Sunday, August 29, 2010

New School Year: New Books, Toys & Tools!


Welcome Back Murray Hillers! And as the blog post title says New School Year & YAY New Books & Toys! I just ordered some new HOT books for you! Our regular big book order will go in mid-October (get your book suggestions ready!) but I can't wait for these titles. I want you to have them NOW!
You know I'm always thinking about cool books & stuff for you guys...so when I got to the airport after the ISTE conference in Denver the week after school left out - I sat next to this super cool teen named Allie I met - along with her book loving Auntie - she was raving about this book Incarceron and I took a pic of her holding it with my celly. I knew I had to blog about it on our MHMS Media Book Blog! Bought this book for our school library!

Oh! & Leviathan! - "Full of nonstop action, this steampunk adventure is sure to become a classic." - starred, School Library Journal
Steampunk rocks! If you haven't heard of Steampunk before it's a genre of Science fiction, AND type of music and a fashion aesthetic - here's a definition from :-Joshua A. Pfeiffer a.k.a. Vernian Process

"Steampunk simply embodies a time and a place. The time... the late 19th century. The place... a steam powered world, where air travel by fantastical dirigibles is as common as traveling by train or boat (or submarine). A place where national interests are vastly different than our own version of history. A place where the elegant and refined are as likely to get pulled into a grand adventure, as the workers, ruffians, and lower classes. A place where the idea of space travel is not so far fetched. A place where lost civilizations are found and lost again. A place where anything is possible, and science can be twisted to meet ones own ends." From: Aether Emporium

So bookwise, think Jules Verne meets H.G.Wells - with a pinch of technology and Science!

Speaking of NEW books - on pre-order are Hero by Mike Lupica and the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. We'll display it on the cool book pyramid once it comes in!

The other new books I got are two each of Mexican Whiteboy and We Were Here by Matt de la Pena, Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, Homeboyz by Lawrence Stormer and Snitch by Allison Van Diepen. All of these stories are gritty reality teen dramas that are more fitting for 7th & 8th graders.

If you liked Monster by Walter Dean Meyers you'll like these!

Wanna help order new books?
Go to our wiki and help us!
Every year we order new books for YOU & every year we ask you what you want us to get for the MHMS Media Center...We'll still take your scrap paper suggestions for our Suggestion Bus but we're also taking suggestions here! YAY! Ms. Jones & Mrs. Black really LOVE to hear exactly what YOU want. Sure, we ask the teachers, too - but YOU are our FIRST and BEST customer! So tell us what you want and as long as it's approved for middle schools then we'll get it. Don't know the author but just the title? - we'll look it up! Is it part of a series? We'll try and get them all! Basically, help us spend the book money!

Now for TOYS (and Tools!)
I enjoy buying fun toys & display items for the circulation desk of our school library. The MHMS media center has a lava lamp, a plasma ball (so popular we have to clorox wipe that thing every other min!) and a host of bobble heads - all literary, of course!

Blue Planet Electra for $19.00
"Out of the box this hand-blown replica of the Earth in cool blue glass appears tranquil, but plug it in and witness the power of our planet as tendrils of electrical fury pulse through the interior, lashing at the surface! Place your fingertips upon the globe and feel the power as the mild current of electricity attempts to break through the glass."
Oh ahh and I also ordered the academic Explorer Globe to be placed next to our HUGE unabridged dictionary on the stand. YAY Learning!

Oh and speaking of toys? I also ordered some of those Silly Bandz as good answer swag because I can't give out Smartees anymore!













New Circ Counter Toys in Action! Blue Planet Electra!



PS.. My assistant is so very wonderful, talented, and long suffering (having to work with me day in and day out now in our 19th year together! LOL) that I sent her flowers on the first day back last week....still lookin good!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Where's Mr. Dickey?

Where's Mr. Dickey? on PhotoPeach



Fun pics that show the fun personality of our fun admin, teachers & staff! (and yeah, that's 3 funs...cause we're a LOT of fun!)

Friday, June 18, 2010

Have a Great Summer!


At the end of our 13th year here at Murray Hill Media Center we can now finally say to the kids we've been here since before they were born! LOL (EEP!) But really, so many amazing memories, so many wonderful families, awesome kids who come back and visit from high school, college, and beyond! Kids who have touched our lives and made a happy difference and it fills our hearts to think of the many more wonderful memories to come! [snif snif] OK...before I get maudlin here let us just say.....
Thank you Murray Hill Middle School community and Howard County!
Have a great summer everyone!!!
.... and READ! READ! READ!

