Winter Break Reading

Don't forget to stop by the library to stock up on some books for winter break.  You can also use our eBooks to read on your own device by going to http://bit.ly/2g7eWv8 and selecting Milpitas High.  Login with your school username/password. 

Bookmobile Starts Tue. 8/26

Checkout and return books.  Place a book on hold for delivery to your classroom.  Questions?  See Ms. McCready

Summer Reading Opportunity

Summer Library Book Checkout Guidelines:

1.  Student must be returning to MHS in the Fall 2014

2.  Student account must be clear of any fines for library and/or textbooks and may not have a history of late returns.

3.  Student may take a maximum of 10 books for the summer

4.  Student and parent must have completed the Google Form on Summer Checkouts (Note: you must access this form from your student.musd.org account).  This form must be submitted prior to checking the books out.    

5.  Books may be checked out between Friday May 16 and Thursday May 29.

6.  Books will be due to Ms. McCready in Room F5(temporary room while library under construction) on Friday August 22.  

SYNC YA Literature into Your Earphones

2 Free Audiobook Downloads Each Week

June 23 - August 17, 2011

Teens and other readers of Young Adult Literature will have the opportunity to listen to bestselling titles and required reading classics this summer.   Each week  from June 23 - August 17, 2011, SYNC will offer two free audiobook downloads.

The audiobook pairings will include a popular YA title and a classic that connects with the YA title's theme and is likely to show up on a student's summer reading lists.  For example, Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, the first book in a popular series with strong allusions to Romeo & Juliet, will be paired with Shakespeare's classic.

To find out when you can download titles to listen to on the run this summer, visit www.AudiobookSync.com or text syncya to 25827

SYNC Titles

Summer 2011

6/23/11 - 6/29/11 Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare	6/30/11-7/6/11           Little Brother by Cory Doctorow The Trial by Franz Kafka
7/7/11-7/13/11 Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah A Passage to India by E. M. Forster	7/14/11-7/20/11        The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney Beowulf by Francis B. Gummere [Trans.]
7/21/11-7/27/11 Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy	7/28/11-8/3/11 Ashes, Ashes  by Jo Treggiari Rescue: Stories of Survival From Land and Sea by Dorcas S. Miller [Ed.]
8/4/11-8/10/11           Immortal by Gillian Shields Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë	8/11/11-8/17/11                    Storm Runners by Roland Smith The Cay by Theodore Taylor

Library Photo Contest Winners

Thanks to Everyone who entered the first Library Photo Contest. 

The winners are:

Tiffany Law for Most Exotic Location

Czarina Benitez for Most Creative Location

Molly Ho for Interesting People

Laura Herzberg for Wild Card

Mr. Masuda for the staff entry

View the photos on our Facebook page, School Loop page or click on the slide show on the right.

LIBRARY PHOTO CONTEST

The MHS Library is holding a photo contest.  Take a picture of yourself reading during the winter break and submit it for a chance to win in one of five categories.  Details are available here.

Wednesday Website--Summer Reading

Check out Ms. M's Summer Reading Suggestions and some websites with reading ideas for everyone.  What's on your summer list?

Wednesday Website--Reading Rants

Reading Rants is a website for teen readers.  Started in 1998,  the webpage has recently undergone a makeover.  You can find lists for all kinds of interests:  Bare Bones, Boy Meets Book , Closet Club, Deadheads and Mosh-pits, Fanging Around, Gen-X Files, Gods and Monsters, Graphic Fantastic, Historical Fiction for Hipsters, Home Fries, Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Nail Biters, Reality Bites!, Riot Grrrl!, Short Cuts, Slacker Fiction, Stoned, Teen Tearjerkers, The Coolest Classics You Never Even Heard Of!, The Silver Pentacle, Virgin Run, Why Should Your Parents Have All the Fun?, Word UP!

Wednesday Website--Book Seer

Read a book that you loved? Want to know what to read next? Try the Book Seer.

Wednesday Websites--Reading Recommendations

There are a lot of great sites online for reading recommendations. Two of my go to sites are:

Guys Lit Wire profiles books for guys with a variety of people providing a wide array of recommendations.

readergirlz profiles books with strong female characters.

