Book Madness Schedule Summer Reading Visits Links 'n Things
New and Notable Books World News Digest Review: Heartless Review: Overboard! Contact Us |
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Imaginormous Challenge - Help encourage creative thinking with this contest where students can submit a 100 word story idea and possibly have it developed by professionals into a finished product. |
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New and Notable at the Library |
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Caitlin Bergan
Librarian /School Liaison (Grades K-8)
cbergan@mchenrylibrary.org Jennifer Velasquez
Bilingual Librarian
jvelasquez@mchenrylibrary.org Lesley Jakacki
Youth Services Manager
ljakacki@mchenrylibrary.org |
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Book Madness "Clash of the Genres" Championship Round! |
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"Book Madness" Tournament, Clash of the Genres, is wrapping up! Voting for the Championship round runs through March 21. Which genre is the best? Which book will triumph over all others? Everyone can vote, even students who did not turn in a bracket or adults! Voting for each round can be found online at www.mchenrylibrary.org.
I will contact schools who have overall winners, but I will also share with your top three scores within the school.
Voting Dates
Voting closes at 5:00 pm on the date listed for each round.
Championship - Friday, March 16 thru Wednesday, March 21
Winners will be announced March 23. |
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Schedule Summer Reading Visits |
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It's that time of year again - time to schedule your Summer Reading visit! Scheduling early will make sure you get the time that works best for your students and staff! A big thanks to Riverwood School for already setting a date! Library Staff will be available to promote this year's summer reading program with a dynamic presentation on this year's theme "Libraries Rock!" Remember, summer reading is open to all children, even if they do not have a card with the McHenry Public Library! Add us on to a pre-existing assembly, or schedule a special time just for us - however it works best for you. We will be available mid-April through the month of May. While scheduling, please let us know if Spanish interpretation is needed - we can present in a fun bilingual format as part of a general assembly or separately, whichever best accommodates your students. There will be different prizes and logs for the different grade levels. Remember, the student's grade next Fall determines in which program they will participate. Early Readers: Children entering 1st and younger Junior Readers: Students entering 2nd through 5th Tween Readers: Students entering 6th through 8th Teen: Students entering and currently in High School This means that current kindergarteners, 5th graders, and 8th graders will be eligible for different programs than most students in the rest of their schools, and may benefit from a separate presentation. Get us on your schedule today! Call us at 815-385-0036, email us, or contact us through our online form, and select "School Visit" from the drop-down subject menu. |
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 What do your students want to be when they grow up? Whether they know for sure or haven't thought about it before, your students can discover information about thousands of jobs with Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Students can take Ferguson's Career Interest Assessment to get ideas of careers that suit their interests. It recommends industries based on student answers, allowing students to browse through lists of jobs that can take advantage of their natural talents and interests. Find particular careers using the "Search" feature, or browse by industry, fastest growing jobs, highest paying jobs, and most in-demand jobs. For each job, discover the history of the profession, descriptions of the working conditions, what requirements are necessary to prepare for that career, salary information, and outlook for openings in that field. Also find general tips for writing a resume or cover letter, interviewing, and other job-seeking advice. College readiness tips, in addition to information about applications, scholarships and internships make Ferguson's a good choice for information about vocational and technical training, colleges and universities. Search by area, programs, tuition costs, and more. Discover Ferguson's Career Guidance Center for yourself by visiting our website at www.mchenrylibrary.org or feel free to contact your school librarian for more details on how to access this database in your classroom. We always love to hear your feedback on our featured databases or on how this database was used in your classroom. |
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Heartlessby Marissa MeyerAudience: 6th-8th Welcome to Wonderland! Have you ever wondered what made the Queen of Hearts so mean and spiteful? In “Heartless”, by Marissa Meyer author of the popular “Lunar Chronicles”, you can find out. With a little mystery, a little romance, and lots of fantasy this prequel to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” tells the story of how Lady Catherine Pinkerton goes from a sweet young girl to the evil Queen of Hearts. 17-year-old Cath loves to bake but is torn between pleasing her parents and her dream of opening a bakery with her best friend/maid, Mary Ann. When Cath meets the new jester in town, her heart is won. It seems all her dreams are coming true, she is not only going to be able to open her bakery, but she has also found her true love. Her parents on the other hand want nothing more than for her to marry the silly King of Hearts and become the next Queen. We all know how this turns out in the end, but getting there is so much fun and this book shouldn’t be missed! High level readers will find this story to be thoroughly enjoyable whether they have read Carroll’s book or not. Full of fairytale references and quotes from Carroll’s original book as well as all your favorite characters, this stand alone proves that villains aren’t born, villains are made. Highly recommended for 6th through 8th grade students that love fairytale retellings. Reviewed by Karan
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Overboard!by Terry Lynn JohnsonAudience: 3rd-7th Grade
Perfect for I Survived fans, this short, exciting chapter book is the first in a new series called Survivor Diaries that depicts kids surviving in extreme wilderness situations. The second book, Avalanche!, was released early this winter, and two more titles, Lost! and Dust Storm! will be out by the end of the year.
11-year-old Travis and 12-year-old Marina meet on a whale watching boat off the coast of Washington State. When the boat unexpectedly capsizes due to a rogue wave, they are separated from their families, and must figure out a way to survive until they are rescued. Both have some of the knowledge and some of the skills, but it is only together that they can make it through this dangerous situation. While there is peril, including injuries, everything comes out alright in the end in a realistic manner. Unlike I Survived, these books are not based on a particular instance, but the author does interview real survivors and extensively research first aid as well as search and rescue survival situations in creating these books. They are extremely tightly packed stories that are exploding with action, but with an easy vocabulary and direct writing style that make them good for young transitioning readers, older struggling readers, or anyone in between. Reviewed by Caitlin |
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