DHS Library News
October 2021
By Alice N. Johnson, Library Media Specialist | ajohnson@dedham.k12.ma.us
Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm | DHS Library Website
By Alice N. Johnson, Library Media Specialist | ajohnson@dedham.k12.ma.us
Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm | DHS Library Website
Happy October! With the smell of fall in the air, it is certainly a great time to cozy up with a good book. Stop by the Library to browse our newest fiction and nonfiction print books or access our eBook/audiobook collection. If you need suggestions, we are happy to help you find the right book. Read below to learn what's been happening in the library. We're also looking for your input into how to make our program and collection better, so please let us know your thoughts on the form linked in this newsletter!
― Mrs. Johnson
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Canadian author (1874-1942)
Are you ready to be scared? Are you looking for a chilling tale that will keep you up all night?
Check out our ever-growing collection of scary stories currently on display in the DHS Library. A complete list of these books and many other scary stories can be found here.
Stop by the Library during the week of October 25th!
What will you create?
Stop by the library during the week of October 25-29 before school, after school, or during a Directed Study to try a Makerspace Activity. Since this year's schedule doesn't have an X-Block where we would typically offer Makerspace Activities, we thought we would try something new -- a Self-Serve Makerspace Station. Materials will be available for you to create some Halloween-themed origami (art of folding paper into designs) & kirigami (art of cutting and folding paper into designs). All materials and instructions will be provided; just bring your creativity! This activity will be offered while supplies last.
Use one of our printed instruction sheets or come up with your own creation!
We'd love to see your finished projects!
How do you fix a broken pumpkin?
With a pumpkin patch.
Access some writing samples here.
On Thursday, October 14, author and Framingham State University writing professor Jennifer De Leon visited Dedham High School. Her visit was generously funded through the DEF and The Nancy Bradley Foundation. Ms. De Leon spoke to World Languages classes in the Auditorium, met with a small breakout group discuss diversity and inclusion topics, and presented an interactive creating writing workshop in the Library.
Her YA novel, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, was one of the books featured on our 2021 Summer Reading List. The DHS Library has several print copies of this book available for checkout. You can also access this book in either eBook or audiobook format through our Sora Collection (log in with your school email).
We have quite a large number of students who owe us library books, including many students who still have books out from last school year. We understand that it was difficult to return books last year, but if you can make an effort to return them now, it would be appreciated. We want to make sure these books are available for others.
If you have any questions about an overdue notice, please email Mrs. Johnson directly.
Last month, students in several of Mr. Medeiros' US I History classes participated in an escape room activity in the library. Working in groups, students were presented with a variety of questions, clues, and puzzles which led them around the library where they then needed to access specific library resources in order to answer content questions about Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was great to see students persevere and solve some of the more challenging puzzles.
— from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author (1896-1940)
Encourage your teens to visit the DHS Library. We are open Mon-Fri from 7:00am-3:30pm and are more than willing to provide book suggestions and recommendations.
Recommend that your teens visit the Dedham Public Library. Go there together, too!
Have a variety of reading materials available in your home. Need books? Borrow some from the public library or try one of the Little Free Libraries around Dedham.
Set an example. Model reading. The more children and teens see others read, the better! Magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. all "count" as reading. It doesn't always have to be a book.
Make connections between reading and the real world.
Talk about books. Ask students to tell you about what they are reading. Try reading one of their favorite books.
We would love to hear from you.
If you have any questions about our library program and/or any suggestions on what we can offer, please let us know by completing the appropriate form.
— from The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, American author (1951- )
Often overlooked, but certainly worth consideration, is the short story collection. Short stories offer many benefits, some of which include
a quick read without a big commitment,
an opportunity to test out a new author or genre,
a chance to connect with a favorite author through a different format, and
a way to sample a variety of stories connected to a particular theme.
From classics to new releases, we are building up our library's short story collection. Stop by to browse or ask for a suggestion. You can also search our library catalog for short stories.
"The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library."
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist (1879-1955)
Dystopian / FIC FLE
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
by C.A. Fletcher
When a beloved family dog is stolen, her owner sets out on a life-changing journey through the ruins of our world to bring her back. —from Amazon
The world used to be crowded before all the people went away, but Griz and his parents were never lonely on their remote island. They had each other and their dogs. Then the thief came. There may be no laws left, but if someone steals your dog, you can expect someone to come after you, because what's the point of love if you're not loyal.
—from the publisher
Historical Fiction / FIC LEE
Luck of the Titanic
by Stacey Lee
From the critically-acclaimed author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
Southampton, 1912: Seventeen-year-old British-Chinese Valora Luck has quit her job and smuggled herself aboard the Titanic with two goals in mind: to reunite with her twin brother Jamie -- her only family now that both their parents are dead -- and to convince a part-owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus to take the twins on as acrobats. Quick-thinking Val talks her way into opulent first-class accommodations and finds Jamie with a group of fellow Chinese laborers in third class. But in the rigidly stratified world of the luxury liner, Val's ruse can only last so long, and after two long years apart, it's unclear if Jamie even wants the life Val proposes. Then, one moonless night in the North Atlantic, the unthinkable happens -- the supposedly unsinkable ship is dealt a fatal blow -- and Val and her companions suddenly find themselves in a race to survive. Stacey Lee, master of historical fiction, brings a fresh perspective to an infamous tragedy, loosely inspired by the recently uncovered account of six Titanic survivors of Chinese descent.
