Free Audiobooks Available to Read Over the Summer!

SYNC has started its new series of summer reading. SYNC will give away two complete audiobook downloads a week - pairs of high interest titles, based on weekly themes. Sign up for email or text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com.

Once you download the books they are yours to keep for forever. A set of new titles is posted each Thursday.

To begin, go to the Sync page register and you will either get a text or email each Thursday to remind you that you have 2 free books to download. Anyone over 13 can download books - students, teachers or parents.

YALSA 2017 Book Awards

At the January ALA mid-winter meeting, the yearly book awards were announced.  The ones that teens would be interested in are the Printz Award and the Alex Awards.

The Printz Award and Honor awards are given to books which exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature.

The Alex Awards are given to 10 books that were originally written for an adult audience that would have appeal to young adults age 12 - 18 years old.

To read about all of the 2017 Book Awards given out check out the lists here.

High School Battle of the Books

This year will be the first year that Ashley High and the other high schools in the county will be participating in a Battle of the Books competition.  If you are interested in participating, look over the list of titles that we will be reading and if you have time before we come back to school start reading a few of the titles.  We will have our first meeting on Monday September 19th.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade

The Virginian by Owen Wister Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

 

SYNC : Free Audiobooks Throughout the Summer

Download audiobooks for free and listen to a good book over the summer. Each week starting May 5th, two free audiobooks will become available online for you to download.  Once you download the books they are yours to keep for forever. 

To begin, go to the Sync page register and you will either get a text or email each Thursday to remind you that you have 2 free books to download.  Each week's titles will be available to download for 7 days and then they will change the pair to two new titles. Anyone over 13 can download books - students, teachers or parents.



YALSA's Teens Top Ten

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has announced their Teens' Top Ten nominations list. Titles have been nominated by teens around the country.  Watch the video posted on the left to see the titles nominated or read the list to find out more about each title. 


Voting will start on August 15th and continue through the beginning of October 15th.  An online ballot will become available in August on the Teens' Top Ten page.  Voting is open to all teens between the ages of 12 - 18.

North Carolina Young Adult Book Awards

The winner of this year's NCYABA was announced in April.  Eleanor & Park was chosen as the favorite book from the list of nominations by high school students from around the state.


The new list of nominated titles for the 2016 - 2017 school year have just been announced.  Start your reading of them this summer.  Voting on your favorites will take place in March of 2017.  For more information and to view trailers for the books go to the North Carolina School Library Media Association's Young Adult Book Award page. 

ALA Book Awards for Young Adults Announced in January

To see a complete listing of all awards and watch a live broadcast of the event got to: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/youth-media-awards

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

Bone Gap, written by Laura Ruby, is the 2016 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Two Printz Honor Books also were named: Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Pérez and published by Carolrhoda Lab™, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group; and The Ghosts of Heaven, by Marcus Sedgwick and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults:

David Levithan is the 2016 Edwards Award winner. His books include: The Realm of Possibility, Boy Meets Boy, Love is the Higher Law, How They Met, and Other Stories, Wide Awake, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, all published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, written by Becky Albertalli, is the 2016 Morris Award winner.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, written by Steve Sheinkin, is the 2016 Excellence winner.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

All Involved, by Ryan Gattis, published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, published by Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Bones & All, by Camille DeAngelis, published by St. Martin’s Press.

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, by David Wong, published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

Girl at War, by Sara Nović, published by Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Half the World, by Joe Abercrombie, published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.

Humans of New York: Stories, by Brandon Stanton, published by St. Martin’s Press.

Sacred Heart, by Liz Suburbia, published by Fantagraphics Books Inc.

Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League, by Dan-el Padilla Peralta, published by Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Unraveling of Mercy Louis, by Keija Parssinen, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

2015 YALSA's Teen Top Ten Winners

1. The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic)               
   
2.  I Become Shadow by Joe Shine. (Soho Teen)
3. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. (Simon & Schuster)
4. My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak. (Sourcebooks)
5. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. (Bloomsbury)
6. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry)
7. The Young Elites by Marie Lu. (Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons)
8. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. (Macmillan/ Henry Holt & Company)
9. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson. (Simon & Schuster)
10. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith. (Hachette/Poppy)

Vote for Teens Top 10

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Voting is open from August 15 through Teen Read Week, which is October 18-24, 2015! Top Ten titles will be announced on October 27, 2015, so check back to see the winners!



