Thursday, February 28, 2019

March 3, 2019

HMS Family Book Club Rescheduled!
Friday, March 15, 2019
7:45am
March snuck up too fast and we would like to give families more time to read
The Thing About Georgie


Create a Balanced Reading Diet with 
the HMS Genre Challenge



This week we will focus on the idea of a balanced reading diet. We will reflect on the genres we typically check out and set a goal to try other genres. I love that our readers have so much choice and variety in our library. I want to honor who we are as readers, but it’s also part of my job to gently nudge you to stretch yourselves. I’d like to try a modified version of Donalyn Miller’s 40-Book Challenge with our Hampden Meadows readers. I challenge students and adults to try our GENRE CHALLENGE for the next 5 weeks leading up to READING WEEK (April 8-12).
  • Can you challenge yourself to read at least 5 books?
  • Can you make a commitment to try genres you don’t typically check out?
I will have Genre Suggestion Sheets posted for everyone to provide suggestions for others. Anyone who takes up the challenge by reading at least 5 different genres and returning their GENRE CHALLENGE sheet by April 8th will be eligible to win some fun Reading Week prizes!
Reading Week Book Trailers Wanted!
The Library Council is looking for some incredible student-created book trailers to be shared the week of Reading Week through the Book Bites post and on the front foyer monitor. Is there a book you've loved and want to create a book trailer for? Now is your chance! Here is a link featuring ways you could create your book trailer. Have a parent email your final draft to roym@barringtonschools.org.




Do you like to check out cookbooks? Do you enjoy watching the Food Channel? If so, this may be a series for you. So far there are three delicious titles to devour!

All Four Stars (All Four Stars #1), (2014)
by Tara Dairman

Goodreads summary link






The Big Game, (2018)
by Tim Green

Goodreads summary link

This video is about 10 years old but it's a good introduction to Tim Green 
and why he writes for young readers.





Lion Down (Fun Jungle #5), (2019)
by Stuart Gibbs

Goodreads summary link

Here is a trailer for the first book in the Fun Jungle series




This is a 3 book hybrid series. The last book recently came out. I am showing that cover below as well. 

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom (Frazzled #1), (2016)
by Booki Vivat

Goodreads summary link




Frazzled: Minor Incidents and Absolute Uncertainties (Frazzled #3), (2019)
by Booki Vivat




Adventures to School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World, (2018)
words by Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul & pictures by Isabel Munoz

Goodreads summary link








Sunday, February 10, 2019

February 10, 2019

We Love Books! 
This Valentine's week students will get the opportunity to do a "book tasting" with a huge new batch of books we recently received thanks to the generosity of the HMS PTO. During the "book tasting" students will look through new titles and jot down books that catch their interest. They will be able to place holds and come up with a reading plan. As education leader Penny Kittle says, "The difference between a reader and a non reader is a plan."

During class we will also be doing a book raffle. This is when I book talk a book and then pick a number and the student whose number is chosen gets to check the book out for the next two weeks. So simple and yet the students have been begging to bring the book raffle back. 

In honor of Valentine's Day, we will also have a book love photo booth station where students can take a picture with a favorite title.  Stay tuned for some fabulous book love pictures!

Come Join Us!

Rooster Readers Family Book Club
Tuesday, February 11
Barrington Public Library Children's Room
6:30 - 7:30pm


We've had a great time meeting monthly to discuss the RI Children's Book Award nominees. This Tuesday night we will wrap up the season with some Rooster Games for families to engage in some friendly competition. 

Author Event Alert!
Books on the Square
417 Angell Street
Providence, RI 
Saturday, February 23
4pm

Come meet the fabulous Elly Swartz and Padma Venkatraman as they have an intimate conversation about writing. And, of course, there will be snacks and a book signing!  Hope to see you there!



The Bridge Home, (2019)
by Padma Venkatraman

Goodreads summary link


Smart Cookie, (2018)
by Elly Swartz

Goodreads summary link

Check out the web series Books in the Kitchen by author friends Elly Swartz and Victoria J. Coe



Great news, Raina fans! Kayla Miller has a brand new series I think you will love. 

Click, (2019)
by Kayla Miller

Goodreads summary link

And coming in April...

Camp, (2019)
by Kayla Miller

Goodreads summary link

This is one of the sports related titles the HMS PTO was able to provide to our library. I can think of so many readers who will be THRILLED when they see all of the sports nonfiction titles available during the book tasting this week!

Scholastic Year in Sports, 2019 (2018)
by James Buckley Jr.

Goodreads summary link

Recently students have been requesting this series. The HMS PTO was able to get us almost all of the titles in this popular fantasy series. Fans of Chris Colfer's Land of Stories series may enjoy these.

Whatever After series, (2012 on)
by Sarah Mlynowski

Goodreads summary link









Saturday, February 2, 2019

February 2, 2019


HMS Online Read-A-Thon
February 1 - March 3
Your child should have a packet with details sent home via backpack on Friday. 

Let's Read for Good!
HMS has set a goal of reading 400,000 minutes and I know we can do it! We read both in school and out of school each day. Let's use those minutes to help fund field trips, etc for the students of HMS.
If we have roughly 550 students in our building we can reach this goal if every student reads for
  24 minutes a day.  

The reason I know this is an attainable goal is because so far this school year 
the voracious readers of HMS have:
  • checked out 14,150 books
  • placed holds on 711 books (this # does not accurately reflect the amount of holds)
  • received 740 books placed on hold from other school libraries (proving the hold count is not accurate in the catalog reports)

I really like that this Read-A-Thon encourages a stronger reading community. Readers are able to get recommendations from others and the adults are able to encourage readers with questions and comments about their reading in this online forum.  It is a lot of fun, and I hope you will all join!

You Are Invited!
HMS Family Book Club
Friday, March 1 from 7:45 to 8:30am

The Thing About Georgie, (2007)
by Lisa Graff

Goodreads summary link






This new highly anticipated graphic novel comes out on February 5th! Come meet the author and get a book signed at Jeff Kinney's bookstore An Unlikely Story on Saturday, February 16th. Click on the link to sign up for this free event.

New Kid, (2019)
by Jerry Craft

Goodreads summary link


Attention, HiLo fans! Book Five was released on January 29th! Hip, hip, hooray!

HiLo Book 5: Then Everything Went Wrong, (2019)
by Judd Winick

Goodreads summary link



Are you an office supply enthusiast like me? If so, you will want to join one of the after school clubs at Stewart's school. Perhaps, though, you'd rather join Sassy and Waldo's accidental club! I absolutely love Julie Falatko's sense of humor, and HMS readers seem to as well based on the amount of holds for book one!

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Start a Club by Accident (Two Dogs #2), (2019)
words by Julie Falatko and pictures by Colin Jack

Goodreads summary link




I've been anxiously awaiting the book birthday of this next featured title. It came out on January 8th and has been getting rave reviews online. I really enjoyed her 2006 title My Name is Sally Little Song so I know this author is adept at writing historical fiction. 

The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA, (2019)
by Brenda Woods

Goodreads summary link


My friend Ann DiBella, an incredibly fun and fantastic librarian in Indiana, recently raved about this last featured book of the week. And here's the thing: when Ann passionately recommends something, I take notice. I just got this from the public library. You might want to as well. 

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), (2017)
by Jessica Townsend

Goodreads summary link