The Maria Montessori School Library

Timeline photos

Be sure to tune in next week for the 26th Annual Essentially Ellington Festival, June 2-5! For a full schedule of events visit jazz.org/ee

American Library Association announces 2018 youth media award winners

It's awards season! http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/02/american-library-association-announces-2018-youth-media-award-winners

ala.org DENVER — The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards—at its Midwinter Meeting in Denver, Colorado. A list of all the 2018 award winners follows:

Black Books Matter: Children's Books Celebrating Black Boys

Looking for holiday gift ideas? Here's a fantastic list of books.

theconsciouskid.org

Black Books Matter: Children's Books Celebrating Black Boys

Looking for holiday gift ideas? Here's a fantastic list of books. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/black-books-matter-childrens-books-celebrating-black-boys/

theconsciouskid.org

The Maria Montessori School Library's cover photo

The Maria Montessori School Library's cover photo

You did it! The figure is preliminary, but it appears that the super-literate super-shoppers of the Maria Montessori School raised a whopping $1000 for the MMS Library tonight! Thanks, Novel Memphis for hosting us so generously and with such gusto. And thanks, beloved MMS community. You're the best.

The Maria Montessori School Library's cover photo

8 Empowering Middle Grade Novels for Kids Interested in Social Justice

We have a few of these, including One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams Garcia, pictured here. What else should we have?
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/8-empowering-middle-grade-novels-kids-interested-social-justice.html

barnesandnoble.com As the United States watches a new administration take over the White House after a contentious election year, a wave of social and political activism has swept the country. For generations, young people all over the world have taken an interest in social justice and found the courage to fight f

28 Black Picture Books That Aren’t About Boycotts, Buses or Basketball

The MMS Library has several of these outstanding books, and I'll be adding many of the others to our wish list on Amazon.
https://scottwoodsmakeslists.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/28-black-picture-books-that-arent-about-boycotts-buses-or-basketball/

scottwoodsmakeslists.wordpress.com A few years ago I was asked by a local TV station to suggest some books for children in honor of Black History Month. Being a Black librarian I relished the opportunity, but I did point out that my…

Come read a winner! The 2017 ALA Awards (aka the Newbery, Caldecott, and others) have been announced, and the MMS Library has many of them. March, Book 3, John Lewis's final entry in his magisterial series of graphic novels, swept 4 categories. We also just got Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon as well as the other Newbery honorees.

Scholastic Reading Club/Formerly Book Clubs – Parent/Teacher Ordering

Are your kids fired up about the book order? Remember that you can order books from Scholastic at their website using our school code, LKY9X. This month's deadline is tomorrow, January 18th. https://clubs.scholastic.com/

clubs.scholastic.com Scholastic

Best Middle Grade Books of 2016 - Novel Novice

Great books for your kiddos by great authors, including Memphis's own Barry Wolverton! https://novelnovice.com/2016/12/08/best-middle-grade-books-2016/

novelnovice.com Yesterday, we brought you our picks for the Best Young Adult Books of 2016 — and today, we turn our attention to the Best Middle Grade Books of 2016! These are the middle grade books that made us laugh and cry and feel something powerful, and although the intended audience may be kids in the …

Researchers have quantified what makes us love Harry Potter

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/11/25/the-six-stories-people-love-most/?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

washingtonpost.com From Harry Potter to Hamlet, researchers are figuring out why we love certain stories

Researchers have quantified what makes us love Harry Potter

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/11/25/the-six-stories-people-love-most/?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

washingtonpost.com From Harry Potter to Hamlet, researchers are figuring out why we love certain stories

Kate DiCamillo discusses and signs "Raymie Nightingale" at the Memphis Public Library | The...

This will be huge, folks. A lot of your kids are Kate DiCamillo fans: everything from Mercy Watson to A Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses. Let's show up! http://www.thebooksellersatlaurelwood.com/event/kate-dicamillo-discusses-and-signs-raymie-nightingale-memphis-public-library

thebooksellersatlaurelwood.com

It’s National Read Across America Day

Yesterday was Read Across America Day, and to celebrate, two of our fabulous readers from Elementary 2 went to News Channel 3 to talk about reading. They are so poised, and such great advocates for reading. http://wreg.com/2016/03/02/its-national-read-across-america-day/

wreg.com The top teacher-approved books your kids will actually want to read

Maria Montessori School - Memphis, TN

We are still looking for donation items for the auction. Need a little help deciding what to donate? Here are a few ideas:

- Airline miles or credit card points which can be redeemed for travel or hotel stays
- Electronics such as an iPod or iPhone, DVR, portable DVD player or reader
- Gift cards to restaurants, spas and clothing stores
- Tickets to sporting events or concerts
- Unique and priceless experiences such as movie premieres, film and television walk-on roles or celebrity meet & greets
- Vacation packages
- Jewelry or handbags
- Sports and film/television memorabilia
- Artwork

