Did you know that many classic books are available to read on your computer or ebook device for free? In my recent post on the upcoming Oz movie I shared links for all of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. The links I gave are from Project Gutenberg. This might be really useful for those Language Arts classes in High School!

I just read a really interesting article and thought I would share. The weather lately has not been very conducive to playing outside and getting some fresh air, and it can become very easy to slip into spending too much time attached to our media devices. I can see this happening not just with kids, but also with the adults in their lives. Edutopia has a good article, Creating a Family Media Agreement, How to Have the Conversation. The article suggests having a family conversation about balancing media use with other activities in our lives. It is still early in the year and a good time to stop and reflect on balancing the activities in our lives. I highly recommend reading this article!

"Just Google it," is something we think, hear or say often. What does that actually look like? Google just opened a site to give us a view of their inner workings. Take a trip through the world of Google's Data Center!

NOTE: I had a bit of trouble getting the player to download for my Mac. I suggest you go to the Overdrive web page to download the player if you have any trouble. Please email me if you have a problem!

SYNC YA Literature into Your Earphones

2 Free Audiobook Downloads Each Week
June 14 - August 22, 2012

Teens and other readers of Young Adult Literature will have the opportunity to listen to bestselling titles and required reading classics this summer.   Each week  from June 14 - August 22, 2012, SYNC will offer two free audiobook downloads.

The audiobook pairings will include a popular YA title and a classic that connects with the YA title's theme and is likely to show up on a student's summer reading lists.  For example, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first book in a new series about a girl who opens a door to two otherworldly cities at war, will be paired with Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities.

To find out when you can download titles to listen to on the run this summer, visit www.AudiobookSync.com or text syncya to 25827.  

SYNC Titles
Summer 2012

06/14/12-06/20/12
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, Read by Dan Bittner (Scholastic Audiobooks)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Frank Galati [Adapt.], Read by Shirley Knight, Jeffrey Donovan, and a Full Cast (L.A. Theatre Works)

06/21/12-06/27/12
Irises by Francisco X. Stork, Read by Carrington MacDuffie (Listening Library)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Read by Wanda McCaddon (Tantor Media)

06/28/12-07/04/12
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, Read by Simon Jones
(Listening Library)
Tales from the Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang, Read by Toby Stephens
(Naxos AudioBooks)

07/05/12-07/11/12
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Read by August Ross (AudioGO)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Read by Ian Holm (AudioGO)

07/12/12-07/18/12
Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka [Ed.] et al., Read by Michael Boatman, Kate DiCamillo, John Keating, Jon Scieszka, Bronson Pinchot (Harper Audio)
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories by Mark Twain, Read by Norman Dietz (Recorded Books)

07/19/12-07/25/12
Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter, Read by Kirsten Potter (Oasis Audio)
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, Read by a Full Cast (AudioGO)

07/26/12-08/01/12
Pinned by Alfred C. Martino, Read by Mark Shanahan (Listen & Live Audio)
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (Brilliance Audio)

08/02/12-08/08/12
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Read by Khristine Hvam (Hachette Audio)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Read by Simon Prebble (Blackstone Audio)

08/09/12-08/15/12
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Read by Rupert Degas (Harper Audio)
Dead Men Kill by L. Ron Hubbard, Read by Jennifer Aspen and a Full Cast
(Galaxy Press)

08/16/12-08/22/12
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, Read by Jay Laga'aia (Bolinda Audio)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Read by William Roberts (Naxos AudioBooks)

   The company that we use for our Library Catalog is making some major upgrades in our catalog and we are starting to see some of the new features already. One of the features that I am really excited about is being able to add book trailers to the catalog records. Book trailers function just like movie trailers, they give the viewer a preview of the story. There are a wide range of book trailers available and I hope that they will encourage students to try some new books. Another feature that is available is that students can request a book in the library, either one that is on the shelf or one that is checked out. The student is not required to submit an email address, but a message is sent to my email so I can either find the book on the shelf and get it to the student or put a "Reserve" on the book so the student can get the book when it is returned.

  Please remember to check the library catalog any time you have research to do. I try to purchase books to support the curriculum as well as to encourage the love of reading. Make us your one stop book shop!

Check out James Patterson's website for his new book, Middle School : the worst years of my life. Read 20 chapters free, sample audiobook!

Welcome to the New Year! It has been a cold, snowy month so far, a good time to curl up and read. I wanted to let you know that I have started a page on all things "ebook" on the next page over. I just got a Kindle and I thought I would share my exploration into the ebook world with you.

Books are flying off the shelves as 4th Grade is digging into their author studies. Our mobile lab is getting a workout as well as 7th and 8th Grade Spanish classes complete their research. 6th Grade students have finished their research on scientists and have started working on their Powerpoint presentations. The mobile labs are living up to their name by rotating between bottom floor rooms for the students to work. It has been gratifying to see how easily the students are transitioning between PCs and Macs and the different versions of Microsoft Office that we use.

Are you looking for something new to occupy your family? It might be the perfect time to explore this link to Storyline Online.  Storyline Online is a program of the Screen Actor's Guild Foundation. Many actors that you and your children will recognize read popular children's picture books online. You will also find a downloadable activity guide for the books that you can use for a home story time.  You can also find a link to this on the St. Joseph County Public Library Kids' Place page. Don't forget, while you're on the Kids' Place to try some of their other links, such as the Kids' Place Games page and call Dial-a-Story at 282-4660 to hear a story over the phone 24 hours a day. Merry Christmas!

Our mobile lab of 4 PCs and 4 Macs has really been getting a workout by the Jr. High students. Sixth Grade students have been working on their famous scientist project in the library as well as in the Science & Computer Labs. We generally bring Mr. Cole's mobile lab out to the library when it is available to have enough computers for everyone. Eighth Grade students are working on a project for Mrs. McCollester on Spanish speaking countries and Seventh Grade students have been encouraged to use the lab for their science fair research. 

Getting tired of all the mosquitoes out there? Get your revenge and play Splat those Skeeters!