WMS LIBRARY

WMS Library Times

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TOP 10 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN MARCH

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 2. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Let the Countdown Begin

This is about the time of the year when students and teachers alike are getting the itch for summer break. Spring break always seems such a cruel tease that whets the appetite for the longer break. One thing that I love about spring break and summer break is how much reading Im able to get done. Ive got a reading list about a mile long that I use the website Goodreads to keep track of. That doesnt count the stack on my nightstand and the two stacks on top of my bookshelf , oh yeah, and the two books that I have on hold at the library Ive never done a summer readWMS adult summer reading. You even get a chance for a prize. Anyone who participates will receive an invitation to cookie day. Youll be treated to Mrs. Workmans famous cookies. If you read six books your name will be entered into a drawing for a meal for you and a friend prepared by me during your lunch or prep period. I will serve as your personal waiter and give you some time to relax and enjoy. Dessert will also be provided. For any books above six that you read you can enter your name in again. You can find old issues of the newsletter here. http:// westfieldmiddlepolicies.blogspot.com/

3. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 4. Style by Lauren Conrad

5. Summer Ball by Mike Lupica

6. Swindle by Gordon Korman 7. Technically, Its Not my Fault by John Grandits 8. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 9. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot 10. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

ing program at a public library, but I have a fun idea for any staff members who enjoy their summer reading as much as me. Lets have a summer reading program for adults. Why should our kids have all the fun. So, I am hosting the first annual

What Im Reading Now

The Beautiful Cigar Girl by Daniel Stashower This is an interesting historical narrative in two parts. One part is the story of Mary Rogers who worked as a salesgirl in a cigar shop. She was murdered, and her body was discovered floating in the Hudson River. This kicked off a frenzy in the press and among the population as the police failed to find the perpetrator of the crime. The second part of the story is about Edgar Allan Poe and his fictionalization of the murder case for his sequel to the Murders in the Rue Morgue. This book came to me by a recommendation from Angela Hoffman, and so far it is really great. If you liked the Devil in the White City, you would like this one. The other book Im reading is called Inside Scientology. The title pretty much tells you what this one is about. The author, Janet Reitman, tries to shed a little light on this very secretive religion. This makes for an oddly compelling read.

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Professional Resources
New Additions This is a book that chronicles the life and career of Dorothea Lange photographed migrant workers, Japanese in internment camps, shipyard workers, etc She documented the Great Depression and the post -war era. You Must Read This!
The Architecture of Happiness is a very unique book. It is essentially an examination of the psychology of architecture. How do we interact with our buildings? How do buildings affect our mental states. In a way, it is more than this. It is a manual for viewing design with not just a critical eye but with a eye for what pleases us or, in other words, what our tastes are. So, sort of a manual for deciding on style as well.

Did You Know? We have audiobooks on mp3 players that students can check out to listen to as a companion to reading or on their own.

Events-April
Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book . Stephane Mallarme April events with book links.

National Poetry Month -Early American Poetry: Beauty in Words -Modern American Poetry: Echoes and Shadows -World Poetry: Evidence of Life Earth Day April 22 / Arbor Day April 27 -Meetings With Remarkable Trees by Thomas Pakenham - The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard - The World Without Us by Alan Weisman National Astronomy Week April 27-May 3 -101 Outer Space Projects for the Evil Genius -40 Nights to Knowing the Sky: A Night-by-Night Skywatching Primer -300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe

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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 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. This is part of the Essential Events series that explores contemporary events and how they affect the world. Math The Book of Time. This is a very cool book that explores time from a scientific and historical perspective.

Related Arts Raggin Jazzin Rockin. This is a history of American musical instrument makers. Science Feynman. This is a graphic biography of the Nobel-Prize winner. Its pretty dense and difficult but interesting nonetheless. Language Arts Middle Eastern Mythology. I have a couple of books from this series, and I really like them. This one includes stories from Babylon, Ca-

naan, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. A great companion to a unit on folk stories.

Technobrarian
Nerdfighters Nerdfighters.ning.com Nerdfighters is social media for, well, nerds. A place where people gather and talk about their shared nerdy interests. The site was created by John and Hank Green. John is the author of several really good books for young people including The Fault in Our Stars. Hank is his brother who maintains a blog on environmental science. The website comes with the warning that it can, like other forms of social media, suck vast amounts of your time without you realizing it. Radiolab This is my new obsession. It is a radio program that takes a theme for each broadcast and explores it for an hour. Its fantastic.

Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth. -Pablo Picasso

New Books
If there are things that you would like to see us get in the library please feel free to drop me a line, and I will add it to my wishlists of things to be ordered. Ive also made these handy forms that you can put in my mailbox. Book Order Book Order Title ___________________ Title ___________________ Author__________________ Author__________________

Submitted By_____________

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