Book of the Day: Everything, Everything

Book of the day:

Everything, everything by Nicola Yoon

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="191"] Everything, everything[/caption]

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: The Serpent King

Book of the day (and Ms. D recommends):

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="187"] The Serpent King[/caption]

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father's extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

The only antidote to all this venom is his friendship with fellow outcasts Travis and Lydia. But as they are starting their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. Dill's only escapes are his music and his secret feelings for Lydia neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending one that will rock his life to the core.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day will return after break. Have a safe and fun vacation. We'll see you on Jan 5th! Don't forget that you can read books on Overdrive, Hoopla, and Axis360 even if you're snowed in. Email Ms. D at read@bostonartsacademy.org if you have questions; she will be checking emails daily.

Book of the Day: None of the Above

Book of the day:

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="187"] None of the Above[/caption]

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy

Book of the day:

How to Survive in the North  by Luke Healy



With stunning narrative skill, this compelling graphic novel intricately weaves together true-life narratives from 1912, 1926 and a fictional story set in the present day. How To Survive in the North is an unforgettable journey of love and loss, showing the strength it takes to survive in the harshest conditions.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: Akata Witch

Book of the day:

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="191"] Akata Witch[/caption]

What Sunny Saw in the Flames transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and thus, incredibly sensitive to the sun. All Sunny wants to do is be able to play football and get through another day of school without being bullied. But once she befriends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged in to the world of the Leopard People, where your worst defect becomes your greatest asset. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha form the youngest ever Oha Coven. Their mission is to track down Black Hat Otokoto, the man responsible for kidnapping and maiming children. Will Sunny be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own, or will the future she saw in the flames become reality?

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: This Side of Home

Book of the day:

This Side of Home by Renee Watson

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="153"] This Side of Home[/caption]

Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: We Were Liars

Book of the day (and Ms D recommends):

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="168"] We Were Liars[/caption]

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

Check it out today!

Note from Ms. D: Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Book of the Day: Whatever

Book of the day:

Whatever by S. J. Goslee

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="153"] Whatever[/caption]

Mike Tate is a normal dude. He and his friends have a crappy band (an excuse to drink cheap beer and rock out to the Lemonheads) and hang out in parking lots doing stupid board tricks. But when Mike's girlfriend Lisa, who knows him better than he does, breaks up with him, he realizes he's about to have a major epiphany that will blow his mind. And worse--he gets elected to homecoming court.

It's like the apocalypse came, only instead of nuclear bombs and zombies, Mike gets school participation, gay thoughts, and mother-effin' cheerleaders.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: Flawed

Book of the day (and Ms. D recommends):

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="157"] Flawed[/caption]

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: When Reason Breaks

Book of the day:

When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="177"] When Reason Breaks[/caption]

A Goth girl with an attitude problem, Elizabeth Davis must learn to control her anger before it destroys her. Emily Delgado appears to be a smart, sweet girl, with a normal life, but as depression clutches at her, she struggles to feel normal. Both girls are in Ms. Diaz’s English class, where they connect to the words of Emily Dickinson. Both are hovering on the edge of an emotional precipice. One of them will attempt suicide. And with Dickinson’s poetry as their guide, both girls must conquer their personal demons to ever be happy.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: Symptoms of Being Human

Book of the day:

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="165"] Symptoms of Being Human[/caption]

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

Check it out today!

Book of the Day: This Savage Song

Book of the day (and Ms. D recommends):

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

 

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city; a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent, but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Check it out today!

Check out our *stache* of books!

In honor of No Shave November, we have created a display of books written by authors with fantastic facial hair!

The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle. Go to no-shave.org to learn more.

Our display has books from Walter Dean Myers, Scott Westerfeld, Mark Twain, and more!

Do you have a favorite author with great facial hair? Let us know!

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"Horror-ble" books and Mad Science

Halloween is approaching and the BAA Library is ready!

For horror fans, we have a display of "horror-ble" books featuring classic monsters, bone-chilling non-fiction, great ghost stories, zombie hoards, vampire tales, and "spook-tacular" supernaturatories.

For our science-minded students, we have prepared a display of Mad Science and Scientists including many of the brand new science books thanks to a generous grant from the Frank M. Barnard Foundation.

