"SPOOKTACULAR" Books

October is the month for ghosts and goblins! The cooler weather and all the rain we've had make me want to curl up with a good book. There are brand new copies of the Cirque de' Freak series by Darin Shan and tons of other scary stories to keep you up at night.

Some of the scariest books aren't about supernatural beings....they're about events that could really happen. The Dead & Gone and Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer are both about what happens to earth when a giant meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit. NASA's experiment, crashing a probe into the moon, this week gave me pause to think.... What if that really happened?????

What kind of books are scariest to you? Stop on by the Library and nominate your favorite scary book.

Kate DiCamillo - Coming to Houston

What?! You say you don't know who Kate DiCamillio is? Well, granted she's not a famous hip-hop artist or a sports star. She is the award winning author of Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despersaux and The Tiger Rising.

Ms. DiCamillio will be in Houston, on Sunday, October 18 at 3 p.m. at the Pershing Middle School Auditorium, 3838 Blue Bonnet at Stella Link and it's FREE....that's right, you get to see a really great author, listen to her talk about her newest book, The Magician's Elephant, and it doesn't cost you a penny! If you want to buy a copy of her new book, you can even get Ms. DiCamillio to autograph it for you.

October declared National Information Literacy Awareness Month

Sometimes I run across items in the news that catch my interest because they're library related....and today was one of those days!

President Obama has declared October as "National Information Literacy Awareness" month. What does that mean for you?

Well, the proclamation "highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age." This means we need to know how to find information, figure out if it is accurate and suitable for our purposes and how to use the information in a way that is appropriate. Part of being information literate is knowing how to give credit to the sources of information you use in your school work - whether it is a report or a project.

I'm excited that President Obama recognizes the importance of information literacy and I'll be happy to help you with any of your information literacy questions, whether it's how to find a picture to include with a project or how to create a works cited sheet. Stop on in the library and ask your questions.......

What's happening in the Library?

What's Happening in the Library?????????

The answer is .....LOTS!

New Books!!! Over 150 new books have been added to the Library collections since the beginning of the school year, including lots of graphic novels and new fiction. Stop by and check out something "new" today!

New Hours! 7:45 - 4:00 Students can use the library before school with a pass. See Mrs. Dinneen or your Advocacy teacher to get yours.

New Computers!! The library now has 13 computers available for educational purposes.

the dead & the gone

With a title like the dead & the gone you'd almost expect to hear creaking of doors and wind whistling through an abandoned house, right? Well, you wouldn't be far wrong with this book. Imagine being the only one walking the streets of New York; imagine stealing clothes and jewelry from dead people to barter for food! Very creepy!! Susan Beth Pfeffer, the author of Life as We Knew It, one of the NTB books from last year, has written another disaster book about a meteor hitting the moon and the crises that follow. dead is set in New York City and the hero is a 17 year old Puerto Rican guy, Alex, who ends up having to take care of his two younger sisters, Bria and Julie. With the exception of flooding, tsunamis and earthquakes, the story line is much the same as her previous book.

I'm trying to decide which one I like best. What do you think?

The Missing: Book 1 FOUND

Margaret Peterson Haddix is one of the those prolific authors who just keeps writing good series. Her latest series, The Missing, begins with Found. Siblings Jonah and Katherine join with the new kid in the neighborhood, Chip, to unravel the mystery behind some anonymous mail the two boys have received. The first letter contains 6 words, "You are one of the missing." The second letter warns "BEWARE! They're coming back to get you." (I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty freaked out by now!) As the plot develops, the boys discover they are part of a group of children who were all adopted 13 years ago and something (or someone) is drawing them all together. With a little FBI involvement and the mysterious guy who seems to appear and disappear by magic, the suspense grows. So the question is....who is missing? AND who's coming back to get them?

Read Found, one of this year's Lone Star Books and let me know what you think. Is it possible to go back in time to fix mistakes from the past?????

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

For those of you who've read and loved Epic by Connor Kostick, you'll certainly enjoy this book, too! Set in a future time, North America has been divided into 13 regions based on their natural resources and all the regions are under the thumb of Capital City, a place full of luxury and excess. Once a year, each district is required to hold a lottery, drawing two names from those 12 to 18, one male and one female to participate in the Hunger Games. Only one winner is allowed...and anything goes during the games. We experience the competition through the experiences of Katniss, a 16 year old huntress who volunteered to replace her 12 year old sister, and Peeta Mallark, the baker's son who has been in love with Katniss since he first saw her. The games are televised to all the districts sort of like the Super Bowl. Try to imagine an event that is part beauty pagaent, Survivor, and soap opera and you've got a start on The Hunger Games.

Full of action, adventure, some blood and guts (check out the "tracker jacks"), romance, and psychological elements, this is the beginning of a new series and I can't wait for the second book to be released! Take a read..and let me know what you think!