Book Review: What You Hide

What You Hide – Natalie D. Richards – Sourcebooks Fire – Published 4 December 2018

♥♥♥♥

 

Synopsis

Spencer volunteers at the library. Sure, it’s community service, but he likes his work. Especially if it means getting to see Mallory.

Mallory spends a lot of time keeping her head down. When you’re sixteen and homeless, nothing matters more than being anonymous. But Spencer’s charm makes her want to be noticed.

Then sinister things start happening at the library. Mysterious symbols and terrifying warnings begin to appear, and management grows suspicious. Spencer and Mallory know a homeless teenager makes an easy target, and if they can’t find the real culprit soon, they could lose more than just their safe haven…

My thoughts

What You Hide is one part contemporary, the other part mystery thriller. It is a touching and thought-provoking story of family breakdown and youth homelessness, a coming of age story and a love story rolled into one.

When Mallory’s pregnant mother changes her mind about leaving her controlling and demanding husband (Malloy’s stepfather), Mallory makes the decision to leave by herself. This new plan means that she has nowhere to go. Enrolled in online school, she spends her days at the library and, once her welcome wears out her friend’s home, her nights too. It’s at the library that she meets Spencer. Seemingly living a perfect life, Spencer reveals he is working at the library to serve out his community service sentence and that he is struggling with decisions about the future. But then a body is found in the library and signs show that Mallory isn’t the only one hiding in the library.

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Book Week 2018: Activity Ideas

Book Week 2018 – Activity Ideas

Are you ready to Find Your Treasure? Book Week is the perfect time for engaging people with their library. And this year’s theme offers plenty of ideas for activities.

Treasure Hunt

No surprise that a treasure hunt will head this list. But there are plenty of treasure hunts to choose from.

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Book Week 2018: Display Ideas

Book Week 2018 – Display Ideas

The theme for Book Week 2018 is Find Your Treasure.

The theme offers plenty of inspiration for displays: literary treasures, pirates, Treasure Island, under the sea and treasure hunts.

 

Official Artwork

The official artwork for Book Week 2018 has been released. Created by the talented Anna Walker, these gorgeous images are the perfect inspiration for a display.  As well as free email signatures and social media banners, a range of merchandise is available to purchase.

The beautiful setting of children and animals high up in the treetops is stunning. Our library plans to recreate this scene by turning the library circulation desk into a giant tree. Check out this post for more details.

Under the Sea Display

Looking for sunken treasure? Well, under the sea you go. I have always wanted to hang waves of blue fabric from the ceiling of the library, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. Coral made from pool noodles, seaweed made from plastic table cloths, and a range of sea creatures made by the students in the makerspace. And every library needs their own mermaid. Check out this under the sea party decor from Press Print Party. 

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Display: Library Themes

Term Library Themes and Displays

 I have found that sometimes it can be hard to choose the right display for our library. There are many influences and ideas that I draw upon: regular calendar events, special days, world-wide events, book anniversaries or author birthdays, even school-based events. I first heard about the idea of term themes in discussions on group list emails and then read about the execution of termly library themes in a SCIS Connections article, Termly themes: A year in the school library.
I decided to have a go at it myself. I would need four themes for the four school terms, and they should all integrate, working together to help promote our library and its services. I knew we would be celebrating the CBCA Book Week in the third school term, so I started with that year’s theme, Escape to Everywhere. I then built upon that, testing out other “Escape to….” themes, before settling upon four “e” letter words.

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Ramblings: Genrefication

Genrefication of a library fiction collection

Genrefication is perhaps the new (and yet not that new at all, really) buzzword for libraries. Opinions are divided on the benefit of such a move, and whether this step should apply to fiction or non-fiction collections (Pendergrass, 2013). Library consultants such as Kevin Hennah (Hennah, n.d) advocate for this book-shop model. Others cite the benefits, which range from better data collection on circulation and a visual aid for collection development to increased user engagement with the collection (Sweeney, 2013).

Genrefication actually isn’t that new (Shearer, 1996), but research surrounding its use and impact on readers is now increasing (Moyer, 2005). Moyer’s review of literature surrounding readers’ services found that genrefication can improve circulation, reader satisfaction, and ease of library navigation. However, other researchers found that genrefication may not be needed as technological advancements and provisions of OPACs allow library users to browse and search by genre digitally (Moyer, 2005). More research is needed on this area, and as individual libraries make the move to present their collection by genres more data can be gathered and shared about its benefits and limitations.

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Book Week 2018: Theme Announcement

Book Week 2018

The theme for Book Week 2018 has been announced – Find Your Treasure

Book Week 2018 will run from the 17 to the 24 of August 2018. The official artwork and merchandise will be created by author and illustrator Anna Walker, creator of Florette and Mr Huff.

When responding to and drawing inspiration from the theme, I’m sure I won’t be alone in thinking….. PIRATES!!!!!

But this theme offers so many other possible links. We certainly treasure books and reading. What else do we treasure? Authors. Illustrators. Readers. Libraries. Publishers. Librarians. Teachers.

Treasure can be found in many places. Beneath the sea, under the ground, in treasure hunts, archaeological digs, dragon hordes and memories. Mem Fox’s timeless story of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge and the simple treasures of fond memories springs to mind.

Anna Walker’s stunning artwork for this year’s theme highlights the adventure one might encounter in the search for treasure, high in the treetops. The full range of merchandise can be found on the CBCA website.

