Library Picker (12.17.2010)
This week we pick HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, THE WAGER, PICTURE THE DEAD, ICECORE, & NICK OF TIME. Have a great winter break!
Library Picker (12.10.2010)
This week we pick CROSSING, THE RIVALRY, NARNIA, LIVVIE OWEN LIVED HERE, X ISLE, & some gooey butter cake.
Library Picker (12.3.2010)
This week we pick some books from the School Library Journal's "Best of 2010" list and take a trip off campus to promote the MICDS book fair.
7th Period Panorama
In the library 7th period... Leonard & Johnson 7th grade classes, Jacobi 8th grade class.
Thanksgiving Concert
Some images from our Thanksgiving Concert... Great job, vocal Rams! The place was packed. More pictures coming soon.
Annual Turkey Train
From our annual "Turkey Train" event this morning... A panoramic view of the all-school assembly and the story that aired live on Fox 2 news...
Library Picker
This week we pick VULTURE'S WAKE, EPITAPH ROAD, THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA, HERO, REVOLUTION, GEEKTASTIC & (apparently) some siamese cats.
First Period Library Panorama
A link to this photo is also available by clicking on our Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook icons at the top of the page.
Library Picker (11.12.2010)
This week we pick THEJULIANGAME, HALF-BROTHER, THE SEARCH FOR WONDLA, FISH, THE DREAMER, & INVISIBLE CITY.
Library Picker (11.05.2010)
In this week's episode, we pick THE SELECTED WORKS OF T.S. SPIVET, THE OWL KEEPER, THE RED UMBRELLA, TRASH, & BOOST.
Library Picker (Halloween Edition)
In this episode we pick WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE, MUSEUM OF THIEVES, TALES OF DEATH & DEMENTIA, I AM LEGEND, and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK audio. Plus a plug for NaNoWriMo!
Write Your Own Novel... Be an MICDS NaNo!
Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? Messing Library will be hosting a month-long writing club for those of you that have great stories to tell! Here's some info...
WHO: Anyone who is bursting with creative energy. You don't even have to like writing. This is the time & place to tell a story, without worrying about crazy things like "spelling" or "grammar." Your story doesn't even have to make sense!
WHAT: One month of reckless, literary abandon... The goal is to write an entire novel in 30 days. You decide how long a "novel" is by setting your own word-count goal and challenging yourself to meet it.
WHERE: Anywhere you want! The library's virtual NaNo Classroom can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
WHEN: November! You set your own pace and write when you can. Worried about exams? Wait until they're over to start writing and set a lower word-count goal for youself... but sign up through the library now!
WHY: Because you've got a story inside of you. It might be weird, but it's a good one. And not having to worry about spelling or grammar is a plus, don't you think? Just keep writing... and make things up as you go along!
HOW: Tell us you might be interested in one of three ways & we'll contact you next week with details. You can...
(1) sign-up on the sheet outside the office...
(2) email Mr. DiGiulio... or...
(3) stop by the library and ask about NaNoWriMo
Interested in learning more? Here's a short video from the folks over at ywp.nanowrimo.org ...
WHAT: One month of reckless, literary abandon... The goal is to write an entire novel in 30 days. You decide how long a "novel" is by setting your own word-count goal and challenging yourself to meet it.
WHERE: Anywhere you want! The library's virtual NaNo Classroom can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
WHEN: November! You set your own pace and write when you can. Worried about exams? Wait until they're over to start writing and set a lower word-count goal for youself... but sign up through the library now!
WHY: Because you've got a story inside of you. It might be weird, but it's a good one. And not having to worry about spelling or grammar is a plus, don't you think? Just keep writing... and make things up as you go along!
HOW: Tell us you might be interested in one of three ways & we'll contact you next week with details. You can...
(1) sign-up on the sheet outside the office...
(2) email Mr. DiGiulio... or...
(3) stop by the library and ask about NaNoWriMo
Interested in learning more? Here's a short video from the folks over at ywp.nanowrimo.org ...
Library Picker
In this week's episode, we pick REVOLVER, THREE RIVERS RISING, THE REPLACEMENT, NINTH WARD, a bunch of John Bellairs books, and WORLDSHAKER.
Library Picker
In this week's episode, we pick Milo, The Monstrumologist, The Grimm Legacy, I Am Number Four, and Wicked Girls.
THE TILTING HOUSE
BOOK REVIEW | This book was not quite what I was expecting... but sometimes that's a good thing.
What was I expecting? Spooky house kind of story. With ghosts and stuff. And maybe some dead bodies.
