Monday, December 14, 2015

Holiday Reads

Looking for some good reading over the holiday break? Warm up with these much talked about books of 2015….

Adult

v Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coats
v Purity by Jonathan Franzen
v The Story of the Lost Child (final book in the Neapolitan series) by Elena Ferrante
v Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
v City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
v The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
v The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
v Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
v H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald


Young Adult

v Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
v I was Here by Gayle Forman
v Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
v Shadow Shaper by Daniel Jose Older
v Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs
v Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead


Children

v The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
v Home by Carson Ellis
v George by Alex Gino
v Waiting by Kevin Henkes
v Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
v Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
v The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski


Happy Reading and Happy Holidays

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Professional Development

Looking for a fun and informative PDG to be part of? Every year, my school gives faculty and staff a list of potential professional developments to partake in; New York City, Equity & Justice, Photography, Research, Writers, Digital Storytelling, are just some of the topics Collegiate has chosen. This year, we were given the option of Global Online Academy (G.O.A.). Global Online Academy professional development courses are designed for independent school educators that want to “choose their own adventure” in their professional growth. It also allows professional learning communities to connect with educators across schools as they explore topics relevant to their roles on campus.

My topic for G.O.A is Libraries of Tomorrow. This PDG brings together library specialist to pursue essential questions on the role of libraries in school communities today and in the future. Through case studies and discussion (some Skyping is involved) on relevant topics and challenges for libraries, librarians will discuss ways their school libraries can best evolve. Through sharing resources and best practices, we are able to develop goals and benchmarks for projects to pursue in our own library.

If interested, take a closer look at Global Online Academy: http://www.globalonlineacademy.org/pd/


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Four Brooklyn Schools Discuss Newbery Contenders



For the fourth consecutive year, students from four Brooklyn schools gathered on Friday, November 6, to discuss our favorite Newbery contenders of the year. With an overflowing room of almost eighty 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, we watched book trailers, recommended titles to each other, and answered trivia questions about past Newbery winners. Do you know which two Newbery medal or honor winners feature a main character named Turtle? Or which two Lois Lowry books have won Newbery medals? Our Mock Newbery Committee members do!

So, how did this gathering happen? You can read Angie's post from a couple years ago for the history. While each school -- Brooklyn Friends, Brooklyn Heights Montessori, Packer, and Saint Ann's -- has a slightly different structure and book list for our own Mock Newbery Committees, the librarians collaborate on a shared book list and generally plan two events per year, one in the fall and one after the Newbery is announced. We often have guest speakers who have served on the Newbery Committee in the past (sometimes even the current year). This time we had no guest speaker, which turned out to be for the best with such a huge group and limited time. By seating people at small tables with students from other schools and conducting pub style trivia (sans alcohol), we were able to interact across schools in a way that we haven't before, and everyone seemed to leave happy. One parent even emailed the Packer librarians a week later to ask if they'll be coming to Saint Ann's every week, since her daughter had such a great time!



Our shared list this year (in alphabetical order by title) is:

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose
Chasing Secrets
by Gennifer Choldenko
Circus Mirandus
by Cassie Beasley
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Echo
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Fuzzy Mud
by Louis Sachar
George by Alex Gino
Gone Crazy in Alabama
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Lost in the Sun
by Lisa Graff
The Marvels
by Brian Selznick
Roller Girl
by Victoria Jamieson
The War That Saved My Life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

If anyone's interested in our longer lists or more specifics about our individual Mock Newbery programs, email us or leave comments below -- we're friendly people!
- Hannah Mermelstein

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Around Town

Looking for fun things to do this December? Take a look at these cool book and events happening in the city….

·         Greenlight Book Store
686 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Greenlight hosts a family holiday event in the middle of Chanukah and in anticipation of Christmas. Join them for their Holiday Stories and Singalong on Thursday, December 10, 4:00pm-5:30pm (seasonal drinks and treats to follow).

·         NYPL: Mid-Manhattan Library
December 2, 2015 at 6:30pm

Mid-Manhattan is hosting a lecture that covers New York’s culinary history. Join NYPL for Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover’s Companion to NYC with Andrew F. Smith; who is the writer and lecturer on food and culinary history and general editor for the “Edible Series.” Smith engages us with stories on some of the most recognizable restaurants, eateries, and culinary personalities today.  

