New Books: April

The Resource Center has been blessed with many new titles you'll want to check out today.

Nation--Terry Pratchett
Dead Rules-- Randy Russell
Ship Breaker--Paolo Bacigalupi
The Floating Islands--Rachel Neumeier
A Swift Pure Cry--Siobhan Dowd
Bog Child--Siobhan Dowd


Raven Summer--David Almond
Time of Miracles--Anne-Laure Bondoux
Between Shades of Gray--Rita Septys
Tales from Outer Suburbia-- Shaun Tan
Forever--Maggie Stiefvater
War to End All Wars: World War I-- Russell Freedman

Once a Witch--Carolyn McCullough
Always a Witch--Carolyn McCullough
The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us--Tanya Lee Stone
We are the Weather Makers: The History of Climate Change-- Tim Flannery
Visconti House-- Elsbeth Edgar
Revolution is not a Dinner Party--Ying Chang Compostine
Charles & Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith
Beneath My Mother's Feet--Amjed Qamar

Girlfriend Material--Melissa Kantor
Darlings are Forever-- Melissa Kantor
The Darlings in Love--Melissa Kantor
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom
Stay--Deb Caletti
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition--Karen Blumenthal
 Ophelia:
Extreme Makeover--Teresa Tomeo
Anya's Ghost
Fault in Our Stars--John Green

Get Creative with Books!

What do you do when life gives you old books?
Make Art!

That's right, the Resource Center encourages you to give a new life to some of its very old books.  We have a small collection of no longer needed books that are perfect for a new lease on life.  Just add your own creativity to paint, fold, carve or whatever your own inner muse requires to create a new, inspiring masterpiece.  

All entries must use at least one used book (you can use more than one).
All entries are due in the Resource Center by 3:00 on Wednesday April 25th.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.  There may also be a people's choice award.
Grand Prize $25 gift card.
This contest is open to all NDA/NDJA students/staff/faculty.

See Mrs. McGowan with any questions.

For more ideas on what you can make with books, see the display on the Resource Center Window.

New Title: Prized

Check out our newest title: Prized, by Caragh M. O'Brien--the second in the award winning Birthmarked Series.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

Upcoming Closures

The Resource Center will be closed afterschool due to meetings and trainings in the RC on the following dates:
Monday, January 30th,
Thursday, February 9th
Tuesday, February 14th,
Wednesday, February 15th,
Friday, February 24th

The Math Lab will continue as scheduled on these days.  The Math Lab will also be closed on February 9th for the Faculty/Staff Meeting. Please Plan accordingly.

I just recently finished reading All These Things I've Done, by Gabrielle Zavin. The premise is interesting; some time in the future, alcohol becomes legal for all ages, while chocolate and other common caffeinated products are the illegal substances. Water is a scarce commodity and New York City is plagued by crime.
 
The story focuses on teen-age Anya who is the daughter of murdered Chocolate businessman and crime family boss, Leonyd Balanchine. Things get a little interesting when Anya falls for Goodwin, the son of the Assistant District Attorney. Through Anya's realistic teen voice, we follow her struggles with relationships, keeping her family safe, forbidden love, and the daily life of a teen living under "prohibition-like" conditions. Anya is fierce and flawed protagonist that makes her instantly attractive to teen readers. Her intense commitment to family and her commentary on religion/ moral decision making also offer room for discussion.

Although set in the future, the parallels to the prohibition era leave the reader reminiscing about the past. The realistic teenage voice echos those of current teenagers, so that while the story is "futuristic" it is also retains strong threads of contemporary relevancy. The conclusion will leave you wondering what happens next and pondering if Zavin has a sequel in mind.

While not a literary knock-out, this certainly isn't a completely mindless read either. Not bad for a weekend of light reading.

This Just In

Looking for something to read during that long winter break?  Why not check out these new titles from the SRC?

I am Number Four; Pittacus Lore
John Smith has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, just another stop in a string of small towns where the 15-year-old has been hiding out from the Mogadorians. Those terrifying aliens are hellbent on destroying him and the other nine Loric children who have sought refuge on Earth. The Mogadorians are picking off the surviving kids in numerical order. The first three are dead and John's number is up. Will his Legacies, his defining super powers, develop in time for him to fight against the enemy? 


Torment: A Fallen Novel; Lauren Kate 
Sequel to Fallen in author Lauren Kate's Fallen series. Luce is tormented being apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

Along for the Ride; Sarah Dessen
Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend. In her trademark blockbuster-style, Sarah Dessen creates a powerful and irresistible story of two people learning how to connect.
It's not Summer Without You; Jenny Han
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.

It's Kind of a Funny Story; Ned Vizzini
Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. 
Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital.  There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.


No Fear Shakespeare Othello
No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet

Crank; Ellen Hopkins
Grade 8 Up–Seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow is introduced to crank on a trip to visit her wayward father. Caught up in a fast-paced, frightening, and unfamiliar world, she morphs into "Bree" after she "shakes hands with the monster." Her fearless, risk-taking alter ego grows stronger, "convincing me to be someone I never dreamed I'd want to be." When Kristina goes home, things don't return to normal. Although she tries to reconnect with her mother and her former life as a good student, her drug use soon takes over, leaving her "starving for speed" and for boys who will soon leave her scarred and pregnant. Hopkins writes in free-verse poems that paint painfully sharp images of Kristina/Bree and those around her, detailing how powerful the "monster" can be. The poems are masterpieces of word, shape, and pacing, compelling readers on to the next chapter in Kristina's spiraling world. This is a topical page-turner and a stunning portrayal of a teen's loss of direction and realistically uncertain future.–Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI 


Chains; Laurie Halse Anderson
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.



The Mysterious Benedict Society; Trenton Lee Stewart
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"
When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they 
be able to pass the most important test of all?


Eldest; Christopher Paolini--Portuguese language edition

Book Review: Forge

Forge is the sequel to author Laurie Halse Anderson's acclaimed Chains  and the second in The Seeds of America trilogy. In Chains, we meet Isabel and Curzon, two slaves struggling for freedom.  While Chains focuses on Isabel's tale, Forge is told through the eyes of Curzon.  Set in Revolutionary America, we follow Curzon as he again finds himself a private in the continental army.  Through battling the British at Saratoga, to fighting to survive the elements during the winter at Valley Forge, Curzon becomes a well-research character of historical fiction.

Compounding their struggles, the runaways Curzon and Isabel find themselves again under the ownership of Master Bellingham, providing a new meaning to the fight for independence. One must acknowledge that the tale of slavery during the revolutionary era is one that is sorely underrepresented in history and literature as a whole and especially true of works for younger audiences.  Particularly compelling  for young readers are the arguments between Curzon and his contemporaries as they debate the issues of race, and what a war for independence really means for all american patriots.

In her storytelling, Anderson strives for authenticity.  The characters are careful to describe their living conditions, food, etc.  One has the feeling that Anderson is writing a "living history" in disguise.  Without patience, the reader is liable to become annoyed with the repetitive use of 1776 style slang.  As a former history teacher,  I find the concept good, but the execution contrived.  Too often, the reader looses sight of the real drama behind the story the author is neglecting to tell when she focuses too much on the the history lecture. As a book that will tie in to historical studies of the revolutionary era, Forge outdoes itself.  However, valued strictly for its enjoyability as an independent read, Forge fails to  make its mark.
Overall Grade: B-