Weekend Reads

Fall is in the air! The days are short, it's starting to get chilly - which makes it the perfect time to read a great book! Today we feature a review by 7th grade student Kyra Carlson, as well as two new books in our collection.

Guest post from Kyra Carlson, Class of 2020

Unwanteds by Lisa McMann 

Twin brothers, Alex and Aaron Stow, live in the dullest of dull, Quill. When a child in Quill turns 13, they go through the Purge. When they are told whether they are lucky Wanteds, fortunate Necessaries, or shunned Unwanteds. Wanteds go to the University. They learn and they are educated. Necessaries simply stay alive, getting servant jobs in Quill. Unwanteds go to the Death Farm, where they are executed. Aaron has been declared a Wanted. Alex has been declared an Unwanted, so he will have to report to the Death Farm for execution...or so he thinks.
What I like about this book is that it is third person omniscient, which explains more and makes the book more dramatic! Happy reading! This is a series so if you like this first book the second is Island of Silence!

Find it in Fiction under F MCM

The Hogwarts Library by J.K. Rowling

These three little books are must-reads for any Harry Potter fan. Each is a stand-alone, textbook-style book that Hogwarts students read and relied on during their time in school . The first, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is a compendium of the magical creatures that populate the Wizarding world. Fans will remember it as the required reading for the students took in their first year. The second, Quidditch Through the Ages, highlights the development of the beloved Wizard sport (which is also gaining popularity in the Muggle world so look out for people running around with non-flying broomsticks!). The final book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, is roughly equivalent to the fairy tales that Muggle children grew up with. This edition includes notes on the stories provided by Albus Dumbledore, so each story has context and information about the bigger meaning behind it.

While these texts are short, they are wonderful companion pieces to the (much longer) novels. 

Find it in Fiction under F ROW

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Rowing was established as a collegiate sport in 1852 when Harvard and Yale first competed against each other (interesting note: this was also the first intercollegiate event ever held in the United States!) From that time until 1923, the sport was dominated by East Coast, Ivy League schools, filled with the wealthy children of businessmen and magnates. The Boys in the Boat is the story of the first West Coast team to defeat these elite teams. The University of Washington's eight-oar crew accomplishments led them to compete in the 1936 Olympics, known as the Nazi Olympics due their location (Berlin) and the ruler of the host country (Hitler). This adaptation for young readers includes historical pictures related to the story as well as a main protagonist (Joe Rantz) who overcomes great personal obstacles to accomplish greatness.

Find it in Nonfiction under 797.12 BRO

Digital Resources: Remind

The Remind dashboard

According to the Pew Research Center, only 12% of teens (age 13 - 17) report having no access to a mobile phone of any time (1). That means that 88% of middle- and high-school aged students have access to a cell phone in some form. That is a powerful tool, and Remind (nee Remind 101) helps teachers to leverage that tool to help them keep students on track and up-to-date during out-of-school hours. They offer a one-way communication tool that teachers can use to text students and their parents to keep them in the know about things like homework assignments, upcoming tests, or materials requests. Remind can be used to mass-text a group of users, or it can target specific users (which has come in handy when those five kids are late for a check-in or departure time during a field trip). There is also a chat feature, which can be turned on or off by the teacher.

An example of text messages
received from Remind

Remind is also a great way to alert parents to all of the things that are happening in a school. According to another Pew Research Center study, 64% of Americans own smartphones (2). Remind can be used to deliver content (or, perhaps more appropriately, links to content) straight into a device that its owner probably has close at hand. Whereas emails are easy to avoid and ignore if a user chooses, text messages are less avoidable and more immediate.

Text messages can be scheduled through the web-based platform or through the Remind app, so teachers have the option of scheduling messages to be sent in advance or sending out an update from their own mobile device. Users have to subscribe to the service by texting a request to a generic number, so neither party ever sees the mobile number of the other. 

Where: remind.com

Cost: Free

What: One-way communication platform

Teachers! Try Remind if you want to...

send texts without revealing your personal contact information

schedule notices about upcoming events and assignments

have a way to safely communicate with students during field trips, athletic events, etc.

(1)  Smith, Aaron. "U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015." Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 01 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/>.

(2)  Lenhart, Amanda. "Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015."Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://www.pewin

ternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/>.

