Prisoner of Azkaban Book Club Meeting

Book Club met again today to talk about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As students came in from lunch, we watched this short clip from the movie:

Our conversation centered on the new characters introduce in Book 3, like Professor Lupin (whose name could NOT be a coincidence, right?), the dementors, and Sirius Black. We also shared what form we believed our own patronuses might take. The most popular responses? Check out below:

Other patronus shapes included the phoenix, a griffin, bunnies, kitties, a rhino, and big cats like tigers and jaguars.

We wrapped up our conversation about the book with a little Harry Potter Would You Rather. . . game playing. The blue bars are from the 6th grade group while the red bars represent students from the 7th grade group:

Finally, we talked about books we've read recently and would recommend to others; the list appears below:

Book Club will meet again at least one time before spring break. Join us when we'll be talking about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Love is in the Air!

With February and Valentine's Day coming up soon, we decided it was time to show some love to a few of our unloved fiction books here in the library! We've got a new display that features some great (and sometimes award-winning) novels that just don't seem to be checked out as often as other books. Take a look:

Each book has its own speech bubble that has a quick summary or teaser to encourage students to check it out.

Stop by today to read about these great books--and maybe share your love! :)

New Library Contest

Check out the new contest in the library! If you have Minecraft skills and know about book settings, this could be your chance to win a gift certificate to the Spring Book Fair in March.

If you have questions, please stop by the library to find out more! Good luck, and happy creating!

Book Club Meeting #2

Book Club met today during grade-level lunches to talk about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

This time, students were at tables where different prompts were placed, and each table began our discussion, maybe with some wandering along the way to talk about other parts of the book. We started with our favorite parts of the story.

Favorite parts included Harry & Ron in the Forbidden Forest to find Eragog, classes with Professor Lockhart, and the time in the Chamber of Secrets.

Another prompt that generated a lot of conversation was this one:

Hands down, the favorite new creature was the basilisk, but Dobby and Fawkes were also favorites of many.

After a few more prompts, students then had the opportunity to share their favorite recommendations of late:

Below are the titles students would recommend; almost all of these books are in our library, and some were even checked out as students left Book Club to head to their next classes.

The next Book Club meeting will be in late January when we will talk about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Hope to see you then!

Explore the Lunar Chronicles

Once upon a time there was a book series about fairy tale characters who got a new treatment from talented author Marissa Meyer. . . Have you read any of the books in the Lunar Chronicles?

The release of the fourth book Fairest is set for January 27, 2015; here's a peek at the cover:

Can't wait until then to get more of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Prince Kai, and Captain Thorne? Why not visit The Lunar Chronicles website?

One of the latest features on the website is the link that allows users to "glamour" themselves as Queen Levana does. Upload a picture of yourself, then watch as the magic mirror uses "glamour" to change your image.

Also on the website, you can read more about the books & author Marissa Meyer, as well as follow the blog for the series. Enjoy! And see you at the bookstore on January 27 to purchase Fairest!

Happy Holidays from the Middle School Library!

This month we have several things in and around the library to show our holiday spirit! As we have done in the past, we're celebrating the Library 12 Days of Christmas, this year with new clues and new prizes!

Each day outside the library you'll see that day's clue, and on Fri. Dec. 19, you can turn in your guesses to the library. We'll go through all of the entries and announce the winner on Mon. Dec. 22.

Also adding to the festive spirit, and making its return for the third year, is our "upcycled" holiday tree made and oversize ornament.

We also have a new library display to encourage reading:

Hopefully the holiday spirit is catching and you're enjoying the season!

Teens' Top Ten Reads 2014

Every year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) puts together a list of Top 10 books as determined by teens. Last year, the top three books included Insurgent by Veronica Roth and The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.

 And the winner for 2013: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

So what books made the list for this year's nominees? Check out the video below:

You might recognize a few of them as books we already own in the library--some of your favorites like these:

Want to see book trailers for all of the nominees? You can access them all at YALSA's YouTube Channel. Take a look--you might see something you like!