🎃👻 Dark Tales and Digital Reflections: A Halloween Activity

Yesterday’s Halloween advisory session took a spine-tingling turn as students gathered in the library for a read-aloud from Things That go Bump in the Night by Patrick Carman. 

We kicked things off with an introductory video before diving into the story “Heart of Stone,” a creepy, captivating short story. After the read-aloud, students watched the story’s wrap-up video, setting the perfect atmosphere for a reflective activity. Using Padlet, students responded to the prompt “Whatever you do…” with creative, eerie responses that tied directly to the story. To bring their words to life, students typed their thoughts and used the Padlet AI image generator to create visuals related to their statements, resulting in a hauntingly engaging mix of text and imagery.

CLICK HERE to access the full Padlet of students' responses.

Here are a few of the students' responses close up:

This activity not only added Halloween fun to an advisory session but also supports my professional development goal of promoting positive relationships, mindfulness, and bibliotherapy in the library. By choosing thought-provoking stories and prompts, students engaged in reflective thinking and shared their creative responses with their peers in a supportive environment. The visual component helped them connect with the story on a deeper level, allowing for self-expression and opening doors to conversations that promote empathy and connection. A big "thank you" goes to my teacher librarian colleague Dani whose work with Padlet and image generating inspired me to give this a try!

🗓🌟 Quarter 1 Library Statistics

As the first quarter wraps up, it's time to look at library statistics and to share some incredible highlights! This quarter, print and electronic circulation numbers soared, reflecting a fantastic increase in reading. Numerous classes visited the library, creating a vibrant space for learning, collaboration, and exploration. Additionally, literacy activities during advisory have been a hit, giving students fun and engaging ways to dive into reading and boost their literacy skills. It's great to see the energy and enthusiasm from students and teachers so far. Here's to an even more successful second quarter--let's build on this momentum!

National Hispanic Heritage Month & Book Tasting

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 - October 15 annually, so this week, we hosted a special book tasting in the library to celebrate! Students had the chance to sample a variety of books, each showcasing Hispanic authors, characters, or historical figures. 

The selection included fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels, giving everyone a diverse range of genres and stories to explore. From narratives about identity and culture to historical accounts, these books offered something for every reader. 

The tasting sparked great conversations and curiosity, and many students left with new books in hand to continue their reading journey. What a fantastic way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

👀😍 Button Making is a Hit with Students!

Such a fun advisory activity today with the button maker! It's the first-ever use for the button maker, and based on the smiles and conversation, it's likely that button making will be a regular event during this time!

Last spring the library acquired this button maker in hopes of offering a different kind of activity during advisory. While students often visit during advisory for literacy-based activities, the button maker offers a making and creative outlet for students. After some browsing and learning about different options, this is the button maker purchased:

Find it HERE on Amazon.com

To streamline the process--we have a 25-minute advisory period--tables in the library each held part of the button-making process: sizing (two button sizes were offered today), designing (either hand-drawn or chosen from books), cutting out the design, and making the button.

Students began working, choosing sizes and designing. Once circle were cut out, an efficient button making line formed. Many students created and took with them two buttons today and asked about the next button making session! Lots of smiles and giggles about buttons--a wonderful way to kick off advisory activities for the week!

📕🗓 Back-to-School Book Talks

Several classes visited the library this week for book talks and browsing sessions. It's a great opportunity to introduce students to new books, authors, and genres, as well as share information about the library itself. Students heard many engaging book talks on a variety of books, from new authors (like Scott Reister) to popular favorites (like Neal Shusterman). Later in the period students had time to browse for an independent reading book and talk about books with their classmates. 

Curious about the books featured in the book talks? Here they are!

See something you like? Stop by the library to check out one of these or other books you're considering! See you soon!

📚 Welcome Back to the Library!

We've kicked off the 2024 - 2025 school year! Many things remain the same in the library, like the different look to the shelving and the check-out process, but there's a different look as we prepare for a shared space alongside a hallway to ease congestion during passing time. 

This new construction allowed for some new display space, so after seeing The Book Wrangler's vintage book covers on display in his space, I was inspired to create young adult book covers. These now hang along the wall and are already generating quite a bit of conversation among students!

Back this year is the dynamic shelving that features series and popular authors' books, making browsing more engaging and easier for students. 

Stop by today to see what's new in the space itself, as well as what's new in the collection!

🤩📚 Attending YA Midwest

YA Midwest: A Bookfest for YA Readers was held on July 27 in Naperville, IL. What a great event celebrating all things YA lit! This event brought together both popular and emerging YA writers for a day filled with a shared love for young adult literature.

The highlight of the event was undoubtedly opportunity to hear from authors. Karen McManus was the keynote speaker, and friend and fellow YA author Samira Ahmed joined her in the conversation about McManus's new book Such Charming Liars.

More than 20 panel sessions, each featuring a unique group of authors discussing a variety of engaging topics, were held throughout the day. One panel, "Fresh Perspectives," featured authors Kristin Nilsen, Brittany Cavallaro, Jeff Zentner, Lexi Underwood, and Kristen Simmons, who all shared their experiences writing from mulitple perspectives or POVs.

Another panel, "The Weight of Words," struck a powerful chord as authors like Rex Ogle (author of Free Lunch and Punching Bag) and Jordan Sonnenblick (author of Stepping Out and Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie) delved into the importance of addressing heavier subject matter through YA literature. They and their fellow panelists discussed the impact of writing about topics such as mental health, identity, abuse, and poverty emphasizing the role of literature in fostering empathy and understanding among readers.

One panel conversation with Neal Shusterman, Kekla Magoon, Aimee Carter, and June CL Tan related to the impact movement and travel have related to the writing process. Who knew?! Neal Shusterman likes to write on cruise ships and in crowed, bustling settings!

History--not only a writer's personal history but also American and world history--was a focus that another panel addressed. Kekla Magoon, debut author Hayley Dennings, and Kim Johnson joined other authors to share how human history and personal experience can become the basis for YA books.

The event concluded with an author signing session, allowing attendees to meet their favorite writers and get their books signed. How exciting to see the excitement and joy on the faces of attendees as they interacted with the authors they admire! (Eeeek! It's Neal Shusterman!)

These signed copies are now available in the library, along with two more signed copies from Zentner and Cavallaro's new book Silent Nights and Samira Ahmed's This Book Won't Burn. Stop by to take a look when school resumes!