What did I get? The house was more strange than spooky, but I like strange. No ghosts, but there were talking rats. And who doesn't like talking rats? And there was a body involved...
So maybe Tom Llewellyn's The Tilting House wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I decided to stick with it, and I'm glad I did. There were definitely some spooky elements, but there was also some great, unexpected humor involved in this story about a family who moves into a house where the crazy scribblings of the previous owner cover the walls. Oh, and all the floors tilt exactly 3 degrees.
This is really a story about a couple of brothers exploring their new house and the adventures that come with finding new spaces, new friends, and new enemies. There a crazy old guy across the street that hates kids and steals toys... A couple of undertakers who seem to know when people are going to die... A switch that makes the house invisible... and an attic that holds all kinds of secrets, including a family of surly rats that can talk.
Try this one out if you're in the mood for something a little different. It could fit into almost any of our genres, but you'll find it in our Action & Suspense section right now. Here's the (very cool) trailer:
What was I expecting? Spooky house kind of story. With ghosts and stuff. And maybe some dead bodies.
So maybe Tom Llewellyn's The Tilting House wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I decided to stick with it, and I'm glad I did. There were definitely some spooky elements, but there was also some great, unexpected humor involved in this story about a family who moves into a house where the crazy scribblings of the previous owner cover the walls. Oh, and all the floors tilt exactly 3 degrees.
This is really a story about a couple of brothers exploring their new house and the adventures that come with finding new spaces, new friends, and new enemies. There a crazy old guy across the street that hates kids and steals toys... A couple of undertakers who seem to know when people are going to die... A switch that makes the house invisible... and an attic that holds all kinds of secrets, including a family of surly rats that can talk.
Try this one out if you're in the mood for something a little different. It could fit into almost any of our genres, but you'll find it in our Action & Suspense section right now. Here's the (very cool) trailer:
Pedal The Cause
Quote from a recent news story on KSDK.com:
CLICK TO: Read the Full Story | Join Blake's Team
"What can I do? That's the typical reaction when you hear a friend is facing a serious illness. Some students just beginning high school recently found a unique way to help a sick friend... "
CLICK TO: Read the Full Story | Join Blake's Team
Library Picker
This week we pick Charles and Emma, The Book of Dead Days, Emil and Karl, Here Lies Arthur, Closed for the Season, and Scary Stories. Oh... and some cookies.
2010 Library Trailer
A video walk through of the spaces and resources available from Messing Library...
THE ENEMY
BOOK REVIEW | Everyone over the age of 16 has died in this alternate-future version of London... well, not everyone's died. Some adults just got really sick, then turned into kid-eating zombies.
You read that correctly: kid-eating zombies. But this isn't your run-of-the-mill zombie story. Think LORD OF THE FLIES meets MAZE RUNNER. See, groups of kids are holed-up in various locations (supermarket, castles, abandoned houses, etc.), living together and fending off attacks by "grown ups." When word comes that there's a safe place in the center of London, two opposing groups join forces for the journey through the city. Along the way they battle ravenous adults, mutated animals, and scheming kids. And when they arrive at the place that was supposed to be safe, they may have more problems than they do solutions.This one is definitely a little gory, but it's a great read for people who like dystopian, "what if" kind of scenarios where teens play the main roles. And the gritty cover with black-edged pages is pretty cool. TitlePeek here. Author Charlie Higson has several books in the library, including his Young Bond series!
Library Picker (09.30.2010)
A weekly episode where we "pick" around the library shelves... looking for great, worn-in, but valuable finds. In this week's episode, we find Mortal Engines, Freak the Mighty, The Ghost of Lost Island, Murder at Midnight, The Arrival, & Runner.
Library Picker (09.23.2010)
In this week's episode of "Library Picker" we find Born to Fly, Rift, Little Brother, Maniac Magee, and The Water Mirror.
Research Tips: GI Paper #1
6 1/2 minute video with tips for researching your first GI paper! Gives ideas for finding print resources in the library and on our databases.
Library Picker (beta)
Here's a look at something we're trying out... "Library Picker" ... A weekly video where we do some "picking" amongst the library shelves, looking for older or less-publicized new(ish) books that are great reads. Tune in every Wednesday night or Thursday morning (we haven't decided which yet) for new episodes during the school year!
Rick Riordan Tickets Now Available!
