Member: KhabeleMiddleSchool

NEWS FOR DECEMBER 11: END OF FIRST SEMESTER
From Betty Dingus

Audiobooks are now in the library! Some on CDs, some on cassettes. The MP3 players will be loaded next quarter. Look for the Tag "audiobook" here in LibraryThing to find what we have for you to listen to. They're located in Marisa's classroom, for now. Next quarter the new Khabele library will be opening up and the collection will be moved around to let the high schoolers in on the action.

I dove in and read a lot of new books this semester. Here's what I read from your library. They're in ABC order with asterisks by the ones I especially enjoyed. If anybody else wants to post their Best of 2008 Books (like the rest of the Internet), then feel free. I hope you'll take some chances on some books next term!

13: Thirteen Stories that Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen edited by James Howe
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb *
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie *
Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Be More Chill (audiobook) by Ned Vizzini
The Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts
Blankets by Craig Thompson *
Boot Camp by Todd Strasser
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! by M.E. Kerr
Godless by Pete Hautman
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
How I Live Now by Peg Rosoff
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever? by M.E. Kerr
King Dork by Frank Portman
Leap Day by Wendy Mass
LionBoy (audiobook) by Zizou Corder *
LionBoy: The Chase (audiobook) by Zizou Corder
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Marley and Me (audiobook) by John Grogan *
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
Naked (audiobook) by David Sedaris
Never Mind!: A Twin Novel by Avi
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Orwell's Luck by Richard W. Jennings
Paper Towns by John Green
The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld *
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and ¾ by Sue Townsend *
The Shack by William P. Young
Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Specials by Scott Westerfeld *
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Tweak by Nic Sheff
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
What Happened to Cass MacBride? by Gail Giles
What Hearts by Bruce Brooks
The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty *

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 12:48 pm (EST) on Dec 12, 2008

NEWS FOR DEC. 2, 2008

Betty Dingus here with some updates:

I'm really enjoying the reviews you all are posting . . . keep it up, and don't forget to sign your name!

If you look for books on LibraryThing using the Your Library list view (as opposed to seeing the book covers) you'll see a "Google Books" column in some views. Often it will give you a paragraph or two about the book ("book info") or let you see a good section of the book ("partial view"). Like a whole chapter or more!

The Lounge books fantasy section is now alphabetized and the library sticker is color-coded light blue. So if you're reshelving books, remember that: Blue Sticker = Downstairs Lounge. Also, all the books are now stamped inside "Property of The Khabele School Library," which will make it easier to retrieve them if they get left somewhere off campus. Upstairs we have some new shelves for the Historical Fiction, Non-fiction, Biography, Adventure Series, Chick Lit, and Poetry books. The ones in the hallway are Realistic fiction (continued in Marisa's room); the rest of the genres are all in Marisa's classroom. So don't forget to look in there during lunch or other free time if you are searching for something NEW to read. And I hope you are!

The Book Return bin is in Marisa's room beside the bookshelves, so please use it and don't let your book end up in Lost and Found or just plain Lost.

Keep reading, and don't forget to take some books home for Winter Break!

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 8:07 am (EST) on Dec 3, 2008

Ms. Wall,
I appreciate your leaving a comment in response to mine regarding Owen's review of The Diary of Anne Frank. Due to your thoughtful explanation, I see it in a different light. And as an educator of ninth graders, I do not find Owen's rhetoric atypical, come to think of it. With your guidance, perhaps he is on his way to a really thoughtful exploration of literature; I applaud this very constructive use of LibraryThing.

posted by BriarRose72 at 12:14 am (EST) on Nov 23, 2008

Dear Ms. Wall,

Thanks very much for your considered response to my comments. I can certainly see the value in what you're doing, as far as encouraging your students to engage with an online community, and especially in trying to instill an appreciation of books and reading. I'm glad to hear that the Anne Frank review has sparked some discussions about the Holocaust, too. I think learning and talking about such dark times in the world's history helps to engender a sense of empathy towards others and their suffering. It was the absence of compassion evident in the review that really bothered me. So, I agree, it seems to have been a meaningful learning experience for the students.

I really hope this episode has not put Owen off expressing his opinion publicly. I'm sure he's picked up that although he may be a middle school kid from Texas expressing an opinion, his words can be very powerful once they're broadcast to a wider audience. I would like to see him write so passionately about something he liked! And, I'll certainly keep an eye on your page and comment on some of the other reviews, too.

