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Coming next week to the library is our annual murder mystery event. Classes will be...
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As the weather turns and we move closer to Halloween, come by the library to...
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Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on...
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In the library we have a magnetic poetry wall where students can come to create...
Read MoreQueen Elizabeth the Second has proclaimed that October 2016 is library month and October 24th 2016 is school library day. And if the Queen says it, you know it must be important!
So stop by the library and say hello. Who knows, you just might find something interesting to read!
Flannery by Lisa Moore is a story of love, friendship and struggle.
Flannery Malone is a 16 year old in Newfoundland, living on welfare and helping her free-spirited mother raise her younger brother. But despite her struggles at home, what dominates most of her attention is her love for her childhood best friend Tyrone, but he hardly even acknowledges her existence. So, when they are paired up in entrepreneurship class to create and market an innovative product, making and selling a love potion seems like the obvious choice. But when their love potions seem to start working, everything else starts falling apart.
This story has everything from humour to devastation to romance, so check it out!
If you’re looking for a book recommendation this year, check out some of the books that were suggested by other Alpha students in our Summer Reads Contest.
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel is a quick page turner that is both creepy and haunting.
Steve is a young man who will do anything to help his sickly newborn baby brother. Haunted by bad dreams, Steve’s reality and his imagination start to blur throughout the story and leave him constantly worrying and full of anxiety. Instead of relaxing for the summer, Steve spends his vacation fixated on the fact that his life feels like it is spinning out control. But when a mysterious stranger comes to him in a dream and offers a way to make is brother better, how can Steve say no? But this deal is full of loopholes and may have disastrous consequences that will leave Steve fighting for more than just his baby brother’s life.
Not only is this eerie story an enjoyable read, but it is also littered with dark and creepy illustrations by Jon Klassen and is definitely worth checking out.
The British Columbia Teachers’ Association has released a list of the 100 best books for secondary students. Check it out and see how many you have read.
“September 30th has been declared Orange Shirt Day annually, in recognition of the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and wellbeing, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.” (orangeshirtday.org)
This year at Alpha we will be having our Orange Shirt Day on Thursday September 29th as there is no school on the 30th. So mark your calendars! If you need some more information on what this day is about, these sites might help:
And if you don’t really know much about residential schools in general, please check out the sites below, because it is an incredibly important part of Canada’s history!:
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley is a good read for anyone who has ever dreamed of living in Ireland, or likes a book filled with musical references, as it is set during the height of the Grunge era(think Nirvana).
The story follows 16 year old Maggie Lynch as she’s forced to move from her settled life in Chicago, Illinois to the unknown world of Bray, Ireland (a small seaside town outside of Dublin). The move is prompted by her alcoholic mother’s quickie marriage to an Irishman and though Maggie is none too pleased about the move at first, she she tries to find comfort in her simplified life, despite having no friends. Though she misses her favourite uncle desperately, Ireland officially starts to feel like home when she befriends one of her elderly neighbours and even meets a handsome local boy.
But when an important person in her life dies suddenly, Maggie goes off on a secret journey that is both dangerous and exhilarating. But will there be devastating consequences?
This is an exhilarating read about finding out who you are, learning to grieve, taking risks and falling in love.
Recommendation: Grades 10+
Awards:
For those graphic novel lovers out there, we recently added a bunch to our collection, so come check them out!
For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby.
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest summer of Astrid’s life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is without Nicole…and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl.
The graphic novel debut from rising star Noelle Stevenson, based on her beloved and critically acclaimed web comic, which Slate awarded its Cartoonist Studio Prize, calling it “a deadpan epic.”
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.
But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.
All-girl camp. First love. First heartbreak. At once romantic and devastating, brutally honest and full of humor, this graphic-novel memoir is a debut of the rarest sort.
Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She’s from Atlanta, she’s never kissed a guy, she’s into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of a pleasant, peaceful nothing . . . until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser, and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counselor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl, and Maggie’s savant-like proficiency at the camp’s rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin maybe feels the same way about Maggie, it’s too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand.
Marvel Comics presents the new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation!
Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she’s suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she’s comin’ for you, Jersey!
At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together… And they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way!
In the fourth edition of the story, Jen just wants a normal lesson with her cabin, teaching Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley the basic survival skills needed without any supernatural intervention. But when a blizzard hits camp, Jen finds herself separated from the girls and in more trouble than ever… until a mysterious taxidermist swoops in to save the day. Who is she and what is her relationship to Rosie? Join Jen as she finds a way back to her girls, and a way to save the day.
*** All novel descriptions are from www.goodreads.com***
The best way to learn about a new book that you absolutely HAVE to read is through recommendations, so come into the library and answer this one simple question: WHAT WAS THE BEST BOOK YOU READ THIS SUMMER?
By letting us know, you will be helping spread the word to your fellow students about an awesome read, AND you will also be entered into a draw for a pair of movie tickets.
If you can’t decide what you should read next, stop by and check-out our window display for some books that Alpha teachers enjoyed this summer.
