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Have you ever decided to read a book and it sounds really interesting but you just can't get into it? That's how reading Scars Like Wings started out for me. But, as soon as I took the time to just sit down and read, it got really great! See below for a review of this new book by Erin Stewart:  If you're looking for a book that is emotionally heavy and slightly uplifting, Scars Like Wings is it. This book tells the story of Ava Lee, a 16 year old girl who lost both her parents, her cousin, and life as she knew it in a house fire. Recovering from her burn injuries has been a long process for Ava and the doctor finally suggests heading back to school. If you've ever read the book Wonder, think about how Auggie felt when he first walked into school. Everybody staring, whispering, children screaming, asking questions and so on. Enough to make any teenager nervous, but horrifying for someone who knows how it was "before." She used to be the popular girl, taking the lead in school plays and giggling with her friends in the cafeteria. Now, she's the different one. This book gets both heavier and lighter (somehow) when Ava makes friends with Piper, another burn survivor, who helps push Ava to be the best version of her "new" self helping to build a new sense of confidence within Ava and (in a round-a-bout way) helping to forge new relationships with Ava Lee's aunt and uncle  Looking toward next week, don't forget that we have our new library game next week! Cupid will be flying around the library pointing out all of the cutest couples that he's helped bring together. Your job is to find the right couple!
In other words, cupid's arrow will be pictured in the library (view-able on Instagram and on the website). Evidence of cupid's arrow will remain on the book he chooses. Your job is to use the pictures and the physical evidence of Cupid's arrow to identify which romance novel is featured in the picture.
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Wow! It has been more than a few weeks since I last wrote a blog post! All of the games and activities I planned for the end of the fall semester distracted me from this page. Over winter break I made the commitment to try to read 4 books. After about a week of break I realized that wasn't going to happen, but I did read 2 books: Verify and Crank.  Verify was the dystopian story that I didn't even realize I needed. It takes place in Chicago about 75 years in the future (which, really, is the main flaw in the book...it's too soon!) In this seemingly perfect society, the American government has made owning and using paper illegal and put all books and school materials, etc on tablets and screens to "help the environment." But in reality, the government has used this excuse to gain control of all the information available to the people. They have removed key pieces of history (like ALL of World War II) and information (the definition of "verify" and "revolution") to keep people in line and make them stop questioning the decisions made for them. The fact that this takes place only 75 years in the future (a time when I hope that you are all still alive and remember these things) is the main flaw in the story line, but if you can ignore that glaring detail, this book portrays for us the kind of world we could end up living in if we stop questioning what we are told and don't verify the information with which we are presented.  For those who don't already know, Crank is a novel written in verse (poetry) that tells the story of Kristina (and her alter-ego, Bree) as she struggles with an addiction to meth. This quick read tells the tale of how easy it is to fall down the hole of addiction and how hard it can be to climb back out. Kristina (/Bree) face a rough road of twists and challenges due to her reliance on the drug to feel good, happy, and able to face the world. If you haven't read this yet, I recommend it for anyone once. Then, if you like it, continue the series to see where she ends up!
Do you know what it means to be a digital citizen?
Digital Citizenship includes:
You can watch the following videos for a review of digital citizenship concepts (thanks to Nearpod and Flocabulary <-- Miss Gilpin cites her sources!) Play Newsfeed Defenders!
In honor of this national event celebrating book series in the mystery genre, here are a few of the series we have available in the library:
Dead is... by Marlene Perez: The psychic Giordano sisters investigate mysteries in their hometown of Nightshade, CA, getting involved with vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings.
Charlotte Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro The series revolves around Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they solve mysteries at their boarding school and throughout Europe.
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard Just like in the popular TV show, this series follows four teenage girls (Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily) as they try to navigate life after the disappearance of their friend and leader, Alison.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga Jasper is the son of Billy Dent, a notorious serial killer. As bodies begin to appear, Jasper is convinced it is a copycat killer and tries to solve the case before everyone he cares about ends up dead.
Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter This series takes place at Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, an elite school for training girls to be spies. Follow Cammie Morgan and her friends as they solve mysteries at school and "in the field."
It's officially the first day of fall! Time for leaves changing colors, pumpkin everything, and maybe even a few rainy days! There is no better time of year to get drawn into a new book series! We have every book in each of the following series, in our library, so you don't have to worry about getting involved, just to get left hanging halfway through!
