Best Books 2014 Summer

Students aren't the only ones who read during the summer. I've read a couple of great YA novels this summer. The first one is The Partials by Dan Wells. Partials are identical to humans except for the fact that they are engineered. They are blamed for decimating the human population with a virus which they used as a weapon. The protagonist, Kira, discovers that a connection between the partials and the humans may be the only way to save both races. Enclave is another great YA read. Due to plagues and war, most of the earth's civilization lives underground. Duece is a huntress. Her job is to bring back food and rid the tunnels of tunnel monsters, or Freaks. Duece's job proves to be anything but easy because the Freaks are becoming more organized and attacking the humans.

Book Fair Preview

ebooks have made a big splash in our St. Matthew's Library this fall. We started with 63 eBooks. We've since added another 37 titles bringing out eBook total to 100! We have been in school three weeks and we've circulated 78 eBooks already! Wow, that's a lot of reading! The eBook limit has been raised from one to two titles each student can check out. Keep on reading!

Great YA Fiction

These are some of the titles I've read recently that I really enjoyed. Check them out on the Glog I created!

Glogster YA Fiction

International Children's Digital Library

Be sure to take a look at the ICDL (International Children’s Digital Library). Their target audience is children between the ages of 3 and 13. They aim to collect, digitize, and organize materials for children in their original languages. You can search by age, language, genre and more.

Beautiful Planet HD for iPad

If you're looking for a great new app for you iPad be sure to check out Beautiful Planet. The images in this app were taken by photographer Peter Guttman. Users can travel around the world via the images from all the continents. The iPad is the perfect display for these breath-taking photos of our world. The New York times praises Guttman's work:

* "Stunning images...sumptuous, dramatically lit shots."
-- New York Times

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media

Media is a large part of our lives. Where do we turn for direction when we need information about a particular book, app, or movie? Where can we go to get lesson plans to teach children about the safe and appropriate use of technology and media? Common Sense Media serves as advocates for children. Their mission statement reads thus:

"Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology."

It's a great resource for educators and parents alike.