Tuesday's Tip--Summer Reading

Did you know that research shows that free voluntary reading can improve your Comprehension, Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing Style, Verbal Fluency, General Knowledge? Source: Reinvent Your School’s Library in the Age of Technology; 2nd ed. 2002

So as you head to the beach this summer--take along a book . I have put together some Summer Reading Suggestions on the library wiki.

Photo Created with The Motivator

Wednesday Website--Author Interviews

This week there are virtual author interviews taking place around the blogosphere. Called the Summer Blog Blast. You can view which authors and when they'll be posted at Chasing Ray. Authors include Barry Lyga (Fanboy and Goth Girl), e. lockhart (The Boyfriend List) and more.

Monday Morning Book Review

I'm going to try something new...each Monday I will post a short book review. This will be added to the the book reviews page as well. This week's book is

A long way gone: memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah
This compelling true story details Ishmael's experiences as a child soldier in Sierre Leone. At the age of twelve rebels attacked his home village and he ran for safety. He soon found himself carrying an AK47 for the government army. At sixteen UNICEF rescued him from the army and he ended up speaking on children of war at the United Nations. This shocking, provocative read will give you pause as you consider the world beyond your own.

Reading Survey

Please take a moment to complete this survey on your reading interests. This will help in planning for book purchases for the MHS Library. THANK YOU

Click Here to take survey

A Raisin in the Sun

Did anyone watch the ABC movie last night with Sean Combs? I must confess I only watched the first hour before I let Tivo take over and I will watch the rest later. This powerful story still resonates today. On the library counter, I have copies of Lorraine Hansberry's play if you want to read it for yourself. Also, if you can find an audio copy with Ruby Dee and Ozzie Davis it is a powerful rendition of the play. That was my first introduction to Walter Lee and his family. You can learn more about this particular version at: http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/araisininthesun/

Vacation reading...

Need some book suggestions for vacation? Visit the library reading page at milpitashigh.pbwiki.com The SIDEBAR contains links to websites with other recommendations. Add your own suggestions (see Ms. M for the password if you don't remember the MHS mascot).

Library Thing

This is for the book lovers out there...if you want a quick, easy way to keep track of your own book. Library Thing was used to create the "New Books" images above. You can catalog your own library within minutes. Click on the powered by Library Thing link above to see what it's all about.

New Books Have Arrived!

Have you seen the new books in the library? Check out the end display with some of the new books that arrived this week. MHS will receive 13 new paperback books targeted to teens and teen interests. You should find new science fiction, chick lit, and other teen fiction.

Some of the new titles: Extras by Scott Westerfiel--a continuation of the Uglies series. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin--Naomi loses her memory and discovers who and what really matters. Voyage of the Slaves by Brian Jacques, Drama: Everyone's a critic by Paul Rudit, Where I want to be by Adele Griffin.

If you have suggestions for the MHS library. Send Ms. McCready an email at lmccread@musd.org. Put "book suggestion" in the subject line. An order for new books should be placed by the end of November, so make your suggestions now!

Banned Books?

This month's School Library Journal has a nice explanation of the differences among censored, banned and challenged books. "A book is censored when someone alters or blacks out its words or visual images because they disapprove of the message. For example, in some instances, markers have been used to 'clothe' nude images in library art books. Those are blatant acts of censorship. A banned book is one that has been removed from a library or classroom because an individual or committee doesn't think patrons hsould have access to it. A challenged book is one whose content has been questioned...In most cases, these titles remain in the library until the challenge has been resolved." (Scales p. 30)

Banned Books Week celebrates the first amendment of our constitution and our right to freely read someone else's words. While not every book is appropriate for every person, each book should be judged on its worth for the individual who is choosing to read it. This short video profiles the most challenged books in 2006 and why they were challenged.

Banned Books Week

September 29-October 6, 2007 is the week designated as the celebration of your freedom to read. In the library there will be a display of books frequently challenged and sometimes removed from schools and libraries.