Against The Odds

 If you were in a life-threatening situation, would you be able to gather your wits and all available resources to survive?

 

15 year-old Robie lives on the Midway Atoll with her parents, who are scientists. She visits her aunt on Honolulu, but when  Jillian has to leave town unexpectedly, Robie plans to stay there by herself for a few days and enjoy a rare taste of freedom. When Robie is accosted by a dangerous stranger on the street, she decides to fly back to Midway on a cargo plane, a trip that she has taken many times. However, when an unxpected storm hits, the plane crashes in the Pacific, and Robie is thrown from the window with a life raft by Max, the co-pilot. Adrift for several days in the middle of the ocean with hunger, thirst, and sharks as their constant companions, Robie and the semi-conscious Max must figure out how to stay alive against formidable obstacles. What would you do?

 

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen is one of the most exciting survival stories I have read in a long time.

 

I also highly recommend Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.

A Courageous Fight For Survival

What do you do when your future suddenly takes an unexpected turn?

 

When you face a crisis can you learn to become resourceful and strong?

 

Matilda Cook is a strong-willed sixteen-year-old girl who lives in Philadelphia, which, at the end of the eighteenth century, was the nation's capital. She complains about being overworked and her mother's steadfast determination to find her a "suitable" husband.. She helps her mother and grandfather run their family's coffee house, and envisions how to make it the most prominent business establishment in the neighborhood so she can become rich. However, during the summer of 1793, the yellow fever descends on Philadelphia with a vengeance, and decimates the population. Mattie's concerns are soon forgotten, because when her mother becomes ill, the teen and her grandfather are sent to the countryside to escape the disease. When Mattie returns to Philadelphia to await the end of the epidemic, she finds that her mother has disappeared, and a once vibrant city is fraught with danger at every turn. How will Mattie survive on her own?

 

Fever 1793 is an exciting work of historical fiction that is based on a real-life yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia that killed thousands of people in just a few months.The author expertly interweaves a compelling story, well-researched facts, and engaging characters.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!

 

 R.J. Palacio's Wonder, a sensitively written and extraordinary story, introduces us to August Pullman, a ten-year-old boy, who has severe facial deformities and was homeschooled his entire life. In addition to endless hospitalizations for his condition, he had to endure the stares and taunts of insensitive people on the street. Now that the majority of his numerous surgeries have been completed, his parents have decided to send him to a private school in his neighborhood where he will attend fifth grade. August is worried that he will be bullied, and fears the reactions of his classmates. Will they be cruel or compassionate? Will he fit in? This book is a "wonder" because it makes us contemplate the nature of courage, kindness, and heroism. Be sure to read the companion volume 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts.

Wandering Spirits

Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan is an absorbing and suspenseful book that masterfully combines well-defined characters, a supernatural mystery, and a chilling sense of dread that fills every page. Independent and resourceful fourteen year-old Kit Gordy is sent to Blackwood, an exclusive school for carefully selected, gifted students, while her mother and new stepfather take a long honeymoon trip. When Kit sees the mansion for the first time, one word echoes in her mind: evil. As she begins her studies, and tries to adjust to her new surroundings, she discovers that her initial impression of Blackwood is correct. Kit begins to hear rumors that the school is haunted, has frightening dreams at night, sees a shadowy man following her down the corridors, and discovers that the letters to her family have been intercepted. In addition, why do students who have never shown talent in music, writing, and art suddenly produce great masterpieces? When the truth about the school is finally revealed in a shocking twist, Kit wonders if escape is possible. Lois Duncan is a unique writer who takes readers to the edge of their seats and keeps them thinking long after the story's conclusion.

Deception and Fear

                                             
How wary are you of strangers? Can you be tricked into a dangerous situation? Master of suspense Peg Kehret (Ghost Dog Secrets) has written a gripping story about every parent's worst nightmare - child abduction. When six year-old Matt Sholter doesn't arrive at the school bus to go home, the police determine that he was lured into a car by a stranger. The culprit is Matt's biological father, Denny Thurman, whom he has never met. Matt's thirteen year-old sister, Bonnie, who immediately becomes involved with the search effort, notices that the family dog has disappeared. Is this a random occurrence, or is there a definite connection between the two events? Coincidentally, Bonnie locates her missing brother at a Mariners baseball game with his captor. She quickly decides to follow them, and is also abducted. On many occasions, Bonnie and Matt could have been helped by bystanders who noticed that something was amiss, yet chose not to get involved. How will the children escape? This book also provides alot of helpful information about the procedures that are undertaken in a missing child case, and the technology that is used, such as The Amber Alert System.

A World In Turmoil

Have you ever thought about the things that matter most to you? Who or what gives your life meaning? In Susan Beth Pfeffer's gripping page-turner, Life As We Knew It, Miranda, a Pennsylvania high school student, has the usual concerns: shifting friendships, the admiration of boys, exams, and grades. When news reports indicate that an asteroid is on a collision course with the Moon, Miranda, along with her friends and neighbors, is fascinated, but not unduly concerned. However, when the asteroid does hit the Moon, the stage is set for an unprecedented global disaster, because the Moon is pushed into a closer orbit, causing a series of unimaginable climatic changes on Earth - tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and devastating storms. Miranda's priorities suddenly change, as she now must focus on helping to keep her family alive as the number of deaths mount, starvation looms, and epidemics rage. How does one find hope in a bleak future, with every day a constant struggle for the basic essentials of life? The other titles in the series are The Dead And The Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon. I have loved Ms. Pfeffer's books since I was a teenager, and she always provides amazing and unforgettable reading experiences.

 

 

Welcome To Our Library Media Center!

The beginning of a new school year is always exciting because we dream of the infinite gifts of learning and expanding our horizons.

My name is Mrs. Goldstein, and I am glad to be back at IS 141 for my second year as your librarian. It has been a pleasure to get to know the school community and the beautiful neighborhood of Astoria, Queens.

There is always a reason to visit our library. We will have class visits, author programs, new books, opportunities to use technology, Parent Workshops, and homework and research help.

As you know, Children's and Young Adult Literature are my great loves. Please check my blog for reviews of recommended books and digital resources.

Do you have any suggestions for our library? What kinds of materials would you like to see? Please swing by if you have any questions or suggestions.

Let's have a wonderful year!