Banned Books Week, Sept. 20 - Oct. 2, 2012

Banned Books Week, now in its 30^th year, is “an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. . . . By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship" (American Library Association). 

Click here to access a timeline about banned books in the United States.

Below are images of the library display to recognize Banned Books Week:

E-Books Online

ABDO Publishing offers e-books online, and middle school students are now able to browse their selection to read online. To access their free e-book selection, click here. You will need to enter a username and password: username: Dalla550; password: shelf. Once you have access to the site, you can browse their fiction and nonfiction titles, including graphic novels. Enjoy!

Google Docs is Here

Students in sixth and seventh grade now have Google accounts that offer many possibilities! By logging into their individual Google accounts, students are able to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and more. Students' work saves automatically, and because the work is all online, students can access their work from any computer that is connected to the Internet.

Iowa Teen Award and Iowa Children's Choice Award Books

The 2012 - 2013 ITA and ICCA nominated books are now available in the library. Many of the ITA books were already in the library (like The Maze Runner, I Am Number Four, and Incarceron), and some of the titles are new for us, such as Out of My Mind and The Truth about Truman School. Every one of the ICCA books is new to the library, but many authors are familiar--think Mike Lupica and Peg Kehret. All of the nominated book are on display in the fiction section and ready for check out. Remember: If you read at least two titles of either the ITA or the ICCA books, you are eligible to vote for the state winner in March.

If you'd like to see more information about the ITA book, follow this link. To see more about the ICCA books, click here.

Book Recommendations

Have you read a book recently that you really liked and now you want another book like it? BookPig offers book recommendations based on grade levels, genres, and reader favorites. Give it a try--you might find your new, favorite book!

What Should I Read Next?

Are you looking for another book to read? Do you want your next book to be like others you've read? Want to search by genre or just a few key words? Try NoveList Plus, a database that allows you to search fiction and nonfiction titles for the youngest readers to adults. (You'll need to use our AEA username and password to log in.) You can also access NoveList Plus from the MS Library Home page under the Reading category.

If You Loved The Hunger Games. . .

Here's the list a lot of us have waited for: books and series to read if we love The Hunger Games. Click here to access the 2BusyBrunettes blog, where the creators have put together a description of 25 books that are similar to The Hunger Games. The best part? We have many of these in our own library! Stop in or access your Destiny Quest account to check the availability. See you soon!