"There is no force on Earth more powerful than the will to live." A Ralston

We just launched our latest Read it Forward, Between a rock and a hard place (the book the movie 127 Hours was based upon, if you did not know that) and all the copies are gone!  I hope you're one of the lucky ones to get it; if not, ask a friend to pass it along after they've read it.

We have some really great activities paired up to go with Aron Ralston's story.  First, we'll have a guest speaker from REI come and talk to the outdoor adventure classes as well as Dr. Hauwert, a professor from Southwestern University in Georgetown, talk to us about the caves underneath McNeil.

That's right; there are caves under our school.  And drumroll.....this is the biggest coup OF ALL TIME.  Dr. Hauwert has agreed to take a small group through the caves.

We are so excited we can hardly stand ourselves.

Actually, Mrs. Bligh and I haven't stopped high-fiving ourselves since  Thanksgiving break.

Stay tuned for the details on the cave exploration/ pick-up project!

If you've been under a rock and have no clue what I'm talking about with all the rock/cave stuff, check out Aron's blog (who doesn't have a blog these days?) or watch the clip below in which he discusses being trapped between a rock and a hard place (lest you think the title was merely figurative) while on a hike, alone, in Utah's Canyonland National Park.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it - Hunger Games official trailer!

Periodic Table fun!

The chemistry classes visited the library this week (it's about time!) and we had fun.  Well, I know I did.  We managed to get through the general trends of the Periodic Table and the classes presented their fascinating facts.

Many students dazzled their classmates with their knowledge.  Which was the goal, after all.

Some of my favorite facts:
1. Police officers are referred to as "cops" because back in the day, they wore copper buttons.
2. The Statue of Liberty has 62,000 pounds of copper.
3. Radon was found in 1 out of 5 classrooms in a study done up north.  That's 73,000 classrooms!

I'm looking forward to the next unit wrap up covering chemical bonds.  I need my own chemistry text book!

As for what I'm reading now...

It is SO funny!  Paul Feig's memoir of growing up in the 70's is hysterical.  One of my favorite lines: at Christmastime his father says, "Anyone over the age of 18 who expects a Christmas present needs to have their head examined."

Amen.

And poor Paul, he had to dress as an elf for a Christmas play in 1st grade.  Since his father ran an army surplus store, that's where his costume came from.  He was an olive green elf with oversized socks covering platoon-shaped boxes on his feet.

God love him.

If you don't know, Paul Fieg is the creator of Freaks and Geeks, one of best shows of all time.  And that's no exaggeration.  After reading this book, I know where his material comes from - his life!

Here's a clip of Sam preparing for his dramatic entrance into school with his new John Travolta leisure suit.  About 5 years too late.

I am so geeking out on this Periodic Table of Videos

The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

Check it out - it links to videos on *every* element. It makes chemistry fun!

Which reminds me, for those elementally interested, and especially challenged, check out The Disappearing Spoon. I've picked up all kinds of interesting tidbits, like the fact that Lewis and Clark (and followers) were tracked 100 years after their expedition by the mercury left behind from their, ahem, deposits (after ingesting a "medicine" with mercury). It makes chemistry fun, too!

And we're back!

We love the beginning of the year.  We see all our Mavericks, ready - and dare I say eager?- to check out books. 

Shew! Orientations are done (snooze fest, even for us) and it’s on to the fun stuff!  We’ve worked with several students checking out books – modern classics, creative non-fiction, psych-nonfiction and more.  Our hottest books right now are Hunger Games  and Tweak – along with In Cold Blood.  Check out these book trailers on the above titles.

Nic Sheff on his decision to write Tweak: have you heard that he has a new book out?  We All Fall Down -  we have it!)

Ellen Hopkins discussing why she began writing for young adults.



Hunger Games is coming to a theater near you! (March 2012)  Is it possible that the trailer doesn't do the book justice?  Why yes, it is.  Here's hoping the movie lives up the book!

Rock the Casbah and boy, do I feel smart

Ms. Phillips & Mrs. DK came to Mrs. Bligh and I and said, "Hey, could you put together a unit on the US' foreign policy towards the Middle East, Truman through Obama?  We only have one class period."

"Sure thing!" I was so naively enthusiastic.

After a couple of weeks of going back and forth and trying to come up with some really awesome project that would relay all the complexities of the many different situations in the Middle East, we came up with Plan B.  Make a timeline.  Turns out - it was really good!

All classes worked their rear ends off, researching their president and then summarizing main points within each presidency, and in turn presenting to the class.

Too bad I can't make this sound as exciting as it was.  And it was exciting.  Trust me.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm a librarian and lead a boring life.

Mrs. Bligh brought in the Arabic remake of the Clash's Rock the Casbah, Rock el Casbah. For the story behind this song, read this article on Wikipedia.  Yes, Wikipedia.  The song tells of a Sharif outlawing rock music, only to have the people defy him and rock the casbah.



Here's the original,  filmed in Austin...