Watch the posted video to see which ones you have read.
Vote for up to 3 Books :  Click Here to Vote

Sync : Free Audiobooks Throughout the Summer

SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for young adults. Starting again May 7th 2015, SYNC will give away two complete audiobook downloads a week - a current young adult title along with a thematically paired classic or required summer reading title. Sign up for email or text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com.

Young Adult Author Nathan Kotecki

Author Nathan Kotecki will be visiting our library on Wednesday, November 19th to speak with invited classes.  He will also be visiting with Mr. Jarman's classes on Thursday, November 20th to teach a writing workshop.

For more information about Nathan and his novels visit his website http://www.thesuburbanstrange.com/

Teen Top 10 Winners Announced!

YALSA announced the winners of the top 10 winners today.  The books are nominated by and voting on by teens around the country.  The books are on display in the media center if you would like to check one out.

The winners are listed in order of most votes received.                                            

1. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
2. Splintered by A.G. Howard
3. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
5. Monument 14 : Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne
6. Earth Girl by Janet Edwards
7. The Testing by Joelie Charbonneau
8. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
9. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
10. The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

NC Young Adult Book Award Nominees 2014-2015

The following titles are on this year's list of nominees.  Voting will occur in March 2015 and the winner will be announced in April.  As you are reading these titles and others throughout the year, keep any in mind that you would like to nominate for next's year's competition.  We can submit suggestions in March, when we vote.

• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, 2013 Putnam Juvenile
• The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas, 2013 Balzar + Bray
• I am Malala by Malala Yousafzal & Christina Lamb, 2013 Little Brown and Company
• Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan, 2013 Philomel
• No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale, 2014 Harper Teen
• Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, 2013 Arthur A. Levine Books
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, 2012 Bloomsbury USA Children's
• Tilt by Ellen Hopkins, 2012 Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams, 2012 Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
• Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina, 2013 Candlewick 

Library Club Meeting - Tuesday, September 23rd

The first meeting will be on Tuesday September 23rd in the media center after school.  It will be an open discussion session of the books we read over the summer.

We are going to add after school activities to our book discussions this year.  Each month we will meet to discuss what we have been reading and also do an activity that might include a craft, game or some other event.  

We will also be making beaded bookmarks as our activity at the September meeting.  Join in on the discussion and offer some suggestions for future events.  

There are no dues to join the library club.

SYNC Goes Live for 2014 : Free Audiobooks!

Download Free Audio Books throughout the summer. First set of books starts today.  All you need to do is register and you will get reminders each week when the new set of books becomes available. Click on the titles to learn more about each book.

Click on SYNC Schedule or click on the  Sync logo at the top of the page in the right-hand column for a permanent link.

SYNC Schedule

SUMMER 2014 SYNC TITLE LINEUP
May 15 – May 21
WARP: THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN by Eoin Colfer, Narrated by Maxwell Caulfield (Listening Library)
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells, Narrated by Derek Jacobi (Listening Library)
May 22 – May 28
CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge, Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden (Harper Audio)
OEDIPUS THE KING by Sophocles, Performed by Michael Sheen and a full cast (Naxos AudioBooks)
May 29 – June 4
CONFESSIONS OF A MURDER SUSPECT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Narrated by Emma Galvin (Hachette Audio)
THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE by Agatha Christie, Narrated by Richard E. Grant (Harper Audio)
June 5 – June 11
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS by Cristin Terrill, Narrated by Meredith Mitchell (Tantor Audio)
JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare, Performed by Richard Dreyfuss, JoBeth Williams, Stacy Keach, Kelsey Grammer, and a full cast (L.A. Theatre Works)
June 12 – June 18
CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein, Narrated by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell (Bolinda Audio)
THE HIDING PLACE by Corrie Ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill, Narrated by Bernadette Dunne (christianaudio)
June 19 – June 25
I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter, Narrated by Renée Raudman (Brilliance Audio)
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M. Montgomery, Narrated by Colleen Winton (Post Hypnotic Press)
June 26 – July 2
FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK by Matthew Quick, Narrated by Noah Galvin (Hachette Audio)
OCTOBER MOURNING: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman, Narrated by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Christina Traister (Brilliance Audio)
July 3 – July 9
TORN FROM TROY by Patrick Bowman, Narrated by Gerard Doyle (Post Hypnotic Press)
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio)
July 10 – July 16
CLAUDETTE COLVIN: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, Narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio)
WHILE THE WORLD WATCHED by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, Narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio)
July 17 – July 23
THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE by Nancy Springer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Recorded Books)
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES II by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks)
July 24 – July 30
HEADSTRONG by Patrick Link, Performed by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Scott Wolf (L.A. Theatre Works)
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson, Narrated by Scott Brick (Tantor Audio)
July 31 – August 6
DIVIDED WE FALL by Trent Reedy, Narrated by Andrew Eiden (Scholastic Audio)
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane, Narrated by Frank Muller (Recorded Books)
August 7 – August 13
LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS by Ben Lesser, Narrated by Jonathan Silverman and Ben Lesser (Remembrance Publishing)
THE SHAWL by Cynthia Ozick, Narrated by Yelena Shmulenson (HighBridge Audio)