What is your inspiration for the 2018 Book Week theme?

Need some ideas for Book Week 2018?

Display Ideas

Activity Ideas

You can also check out my Pinterest board, Library – Book Week, which I will be updating to reflect the 2018 theme.

Book Review: School Libraries and Student Learning

School Libraries and Student Learning: A Guide for School Leaders – Rebecca J. Morris – Harvard Education Press – Published 4 August 2015

♥♥

 

Synopsis

Innovative, well-designed school library programs can be critical resources for helping students meet high standards of college and career readiness. In School Libraries and Student Learning, Rebecca J. Morris shows how school leaders can make the most of their school libraries to support ambitious student learning. She offers practical strategies for collaboration between school leaders, teachers, and librarians to meet schoolwide objectives in literacy, assessment, student engagement, and inquiry-based learning.
Topics include: establishing “makerspaces” and “learning commons” to support student-centered learning; developing a schoolwide focus on literacy across multiple formats and devices; redesigning lesson plans that foster inquiry and critical thinking across classrooms and grade levels; supporting collaboration between teachers and librarians in instruction and assessment; and using the library to strengthen ties between school, family, and community.

My thoughts

As a librarian I am always eager to learn more about the amazing profession I find myself in, how school libraries are changing, and how this should reflect practice. I also love learning about what other school libraries are doing. School Libraries and Student Learning by Rebecca J Morris is a wonderful resource for school librarians and school leaders. It covers a huge range of topics, from the fundamental principles of libraries and librarians, to specialised spaces within the library or learning commons, as well as guides, checklists, and real-life school examples.

School Libraries and Student Learning is written for school leaders. It seeks to highlight the importance of school libraries, school librarians and the way in which these are both integral to an integrated school learning system. There are eight chapters, as well as a school library checklist appendix.

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Book Week 2017: Competition Ideas

Book Week 2017 – Competition Ideas

Book Week is the perfect time to encourage readers to engage with libraries. I have found that running competitions is a great way to connect with students. Here are a few competitions ideas that can also be used to tie in with this year’s theme, Escape To Everywhere.

CBCA Shortlist Winner Guessing Competition

Who will win Book of the Year? The CBCA Shortlist can be found on their website. Every year during Book Week, our library displays the Short-listed books and encourages students to guess which book will win in each category. I simply added a picture of each cover into a Word document to create an entry form. Students circle the book they think will win. Alternatively, you could create a point-counting systems with stickers or counters.

Bookmark Design Competition

Students are encouraged to design a bookmark that ties into the Book Week theme. The winning designs are then reproduced and shared with other readers.

Library Hunt

A literary scavenger hunt. Ten clues are compiled that relate to the Book Week theme, book quote posters and current library displays. Students then hunt around the library to find the answers. Examples of questions for this year include…

  • Complete the quote by J.K Rowling. ““I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very______ can happen when you read a good book.”
  • Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund escape to Narnia through what? ____________________

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Book Review: Lucy’s Book

Lucy’s Book – Natalie Jane Prior, Cheryl Orsini (ill.) – Lothian – Published 28 February 2017

♥♥♥♥♥

 

Synopsis

LUCY’S BOOK captures that special connection between a child and their favourite book, as well as celebrating the way sharing stories can bring people together.

Lucy’s mum takes her to the library every Saturday. Lucy loves to read, but there is one special book that she borrows over and over again. The book is shared between friends, dropped in the ocean, flown to China and even made into a banana sandwich. But what will happen when everyone’s favourite book goes missing?

My thoughts

Lucy’s Book is a charming and delightful story that perfectly captures that magic moment when a book and a person first meet and change each other forever.

When the librarian hands Lucy a book and says “I think you’ll enjoy this one,” she couldn’t predict what would happen next. It becomes Lucy’s book. Her favourite. The book she wants to reread a hundred times. Lucy borrows it many times, shares it with her friends, takes it on holidays, and then discovers it has been removed from the library shelves. Desperate, Lucy begins a search to find her book.

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Book Week 2017: Activity Ideas

Book Week 2017 – Activity Ideas

Book Week is such an exciting time for celebrating books, libraries and readers. Here are a few ideas for Book Week activities, fitting in with this year’s theme Escape To Everywhere.

Escape Room

Have you ever been locked in a room with a group of people and given clues to help you escape? Sounds fun. LibraryLady Nicole has provided a detailed manual for an escape room, which she used in her own library. Her Escape Room Manual, provided in PDF form, is seriously epic, so look no further if you are interested in creating your own escape room.

Escape From the Library Game

mr-lemoncelloBased on Chris Grabenstein’s book Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library this library Scavenger Hunt has been created by several librarians and Chris Grabenstein himself. lemoncello-spinner-300Access the instructions from Chris Grabenstein’s website.

narnia-posterTravel Posters

Design a travel poster to your favourite fictional escape. These beautiful examples listed on Buzz Feed will provide some inspiration.

Postcards from Far Away

the-day-the-crayons-came-homeJust like the crayons in The Day The Crayons Came Home written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, write a postcard from your favourite getaway destination.

Escape Reality Poster

What is your ideal escape? Take a photo and edit in your escape. Photoshop skills required. I’m still working out the details for this comp, but I’m sure our senior students will love to have a play with this.
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