All the best,

Adrienne

posted by whirled at 5:43 am (EST) on Nov 20, 2008

I can't decide what is more troubling about the review I just read of Anne Frank's diary - the sneering ignorance of the reviewer or the fact that his school felt these sentiments were appropriate for publication. Freedom of speech is one thing, but to suggest that Holocaust victim Anne Frank was indulging in a "pity party" is just offensive.

posted by whirled at 3:27 am (EST) on Nov 18, 2008

I found the review of Anne Frank's diary disturbing, ignorant, and completely inane. Is this person completely uneducated about the Holocaust? Thumbs WAY down.

posted by BriarRose72 at 8:56 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2008

Ms. Wall, thank you for taking the time to explain! I think this is a great way for students to learn to articulate their reactions to books in an effective and appropriate way. Owen is, of course, quite at liberty to dislike the book. It wasn't the negative review that I objected to, but the way in which that opinion was expressed.

Again, thank you for taking the time to explain the situation — you didn't have to do that. I wish you the best of luck in using LT as an educational tool.

Cheers!

~ww

posted by wisewoman at 8:26 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2008

Your review of The Diary of Anne Frank is very offensive. I could not disagree more. I wish there was a thumbs-down button.

posted by wisewoman at 5:12 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2008

KHABELE LIBRARYTHING FAQs
Here are answers to some questions you may have. Select and Print this if you need to. It is in the Library Notebook, also. For more general help go to LibraryThing’s TOOLS tab on the top menu. Look for: Help?
Frequently Asked Questions
Go ahead and take the tour!
Read "A very short introduction to LibraryThing"

Q. ARE ALL THE BOOKS ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SHELVES LISTED IN LIBRARYTHING (aka the card catalog)?
A. They should be. If they are not, please make a note saying “not listed on LibraryThing” on the signout sheet. Or, if you know how, add it to Library Thing yourself (It’s easy: click the tab “Add books”, use the Search box to find it, then just click the correct book in the list that pops up. Everything will be filled in for you automatically).

Q. HOW DO I FIND A BOOK?
A. Look on the shelves. OR for much easier browsing, use LibraryThing:
Click the “Your Library” tab on the top menu.
Then you can browse for books by COVER (just like looking at books on a shelf, but they’re facing you) or by LIST. List styles A-E will give you a little picture of the cover and lots of info on the books. You can SORT the books by these headings (author, title, date, subject, etc.).

Or just use the SEARCH BOX (empty but for a magnifying glass) to search for author, title, tag, etc. Then just click on the cover or title and you’ll find out all about it.

Q. HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT A BOOK I THINK I MIGHT WANT TO READ?
A. A normal Internet search will take you to the author's, publisher's, or even the book's own website. Or you can explore Amazon or another bookseller straight from Library Thing (see the “Buy, borrow, swap or view” box in the upper right side of the screen). Or ask your friends, teachers or parents if they’ve read it.

But you can find lots of information on LibraryThing itself . . .

Look at the “Member tag” cloud on the LibraryThing main page. The bigger the lettering, the more people that Tagged the book that way (war, suicide, China, music, etc.). (Warning, you might see spoilers).

Under that are the Member Reviews – this is where YOUR reviews will show up, too.

The LIST views (A-E) OR the book’s “Details” view (instead of “Main Page”) will also show you any awards the book has won, the date it was originally published, and official descriptive tags that publishers and libraries assign. For Example, for Touching Spirit Bear you see:
Anger › Fiction
Child abuse › Fiction
Forgiveness › Fiction
Indians of North America › Alaska › Fiction
Juvenile delinquents › Rehabilitation › Fiction
Large type books
Tlingit Indians › Fiction
You can click any Tag (here or anywhere on the site) to find more Tlingit books or Forgiveness books; you can even make “Tag Mashes” to find books that are about both Bears AND Fighting, for example, or Magic AND Sports. It’s fun!

Below that is the Common Knowledge section, which YOU can add to (kind of like Wikipedia). Add/find the book’s setting, characters, epigraphs (the little quote at the beginning), etc.

Below that are Other Descriptions, usually Amazon’s.

Also you can join “Conversations” that involve that book.

Looking at the older or alternate Book Covers can be interesting, too.

Q. HOW DO I ADD A REVIEW?
Go to the book’s Page (search for it, then Click on the book cover (then click Work or Info or Social Info) or the book title. You’ll see Main Page, Details, Edit, etc. in the lefthand menu. Choose “Edit book.” You will see an empty box marked “Your Review” all ready for you. (Or you may see another Khabele kids’ review – just add yours above it.) You can type it in directly in or cut-and-paste it from your word processor. When finished, don’t forget to SAVE (green dot with checkmark in it, at top and bottom of page)!

Q. HOW DO I SEE OUR KHABELE COMMUNITY’S REVIEWS?
A. On the “Home” or “Profile” view there is a menu below the main tabs. One of these is “Reviews.” Click on it to see Khabele reviews. You can also Edit reviews you wrote.

