The Countdown Begins.....

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I apologize that this blog has not been updated in a long time. This has been a year of big changes and opportunity and unfortunately, this blog fell to the bottom of the priority list. I know that the ed tech in the library next year can do a better job.

At this time, the seniors have only 2 weeks of classes left, with graduation only 23 days away. Spring sports wrap up regular season play in just over 2 weeks. According to Mr. Wolotsky’s school time-line, it is almost Friday!

Although I look forward to teaching full time next year, it is working in the library where I have been able to connect with the rest of the students and create lasting relationships. I plan to visit often next year.

Thank  you, Mr. Wo,  for creating a library that is the heart of the school.



-Ms. Harkins

Halfway!

Thank you to Ian Weiss for his book display "Books that make you think.... that are NOT boring."

Featured on his display:

Description: A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and hisson, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.

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.