NEW on OverDrive!

HUGE thanks to the Hillview PTO! Between the Book Fair profits and a last-minute donation, we were able to add 79 eBooks and 71 audiobooks to our OverDrive digital library this week! Some highlights:

• The Teen Collection grew by 7 audiobooks (including Half Bad and Warrior’s Heart) and 18 eBooks (including The Hate U Give and Empress of a Thousand Skies).
• All Harry Potter audiobooks now available!
• 8 new nonfiction eBooks including Superman vs. The Ku Klux Klan and I Am Malala.
• Student requests like The Inheritance Cycle, The Land of Stories and Erin Hunter’s Warriors.
• Family friendly audiobooks like The Graveyard Book, Evil Wizard Smallbone, and Ms. Bixby’s Last Day

 

Thanks to everyone for your generosity in supporting the Hillview library. Now grab your device (kindle? tablet? laptop or MP3 player?) and discover some amazing new books!  (Contact Ms. Piombo and Mrs. Mathenia for your ID # or help downloading.)

Happy summer reading … AND listening!

The Hillview library building may be closing for the summer, but our digital collection is getting a refresh thanks to the wild success of our annual Books Inc book fair and the generosity of the PTO, which is letting us use the profits for our collection!

Most of the books from our summer reading lists are available on OverDrive. (You’ll find the lists under the “Reading” tab above.) Other books by the authors on the list will count as well. Outgoing 8th graders keep their OverDrive accounts through the beginning of the school year (we only kick them out when we add the new sixth graders!)

One tricky thing is that your OverDrive ID is NOT the number on your ID card. (I know, that would make too much sense! We’re working on it for next year!) Contact Ms. Piombo AND Mrs. Mathenia if you need yours and one of us will get back to you. You’ll find more info on how to access OverDrive under the “Reading” tab above.

Back in November I posted about family audiobooks – they are great for those long summer car trips or even just long summer afternoons at home. Watch this space to hear more about our new audiobooks!

And we’d love to get your feedback on what digital content to add next!

OverDrive Survey

Thanks to the success of the book fair and the generosity of the PTO, we have some funds that we can now use to add more great content to our OverDrive digital collection! (That means, more eBooks and Audiobooks!) Students, please take this survey so we can add stuff that you actually want to read or listen to. 🙂

Know that not everything is available on OD. Some books and audiobooks are also very expensive, BUT if a bunch of students request a specific book, we’ll do our best to get it here!

Battle of Books winner is Midnight Star!

If you love The Young Elites series, YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) offers this excellent list of books to read next.

What’s going on?

We had a TIE in The Battle of the Books! It’s now down to The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Midnight Star.  Cast your vote by Monday May 8.

Summer Reading Book Fair – We’re hiring for our Student Crew! The Fair runs May 22 – May 25. Applications are due Monday, May 8. Great opportunity for 6th graders!

8th graders interested in speaking at graduation: Be sure to sign up for the google classroom. Keep up with the checklist and explore the site for tips on how to write an excellent speech. See Ms. Piombo or your ELA teacher for help!

Awesome authors this week at Keplers! Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham will be there this Tuesday, and Scott Westerfeld this Wednesday!

Don’t miss the Powerhouse Panel this Thursday at Books Inc. in Burlingame, featuring Margaret Stohl, Ally Condie, Soman Chainani, and Brendan Reichs

Battle of the Books – Final Round!

You have one week to determine the winner of this EPIC battle. Did Luna drink enough moonlight to conquer Lady Midnight? Or will the sweet-tart confection of the Candymakers rise above the competition? Vote here!

Battle of the Books – Finalists and Undead Round!

In a week, we’ll start voting on the final round of the Battle of the Books! So far, The Girl Who Drank the Moon will be competing against The Candymakers.  But if you were upset that your favorite book didn’t make it, you still have ONE more chance! Vote here for the chance to resurrect a book from the dead and bring it to the final round. You get two votes – you can spread them around or vote twice for the same book. Undead winners will be announced next Monday!

Battle of the Books – Round 3!

New! You may vote even if you haven’t read both books in the brackets!  Go to www.tinyurl.com/battlebooks3

Battle of the Books – Round 1!

The polls are open! Vote here.

• You must be logged in to your MPCSD account to vote.
• You may only vote in brackets where you’ve read both books.
• You may vote in as many or as few brackets as you are eligible for.
• You may edit your vote. (So, you could vote now so you don’t forget, and go back and edit if you read another book this week!)
• Polls close at midnight on Friday, March 10.

Next week we’ll pit the winners against each other! Who will make it to the second round? YOU get to help decide!

Stay tuned for the Undead vote, where you get to help resurrect one of the losers from the dead to compete in the final round!

And the winner is…

It could be you! The Society of Young Inklings is hosting their annual Inklings Book Contest.  Winners will get to work with a writing mentor to polish their entry, which will be published in a BOOK! And you get to do a reading at Hicklebees book store. It’s a wonderful growth experience for anyone who likes to write – my daughter was a winner last year and got so much out of it. Even if you don’t win, you get a personalized, positive critique letter. Let me know if you’d like help editing your piece or entering the contest – I’m really hoping for some Hillview participation this year!

Award season is upon us, but for librarians it’s all about the ALA Youth Media Awards! Click here for a quick list of the winners and links to reviews. This year’s Newbery winner is Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The graphic novel March: Book Three, by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell, won a bunch of awards, including the Printz, the Coretta Scott King, and YALSA’s Nonfiction award. And Hillview favorite The Sun is Also a Star earned author Nicola Yoon a Coretta Scott King New Talent award, among other honors. We’ve ordered copies of the award books, often in print AND on OverDrive, and have a display for you to check out!