Open now, ends January 16th, 2016.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center in Lincoln Center will present the free multimedia exhibition Alice Live! The exhibition will trace the history of Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice stories in live performance from their first professional staging to the present day.

·         Symphony Space (Thalia Book Club) – December 7, 2015 at 7:30pm
2537 Broadway @ 95th Street
New York, NY 10025

The award-winning actress presents her literary debut. An unconventional memoir in letters, Dear Mr. You, chronicles the actresses’ life through correspondence with men from her past and imagined future, and reveals the complexity and power found in relationships both loving and fraught.
-Excerpt from Symphony Space

Monday, November 16, 2015

Literary Events Around Town

1. Join La Casa Azul Bookstore at the Mosaic Literary Conference in the Bronx!
Saturday, November 21, 11:00am - 5:00pm
This year’s conference will focus on the #BlackLivesMatter teachable moments, social and artistic movements that have risen out of Ferguson, MO, Baltimore, MD. and other police and community actions.
Event address: Bronx Museum, 1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street), Bronx, NYC

Free event, register online

2. Gene Luen Yang Thursday November 19, 2015
An Evening with Gene Luen Yang at the Society of Illustrators 
Also check out their AMAZING exhibits!

3. Earnest Hemingway through January 31, 2016
Earnest Hemingway: Life in Letters and Writings at the Morgan Library

Come hear about the projects of two of the Center for Book Arts residents as they speak about their artistic journey. 

- Christina Karvounis

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Library Passports!

In the Brooklyn Friends School Lower School Library, orientation of the space is always part of our fall routine. Last year, we initiated a brand new way to show our first graders around the space: Library Passports!


We turned learning about how to navigate the library into a real journey. First, a large kraft paper map is drawn. We offer students a bird's eye view of our library space and talk about where the physical surroundings fall: bookcases, chairs, circulation, the front door. 


Then, we move into the books in the bookcases. Each week, we visit a new destination, and decorate a card (to be stamped, of course!) to our library passports!

For example, next week first grade will visit the picture book area. We will walk around the area, the listen to a story from the section. We will look at a handful of examples from this section. Then, students will take their passports and locate a book of their choice from the section to take a closer look. Upon completing their "journey" to that section, they will draw a representation of the picture book section into their passports and have it stamped. 

Journey complete! We will repeat this for the nonfiction, biography, folklore, and early reader sections.

We also choose 1 or 2 volunteers who would like to add color to our map! We take 2"X1" strips of white paper and students can illustrate a "cover" of a book to glue to the corresponding section on our kraft paper map. This adds to the visual appeal of the map, while also offering concrete examples of what can be found in the various sections of our LS Library.


If you are interested in hearing more, please do not hesitate to reach out to mef or more information at ckarvounis(at)brooklynfriends(dot)com.
- Christina Karvounis

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Mock Newbery Project at Brooklyn Friends School

Sixty students walked into the Brooklyn Friends Middle School library to the sound of Europe’s “the Final Countdown,”  and gathered on the rug in front of a large projector screen.  The air was electric with excitement and anticipation as teachers and librarians presented booktalks and book trailers for 15 Mock Newbery selections.  Students scribbled down notes for their favorite titles on clipboards in their laps. We librarians, myself new to Brooklyn Friends School, and Angie Ungaro, were excited.  The teachers were excited.  Would our excitement translate to our kids?
 
This was the “rollout” of the new Mock Newbery Project at Brooklyn Friends School, an integrated part of the 5th grade independent reading curriculum. The Newbery Book Award is a prestigious book award that is awarded annually to the best literature for children published that year by an American author. Many independent school libraries have taken on the tradition of a Mock Newbery selection process. We have taken the Mock Newbery tradition to the next level this year, by partnering with the 5th grade Humanities classes and incorporating the Newbery book selection process into the curriculum.  After the “rollout” event, the kids selected their top seven books and from there were assigned  three titles to read.