Weekend Reads

Today we are featuring a review of The Lightning Thief by Graham Herzig, along with reviews of a few other books currently available in the Avonworth Resource Center! Check them out!

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

One of my favorite poems is Thomas Hardy's "Convergence of the Twain". In it, he describes the Titanic as it travels across the Atlantic while also describing the iceberg that will ultimately sink the mighty ship as it grows and travels along its own path. The City of Ember hold a similar appeal as it is a  narrative that begin with a frame story, so readers watch the characters knowing that there is something big that they are going to soon discover (even if we don't know when!). The City of Ember's frame story is set in the long-forgotten past, and my excitement to see the long-ago converge with the story's here-and-now kept me turning pages. Ember is falling apart, and readers know from the frame story that there is a secret that will be revealed when the city needs it most. The characters are engaging as well; Doon is not a typical hero but is driven and focused and wants to help his city survive while Lina is curious and empathetic. All in all The City of Ember is an engaging dystopian read - check it out!

Find it in Fiction under F DUP

Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka

Sometimes a novel just seems like too much; the Guys Read series is a great option for those times since it is a collection of awesome and exciting short stories about one topic that has a wide appeal. Jon Scieszka, a former elementary school teacher, developed this series with the belief that guys want to read about the things they love the most and that curating short story collections about those things would develop their love of reading. Terrifying Tales is a great option, especially for this time of year when it's getting dark so early and the days (here in Western Pennsylvania) are getting grey and dreary. With stories from awesome writers such as Kelly Barnhill (one of my favorites) and R.L. Stine (author of the Goosebumps series), the appeal is definitely not limited to guys (so don't let the title mislead you!)

Find it in Short Stories under SC SCI

The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan (reviewed by Graham Herzig)

I recommend the book Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief. This book is about Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. In the book, Percy is in a race against time to return the lightning bolt to Zeus. This is because Zeus believes that Percy stole his lightning bolt. If he doesn’t return it in time, Zeus will wage war on theoverworld. Along the way Percy will face several obstacles in order to get to Zeus. I enjoyed the book 

even though I am not fond of reading. This is because the book starts abruptly with action. I enjoyed this because there isn’t any boring beginning. And also, the story only got better. For the bookto be structured this way is good because you don’t to stop reading without wanting to know what 

happens next. Percy Jackson is also in a series, so if you enjoyed the first book you will most likely 

enjoy the second as well. 

Find it in Fiction under F RIO

Thanks for your review Graham!

Digital Resources: YouCanBook.Me

Scheduling something among a group of people (regardless of size) can be one of the most time-consuming activities to undertake. Phone calls back and forth, emails providing up-to-date availability, changing schedules leading to starting the whole process over again; it's this kind of task that is a prime candidate for automation and you can book.me gives you just that option. Instead of the back and forth that happens when scheduling a group of people who have several options, you can book.me offers a list of available times that users can click on to schedule. This list can be posted anywhere (email, websites, etc.) and connects directly with your already-existing Google or iCloud calendar. 

You can select the times you are available via the time tab
on the dashboard. The "advanced" tab allows you to limit your
availability to certain days.

Once you sign up (using your Google, iCloud or Facebook log in), you can book me takes you to a dashboard where you can move between tabs to select when you are available to be booked, how long each slot is, and even which dates you are going to show availability.  In the past I have used you can book.me to schedule student-led conferences. Once the conference time is selected, the scheduler (usually a parent or guardian) receives an email confirmation with the details. The meeting automatically shows up on my calendar and I can even schedule a reminder for this event through you can book.me.

YouCanBook.Me user view - I selected for the times that are
not available to be grayed out.

Because there are so many features, it does take some time to work with the program to get your booking schedule exactly as you would like it for your purposes. Since I only wanted it to appear on certain days, I had to figure out where those options were then move between tabs (time, advanced and appearance) to make it as precise, clear and easy-to-use as possible. The benefit to more tabs (with less information in each tab) is that you can book.me has space at the bottom of the page to generate a preview so you can see exactly what your end user will see as you make changes. The benefits far outweigh the time spent working through the learning curve.

Where: youcanbook.me

Cost: Free (with paid upgrades)

What: Google/iCloud connected scheduling software

Students! Try you can book.me if you want to...

schedule people to cover shifts for an event

Teachers! Try you can book.me if you want to...

schedule meetings with parents

schedule individual conferences with students

create a sign up sheet for office hours