Hey MICDS Middle Schoolers! We're told that tickets to author Rick Riordan's event in the MAC at MICDS on October 14th are now available in the MICDS Business Office, which is near the bookstore in Olson Hall. Just ask for Ms. Hancock. Looks like there's a limit of 4 per family. Tickets are also available at various library locations around St. Louis. Read part of the St. Louis County Library's press release below for more information...
"The St. Louis County Library’s event with Rick Riordan in 2009 attracted over 1,600 young readers and was the largest event in Library history! We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Riordan will be returning to St. Louis for an even bigger and better event in 2010. And this year, the Library will host the event in the McDonnell Athletic Center at MICDS (Mary Institute and Country Day School) so that over 2000+ fans will definitely get to hear Mr. Riordan speak and have their books signed!... " (click here for full story)
New Arrivals Video (beta)
Here's a little something we're trying out... A video view of new arrivals in the library and a look at some of the stuff we've recently ordered...
BLACK DUCK
BOOK REVIEW | Great beginning to this book... An interview, a beach, and a dead body. From the book jacket:
This one's a good read, a gritty piece of suspense fiction that takes place on the Prohibition-era shores of a small Rhode Island town. Two best friends, one the son of the police chief and one whose father is the manager of the local general store, find the body of a notorious rumrunner abandoned on the beach, and the mystery unfolds from there. Who killed this guy? Why? Pay close attention and you'll catch the hints the author leaves for you. Along the way you'll meet an old fisherman living in a shack, mobsters from New York and Boston, a couple of dogs you wouldn't want to mess with, and the captain of a rumrunning ship that has a Robin Hood-type reputation amongst the locals.
You'll find this one in our Historical Fiction section, but it would be just as easily at home in our Action & Suspense section. Enjoy!
What happened next that spring afternoon is something I know Jeddy remembers. I can see us standing there, two raw-boned boys beside the bootleg crate, seagulls wheeling overhead, making dives on a tidal pool up the beach from us. Almost as an afterthought we wandered toward this pool, not expecting to see anything. It came into view with no more drama than if it had been a sodden piece of driftwood lying on the sand: a naked human leg.
This one's a good read, a gritty piece of suspense fiction that takes place on the Prohibition-era shores of a small Rhode Island town. Two best friends, one the son of the police chief and one whose father is the manager of the local general store, find the body of a notorious rumrunner abandoned on the beach, and the mystery unfolds from there. Who killed this guy? Why? Pay close attention and you'll catch the hints the author leaves for you. Along the way you'll meet an old fisherman living in a shack, mobsters from New York and Boston, a couple of dogs you wouldn't want to mess with, and the captain of a rumrunning ship that has a Robin Hood-type reputation amongst the locals.
You'll find this one in our Historical Fiction section, but it would be just as easily at home in our Action & Suspense section. Enjoy!
PIRATE LATITUDES
BOOK REVIEW | Everyone loves pirate stories. Pirates are smart. They're dangerous. They wear funny hats. I mean, we've all read Treasure Island, right?
No?Seriously?
Okay, go read it. Now.
I'll wait.
See, Pirate Latitudes is a great adventure story like Treasure Island, but the language is more modern, so it's all adventure from start to finish; no getting used to writing from the early 1880s. This story is about a privateer in a British colony taking on an enormous Spanish garrison on a fortified island in the Caribbean. One little ship with a handful of men with a crazy plan to invade an island guarded by hundreds of soldiers in order to steal a pirate ship laden with a huge treasure.
If you like action & adventure, give this one a try, even if you're not that into pirates. Pirate Latitudes was found in Michael Crichton's files and published one year after his death. This is the guy that wrote books like Jurassic Park (once a required book for 8th grade English!) and The Andromeda Strain, and produced the hit TV show "ER." All these books are available in the library. And you can visit our YouTube "Book Trailers" playlist to find the trailer for Pirate Latitudes. Arrrrrr!
p.s... Book Trailers? Yes, please.
We love book trailers. And now you can too. We've posted a link to "official book trailers" on our site beneath the "Class Stuff" sidebar. There are a ton of book trailers out there... the ones we've included on that YouTube playlist are made by the publishing company or the authors themselves, not fans. We'll keep updating it with fresh trailers when we come across them!
Here are a few of our recent favorites:
Here are a few of our recent favorites:
MICDS Bus Fire News Story
Story from Fox 2 News about the bus fire that a few 7th grade advisories had to deal with on their way to TON camp!
MOCKINGJAY
BOOK TRAILER | To reserve an early space in line to borrow a library copy of MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins, send an email from your FirstClass account to Mr. DiGiulio with the word "mockingjay" in the subject line. You'll be notified when there's a copy ready for you!
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