A little Holday decorating at the Library!

Now that December's here it's seems like we are finally settling into a routing with Library Club... just in time for the holiday's and another vacation! This week we had almost 40 kids from all four grades come into the library to eat lunch and work on projects. 

kids got to pick from three choices: 

Series Signage had students designing posters to hang in our series section highlighting some of the great books we have to offer. Their artistry is pretty amazing and I especially love the posters that really reflect the books they are representing! 

Library Club Picks got the kids started on mini-reviews of books they love which will then be showcased all over the library. 

By far the favorite choice was the book tree! I was so impressed at how well everyone worked as a group to design and build the book tree. I gave them a few pointers (build big to little, keep thickness of books the same and put the spines facing out) and they were off an running. It was great to watch everyone come together, troubleshoot and get it built! My favorite part was watching the students find the perfect topper. I think their pick is awesome!

Stay tuned for updates on feature of the month and a glimpse at the great Series Signage these kids are creating!

And the Winner Is....

Well, the elections were a huge success with every student in the school getting a chance to come down and vote for President as well as for the new Lincoln Loot design.

For President: Winning with just over 93% of the vote...

Obama was in front all day so it was no surprise when we announced him as our winner!

Our other vote was for the very important Lincoln Loot design. Students had a chance to submit their designs and then the entire student body voted for which design they wanted to use.  Our winning design won with just about 60% of the vote!

Look out in the next few weeks as student can begin earning some loot by showing off their knowledge of the Lincoln Lifeskills!

Next week is Thanksgiving Break- I hope everyone has a great one and we'll see you back her after the holiday!

Lincoln Middle School Elections!

The results are rolling in! PRESIDENTIAL RACE LINCOLN LOOT

Author of the Week

I've found that when I only feature one book they fly off the shelf so fast that by the time day 2 of the week rolls around there are non left to feature... so instead of featuring just one book each week, the library will be featuring an author. 

This week's author of the week is.... 

Joseph Bruchac! 

He is one of my favorite writers and we have some great Bruchac books in the library.

 Bearwalker

As a member of the Mohawk Bear Clan, Baron has always been fascinated by bears--their gentle strength and untamed power. But the Bearwalker legend, passed down by his ancestors, tells of a different kind of creature--a terrible mix of human and animal that looks like a bear but is really a bloodthirsty monster. The tale never seemed to be more than a scary story. Until now.

During a class camping trip deep in the Adirondacks, Baron comes face-to-face with an evil being that is all too real. Although he knows how the story ends in the legend, Baron must overcome this Bearwalker on his own terms (from goodreads.com)

 Skeleton Man (and the Return of Skeleton Man)

Ever since the morning Molly woke up to find that her parents hadvanished, her life has become filled with terrible questions. Where have her parents gone? Who is this spooky old man who's taken her to live with him, claiming to be her great-uncle? Why does he never eat, and why does he lock her in her room at night? What are her dreams of the Skeleton Man trying to tell her? There's one thing Molly does know. She needs to find some answers before it's too late.

(from goodreads.com)

Code Talkers

After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

(from goodreads.com) 

These are just three of the Bruchac titles we have in the library! If you want to learn more about Bruchac and his books check out his website here.

National Bullying Prevention Month

I came across a video this morning from Simon & Schuster this morning and it was too good not to share. Check out what some of our favorite authors have to say about bullying.



Remember, everyone deserves respect. Everyone.

Week of October 9th

Welcome back to the library after a long holiday weekend. We are jumping in head first and starting the week off with our first Library Club meeting. Today we will be creating posters for Teen Read Week which starts on Monday. The theme of Teen Read Week is "It came from the Library" and reminds me of those great old horror movies. We'll spend time today brainstorming some good scenes and getting some pictures to use in our posters. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

As we start to gear up for Teen Read Week, we are also winding down from Banned Books Week. While we didn't have a huge event here in the library we did spend some time talking about what it means to be banned and challenged and some of the reason why this occurs. Thanks to a fellow librarian in the district I'm able to share this great infographic from Cal Poly. It gives a great interactive look at banned books, and even lets you see how many of the top 100 banned books you've read! (I've read 48. Not to shabby). You can check out the infographic here:

A few programming notes: 

The library will be closed the rest of the week for SRI testing. We will be back to our normal schedule next Tuesday.

Library Club will meet on the following dates in October. Tuesdays 10/9, 10/16 and 10/23

Have a great week back at school!

Welcome to October

It's October and that means Fall is in full swing! Library club and library helpers will be starting up this week, so listen up for the announcement and then stop in to sign up. I've got some fun stuff planned, starting with getting the library ready for Teen Read Week. So if you've ever wanted to help out in the library, learn to make awesome posters and maybe a video or two, then Library might be for you!

Book of the Week:
Since this is October and the most fun holiday of the year happens to be in October, this month I'll be featuring all our best creepy stories. This week we are starting with one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, and we are featuring not one, but three of his books!

Coraline


Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

 The Graveyard Book

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . 

The Wolves in the Walls


Lucy hears sneaking, creeping,
crumpling noises
coming from inside
the walls.

She is sure there are
wolves living in
the walls
of her house.