Ever had to drink horse urine?

And we think we have it rough.  There were members of China's Liberation Army forced to drink horse urine on the Long March because they *literally* (Parks and Rec, anyone?) had nothing else.

Mrs. Bligh and I took that little nugget (which stuck with me for the gross factor, obviously) and many more we learned from reading Jean Fritz's China's Long March along with :

Jung Chang's Mao: The Unknown Story (both GREAT books, though you have to be in it for the long haul to finish Chang's biography - but look through the pictures to learn that Mao never bathed <had his people rub him down with hot towels> nor brushed his teeth.  She uses a picture of Mao laughing heartedly...with his black teeth showing in all their glory.) 

At any rate, the purpose for this post is to tell the story of how, once upon a time, in a land with library assistants to cover the fort while the librarians go to classes (a time never to return?), two librarians dressed as Chairman Mao and Otto Brawn (original, German leader of the Long March for those of you not in the know) - banged on Mrs. Giblin's door and commandeered her class and marched throughout our school simulating the Long March, as best we could.

Once in the library, after drinking "horse urine" (apple juice, really), men falling off cliffs, leaving babies behind with peasants, and the big break between Mao and Brawn, students arrived in the library to complete an info hunt.  From here, Mao lectured from his bed, as he was known to do at the end of his life.

"A revolution is not a dinner party."
Mao Zedong

(but is it a slumber party?)

We so enjoyed working with Mrs. Giblin and Mr. Chenowith on this project - looking forward to next year!  "Down with the Nationalists, Communists unite!"

Interested in learning more about this fascinating country?  I'd like to recommend:

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
On Gold Mountain by Lisa See
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan also by Lisa See
Chinese Lessons by John Pomfret
and of course anything by Amy Tan

DISCLAIMER: above links are to Amazon but I'm not suggesting you buy them - CHECK THEM OUT FROM YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY (big smile).

You'll never see a cat in war

This picture makes me practically weep.  When I think of how doggedly loyal (hence the saying), intelligent and fierce dogs are, I can hardly stand it.  I know that my little CharChar would would follow me to the ends of the earth.  What would I do without her???

In honor of our four-legged companions who serve our country, I'm going to suggest a couple of books.  If you like dogs -these are must reads!

Letters from Wolfie by Sherlock- an oldie but goodie.  I'm a sucker for a good dog book, but I still say you can't help but like this one.  Wolfie's pre-teen master can't serve in Vietnam, but his dog can!  Once Wolfie is away at war, his soldier companion writes letters that Wolfie "dictates" and sends them back home.  Learning of the treatment of these brave dogs during the Vietnam conflict was heart-breaking (have your Kleenex at hand).  However, I was pleased to hear that conditions finally improved under Clinton.

From Baghdad, with love: A marine, the war and a dog named Lava by Kopelman.  This non-fiction book tells the story of Kopelman and his fellow soldiers breaking the no-pets-allowed rule and adopting a sweet angel named Lava.  True dog-man love in the ruins of war.  Beautiful.

Finally, check out this article in the Huffington Post that tells of the heroic canine strapped to a solder's chest as he lowered himself down from a helicopter during the Osama Bin Laden raid.  Big sigh. 

I'm going to give Char extra love tonight when I go home. (She shares her mother's taste in bedtime reading.)

It's been crazy in Library Land!

Here are a couple of overdue (ha) pics taken during Carrie Ryan's visit.  She was fabulous!  A smash!  Carrie is a great public speaker (could it be that she's a former lawyer?) (although from what I hear, they're not always that articulate, so mayhaps not). 

Just look at that smile!

Carrie answered questions from our students and teachers.  Apparently, MN students ask more zombie-apocalypse questions than at other schools.  Go figure.

Congratulations to the winners of our:

Short story contest: Jasmine Pham
Poetry: Brittney Forster

They each won an autographed copy of the third book in Ryan's trilogy, The Dark and Hollow Places  as well as two free movie tickets.
Immediately after Carrie Ryan's visit, Mrs. Bligh and I headed out to TLA, the Texas Library Assc's annual conference. 

Yes, that's right.  Every year the librarians across TX get together to geek out over the newest in technology and books and to dream about a future in which there is complete intellectual freedom.  But more on that later.

Mao's Long March

My new fascination is Chairman Mao.  I'm so glad Mr. Chenowith and Mrs. Giblin asked Mrs. Bligh and I to work with them on a Long March project. 

I can't tell you what we have cooked up - but it's going to be great!

To prepare for this unit, I read Jean Fritz's China's Long March.  It sums up the Long March in an easy-to-understand format.  Why were they "marching"?  Why were the Communist forced out of their land?  Who led the way?  What did they eat?  (boiled grass)  Drink? (when no water, were reduced to drinking horse urine - it is sanitary, after all).

Fascinating, fascinating stuff.

