Welcome to the CHS Library!

As you walk into the CHS Library you might notice this happy guy welcoming you. Some of you might wonder just who he is, so I thought I would introduce you to Sergeant Santos. He was given to me years ago by a army recruiter and I use him around the library to help me post notices including "Welcome back!".
I hope you get into the library soon and check out our new books and our new online library catalog, Destiny. The link is on the library page and hopefully I'll have a chance to introduce you to all the feature of this robust program. If you  haven't dropped by yet, please do.

 Mention this post and I'll give you a Smartie!

Summer reading

Hopefully your summer is going good and you are taking some time to have fun and do a some summer reading. I haven't read a lot of "school" books this summer, but I did pick this new book of Laurie Halse Anderson last week and finished it when I was camping at Lake Chelan. I wasn't disappointed in Anderson's newest book and would highly recommend it. Anderson is one of my favorite authors and her books are very popular at CHS. We have two copies and I will probably order more if we need them. A quick look at Amazon's reviews (see below) assures me that The Impossible Knife of Memory will become another YA classic.

Review

PRAISE FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY:

* "As in Speak, Anderson provides a riveting study of a psychologically scarred teenager . . . absorbing" —Publishers Weekly, starred review
 

* "Compelling, powerful, and timely . . . This is challenging material, but in Anderson's skilled hands, readers will find a light shining on the shadowy reality of living with someone who has lived through war" —Booklist, starred review

* "The book offers an eloquent portrait of the effects of both war and family legacies, and many readers will find reflections of their own struggle to keep family connections while obtaining their independence.” —BCCB, starred review

* "With powerful themes of loyalty and forgiveness, this tightly woven story is a forthright examination of the realities of war and its aftermath on soldiers and their families. One of Anderson’s strongest and most relevant works to date.” —School Library Journal, starred review

* "It is Anderson at her absolute best, providing significant and touching realistic fiction."--VOYA, starred review

"Anderson's novels . . . speak for the still-silent among us, and force all of us to acknowledge the real and painful truths that are too dangerous to ignore." —New York Times

“The Impossible Knife of Memory isn’t always an easy read-Anderson’s gritty, authentic look at PTSD is by turns painful and heartbreaking-but it’s an important one." —Entertainment Weekly

“Andy comes home from the war in Iraq honored for his service, and haunted by it.  The war still goes on inside of him and threatens to make Hayley another causality. Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best known writers of literature for young adults and children in the world. ” —Scott Simon, NPR Weekend Edition

“Laurie Halse Anderson has been lauded and awarded for her ability to channel the teenage mind (and heart) dealing with tough issues. In The Impossible Knife of Memory, she takes on PTSD through the story of a girl coping with her troubled veteran dad.” —Family Circle

"At turns heartbreaking, at turns funny, the narrative in this book is so spot on I wanted to give Hayley my phone number so she would have a friend in times of crisis.  Seriously—does ANYONE write troubled teen characters with the realism, grace, and soul of Laurie Halse Anderson?" —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of The Storyteller and Between the Lines

“Laurie Halse Anderson serves the families of veterans with the same honor, dignity, and respect that the veterans, who serve us, deserve. With her trademark hope, humor, and heart-breaking realism, Laurie Halse Anderson has given us a roadmap to heal. She is a treasure.” —Stephen Chobsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

SUMMER READING PROGRAM @ NCRL!

I remember how exciting it was to sign up for the summer reading program at the public library when I was young. If you are babysitting or taking care of younger siblings this summer, please make sure those kids are signed up! 

For more information or to sign up, go to www.ncrl.org

GRADUATE GREETINGS

Shmoop, one of my favorite websites, offers greetings to this year's graduates: click here to read it for yourself.
Some of their suggestions include:

I also like their "Quote of the Week":

"My only plan after graduation was to become

a full time gunter."

~ Ready Player One  (one of this year's Washington Evergreen Book Award nominees)

IT'S SO SAD - A recent report shows teens aren't reading for fun!

Not that it's a surprise, but I recently read in a Common Sense Media report that teens aren't reading for fun. I have always known high school students don't have as much time to read and that they have many distractions to keep them from reading, but I guess I still was saddened to read this report. If there is one thing I can impress upon you today, it is this: KEEP READING THIS SUMMER!!!! Reading is a skill like anything else, you have to practice and keep doing it to keep your skills strong and proficient. If you don't like to read books, then read the newspaper or magazines (print or online), blogs, eBooks, wikis or even the cereal box! Just READ! It not only will help keep you fluent in your reading, it might even increase your vocabulary and comprehension. I challenge you to read this summer and tell me what you read when you come back in the fall.

Books to movies

It seems recently there have been a lot of movies made from popular YA books (Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Divergent, Ender's Game, Fault in our stars, etc.). I haven't seen a lot of them, but from what I heard, some die-hard readers have been a little disappointed in the movie versions of their favorite books. This recent Unshelved comic says it all:

I love the last sentence, "Aren't great books miracle enough?".

5/28/14: I tried watching "Odd Thomas" this weekend and had to quit after just a few minutes. It was so disappointing - the book is WAY better!

Have you been on the CHS English Wiki???

Have you been to the CHS English Wiki recently? Mrs. Gemeinhart's 9th grade English classes are posting their "Personal Narratives" and I think you would find many of them very interesting. You can even make a comment (you have to "Join" the wiki first). The link in on the bottom left side of the CHS homepage or click the wiki photo above on this page. Have fun and read about the adventures of the Class of 2017!