Series Titles Illuminae by Annie Kaufman 1. Illuminae 2. Gemina 3. Obsidio Warcross by Marie Lu 1. Warcross 2. Wildcard Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 1. Red Queen 2. Glass Sword 3. King's Cage 4. War Storm Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare 1. Lady Midnight 2. Lord of Shadows 3. Queen of Air and Darkness Charlotte Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro 1. A Study in Charlotte 2. The Last of August 3. The Case for Jamie 4. A Question of Holmes Luxe by Anna Godbersen 1. The Luxe 2. Rumors 3. Envy 4. Splendor The Young Elites by Marie Lu 1. The Young Elites 2. The Rose Society 3. The Midnight Star Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater 1. The Raven Boys 2. The Dream Thieves 3. Blue Lily, Lily Blue The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson 1. The Girl of Fire and Thorns 2. The Crown of Embers 3. The Bitter Kingdom The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer 1. Cinder 2. Scarlet 3. Cress 3.5. Fairest 4. Winter Stars Above: a Lunar Chronicles Collection Across the Universe by Beth Revis 1. Across the Universe 2. A Million Suns 3. Shades of Earth Unwind by Neal Shusterman 1. Unwind 2. UnWholly 3. UnSouled 4. Undivided Series Synopses are taken from bookriot.com, bookpage.com and goodreads.com  Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum On September 11, 2001 four airplanes were hijacked on their way to the United States of America. One landed in a field in Pennsylvania, one hit the Pentagon in Washington DC, and two crashed into the Twin Towers [World Trade Center] in New York City. Almost 3000 people lost their lives as a result of this attack on America.
Hope and Other Punchlines is a fictional story about those who didn't. Based on a real city in New Jersey, Hope and Other Punchlines takes place in the city which suffered the most deaths in the terrorist attack, outside of New York itself. Abbi, who's middle name is Hope, was photographed in a crown and holding a balloon as her caregiver, holding Abbi, ran away from the falling towers behind them. It was Abbi's first birthday. The image went viral and "Baby Hope" became a symbol for the entire country of hope and joy in times of sorrow. This is the reality that Abbi has grown up with. She is famous and people are constantly doting on her in public places, thanking her for being Baby Hope and telling her that her picture is handing in their house. Can you imagine how strange that must feel? Abbi is sick of it. Then, the summer before senior year, Abbi starts to feel the symptoms of 9/11 Syndrome, a very real effect of having been near the towers when they fell. Abbi, convinced she is dying wants to get away and just be a normal girl for one summer before dealing with the illness. So, she gets a job as a camp counselor outside of town. It is here that Abbi meets Noah, a boy who has his own connection to the Baby Hope photo and refuses to let Abbi ignore her past. Noah takes her on a wild goose chase, leading to Abbi meeting all of the remaining people in her viral photo. For some it's joyful; for others its painful. Through it all Abbi remains their rock, as she's done her whole life. As high school students in 2019, none of you remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I do. This book brought back all of the emotions I remember feeling on the day of the attack. It reminded me to think about all the people who didn't stop being affected by the attack a few weeks or months later. Living in California and having no family on the east coast, its easy to become disconnected from disasters that happen there. It is important to remain aware and connected to the other people in our country, and to support each other in times of need. This book is an excellent reminder for us. Plus, I've always wondered how it would feel to go viral. Now I know!  Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23346358-the-accident-season Have you ever read a book so mystifying that you get to the end and you're still not quite sure what just happened? That's what you'll get with The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle.
With each chapter, Cara's life seemed to get eerier and eerier. From the start the reader is made aware of the whole family's predisposition for "accidents" during the month of October. For Cara's whole life, bad things seem to happen to her family during this one month, which they refer to as the accident season. Add this on to the disappearance of a girl nobody but Cara and her friends seem to remember existing, and culminating the story with a long hidden family secret, this book is one wild ride of mystery. If you like a truly mystifying read, with a hint of danger, romance, and Irish culture, you should give The Accident Season a try! The second week of school!
By now, you are probably diving head first into all the exciting content your teachers have for you to learn this year. Did you know that there is a whole section of this website dedicated to resources for you to use in each of your classes? The "Departments" page is organized by subject so if you need science help, you can go to the "Science" page and find the link that is most likely to help you out. I am always looking for new resources to add to these pages so they can be the most helpful to you throughout the school year. Let me know if you think of something I've missed! I've enjoyed meeting you all and I'm looking forward to another great week at Canyon! We have quite a few 9th grade classes coming in for orientation this week so our hours will be a little more limited than usual. Here's our schedule this week: Monday: Closed during second brunch ONLY Tuesday: Closed during second brunch AND 7th period Wednesday: Closed during second brunch AND 7th period Thursday: Closed during 7th period ONLY Friday: Closed during second brunch AND 7th period  Congratulations!
You made it to another brand new year of school! I am so happy to be here with you as your new teacher librarian. I hope to meet you all soon as you start coming into the library; but, just in case, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. I am Miss Gilpin (your new teacher librarian)! Before this year, I have been teaching 7th grade English in Palmdale. I am thrilled to be back in Santa Clarita, working with you all this year. On this blog page, you will be able to see up to date information about what is going on in the library. You can also check here for updates to rules, procedures, or events happening in the library. This Week at the Library: Monday: You aren't in school yet...Enjoy your last day of summer! Tuesday: The library will be closed on the first day of school unless you are coming in to pick up textbooks or solve a log in concern. Wednesday: We're open! Come in and say hi! Thursday: We're open! Come in and say hi! Friday: We will be closed during 1st brunch and 7th period for classes in the library. |
AuthorHello, Canyon Cowboys! My name is Miss Gilpin and I am SO excited to be your teacher librarian! I can't wait to get to know you all. Archives
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