WMS LIBRARY

WMS Library Times

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TOP 10 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN AUGUST

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Here We Go Again
I dont know about you, but I am excited to be starting another new school year. From a young age Ive always been a sucker for back to school excitement. Weve got some exciting new things coming up in the library this year. One thing that Im really excited about is starting a youth advisory council for the library. This group will create promotional materials for the library, make recommendations for ordering books, advise on library policies, etc If you know of any students who might be interested send me names, and Ill get them on the list. Another fun project in the works for this year is highlighting student and staff book recommentiny so you could have access to the catalog using a smart phone, iPad, Kindle, etc. Ive also got some plans to do some new things with technology using smart boards, photo blogs, and iPads. I can always find a good excuse to try out new gadgets. As always I would love to get involved in your class. If you have a new or innovative project that you want some assistance on let me know. Im always happy to collaborate.

2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney 5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

6. Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne 7. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

dations in the library. Similar to our project of creating posters last year these will be displayed prominently throughout the library. If you would like to volunteer to recommend a book or you know a student that would be perfect for this let me know. Im also working on getting students and staff their own unique login to the library catalog, Des-

http:// westfieldmiddlepolicies.blogspot.com/

8. The Serpents Shadow by Rick Riordan 9. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan 10. Nightschool Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova

What Im Reading Now

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt.

In this season of political contention and entrenched tribalism, we all need to take a step back for a second and gain some perspective. That seems a modest goal, but, in practice, one that is extremely difficult.

We can't be apathetic to politics, but it is useful to understand that we are not always the rational beings we believe ourselves to be. The same is true for those on "the other side" of our political fence. I am comforted by the fact that I now realize that I'm just a rider on the elephant of my instincts. During this election cycle I'm going to borrow some advice from the old

EPMD song, "You Gots to Chill." I just finished reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick. Im not a huge sci-fi reader but this one has been talked about so much I though I should give it a shot. I didnt love it, but its not bad.

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Professional Resources
New Additions
I picked this one up for $.50 over the summer because I thought it looked like it might be some fun. It is about this 24 year old investment banker who goes undercover as a high school student. He acts as a sort of anthropologist of the public high school experience and discovers a world vastly different from his very privileged private high school experience.

You Must Read This! Google Art Project is one of the coolest things on the web. It is essentially a huge database of art works that can be searched by artist, collection, or by the artwork itself. The images are beautiful and very high resolution. You can zoom in and out on images to view details

and save works to your own gallery. Images are accompanied with information, biographies, maps, etc.

From the Vault Readicide argues that the standard instructional practices in schools contributes to the decline of reading and suggests ways that teachers and administrators can encourage lifelong reading.

Events-September
-a book which people praise and don't read. Mark Twain
Classic'

September events with book links.

Banned Books Week Celebrate your freedom to read September 30 October 6. A collection of 16 essays debating censorship..

A look at reasons given for book challenges with reactions from authors.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been challenged for years. Take the opportunity to read or re-read a classic. For more classics check out the display in the library.

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Curriculum Connection
Here are some things coming soon or available now in the library that you may find useful for your class.

Social Studies Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman. Presents a portrait of children during the Great Depression through photos, diaries, letters, etc. Math Technology Not technically a book about math, but an interesting look at how modern technology works.

Related Arts Hungry Planet Presents families from around the world and describes what they eat, how they get their food, etc... Science Bat Scientists Looks at bats and how they fly, communicate, and hunt, and what dangers they are facing and explains how researchers are trying to stop the spread of a disease that is killing bats in North America. Language Arts Is it Still Cheating if I Dont Get Caught by Bruce Weinstein
Uses real-life examples and five basic moral principles to encourage teens to make the right choices in various situations related to friends, family, school, and relationships.

Technobrarian
The Bookscore Ive been looking forward to writing this newsletter just so I could tell everyone about this website and how awesome it is. To put it simply it does for books what Rotten Tomatoes does for movies. If youre not familiar with either, Ill explain. Bookscore aggregates all of the reviews for a book and combines them all for a total score on a scale from 1-10. Each book comes with annotations of reviews. Did I mention that this website is awesome. Hark, A Vagrant

Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant
I might get myself in trouble with this one, but Im going to recommend it anyway. This site is a very quirky take on history and ideas in the form of a web-comic. Many are not suitable for young people, but they are hilarious for adults. Be careful, you might lose an hour or two reading the old ones.

nation. -Walter Cronkite

Judys Junction
Its about time that Mrs. Workman got her own section of the newsletter. Its the least we could do for all the volunteer work she does. This will be a place where she can offer reviews, or whatever she feels like sharing for that month.

Because I am a person who travels with a backpack rather than reservations, the book The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men: Inspiration, Vision, and Purpose in the Quest to end Malaria called to me in my desire to learn more about medicine and the developing

world. As it stands today, there are no vaccines that can stop infections transmitted by parasites. This book explains that those who are normally infected with malaria are the marginalized, the mute, the vulnerable. They have no political

voice and no money to find a solution for what affects them. The lack of potential for high profit in a vaccine for malaria is only one variable in the ability to solve a problem that is both economic and logistic. It was interesting to learn what a

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problem infectious diseases are for our military troops and how these diseases are first studied by (and funding put forth by) the U.S. military in order to more effectively oversee the well being of our troops and their ability to stay healthy in the field. Their medical focus is on the adult military traveler but the interest of the world is on affected children, particularly in Africa. Diagnosing malaria and treating it are better done in the developed world where there is access to labs, equipment, and pharmacies. Though there is no vaccine for malaria, it can be treated if diagnosed in a timely manner. The goal is to make medicine affordable and to share it with those who cannot afford to purchase it. I thought this book did a great job explaining the issues of scientific studies where the outcome is doubted by most in the medical field, but scientists still dare to dream of a world with vaccines that are available for all.