Happy November!

Congratulations! We are now 2 months into the 2009/10 school year. We have some exciting new titles in the library- come in and check us out!

New Fiction

Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead?

In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .

From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

New Non-Fiction

 

The mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son's death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.

Today, the name Matthew Shepard is synonymous with gay rights, but before his grisly murder in 1998, Matthew was simply Judy Shepard's son. For the first time in book form, Judy Shepard speaks about her loss, sharing memories of Matthew, their life as a typical American family, and the pivotal event in the small college town that changed everything.

The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family in the days immediately after the crime, when Judy and her husband traveled to see their incapacitated son, kept alive by life support machines; how the Shepards learned of the incredible response from strangers all across America who held candlelit vigils and memorial services for their child; and finally, how they struggled to navigate the legal system as Matthew's murderers were on trial. Heart-wrenchingly honest, Judy Shepard confides with readers about how she handled the crippling loss of her child, why she became a gay rights activist, and the challenges and rewards of raising a gay child in America today.

The Meaning of Matthew not only captures the historical significance and complicated civil rights issues surrounding one young man's life and death, but it also chronicles one ordinary woman's struggle to cope with the unthinkable.

Blur

Time goes by so quickly when I don't do any of my work and procrastinate to the very last second. Usually I just wait til the two "guards" up front at the desk fall asleep, so to speak, and then I'm free to do what I want. However, with this newfound freedom comes a choice to do what is right and good for my academic career. I rely on comedy to keep me from doing my work and it works. One joke may equal up to three minutes of laughter which means three less minutes to do my work. Then I can blame it on other people to make myself feel better. lol. To sum up study hall in the library I would say that I can speak for many of my peers when I say that it's pretty rad.

Guest Post by Andy Panagore

An Athlete in All of Us

Fall sports are well under way at BRHS. Field Hockey had its first win of the season this week! Come check out our SPORTS display- a variety of books to satisfy the athlete in all of us.

September 2009- New School Year, New Books!

New Fiction!

New Non- Fiction!
New Graphic Novels!

Come check out our new book displays.
Mr. Wolotsky ordered many new books over the summer- something for everyone.

SPOTLIGHT: Fiction

"All the Broken Pieces"
by Ann Burr

By turns harrowing, dreamlike, sad, and triumphant, this searing debut novel, written in lucid verse, reveals an unforgettable perspective on the lasting impact of the Vietnam War on its survivors and the healing power of love.

Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is haunted: by bombs that fell like dead crows, by smoke and death, by the brother and the terrible secret he left behind. Now in a loving adoptive home in the United States, over the course of a baseball season, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past, and slowly, sometimes painfully, heal.


SPOTLIGHT: Biography

"I and I: Bob Marley"
by Tony Medina

Brimming with imagination and insight, this biography of reggae legend Bob Marley features soulful, sun-drenched paintings that transport young readers to Marley's homeland of Jamaica, while uniquely perceptive poems bring to life his journey from boy to icon.

Come Check Out A Book!

Check out our new displays of books!

Improve your health, start a new hobby, learn about other cultures or satisfy your hunger with our new display of books about food.

Spring has finally come to Boothbay! Make the most of the good weather and get outside. Our "outdoor" display includes books about surfing, camping, golfing, running and hiking.

New Fiction (Part II)

...and more new fiction!

• Burn by Suzanne Phillips Bullied constantly during his freshman year in high school, Cameron's anger and isolation grow, leading to deadly consequences
• 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows the beginning of a new series by Ann Brashares
  
• World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
• Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antartic, 1910-13 by Richard Farr
• Several books by Lauren Myracle: l8r g8r, ttfn and Bliss
• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
• What I Was by Meg Rosoff A piercing, magical story about a life-altering friendship

• A short story collection called Love is Hell with stories by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin and Laurie Faria Stolarz

This is just a peak at the new stuff that BRHS has gotten in...come in and check it out!

New Non-Fiction (Part II)

Two more boxes of books have arrived, bringing several fascinating new non-fiction including:

• The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam A biography of New England Patriots coach Bill Belicheck
• 1968 by Michael T. Kaufman
• Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh A rogue sociologist takes to the streets, embedding himself in a Chicage crack-dealing gang
• Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
• The Summer of '49 by David Halberstam The classic chronicle of baseball's most magnificent season as seen through the Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry
• Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
• Immigrants Rights After 9/11 by Wendy E. Biddle
• School Violence by Peggy J. Parks

Other New Additions to the Collection

We also added some graphic novels to our collection:

• The Essex County series
• The Cartoon Guide to Genetics by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis
• The Cartoon History of the Universe II by Larry Gonick
• The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick and Art Huffman
• The Hobbit for J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jum Rugg
• Beowulf by Gareth Hinds
• V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
  

As well as some non-fiction:

• The Curseof Akkad by Peter Christie
• Criminal Investigators: Serial Killers
• Mr. Lincoln's High Tech Wars by Thomas B. Allen and Roger Macbride Allen
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
• Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
• American Shaolin by Matthew Polly
• Searching for Schindler by Thomas Keneally
  

New Fiction @ BRHS!