Everything You Need to Know About the New SAT

There are so many reasons to read -- love, adventure, empathy, understanding, wisdom, escape, knowledge, to name a few) -- and I hate to prescribe it medicinally. However, here's some validation for encouraging kids to read from an article about the new SAT: "How should students prepare? By reading often and diving into various kinds of texts, especially nonfiction, tutors say. That’s more a long-term strategy than a quick test-prep trick." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/education/edlife/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-sat.html

nytimes.com Here’s what experts say about the redesigned test, based on practice questions. Tip: Go to a good school, and read a lot.

Vintage Books & Anchor Books

“The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists. READ an excerpt here: http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/246919/we-should-all-be-feminists/

Here Are 10 Books By Certifiable Geniuses You Should Really Read

huffingtonpost.com The MacArthur Grants have funded some pretty fantastic stories over the years.

21 Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die, According To Librarians

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannabennett/books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die#.lgXQ0xpAW

buzzfeed.com

These kids really knew their Harry Potter trivia! Thanks to Mary Ann Boyle for putting together a night of fun and games, and thanks to all of you who came to play and shop. Don't forget, the MMS Book Fair at Laurelwood runs through Sunday, when we'll wrap with a visit from Mr. Joe!

Thanks to all who came out to the kickoff of The MMS Book Fair at Laurelwood. Barry Wolverton was fascinationg and delightful, and our kids had some great questions for him!

www.slj.com

Adult books that teens would like? Sounds good for the summer! http://www.slj.com/2014/12/reviews/best-of/best-adult-books-4-teens/

slj.com

www.slj.com

A fantastic list, SLJ’s Top 10 Graphic Novels 2014. http://www.slj.com/2014/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-top-10-graphic-novels-2014/

slj.com

SLJ’s Top 10 Audiobooks 2014

For your family roadtrip, a few ideas to melt the miles. http://www.slj.com/2014/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-top-10-audiobooks-2014/

slj.com SLJ's top 10 audiobooks of 2014 represent the best of the best of 2014’s releases, with titles for all age groups and interests.

MMS Summer Reading Suggestions, 2015

Time to return those library books! But it's also a great time to dream about what you'll be reading over the summer. Here's a list of suggestions for elementary and middle-school readers. But what about you, parents? What's on your list? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z6ijevD_v-6f5zlFvhRHfKstsKvga_3C-7SP3IpO0P8/edit?usp=sharing

docs.google.com

Summer reading list for all ages!

MMS students and library regulars Madison and Nicholas bear witness to the pleasures and benefits of reading in the summer. Way to represent MMS, kids! http://wreg.com/2015/05/22/summer-reading-list-for-all-ages/

wreg.com Just because school is letting out for thousands of mid-south students doesn't mean it's time to book down the books!

If you order from Scholastic, you help the MMS Library earn points that we then use to buy books for our collection. Look what came in this month's order! Poetry, geology, biography, geometry, Spanish, classic and contemporary fiction, music, biology -- such a wide range. Thanks for supporting your library!

Q&A: Raising Kids Who Want To Read

"There's a big difference between teaching kids to read and teaching them to love reading."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/03/17/387774026/q-a-raising-kids-who-want-to-read

npr.org Daniel Willingham's new book is full of advice for parents and teachers hoping to nurture a love of reading in kids.

EVERYBODY Should Read Black Children's Books | MyBrownBaby

And another one that's right on target. http://mybrownbaby.com/2010/03/everybody-should-read-black-childrens/

mybrownbaby.com Yup, I admit it: For years, I’ve been on a secret mission to integrate the bookshelves and toy chests of a bunch of my daughters’...

How I Got A Black Boy To Read, Plus: 10 Great Books For Black Boys | MyBrownBaby

This list is just so, so, good. And if you can read the blog post without tearing up a little, your heart is made of stone. Thanks to Lauren Fontenot for this one! http://mybrownbaby.com/2015/03/got-black-boy-read-plus-10-great-books-black-boys/

mybrownbaby.com Books for Black boys seem few and far between, but here's what happened when I managed to get one into the hands of a reluctant reader.

Announcing the 2014 Nebula Awards Nominees! | Tor.com

Geek alert: The Nebulas are coming! The MMS Library has some of the books and/or authors named here. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2015/02/announcing-the-2014-nebula-awards-nominees

tor.com The 2014 Nebula Award Nominees have been announced!

American Library Association announces 2015 youth media award winners

The big prizes have been announced! http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/02/american-library-association-announces-2015-youth-media-award-winners

ala.org CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the 2015 winners of ALA Youth Media Awards, the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Chicago.