—from the publisher
Thriller / FIC MCM
The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised . . . and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point -- not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious -- and dark -- their family's past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over -- and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
—from the publisher
Fantasy / FIC FOR
The Gilded Ones (Series: Deathless ; #1)
by Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity -- and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki-near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be -- not even Deka herself.
—from the publisher
641.5092 ONW
Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults)
by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
This inspiring memoir, now adapted for young adults, chronicles Top Chef star and Forbes and Zagat 30 Under 30 phenom Kwame Onwuachi's incredible and odds-defying fame in the food world after a tough childhood in the Bronx and Nigeria.
Food was Kwame Onwuachi's first great love. He connected to cooking via his mother, in the family's modest Bronx apartment. From that spark, he launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars he made selling candy on the subway and trained in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country. He faced many challenges on the road to success, including breaking free of a dangerous downward spiral due to temptation and easy money, and grappling with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color.
Born on Long Island and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Kwame Onwuachi's incredible story is one of survival and ingenuity in the face of adversity.
—from the publisher
814.6 GRE
The Anthropocene Reviewed : essays on a human-centered planet
by John Green
The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity.
In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet-from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu-on a five-star scale.
John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection that includes both beloved essays and all-new pieces exclusive to the book
813.54 PAU
Gone to the woods : surviving a lost childhood
by Gary Paulsen
A mesmerizing memoir from a literary legend, giving readers a new perspective on the origins of Gary Paulsen's famed survival stories.
His name is synonymous with high-stakes wilderness survival stories. Now, beloved author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.
An entrancing account of grit and growing up, perfect for newcomers and lifelong fans alike, this is the famed author at his rawest and most real.
—from the publisher
796.522 ZUC
Buried in the sky : the extraordinary story of the Sherpa climbers on K2's deadliest day
by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan
When eleven climbers died on K2 in 2008, two Sherpas survived. Their astonishing tale became the stuff of mountaineering legend. This white-knuckle adventure follows the Sherpas from their remote villages in Nepal to the peak of the world's most dangerous mountain, recounting one of the most dramatic disasters in alpine history from a fascinating new perspective.
Winner of the NCTE George Orwell Award and an official selection of the American Alpine Club Book Club.
—from the publisher
Science Fiction
G FIC LEM
Descender : Tin Stars
(Series: Descender #1)
written by Jeff Lemire ; illustrated by Dustin Nguyen
Ten years after planet-sized robots called Harvesters appeared and wreaked havoc across the galaxy, a young robot named TIM-21 wakes to find that all robots have been outlawed. But TIM may hold the secrets to the Harvesters in his machine DNA and he quickly becomes the most wanted robot in the universe. With bounty hunters and threats lurking at every turn, TIM embarks on a mind-blowing adventure through the stars along with his robot dog, Bandit, and the lumbering mining droid, Driller.
—Back Cover
Fantasy
G FIC GAR
The dire days of Willowweep manor
written by Shaenon K Garrity; illustrated by Christopher Baldwin
Nimona meets Paper Girls with a literary twist in this wickedly funny graphic novel about a teenager who is swept up in a strange new universe and must save it from an all-consuming evil in order to return home. One dark and stormy night, Haley sees a stranger drowning in the river. Since her greatest passion is Gothic romance novels, she knows her moment has come. But when Haley leaps into the water to rescue the stranger, she awakens in Willowweep. It certainly looks like the setting of one of her favorite books: A stately manor. A sinister housekeeper. Three brooding brothers. There's even a ghost. Except Willowweep is not what it seems. Its romantic exterior hides the workings of a pocket universe -- the only protection our world has against a great force of penultimate evil, and its defenses are crumbling. Could cruel fate make Haley the heroine that Willowweep needs?
—from the publisher
Superheroes
G FIC OKO
Shuri. 2,24/7 vibranium (Series: Shuri, Book 2)
written by Nnedi Okorafor; illustrated by Rachael Stott
With T'Challa gone and Wakanda in peril, the Black Panther is needed -- and Shuri must step up to fill the void. But she's about to face a threat unlike any her home has seen before! Shuri heads to America to investigate a lead, but she's not the only hero on the case. With New York City and New Jersey in danger as well, there's no way Miles 'Spider-Man' Morales and Kamala 'Ms. Marvel' Khan are sitting this one out!
—Back Cover
Nonfiction
G 973.931 BRO
In the shadow of the fallen towers : the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years after the 9/11 attacks
written and illustrated by Don Brown
A graphic novel chronicling the immediate aftermath and rippling effects of one of the most impactful days in modern history: September 11, 2001. From the Sibert Honor and YALSA Award-winning creator behind The Unwanted and Drowned City. The consequences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, both political and personal, were vast, and continue to reverberate today. Don Brown brings his journalistic eye and attention to moving individual stories to help teens contextualize what they already know about the day, as well as broaden their understanding of the chain of events that occurred in the attack's wake. Profound, troubling, and deeply moving, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers bears witness to our history and the ways it shapes our future.
—from the publisher
Happy Halloween!