The BRHS library has finally gotten some new books! The fiction additions to our collection include:

• Darren Shaw's Demonata series
• Stephen King's Just After Sunset Stories
  
• Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson Longing to the part of the in-crowd at her exclusive London school, orphaned, sixteen year old Scarlett, a trained gymnast, eagerly accepts an invitation to a party whose disastrous outcome changes her life forever.
• Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne The story of a luminous force of nature: a boy who encounters evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears
• Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill A verse portrait of Sylvia Plath
  
• Cut by Patricia McCormick A compelling and compassionate look at a young woman's struggle to overcome the impulses that led her to inflict harm on herself

Ishmael Beah Comes to USM

Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is coming to the University of Southern Maine on April 14. I have had seperate conversations about this book with Brooke C, Morgan M, Aliesha P, and Tom B. Everyone including me was extremely touched by Beah's story.
Beah became a boy soldier in Sierra Leone and his stories are horrific. This book is a must read for anyone into non-fiction or curious about Africa or being a boy soldier.

New and Improved Displays!

The "Vampire" books display has been improved! It now includes books about vampires, beasts and monsters, including Sasquatch, Frankenstein and the Loch Ness Monster.














We've also added a new display of books. This display enables you to explore what life is like in other cultures without leaving your home! Experience life behind the Berlin Wall, during the Iranian Revolution, under the Taliban, in South Africa during apartheid or many other times or places.

April brings new book displays!

We've recently set up two new book displays in the library

Read about Royalty features some great titles about kings, queens, princes and princesses, including The Once and Future King, The Princess Bride, and The Return of the King.












There's also a new display about baseball--Opening Day is April 6! We have a lot of fiction and non-fiction books about baseball including 101 Reasons to Love the Red Sox, The Natural by Bernard Malamud and biographies of Yogi Berra and Jackie Robinson.

Youth Summit 09

Below is a voice thread made during the 2009 Youth Summit. I hope everyone had a good time and used the opportunity to think about what their sparks are.

Vampire Books: Twilight and Beyond

Why are so many people into Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series? According to Ede, Meyer makes characters come to life. In fact, Ede says "You get to know them(the characters) so well they become your friends." Katrina W said that Meyer makes main character Edward so hot that "you want to kill Bella to make Edward yours." While most of the print copies of Meyer's books are out we have all the Twilight books ready for your ipod or one of the library's.

Can you guess who this Twilight fan is?

Sequel to Hunger Games - Catching Fire

I recently read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and fell in love with the book and the main character, Katniss. Can you imagine a world where one boy and one girl ages 12-18 are randomly chosen to participate in a fight to the death where the victor wins food and preferred treatment for life? The losers are often killed brutally. 24 kids fight and some are quite skilled in hand to hand combat.

Anyway, if you are wating for the sequel as much as I you are going to have to wait until next September. Catching Fire will be out in September and I am sure we will have at least one copy in the library. In the meantime, if you have not read The Hunger Games, you should.

The Book Review Blog

We just wanted to remind everyone about our BRHS Book Review Blog. Students in Ms. Hammond's 9th grade english classes have been reviewing their favorite books since September. As a result, the blog is filled with reviews of popular books. Try searching a popular author like Sarah Dessen. As of right now, you will be able to read 6 different reviews about Dessen's different titles.

If anyone wants to add your own review or comment on other reviews please let Mr. Wolotsky or Ms. Brunell know and they will send you an invite!

Sari at Ocean Classroom

One of our students, Sari, is spending her second half of the year with Ocean's Classroom. You can read her March 10 update here.

Intramural Soccer

A few pics from soccer the week of March 3-7

Music Video of Student and Teacher Pictures

New book displays!

Mr. W and Ms. B have put up several new book displays. Come in and check them out:














Read Across America -- Check out titles featuring each of the 50 states!

Romance and Biographies

Music

Visit the library and check out a book today!

Don't forget, the sign up sheet to create a student book display with your favorite books is still hanging up in the library.

Losing our first tooth