Book of the Week: Formerly Shark Girl

This post brought to you by student blogger Naiya. 

Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

"God has plans for you," is one thing Jane Arrowood, 17, heard a lot once she recovered from a shark attack. That attack took her right arm, her dominant hand. Jane decided to take nursing classes to help people in situations like hers. Jane is an artist. Learning to paint with a new hand is hard, but for a perfectionist like Jane, it is harder and very frustrating. Jane being a senior in high school, needs to decide where to go to college. The four schools she sent applications to all accepted her, but she can't decide between art college or nursing school. 

I really like this book. The author adds a lot of good detail that makes you want to read more. Jane's story is very relatable. I love this book, and I think you will love it too. 

Book of the Week: Hatchet

This post brought to you by student blogger Julian. 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet is a great book for you if you love survival. Thirteen year old Brian Robeson is going on a flight to see his dad. There is no one else in the plane besides Brian and the pilot. The pilot teaches Brian a couple things about flying a plane, but not many. The pilot has a sudden heart attack and dies. Brian is stuck in the plane by himself. He has no other choice but to try and fly the plane. He runs the plane until it runs out of fuel. His plan is to land it in a lake. He somehow manages to do it and survive. Now he has to survive in the woods until someone comes to rescue him, which might never happen. Will he survive? Read this book to find out. 

Lower Campus Holiday Cheer

Our lower campus library is decorated for the holidays! Our tree was donated by a Carondelet family and we are so grateful for it. It puts the library in the holiday spirit. Students have been having a wonderful time reading by the tree and enjoying the lights. Library Day is a favorite of many lower campus students. It's a great chance to read and relax!

Book of the Week: One for the Murphys

This post brought to you by student blogger Mae. 

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Have you ever been in a situation where you wish you could completely change it? Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to do but ended up enjoying it? That is exactly what has happened to Carley Conners. Carley is a twelve year old girl growing up in Las Vegas with her amazing, funny, loving mother. But when an incident occurs where her mother betrays her for someone else, Carley's world gets thrown upside down. She lands in a foster home with a sweet couple and their three little boys. Immediately, Carley hates it and wants to go back home with her mom. Will Carley eventually fit in and feel like she's at home? Or is this how her new life will treat her? Find out and read One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Barnes and Noble Book Fair

Last weekend we had our book fair at Barnes and Noble. It's always a lot of fun. The book fair is our biggest fundraiser for the library. When families from our school come shopping at Barnes and Noble that weekend, we earn money that can be used toward new library books! Staff come to the store as guest readers and it's a great opportunity for them to see their students outside of school. Online sales are still being calculated, but it sounds as though the in-store book fair was better than ever! I look forward to being able to buy new books for the library. 

Mrs. McSweeney reads to a big crowd at the Storytime area at the book fair. 

A field trip to the Wilson Library

This week, the 8th graders and I (along with social studies teacher Ms. Hardy and secretary Derek from the office) traveled to the Wilson Library at the U of M. Students worked on research for History Day using the Wilson Library's collection of primary and secondary source books, journals, and documents. The call numbers at Wilson were detailed and confusing, but all students were able to find at least a couple books on their topic. Some students even got a chance to use the microfilms and government documents! Students also got the chance to learn how to request items via Interlibrary Loan, how to make photocopies of their research, how to do citations for government documents, and so much more. It was like getting a chance to be a college student for the day. It was a great research field trip!

Book of the Week: The Selection

This post brought to you by student blogger Margaret. 

 The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection is the best book of the century! It's about a girl named America who lives in a low social caste. She applies for a competition between other girls to become the bride of Prince Maxon. She doesn't think she'll be chosen for the competition, but to her surprise, she is. Read to find out if she becomes queen or stays with her boyfriend in the lower caste.