Read it Forward is coming your way

Carrie Ryan, the author of The forest of hands and teeth will be at McNeil in April.  We're so excited to have her visit that we've purchased 150, yep, that's right, one-hundred-and-fifty- copies of the book and will randomly distribute them throughout the school for everyone to read.

Read it.
Pass it on.
Let your friends read it.
They pass it on...

We don't want to see those books again - we want everyone to read it and then meet the esteemed author.




Taken from Carrie Ryan's website:

"In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death? "


More details later, Mrs. Bligh and I are cooking up ideas and fun activities to go along with the book - this is going to be fun!

Milline-hummm trilogy

Am I the only person in America not to be completely in love with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?  I am officially past page 100 and am still wondering what all the hullabaloo is about.  I'll most likely finish, it's not a poorly written book, I just don't think it's my cup o' tea.

On to something new

I'm starting with my new exciting book: You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know

This is the story of Heather Sellers who is "face blind".  She doesn't recognize faces; she can pass her own mother in the grocery store and know even know it.  She embraces strange men in the airport thinking they are her boyfriend (they are not, and he laughs as he watches this happen from afar).  Not only is she face blind, but her parents are both bat-crazy, which makes for a fascinating story.

I'm torn because I need good airplane reading for later this week, You Don't Look... or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? (Tattoo is paperback so it has that going for it).  Times like these, a girl wants a Nook.

Well, I handed off Surviving the Extremes to a friend who showed interest in reading it.  Since I was in the middle of two other books, I could afford to leave it for a while (also, I don't think we'll be using it for our read-it-forward after all).  Don't climb Mt. Everest and you're safer, I'm just sayin'.

Crazy: I liked the ending.  Jason totally needed to get out of that house with the crazy dad, no heat, no food and leaking roof.  I've probably ruined it for the one reader I have out there (who doesn't read y.a. lit anyway), but I found myself disbelieving that some of this.  What I find perhaps saddest of all y.a. themes, is the lack of a positive adult in many of these kids lives.  Then again, I suppose that does happen.  Push anyone?

I'm slowly making my way through Selected Stories - short story fans, I definitely recommend it!

A little bit about my reading habits

I'm a librarian so people naturally assume I read all the time.  They are partially right as in I am always reading something, however:

I rarely finish what I start reading. 

Here's the deal, life is short and there are A LOT of bad books out there.  Or rather, books I personally do not enjoy.  I'm a fan of Daniel Pennac's Readers Bill of Rights, my favorite two:

3. The right to not finish.
10.  The right not to defend your tastes.

With that in mind, the purpose of this blog is to keep a virtual list of what I'm reading (self-serving), keep everyone updated on the goings-on in the MN library and to start a dialogue with my fellow Mavs and colleagues.  I know you're reading out there and I want to hear from you!

Confession: I'm a book hoarder.  It's a good thing I work in a library.  I have access to absolutely every wonderful book imaginable, and yet I still use my public library for books and dvds.  My favorite public library dealio:

borrowing entire seasons of TV shows at once

None of this Netflix one-disc-at-a-time stuff.  On our last snow day I was able to watch an entire season of Rescue Me (yay!).  Though of course, that means I didn't get any reading done.

At any rate, right now I'm reading Selected Stories by W. Trevor; Crazy by H. Nolan; and  Surviving the Extremes by K. Kamler.


By the same token, if I'm not feeling the story: Next.

1. Crazy is a review book, this means I have to read it for work, basically.  Honestly, these are usually hit-or-miss.  (I  loved Nolan's Dancing on the Edge, which I read years ago and is why I selected her newest title.)  God love Jason.  He has a Greek chorus of imaginary "friends" in his head that both support and ridicule him.  He's not too far from having split personalities.  You try to be "normal" (quote, unquote) after your father tries to bury you alive.  His mother died recently and now Jason must live with and "protect" his mentally ill father.  A father who wears Viking helmets to chase away the Furies (for those not familiar with Greek mythology, be prepared for lots of references).  But who is there to protect Jason?  I'm anxious to finish this one.

2. Surviving the Extremes: What Happens to the Body and Mind at the Limits of Human Endurance is total guy book.  Written by Dr. Kamler, the vice president of the Explorers Club, this book examines what humans go through to conquer nature - or does it conquer us?  He saves lives (sometimes, sometimes not) as hikers explore Mt. Everest, others explore the outer most jungles of the Amazon, and other previously uninhabitable regions of the earth.  We're thinking of making this one of our next Read it Forward choices - chime in if you've read it and have an opinion, please!

3. Selected Stories: is wonderful.  Short stories fascinate me.  The author has to grab you immediately with both character and plot.  You're immediately put inside the head of your protagonist and you must instantly care what happens.  If a story is only 15 pages and by page 3 you dont' care, why bother?  Short stories are also an excellent choice for someone like me who has difficulty (at times) picking up a book again.  I can read a story, leave the book, return to it at my leisure and not worry about remembering what happened.  I'm starting all over again!

I think that's it for the day.  I have some technology to brush up on - it's not all about the books, you know.