Reminder: students can check out any book, DVD, CD, or music score in the BAA Library, including books on display, using their OneCard/M7 or their Boston Public Library card. Teachers and parents can check out any item with their Boston Public Library card. The BAA Library can request items from BPL and we receive shipments every Thursday morning. The BAA Library is open Mon-Thurs 8am-5pm, and Friday 8am-1pm.

Questions? Ms. D can be reached via email at read@bostonartsacademy.org">read@bostonartsacademy.org

Banned Book Week 2016

It is Banned Book Week this week (Sept 25th - Oct 1st). 

There are some great books that have been challenged or banned in the past. The American Library Association has been keeping track since 1982. Here is a timeline of Banned/Challenged books that you might be interested in: Banned Book Timeline. The ALA states: "A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The number of challenges reflects only incidents reported. We estimate that for every reported challenge, four or five remain unreported." 

 

 

Some titles that have been challenged or banned, even since 2001, may surprise you, such as: 

1. Looking for Alaska, by John Green (in the top 10 challenged in 2015, 2013, & 2012. Published in 2005.)
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.


2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (in the top 10 challenged in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, & 2010. Published in 2007.)
   Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”


3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (in the top 10 challenged in 2014, 2013, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2004. Published in 1999.)
   Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”


4. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey (in the top 10 challenged in 2013, 2012, 2005, 2004, 2002. First book published in 1997.)
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence


5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (2007, 2004, 2002, 2001. Published in 1969.)
   Reason: sexually explicit

Teachers and students are encouraged to come to the BAA Library and browse our display of books that have been banned or challenged elsewhere to celebrate their freedom to read!

 

 

Lit Circles!

You may have noticed that there are two Lit Circle lists: one by the cafeteria and one by the library. We want your input for Lit Circles this summer. There are already some very good suggestions on the list by the cafeteria. Please keep adding more. We'll probably have a selection of 8-10 books to choose from this year.
Thank you!

[caption id="attachment_933" align="alignnone" width="300"] It's called "reading." It's how people install new software into their brains.[/caption]

New books!

The library just received a shipment of new books. Come on by and take a look. We received a lot of new graphic novels, including some Batman, and lots of memoirs, including Misty Copeland's Life in Motion!

[caption id="attachment_918" align="alignnone" width="576"] Chai Sheep looks closely at a disclaimer from Tattoo a Banana: "Commonsense Disclaimer: handle all sharp objects, electrical appliances, and other tools with care. Although it may be tempting to eat your art at times, DON'T! (unless it's comprised of edibles only)"[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_919" align="alignnone" width="576"] Chai wonders how hard it is to memorize a monologue.[/caption]

Printer Update

DO NOT PRINT TO ONENOTE.
It is not a printer.

Print to:

Library Front or Xerox Phaser 3600 (small printer)

or

Ricoh MP 2554 (big printer. Good for long papers,
double sided option, and staples)

Ask Ms. D’Ambruoso (librarian) if you have questions.

If there is not a free computer, but you can email from your phone, email your paper to
READ@BostonArtsAcademy.org

 



 

**Reminder: it is really best to not wait until the last minute to print something.**

From Ballet to Hip Hop

Published on Feb 29, 2016
The First Lady welcomed young girls to the White House for a workshop with dancing icons from Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Judith Jamison, Debbie Allen, Dance Theater of Harlem, and Fatima Robinson.

Women's History Month

Chai Sheep, and the BAA Library,  is celebrating Women's History Month! The theme of Women's History Month this year is "Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government."

Do you know any women in public service or government? Share stories in the comments.



Here are some good links to read about Women's History Month:

National Women's History Project

Women's History Month

This Is How March Became Women’s History Month

Texas Tech

 



 

We get the job done!

Quick update: the library has a NEW email address! You can reach us at READ@BostonArtsAcademy.org

 

Chai Sheep was listening to Hamilton non-stop during break, so the library team has put together a brand new Hamilton-inspired display! Come on in to check out books written by and about immigrants!

Quick facts:

Alexander Hamilton was born in the West Indies.

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette was born in south central France.

Hamilton lyrics can be found here: Lyrics Link.

 

New Graphic Novels

Chai the Sheep has found some brand new graphic novels. Stop by and see what else we have.

Blind Date with a Book

Valentine's Day is this weekend and what could be better than a blind date with a book? Come by the BAA Library and check out our Blind Date with a Book display.

