

The response to our first meeting was great! More than 50 6th graders attended during their lunch, and shortly afterwards, nearly 25 7th graders came to Book Club. This year, we're shifting to a more "book club" approach and reading through the seven books in the Harry Potter series. Book Club will meet again in November before Thanksgiving, and we'll be talking about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry Potter Stack of Books, thefantastique.com, date unknown

During today's meeting, we talked about how students can use Google Forms from the Library Main Page to make a book recommendation for purchase, and we also looked at the ebooks available through MackinVIA on the All Things Reading Symbaloo.

You can CLICK HERE to access this Symbaloo.

Just before they left, students made book recommendations--maybe you've read some of these? 

Didn't join us today? That's alright! Read HP #1 and come to our November meeting. We'd love to see you then!

Our Online Book Fair is Open!

With conferences approaching, that must mean the Scholastic Book Fair is right around the corner, too! The Fall Book Fair will be in the library from Thurs. Oct. 23 - Fri. Oct. 31.

Eager to shop the fair but don't want to wait until Oct. 23? You can shop our online fair before the books ever arrive at the school! Beginning on Oct. 18, you can browse the Scholastic catalog and make purchases that apply to our Middle School Book Fair. 

Interested? Click on the image above--or you can click on the link--to access our online fair. Happy shopping!

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Just last week, author Marie Lu's newest book The Young Elites was released.

The Young Elites, GoodReads.com

A bookstore in Omaha, NE, The Bookworm, hosted Marie Lu on Mon. Oct. 13, and we were there to listen to her speak about her wildly popular Legend series as well as this new release.

Some interesting things Marie Lu shared with us about her writing, the Legend series, and The Young Elites:

• Day, from the Legend series, is a character she's "lived with" since high school when she created him for a novel she was writing at the time.
• She received hundreds of rejection letters before Legend was approved for publishing.
• The Young Elites is her first published fantasy book. When she was younger, Marie Lu's favorite genre to read was fantasy, and as an adult, she's always wanted to write fantasy.
• The main character in The Young Elites is named Adelina; she is a villain who becomes stronger and darker as she becomes more and more enraged.
• The original title for Legend was Republic.
• A screenplay for Legend has already been written, and it's possible that it will make it to the big screen.

After Marie Lu spoke, we were able to have her sign our copies from the Legend series, as well as our new copy of The Young Elites.

Stop by the library soon to check out The Young Elites!

Great Parody!

So by now we've all heard--and maybe sung along to!--"All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor. But, have you seen this great parody that the librarians from the Nashville Public Library put together? Check it out!