Q. HOW DO I SEE ONLY “FANTASY” BOOKS or only Mystery books, or only Graphic Novels, or only Biographies, etc.?
A. To see Genres or Subjects, click on TAGS on the top MENU. You will see the Tags our library used and the number of books with that tag. You can look for books in other libraries using the Search tab on the top menu.

Q. I CAN’T FIND THE BOOK I WANT ON THE SHELVES. I SEE IT ON LIBRARY THING, BUT IT’S NOT ON THE SHELVES!
A. Either
someone has checked it out (check the signout sheets)

OR
you’re not looking on the right shelves – fantasy, sci fi, and graphic novels are downstairs, series and adventure are in Marisa’s room, and realistic fiction books are in the upstairs hallway (in alphabetical order).

OR
you’re wanting a book tagged Lounge (check its TAG), which have been (temporarily?) removed for lack of space. You may request one online and it will be brought to you at school. (Special Order, 1-day delivery!)

OR
it was not put back in the right spot and you may have to scan all the shelves to find it.

OR
The book was judged inappropriate for Middle Schoolers and will be put in the new library in the new building Spring 2009.

Q. HOW DO I KNOW WHICH NUMBER IN A SERIES THIS BOOK IS?
A. Look under tab MAIN PAGE and scroll down to Common Knowledge. Series (with order) is the first thing you’ll see. OR Sometimes it’s indicated in the book title, as in In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness, Book II)

Q. IF I LIKE A BOOK, ARE THERE SUGGESTIONS FOR WHAT TO READ NEXT?
Below the Tag cloud on the book’s Main Page, you’ll find Library Thing Recommendations – click on “more recommendations” for books that have similar Tags or books that people who own this book also have. Or click “anti-recommendations” (they look for books that people who like this book would be expected to have, and if they don’t find it they put it as an unsuggestion!).

Q. WHERE ARE THE AUDIOBOOKS?
A. In Library Thing, click on Tags and then Audiobooks.
On the shelves, they will be in their own section (if not, check beside their printed book). If they are on CDs, ADD them to your iTunes library and return all the discs at once as soon as possible. (Choose the disc title that shows which disk it is, then add them all to the same playlist. If you don’t know how, ask someone.) Then listen to it at your leisure after you’re brought it back, either on your laptop or transfer to your own MP3 player. If they are on TAPES, play them in order and return all when you’re done listening. If they’re on an MP3 PLAYER, try not to lose the player, and return it as soon as possible. Note: Any books that we have in book form will have “Audiobook” noted somewhere on them.

Q. WHAT DOES ZEITGEIST MEAN?
A. The “spirit of the age.” On LibraryThing the “Zeitgeist” tab on the top menu takes you to tons (“firehose, meet mouth”) of statistics and lists about the website. Like which are the most popular books in people’s collections, top authors, most reviewed books, top books by star ratings, and some interesting facts like
50 "completist" authors: Average number of different books held by people who have any books by the author
or
Recommendations (tab) for your library – 479 more books we might want to consider.

Q. HOW DO I SEE THE NEW BOOKS THAT WERE JUST ADDED (NEW ARRIVALS)?

A. Different ways, using different MAIN MENU TABS, as follows:

HOME tab
A section will show the covers of the last 15 books to be added

OR
PROFILE tab
The “Most recent activity” section will show new books (as well as new reviews)

OR
YOUR LIBRARY tab
Click on STYLES “C” in the pink menu bar
Then click on top of the ENTRY DATE column
-If the triangle points down, the books will be arranged by newest to oldest
-If it points up, they will be oldest to newest

Q. CAN I MAKE MY OWN LIBRARY IN LIBRARYTHING?
A. Very easily. Instead of signing in as khabelemiddleschool, sign yourself up (username and password are all you need – you don’t have to give them an email address, even). Then Add Books. If it’s in our school library you can find it at khabelemiddleschool and click “add to yours.” They don’t even have to be books you own – you can tag them as “want to read” or “already read” or whatever you want. Be sure to request khabelemiddleschool as a Friend (top right of every other library’s main screen)!!

Q. WHAT ELSE IS ON LIBRARYTHING?
A. I find something new every time I use it.
Each library’s Profile page has a Tag Cloud and also an Author Tag. For our library, it seems we have a lot of books by Lloyd Alexander, Eoin Colfer, Gary Paulsen, and Scott Westerfeld. You can click on the author’s name to go to their Author Page and see all their books, ratings, tags, links, and even touring schedules.