We ask that you give the book a chance, even if you don't think you'll like it. 1 chapter or 1 day (like going out for coffee)!

Also, our library mascot now has a name! Thank you to everyone who suggested names. We'd like to introduce:

Chai the Sheep!

 

Watch for updates with Chai Sheep about new books, new displays, and other fun things. Maybe Chai will be at the Talent Show on Friday!

Don't forget our February Library Newsletter!

Name our library mascot!

Name our library mascot!

This week (2/1—2/5) stop by the library and add a name to the basket. The library team will select a name from the suggestions and share the winning name on  Monday, Feb 8th!

Our library mascot will help share about new books and also explore BAA and Boston!

 

Ms. Edmonds is reading: Gun, With Occasional Music

 

Ms. Edmonds is currently reading Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem.

How can you not love a book that says,"Tell him next time he wants to talk to me, don't send a marsupial," and means it literally? Gun, With Occasional Music is a dystopian detective story and whether you're in for the dsytopia or in it for the detective story (I am in it for the detective story), it's a great read. Conrad Metcalf is a detective who's last client ends up dead, and it's up to him to find out what really happened. Featuring, as mentioned before, a kangaroo named Joey Castle, a beautiful blonde named Celeste Stanhope and a freely available drugs with names like Forgettol, Acceptol and Regrettol.

 

 

 

Goodreads says:

Gumshoe Conrad Metcalf has problems-there's a rabbit in his waiting room and a trigger-happy kangaroo on his tail. Near-future Oakland is a brave new world where evolved animals are members of society, the police monitor citizens by their karma levels, and mind-numbing drugs such as Forgettol and Acceptol are all the rage.
Metcalf has been shadowing Celeste, the wife of an affluent doctor. Perhaps he's falling a little in love with her at the same time. When the doctor turns up dead, our amiable investigator finds himself caught in a crossfire between the boys from the Inquisitor's Office and gangsters who operate out of the back room of a bar called the Fickle Muse.
Mixing elements of sci-fi, noir, and mystery, this clever first novel from the author of Motherless Brooklyn is a wry, funny, and satiric look at all that the future may hold.

 

Mr. Singleton is Reading: If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home

In If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, Tim O'Brien writes about his life as a U.S. combat soldier in Vietnam. The book shows how awful and mistaken the war was; how much suffering it caused the Vietnamese people, and how damaging it was for U.S. soldiers.

It's a good book to read in combination with Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, and Ambrose Bierce's writing about the U.S. Civil War.

This kind of writing reminds me of what photographer Lisette Model said about her photographs of people: "The more specific you are, the more general you are." When we get to look in detail at one person's experiences, we can engage with a situation emotionally, and later, think about how that tragedy was repeated millions of times.

 GoodReads says:

Before writing his award-winning Going After Cacciato, Tim O'Brien gave us this intensely personal account of his year as a foot soldier in Vietnam. The author takes us with him to experience combat from behind an infantryman's rifle, to walk the minefields of My Lai, to crawl into the ghostly tunnels, and to explore the ambiguities of manhood and morality in a war gone terribly wrong. Beautifully written and searingly heartfelt, If I Die in a Combat Zone is a masterwork of its genre.

 

 

 

*quick note from Ms. D* If you liked The Things They Carried, try this book too. Also, read Slaughterhouse Five, it might change your world.

David Bowie and Alan Rickman

[caption id="attachment_778" align="alignnone" width="300"] David Bowie 8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_779" align="alignnone" width="230"] Alan Rickman 21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016[/caption]

 

Thank you.

Ms. Botnen is reading: The Summer Prince

Ms. Botnen is currently reading Alaya Dawn Johnson's The Summer Prince.

Ms. Botnen says:

The Summer Prince is set in Palmares Três--the glittering pyramid city in post-apocalyptic Brazil. June is an artist. She's working to elect Enki as Summer King alongside her best friend Gil. I'm enjoying this book so much! It's rare to find dystopian books with non-white leads that are not set in America. Although I occasionally have to look up the Spanish based words in the text, I love the atmosphere and characters so much that I'm willing to work to figure it out. Fans of The Hunger Games or The Darkest Minds should enjoy this book!

Goodreads (click to read more!) says:

 A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that's sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June's best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Come to the library to check out your own copy of this book! We'd love to hear what students are reading. Come to the library to find out how to submit your own currently reading post!