Helllooo

I just wanted to give a quick update on where we are here...

Well, first, I'm super excited to announce I was chosen by the CT Association of School Librarians to receive the Carlton Erickson Award as a new LMS.  So very awesome.

Second, we are waiting on the brochures and flyers and such from the state for Summer Reading.  Those will be posted here and linked through Google Classroom as soon as they are posted.  My parts of the items are done.  I hate waiting!

Third, I'm deep in grammar policing the final NEASC reports for our visit early next school year.

Last but not least...new books!  We were able to get another water bottle order in.  Look for those soon!

Don't forget books are due back by 5/19.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS 

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

If you liked 13 Reasons Why (the book, not the show), you will most definitely like this.

Lauren is driving to school when her ancient van stalls.  As she tries to restart it, she notices a "missing" poster on the other side of the road.  Darting across traffic, she grabs the poster for 17 year old Abby.  As Lauren drives to school, she realizes Abby's ghost in the van with her.

Soon Abby is joined by other 17 year old girls.  All of them are missing.  Lauren feels she has been chosen to find them, whether living or dead and bring them, and their families, peace.  But as she becomes obsessed with her quest, her school work and relationships with real people begin to suffer.  The line between reality and the ghosts/visions blurs.  And there is a wicked twist.

I don't want to spoil too much here!  This was a page-turner that kept me reading for hours straight.  I couldn't put it down.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Fire Color One by Jenny Valentine

I've been married for 15 years.  My parents were married for 35, separated only by death.  Despite this, I know a lot about divorce, stepfamilies, child support, and the like through other family members, friends, and my students.  One of the saddest aspects of a family falling apart is when a parent cuts another out of the children's life.  I've seen it done, and it's just plain wrong (unless it's a safety issue of course).  I've seen one parent turn the children against the other through their words and actions, even though the child may have no memory of their other parent.  Often, it is the father cut off from his children.

Such is the case for Iris.  Her mother whisked her out of the country, remarried, and did nothing but spew venom about Iris's father Ernest.  Now, sixteen years later, Iris, her mother, and stepfather return.  Iris's mother knows Ernest is dying and has a large art collection worth a ridiculous amount of money.  She wants Iris to get close to her father in hopes of inheriting the art.

Iris learns Ernest is nothing like the man her mother has taught her hate.

And there is a surprise twist at the end.  Iris's mother gets what's coming to her.  For sure.

Look for Fire Color One to be added to the WHHS LMC collection soon.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

This came in on our fiction subscription.

Mars, Blake, Carver, and Eli are best friends at an artsy private school.  Carver is at work waiting for his friends to pick him up.  He texts Mars "where are you guys?".  Mars is mid-response when he rear-ends a semi at 75 miles an hour.  All 3 are killed in the accident.

Mars's powerful judge father wants Carver charged with involuntary manslaughter.  Eli's twin sister is turning the student body of Nashville Arts against Carver.

The story is told by alternating between the present and Carver's memories.  Blake's grandmother Betsy, Eli's girlfriend Jes, and Carver's sister Georgia are also central characters (Betsy being my favorite).

It is Betsy's idea to have a Goodbye Day for Blake; a day she and Carver can spend doing things to remember him.  I was kinda reminded of those "my dog's last day" posts on Facebook.  Carver doesn't know how to handle it when Eli and Mars's families want the same closure.

This wasn't easy for me, as an educator and mom to a boy, to read.  Texting while driving is DANGEROUS.  Put the phone down.  It can wait.

Final note: our copy arrived damaged.  It was readable, but we may need to send it back to get a replacement from our supplier.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

When asked which two songs we wanted to play at my mother's memorial, we chose "Glory Days".  My mother always had a record, and later cassette, on while she cleaned on the weekends.  One of her favorites was Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA album.  It still makes me cry to hear it sometimes.

Springsteen has appealed to fans of all ages for generations.  It was a student, a Band student specifically, who asked us to put this on the wish list.  It came in with the last water bottle return order.

The book opens with the line "I come from a boardwalk town where almost everything is tinged with a bit of fraud."  Meet my new favorite quote.  But he means the New Jersey shore.

The autobiography took more than 7 years to write, done piecemeal as part of Springsteen's recovery from depression.  I was amazed at his honesty in discussing his battle with depression and anxiety.  Unlike most rock stars, he didn't turn to illegal drugs.  He turned to a doctor, therapy, and controlled medication.

A lot of this takes place in the past, a past very removed from my students, born in the late 90s and early 2000s.  But I think it's still relevant, even to the non-Bandie.  Much is his music has historical and political meaning.  We can learn a lot about the past from its music.  

It will be in Memoir once we return from break!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.  

Thirteen Chairs by Dave Shelton

This was requested by a student and came in on our recent order.

Um, I'm not really sure what to make of it.

Does anyone remember Are You Afraid of the Dark?  It was a show on Nickelodeon.  Kids would gather and tell ghost stories.  Two that really stick out to me are the one about the haunted school pool and the one about the hotel owner stealing his guests lives.

Anyway, this was sorta like that.  It's in essence a collection of ghost stories, like Death Walks Tonight or the scary stories trilogy set every book fair has.

Some of the stories were good, some not so much.

But what I'm still really confused about is whether the tellers are ghost themselves?  If Jack, the boy who finds them?

This is a super quick read, less than an hour for me.  Not sure it was totally worth the time.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Who Killed Christopher Goodman? by Allan Wolf

I saw this on a best of list on Amazon and requested it from WHPL.  I read it in one night.

I was deeply affected by this book.

Every choice we make has consequences.  What might, at the time, seem like an insignificant decision can have far-reaching impacts later.  What if I take the long way home today?  What if I stop for coffee?  Will doing either prevent me getting in a car accident along the route?  Will it cause one?

This book starts with seniors mourning the death of a classmate at the end of the summer.  Then the story is told in flashback by characters who were not overly close to him, but their choices throughout lead to Christopher's murder.  They are all dealing with survivor's guilt and questioning themselves with what ifs.

I don't want to spoil too much of the plot here, because the little details that seem minute as you are reading are actually very important.  Squib's photographic memory and summer job driving an ice cream truck, Hunger's taxidermy business needing roadkill, Mildred's stamp collecting, Hazel's prized pigs, Lance's drug addicted mother and God-fearing foster parents, and Doc's confusion about where he fits in ALL contribute in someway to Christopher dying that August night.

What was the most moving for me was knowing the novel is based on a true story.  Wolf's classmate Ed died in the same manner as Christopher.  Wolf's writing is part of his healing process and dealing with the same survivor's guilt.

Advice?  Get to know your classmates, even the ones not in your circle.  Find out who they are before they are gone.  Don't let the chance to invite someone for one more slice of pizza ever slip away.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.