Each author page has this chart:

You have 1 book by Douglas Adams (see yours)

Members Reviews Rating Favorited Events
57,754 541 (4.11) 715 0

Oh yeah, we can put our Favorite books up. Or make our own Unsuggestions. All kinds of things.

The BookPeople schedule is on our Home Page under “Local Events.”
The Home Page has what’s hot this month, author birthdays, forum discussions, etc.

The Legacy Libraries are cool. These are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the I See Dead People['s Books] group. Want to know what books Tupac Shakur had on his shelves? Or John Kennedy? Or F. Scott Fitzgerald?

The Author Gallery is fun. You can see the authors in our library by clicking “Gallery” on the menu under the Home or Profile tabs. You can guess who the picture is and then mouse over to see if you’re right. Sadly, only 378 of our 937 authors have a photo – but you can add photos if you see the author, say, at a reading or book signing.

Q. HOW DO I DONATE A BOOK?
A. Passing books along is a great habit to learn (says a lifelong book hoarder, until now). There are so many good books to explore that often we never get around to re-reading old ones. Or sometimes we’re so excited by a book that we want to share it with our friends (at Khabele). Remember, you can always check it out again for yourself if you miss it!

To donate, first search Library Thing to make sure we don’t already have it (we don’t have room for duplicates). Also check with your parents to make sure they want to donate the book, not just lend it temporarily. Have them put a note on the book(s) that they are donating it, and leave it with Marisa. You can now proudly fill out a DONATED BY . . . sticker for the inside cover.

Q. I CAN’T ABIDE BOOK COVERS. . . CAN I TAKE THEM OFF?
A. If you absolutely must remove the dust jacket, carefully cut the tape if it’s taped onto the book, and place the cover in the box in Marisa’s room. Remember to put the book cover back on the naked book when you return it.

Q. THE BOOK I CHECKED OUT SOMEHOW GOT DAMAGED. . .
A. At least Damaged is better than Lost. It’s hard to keep a book pristine. I myself even got some clown makeup on a book when I was reading by flashlight in the car on a bumpy road on Halloween night. It just happens.) We have special library tape to repair any tears or spinal problems. Water damage is not repairable and we will either just live with it ☹ or ask for a small donation to get a fresh copy. With a few exceptions, most of these books are easily replaced (because they’re popular . . . because they’re so good!) (P.S. If you have a new puppy in your house or a naughty cat, be extra careful.)

Q. MY MOM/DAD/FRIEND LOST MY BOOK.
A. Confess to Marisa. If it is at your Aunt Bundy’s house and you will retrieve it in two weeks when you take her some cookies, you might be allowed to check out another book right away. Otherwise we may wait to see if it turns up. Check your locker, backpack, any schoolrooms you use, your room your home(s), under the car seats, and ask your parents if they’ve seen it (it should have the little Library Logo (the “Ped reading a book” symbol) sticker on it). If it’s gone forever, tell Marissa. And please, be more careful next time!

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 3:27 pm (EST) on Nov 7, 2008

HEY GUYS! LEAVE US A COMMENT!!!

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 8:18 pm (EST) on Nov 6, 2008

Main GUIDEBOOK I used to select the library:
The Ultimate Teen Book Guide
Originally written for British readers, they updated it and changed it for American tastes. Great, short descriptions of each of the 700 books, plus advice on what to read next. The entries are written by YA authors, publishers, librarians, editors and teens themselves. Lists and explorations of genre are included. I highlighted the books we have. There is a copy upstairs and downstairs in the Middle School Building. There are other GUIDEBOOKS such as Book Crush and Right Book, Right Time: 500 Great Reads for Teenagers (Australian-heavy). And the new one commented on below.

If you look through these books I guarantee you will find something new you want to read!

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 6:11 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2008

New GUIDEBOOK: 500 Great Books for Teens by Anita Silvey (2006, hardback)

As usual, I highlighted the entries that are in our library. Silvey arranges the selections into CATEGORIES:
Adventure and Survival; Autobiography and Memoir; Edgy, Trendsetting Novels; Fantasy; Graphic Novels; Historical Fiction; Horror, Ghosts, Gothic; Humor; Information; Many Cultures, Many Realities; Mystery and Thriller; Plays; Poetry and Poetic Novels; Politics and Social Conscience; Realistic Fiction; Religion and Spirituality; Romance; Science Fiction; Short Stories; Sports; and War and Conflict.

Do you know which of these categories our library is divided into? (Check the "map" for the answer.)

Also be sure to read the "Beyond the 500: Additional Titles of Interest" lists at the end of the book (marked if we have 'em), as well as "Books by Geographic Location," "Books by Historical Time Line," and "Recommended Audio Books."

posted by KhabeleMiddleSchool at 6:01 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2008