Library

READING CORNER

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Reading Corner

Ninth Grade Reading List


Check out what students are saying, fun web sites, clubs, and other extras.

Readers Circle

  Readers Circle is a book club for Upper School students, which meets in the fall with Mrs. Mellin as the faculty advisor. We've been discussing macabre stories, reading some of the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan, and comparing the books to the movie, The Vampire's Assistant

Book Squad

Book Squad, an after-school club for Middle School students, discovered the world of Roald Dahl this fall, reading Fantastic Mr. Fox and comparing the book to the movie. Most of the Squad enjoyed the book better, but still liked the cool animation in the movie.

Visit the official author site and read about his life, see photos, and listen to him read an excerpt from The BFG.

Take a look inside his writing hut at the Roald Dahl museum.

The winter "McBad" sessions are underway! We're reading books nominated for the Massachusetts Children's Book Award. Check out the Salem Public Schools' blog entry describing the nominees.
MCBA Logo

Page Turners

Page Turners is your source for great book suggestions! It's a blog written for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders by a group of local independent school librarians.

Author Spotlight

Lady Liberty
T'was the Night Before Christmas
Jack in the Beanstalk
Mudball Zachary's Ball

Author Spotlight: Matt Tavares

Award winning illustrator, Matt Tavares visited Pike on November 2008 during the book fair.

Visit Matt Tavares' web site to learn about his creative process, to read his biography, and to see a complete list of his books.

What We're Reading

Mrs. Griset recommends these books:

 Winter Girls

Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson
I just finished Wintergirls - and, all I can say, it's breathtaking, stunning. This YA novel is a riveting look at the world of anorexia from the inside. Lia's struggles with food, family, and life is painful to watch but you glimpse how her logic makes sense to her. At the same time, you witness the pain and helplessness of those around her. The brilliance and clarity of writing is spectacular. The author uses a wonderful device near the end of the book that stopped my heart for a moment. I heartily recommend this book. 
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day
by Meg Cabot

This is one for the girls. Cabot often writes about mature themes for young adults but this series is geared toward younger readers. This title in the series explores the perils of friendship in fourth grade, complicated by a move to a new house and a new school. Allie is a likable character who doesn't always make the best choices but she never stops trying. She compiles a list of rules to help her navigate through life but finds it isn't always easy to follow them.

Mrs. Mellin recently finished:
 Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow
by James Howe
All your favorite bizarre pets are back in the latest story of the Monroe family, with a mysterious author and flocks of crows thrown in for added excitement.
 Maximum Ride Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
by James Patterson
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....a recombinant DNA-engineered girl with wings, and she has a big problem. The Erasers have kidnapped Angel, and Max needs to stay alive long enough to rescue her.

Last updated: September 2009
Created and maintained by Pike librarians Linda Griset and Fran Mellin


Books That Help

Books That Help

When faced with life issues and challenges, people have often found it helpful to read books with their children about these occurrences, whether they be as commonplace as the arrival of a new baby or a move to another home, or the more unusual and upsetting happenings, such as a divorce or the death of a loved one.   In many cases, this gives children the opportunities to develop coping strategies, as well as lessen their feelings of isolation as they learn to cope with these issues.   It also gives parents and children a chance to talk about their feelings as they read these books together.

A summer grant gave Linda D. Spence Griset (Librarian), Debbie Anderson (Head of Lower School), and Trish Faro (Lower School Learning Specialist) the opportunity to compile a bibliography of children’s books addressing various kinds of life issues and challenges for use by Lower School children and their families.   Most of the books are appropriate for ages preschool through ten.


Click here for a pdf of the book list.