Today is the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, and the first day of winter! To brighten things up, here is a special holiday question worth FIVE points!
I'll draw the lucky winner from all correct entries on 1/1/19.
Good luck! (Can Mrs. Freda's class be beat?! They have won three weeks in a row!)
For the second week in a row, Agustin is the lucky trivia winner. It was Cindy (Zomorod) who found the hamster. If you haven't yet picked up this book, definitely give it a try!
Congratulations to Brady, who knew that Araminta Moss is better known as Harriet Tubman. He earns a point for Mrs. Freda's class.
Have you read this book yet? Don't miss it! Another in Nathan Hale's series of historical graphic novels, it tells the story of an incredibly courageous, selfless woman. I thought I knew Harriet Tubman's story, but I learned many new things in this book.
Congratulations to Dan M. who is the lucky winner of the Turkey Day Trivia. He knew the correct answer was Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, and Mr. Wolf. 5 points go to Mr. Feitlinger's class. Woohoo!
Siri picked lucky number 17, which was Sam who had the correct answer for this week's trivia question. Salma was running in the Blueberry Queen Pageant. One point for Ms. Conway's class!
Each week I will post a trivia question on Monday. Responses are due by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, when Siri will choose a random winner from all correct responses. One entry per student. The winner earns one point for their class.
MCBA19 officially kicked off on Wednesday with a rally in the reading room. The excitement was palpable! I'm looking forward to a wonderful season filled with great books and discussions.
We will kick off this year's Massachusetts Children's Book Award Program on Wednesday, November 7 at 8:10 a.m. in the Grace Bement Reading Room. Learn about this year's nominated books and the fun ways we will be celebrating reading this fall.
In just a few short weeks we will officially kick off this year's MCBA program. The library is buzzing with energy already, and the MCBA shelf is nearly empty most days. Don't miss out...this year is going to be a blast!
Are you a Red Sox fan? You are sure to enjoy Matt Tavares' Growing Up Pedro. This picture book biography tells the story of how Pedro Martinez made it from the Dominican Republic to Fenway Park, where he was a crucial piece of the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series.
I hope you are keeping cool, reading through a stack of books and getting excited for this year's MCBA program!
I am pleased with the list this year and have read 20 of the titles so far.
One of the great things about MCBA is that is shakes us out of our reading comfort zone. So I picked up Took, by the every ghostlyMary Downing Hahn. I used to love scary stories in my teens, but not so much anymore. Well....this one was terrific! Just the right amount of creepiness, but with such vivid descriptions of the location that I was transported to the mountains os West Virgina. (And I read it in the daytime :>)
On Wednesday afternoon 50 readers, parents, and teachers enjoyed an afternoon celebrating reading in the library. Our first "Stories in Action" was a blast! Only students who read five or more MCBA nominees received an invitation to the party. Teams of students rotated through different stations bringing the MCBA books to life.
Students experience a Breakout in Blackthorn's Apothecary, played Geo Bingo, rode the tram to the Greenglass House, Crossed a buzzline with TsTs and Jed, created a throne tribute to James Hampton, defeated Severine and the Jumbies and showcased their knowledge of the books with MCBA Jeopardy and the sounds of MCBA. They also enjoyed a taste of MCBA with the a special cake revealing our winning book, Space Case, Coral Reef H2O, TsTs's acorns, Jack's beans, Corinnes's oranges, Mimi's seaweed snacks, and honey from the Nest.
A very special thanks to the teachers and parents who volunteered their time to make this fun event possible: Alice Gearhart, Theresa Mullens, Nancy Ames, Janice Currie, Katie MacCallum, Sheree Freda, Emily Lent, Betty Karbon, Jamie Rourke, Sara Ardrey, Wendy Van Epps, Cheryl Canuel, Cheri Karbon, Sarah Schatz, Jennifer O'Neill, Kate Rolland, Holly Lynton, and Guy Ardrey.
What a week this was! Jam-packed with fun and excitement from start to finish----here are the highlights:
Battle of the Books Champions Crowned!
In an exciting match on Wednesday, the sixth grade team of Alina, Anuva, Mariam, and Toler defeated a field of strong contenders to become school champions.
Today, nine teams composed of 40 students competed for the final slot in Wednesday's Battle of the Books Championship. This is the largest round we have ever had. It was very exciting (as all rounds have been!) It came down to a sudden death playoff, and the fifth grade team of Sammy, Quinn, Miyu, and Henry prevailed. Congratulations.
The big game is on Wednesday at 8:10 in the library.
Toler and Anuva took a few minutes to review all the books they have read this year. They are ready to represent their class at next week's tournament.
Thursday was the final day of grade-level play in this year's BOTB tournament. It was an terrific morning, as all three teams competed at the highest level, showcasing their knowledge of the 25 MCBA books. Congratulations to the winning team - Alina, Anuva, Mariam, and Toler!
The runners up join the other grade level teams in the Wildcard round on Monday. Keep reading!
This morning five teams of fifth grade readers descended on the library for their Battle of the Books.
In the end, Team 5 - Campbell, Elena, and Luka rose victorious. Congratulations! They move on to next week's school championship. The remaining teams have one more shot in next week's Wildcard round.