September 24th- End of the Month and Open House

The end of September is almost here and everywhere we are starting to see signs of fall. The leaves are turning, fall sports are heating up and events are starting to get scheduled here in the library. This week we have open house on Tuesday at 6:00 and starting next week students can sign up to be library helpers. I've got some great ideas for the library, but I can't wait to hear what your ideas are! So if you are interested in helping out in the library, keep an ear out for the announcements next week and then stop by the library to sign up! 

Book of the Week:

This week's book is another one I stumbled across in my office. I have to say, I sat down and read through it cover to cover. It's an awesomely fun book that lets you really interact with the story! 

The Secrets of Deltora by Emily Rodda

Uncover the secrets behind the legends in a lavishly illustrated new addition to the hugely successful Deltora series.

A book for old and new fans of the popular Deltora Quest series, this travel guide is told from the perspective of Doran the Dragonlover, the greatest Deltoran explorer ever and a friend of the dragons. Readers will travel with Doran through the seven gem territories, learning the secrets of Deltora-from its many dangers to its special places and magical creatures (from goodreads.com)

Check out this great book or one of our other books featuring Dragons.

Week Three!

Welcome to week three at Lincoln Library! The library is now fully open and classes are being scheduled throughout the day. Stop in to browse for a new book, check out the new magazines that are coming in every day or to use the computers. If you need help with anything, all you have to do is ask! 

I came across a great article today about Common Core and the Library. It does a great job of highlighting what the library can do in terms of supporting the classroom curriculum and get kids the access they need to be successful. I'm still learning the ropes (and figuring out where everything is!), but if you'd like to collaborate I'd love to work with you! If you have projects coming up and would like me to start looking at what resources we have and what resources we need, let me know. 

Book of the Week:

This week we have not just one book to highlight, but an entire series! While looking through the office I stumbled across a great series by Jon Scieszska, The Time Warp Trio. I have several of the books and they have awesome titles like: It's All Greek to Me and Your Mother was a Neanderthal. these are not new books, but they are new to me (and you) and are worth a look! Admittedly I wanted to start reading several of them right away, but instead I'm putting them out for all of you. Make sure you check out the display of Time Warp Trio books when you stop into the library this week!

A little taste of what you might find....

 The Knights of the Kitchen Table

What would happen if three regular kids from Brooklyn got a mysterious blue Book with silver designs that could transport them anywhere in time or space? What if these three guys met up with King Arthur, the knights of the Round Table, Merlin the magician, one burping and gas-leaking giant, and a fire-breathing dragon? The Time Warp Trio series would happen. (from Jon Scieska's website)

Your Mother was a Neanderthal

The good news about the Stone Age is that there are no homework assignments or tests. The bad news is that there are hungry saber-toothed tigers, rampaging wooly mammoths, a tribe of cavemen who love rotten meat, and a tribe of cave women who look like they are getting ready to sacrifice the Time Warp Trio. If this book costs $14.99 in hardcover, $4.99 in paperback, and there are 3 members in a trio, would you do your math homework if you were a wooly mammoth?

Welcome to week two!

It's week two and the library is officially open for business! Students are welcome to come in and take out books and teachers can start signing up to reserve the library.

Love Graphic Novels? Adventure? Monsters? I want to hear from all of you! There is a suggestion box on my desk. If you are looking for a specific book and we don't have it, let me know. If you've finished every book by an author that we have and you want more- tell me about it! If you simply can't get enough books about dinosaurs, suggest I buy some more. I want to know what you guys like to read, so stick your suggestions in the box and when it comes to book ordering time I'll do my best to get the books that you guys want to see!

Book of the week:

Variant
By Robison Wells

This is another fantastically creepy book. It's full of twists and turns and by the end you're not sure who you should be rooting for! I know that when I read I try to figure it all out before the end, and this is one of the few books that when I got to the last page I was totally wrong! It's a wild ride that will leave you wanting more... which is good, because the second book in the series, Feedback, comes out next month and I've got it on my list for the library!

More about Variant:
Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he's trapped in a school that's surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school's real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape--his only real hope for survival--may be impossible.

Day One!

Happy First Day of school! Things are kicking off here in the library with orientation. If you would like to bring your class down to see the library, and play a game or two, please contact me to schedule a time. The library schedule is posted to the right in the calendar if you want to look ahead to see when it is available.

We have some great books ready to be loaned out, including Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver. She is one of my favorite authors and this book is a great read! For my 5th graders who said they love book with magic and adventure, this might be the one for you.

Want to know more?

Liesl & Po
By Lauren Oliver

Summary:

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey. (from Goodreads.com)

Welcome!

Welcome to the new library blog at Lincoln Middle School. I am the new librarian, Ms. Taddeo, and I am really looking forward to meeting and working with everyone this year!

On this page you will be able to see the library calendar, check out upcoming events and projects, see what's new and exciting in the library and browse through online resources.

Stop into the library to talk about projects, books, resources or to schedule library time. Or stop in just to relax and read!

Check back here to see what's new, I will be updating often with new posts and resources. If you have content you think would fit in here on the site, feel free to contact me.

I look forward to meeting everyone soon.

~ Ms. T