In the summer, we worked with the humanities teachers, reading selections that were getting some Newbery buzz on the web and blogosphere.  After deliberating over email and a quick lunch meeting, our group settled on  a list of 15 books.  The humanities department decided students would read three books each and write reviews of the books.  Teachers also developed an edublog for the students to post their reviews  and share with each other.  Angie and I have incorporated lessons into the classroom covering the history of the Newbery Award and selection process, as well as some tidbits about other book awards.
The students are having a blast reading their books and discussing them amongst themselves. The process seems to be running smoothly. We purchased several copies of each book, and the only real challenge we have faced is how to make sure everyone has a book from the list to read.  We had our first big swap day this past week, where all books were to be returned and given to the next readers on the list. Many students want to read more than three titles, jump ahead to their next book or read something else from the list so we have been doing our best to accommodate as many readers as possible, utilizing Kindles and Audible books as well to support different reading styles.   This is  a good problem to have, to not be able to keep up with the demand for books!  Voting will begin later in the year.  I’m sure the kids will get a kick out of the voting process, choosing their own winner and finally seeing which book is officially awarded the prestigious honor in January.


Our Mock Newbery Selections:


Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
George by Alex Gino
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle
Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

-- Emily Valente

Thursday, October 22, 2015

We Are Allies!

As I write this blog post, Allen-Stevenson is in the middle of celebrating Ally Week. This is probably a little later than some of your schools if you are following the GLSEN schedule. Our Community Life and Diversity team initiated Ally Week for the older boys just three years ago and this is only the second year that the whole school has joined in. I feel that we have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. See what you think!

When we first started Ally Week, our primary focus was on making sure the boys had an excellent understanding of what an ally actually is. Advisory groups worked together to refine their understanding and then made a video, explaining what being an ally meant to them. I’m including a link in case you want to check it out.

The cornerstone of Ally Week this year was Hudson Taylor’s visit on Monday to our Middle and Upper Schools (Grades 4-9). Currently a wrestling coach at Columbia, Hudson became the first three-time All-American in the University of Maryland’s wrestling history. During his time there he was deeply upset by the homophobic language he heard in the locker room, and he decided to speak out. He began by wearing an equality sticker on his wrestling headgear. Taylor went on to become the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and activating athletic communities to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sports. On his website, Hudson invites students to take a pledge. We have a fourth grade class who were inspired by his visit to write their own pledge. We are hoping more classes will decide to do this too.

Our Lower School boys are participating in Ally Week, primarily through reading and discussing books, with an emphasis on different types of families and why it is important to stand up for others. The reading list includes
Who’s in My Family? by Robie Harris
The Different Dragon by Jennifer Bryan
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah Brannen
A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager and Kristin Blackwood
Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie De Paola
Donovan’s Big Day by Leslia Newman
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

In the Upper School, boys are being invited to several discussions that are sure to be a catalyst for reflection and, who knows, maybe even activism! A former A-S alum, Chris Persley, who used to be a teacher and is currently a writer, is going to spend some time with boys discussing masculinity. How does one define it, why is it so often tied to sexual orientation and how should masculinity be defined in the 21st century? Boys will also have the chance to meet with a few faculty and staff members who are going to discuss their personal coming out journeys.

We reached out to the parents too and yesterday our school held the first Gay Straight Alliance meeting to which both parents and teachers were invited.

I’m going to end with an anecdote which some of my colleagues said made their day! Last Friday I was showing an introductory video about Hudson Taylor to my Fifth Grade advisory group. Afterwards one of the boys mentioned that he had a distant cousin who was proposed to by his boyfriend at a Home Depot in Utah and the couple shared their story The Ellen Degeneres Show. Of course we had to watch the video. It was a fantastic flash mob dance featuring the couple’s friends and family. At the end, after Dustin’s proposal to Spencer was accepted, the boys in my group burst into applause. I have to admit I got a little teary!  I can’t sign off without giving a shout out to our amazing CL&D team without whom none of this would have happened! - Sarah Kresberg


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Goings On Around Town

There are lots of goings on around town this month that would be of interest to HVLA members.
Here’s a round up. Have fun!

Open House New York

Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th
There are all kinds of amazing buildings that you can tour on this special weekend, including a number of libraries. Among the offerings are a behind the scenes tour of Central Library in Brooklyn and a tour of the Frick Art Reference Library.


Book Fest@ Bank Street
Saturday, October 24th - 9:00-4:00pm
BookFest is an event devoted to the celebration, discovery, and discussion of books for children and teens. This event, designed for adults, features luminaries from the children's literature community. Authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, and scholars will take part in panel discussions and breakout sessions.


92Y
Fierce Reads at 92Y
Friday, October 16th - 7:00-900pm
Fierce Reads is one of the most popular tours in the world of YA lit and on October 16th, this exciting tour makes a stop at 92Y with four can't miss authors. Don't miss Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows), Leila Sales (Tonight the Streets Are Ours), Emma Mills (First & Then) and Josephine Angelini (Firewalker) all in one night, only at 92Y.