YALSA Book Award Winners

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) a division of the American Library Association has announced its 2014 Best Lists for Young Adult Literature.

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.  The award went to Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick and the Honor Books are: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal, Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner, and Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool.

The Edwards Award which recognizes an author for his/her body of work went to Markus Zusak for The Book Thief, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger.  The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction went to The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi written by Neal Bascomb.

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 to 18.  This year's winners are: Brewster by Mark Slouka, The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell, Golden boy: a novel by Abigail Tarttelin, Help for the Haunted by John Searles, Lexicon: a novel by Max Barry, Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu, Mother, mother: a novel by Koren Zailckas, Relish by Lucy Knisley, The Sea of Tranquility: a novel by Katja Millay, and The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.

For a complete listing of these awards and also lists of Best Fiction for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Great Graphic Novels, Outstanding Books for the College Bound, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, and lists for Amazing Audiobooks and Fabulous Films go to this website link:   http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook

There is also an App that can be downloaded YALSA's Teen Book Finder for your phone or iPad.  http://www.ala.org/yalsa/products/teenbookfinder

 

A Little Speed Dating in the Library

Mr. Thomas's English classes started off the week with a Book Speed Dating session.  Before we started Mr. Thomas went over his expectations for the activity with each class and what book speed dating is and Mrs. Absi went over genres and how to look on the book jacket and inside the book to find summaries, reviews and other information about the book.

There was an array of books from different genres on each table and the students had six minutes at each table to review the books and take notes.  They then switched to another table for another six minutes and continued moving to each of the nine tables to look over the selections on each one.  When we finished the students were able to choose their perfect date book to check out.

Teen Read Week October 13 -19, 2014

Teen Read Week was initiated in 1998 to promote young adult literature.  This year's theme is Seek the Unknown @ your library, explore and learn about the unknown through mystery, adventure, sci-fi, and fantasy books.

The library is holding an online contest during the week.  Each day we will post a question and draw 3 winners from the entries.  Each winner will be able to choose from a cart of Advanced copies of books that Mrs. Absi has received from publishers.

The contest is open to all students at Ashley High.  Type in your answer, your full name and your grade on the entry form and click the submit button.  We will announce the winners on the following morning.  Each day there will be a new question.  Good Luck!

Google Maps Invites You into Doctor Who's TARDIS

With the long-running sci-fi series celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, "Doctor Who" fans working for Google have worked a clever Easter egg into a recent Google Maps update. Not only can you spot the Doctor's TARDIS on the streets of London at this location, but a special arrow in the street allows users to actually travel inside and explore a 3D environment that's quite a bit bigger on the inside.

Click here to find out more about Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary - November 23rd and the history of the Doctors, their companions and monsters on the show.

YALSA's Teen Book Finder app

YALSA's Teen Book Finder is a free app for students, teachers, parents and anyone who enjoys YA literature.  Every day it will post 3 different titles in Today's Hot Picks, you can search for titles either by title, author, genre, year or award.  They also have Search by Booklist option that has lists such as Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Outstanding Books for the College Bound, Popular Paperbacks, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and others.



You can create your own Favorites List of titles you have read or want to read. You also have the ability to share suggested titles with friends on twitter and facebook.  The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.  An Android version of the app is planned for later in 2013.

Click on the link and it will bring you to iTunes App Store.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yalsas-teen-book-finder/id527674308?mt=8