David Baldacci, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black at 92Y
Thursday, October 22nd - 6:00-8:00pm
Don't miss this star studded event as master storyteller DAVID BALDACCI, whose new YA title is The Keeper, joins the bestselling partnership CASSANDRA CLARE and HOLLY BLACK to discuss the new volume in their Magisterium collaboration, The Copper Gauntlet.


NYPL Children’s Literary Salon
Saturday, October 17th - 2:00pm
The Natural World of Winnie the Pooh
Join Kathryn Aalto (The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest That Inspired the Hundred Acre Woods) for a journey into one of the most iconic settings in children's literature: the Hundred Acre Wood, inspired by Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England. It is here where A. A. Milne lived and set the tender adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and his merry band of friends. Learn about Milne's extraordinary childhood and how he and illustrator E. H. Shepard became the Lennon–McCartney of classic children's literature. A landscape historian, designer, and writer, Kathryn will present a lively, visually-rich talk and describe how the books are a field guide for the free-range child and a hymn to those days of doing nothing, yet learning everything.


Saturday, October 31st - 2:00pm
The Rise of Latino Literature for Youth
Please join authors Sonia Manzano (Becoming Maria, The Evolution of Evelyn Serrano), Danette Vigilante (Saving Baby Doe), Torrey Maldonado (Secret Saturdays), Adam Silvera (More Happy Than Not) , Crystal Velasquez (Hunters of Chaos) and Daniel José Older (Shadowshaper, Half-reserrection Blues) for a discussion of the past, present, and future state of literature written by and starring Latino-Americans.


Barnes & Noble - Union Square
Saturday, October 17th - 11:00am
Educator Appreciation Day
All pre-K to 12th grade educators are invited to celebrate Educator Appreciation Days with a special brunch featuring workshops, discounts and giveaways.


Books of Wonder
Tuesday, October 13th 6:00-8:00pm
Launch Event for Ice Like Fire
Don't miss YA star author SARA RAASCH as she come to Books of Wonder to launch the second book in her hit series Ice Like Fire. SARA RAASCH will take the stage with friends and fellow authors AMY EWING (The White Rose), KRISTEN SIMMONS (The Glass Arrow), and HEATHER DEMETRIOS (Exquisite Capitve). This talented panel will engage each other and fans in a lively conversation about their new books and thrilling fiction!


Wednesday, October 14th 6:00-8:00pm
Launch Event for Heroes
Get ready for a supernatural adventure of epic proportions as SCOTT WESTERFELD, MARGO LANAGAN, AND DEBORAH BIANCOTTI celebrate the launch of their latest YA novel, Zeroes! Your teen readers won't want to miss this action packed tale of teens with powers.


Saturday, October 17th, 1:00 PM– 3:00 PM
Fantastic Middle Grade Reads
Get ready for an afternoon of magic and adventure as Books of Wonder welcomes four fantastic Middle Grade authors! 
MICHELLE SCHUSTERMAN for The Kat Sinclair Files
POLLY SHULMAN for The Poe Estate
DAN POBLOCKI for The House on Stone's Throw Island
SUZANNE WEYN for Faces of the Dead


Sunday, October 18th, 3:00 PM– 5:00 PM
Fantastic Teen Reads with Moderator Dhonielle Clayton
Books of Wonder is proud to present Sci-Fi/Fantasy New York Times Bestselling authors ELEANOR HERMAN and COLLEEN HOUCK, and author ALEXANDRA DUNCAN as they share their latest YA novels. Moderated by DHONIELLE CLAYTON, author of Tiny, Pretty Things, this is an event your teen readers won't want to miss!


Saturday, October 24th - 1:00-3:00pm
Go Wild for Halloween Book Bonanaza
Get ready to Trick-Or-Treat early this year as we bring you some Halloween fun a week early! Join us, and these four great authors and illustrators, as we get into the spirit of the season with these spooky, hilarious new picture books.
JOE McGEE for Peanut Butter and Brains
ADAM LEHRHAUPT for Please Open this Book
SAMANTHA BERGER and ISABEL ROXAS for Boo-La-La Witch Spa

EMILY JENKINS and HYEWON YUM for The Fun Book of Scary Stuff