~Ms. Jones & Mrs. Black

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bookfellas: Bring Back Your Books - Or Else!


Bookfellas: Bring Back Your Books - Or Else!

I hope you don't have any overdue books!
Or the Bookfellas may just visit and
give a gentle reminder ...

This video is an oldie but goodie...all students appearing in this video have since graduated from high school! Yeah...this is how we rock the iMovie OLD SCHOOL STYLE!~
We had the situation before the Jersey shore was even an idea in some MTV programmers dream!

And this is just a joke, really! ...we don't have our own dark suited, guitar case carrying tough guys playing cards in the Library Media Center just waiting to go hunt down kids who have overdue books.....and then getting misty eyed when one comes back on it's own.






anymore.




bookfellas, books return, end of year, goodfellas, jersey shore, library media, mhms media

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Justin Bieber Has Overdue Books!




Whoda thunk it! Justin Bieber has a very important public service announcement to tell you abooot! (he's from Canada..they say aboot!) With a special guest! Please don't be "THAT GUY" and bring back your library media books!

A video created for MHMS students but anyone is welcome to embed or use! (the KIDS Made me do it! - and funny...none of them (unusually!) wanted to do his voice!?) What!? LOL

Another cool video created by MHMS Students...a second MSA Pep Rally Video!




photo credit:
Maclean’s Interview: Justin Bieber - The R & B sensation talks about Usher and Justin Timberlake, his mom and his fans, and what his swagger coach teaches him...

And to quote about that Swagger....which had me ROFLMAO

"Q: It’s been reported that you have a “swagger” coach. Can you explain to me what is that?
A: It’s pretty simple, it’s basically a swagger coach, he kind of teaches me, he helps me just stay swaggerific. I don’t know.

Q: What is it to be swaggerific?
A: You don’t know? I mean, it swaggers. It’s confidence, it’s style, I don’t know how else to put it. It’s swagger. It’s a word."

Music Credit: 14 seconds from iTunes

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

HCL: Summer Reading Club


It's that time again! When the Howard County Public Library rolls out its fun and AWEsome summer reading program! And Mr. Jewitt and Miss Seipel visited our Media Center to talk about it LIVE! From the website:

"Beginning June 1, everyone in Howard County, babies to adults, can read for fun and earn prizes! Read or listen to books from pre-selected reading lists, or choose your own books, magazines, and newspapers. Just kick back, relax, and Make a Splash about summer reading! Sign up online or at any branch.
Make Waves Teen Summer Reading Club
Our goal is to keep you reading this summer. Your goal is to earn book bucks!

Instructions
Earn "book bucks" for time you spend reading. Collect prizes for reaching goals of 50, 100, and 200 book bucks. When you earn at least 200 book bucks, you are eligible to participate in the Make Waves Readers Raffle.

Sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

You can read anything!
You may read books, magazines, graphic novels, newspapers, and websites. You may also listen to audio books. Check out a list of books for Middle School and High School students developed by Howard County Library's teen specialists in conjunction with the Howard County Public School System. You may earn book bucks for up to six hours of reading each day.


To get started, register at the information desk at any Howard County Library branch. We'll give you all of the materials you need to get started: a reading log, a review card, your first five book bucks, and a starter prize!

Submit Reader Reviews online or download Reader Reviews to submit paper copies at any branch.

Last day to earn book bucks and enter the raffle is August 14. Raffle winners contacted after August 18.

Instructions for the Make Waves Raffle are available translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

This year the fun is even better than EVER! With a great collection of prizes JUST FOR SIGNING UP! And after that, the prizes you can win for just spending time reading is AWEsome! Sign up at our local Savage Branch Library or online!

To get the Summer Reading List visit the Savage Branch library or our MHMS Learning Wiki to download the .PDF!

Savage Branch
9525 Durness Ln
Laurel, MD 20723
Phone: (410) 880-5975
TTY: (410) 880-5979
Mon. - Thurs. 10 am - 9 pm
Fri. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm
Sun.1 pm - 5 pm

Monday, June 07, 2010

Edward Says: Bring Back those Books!




Edward knows the importance of keeping an intact library....as we all know throughout the years he has been an avid reader...thus he patiently urges Bela to be responsible and bring back those books.


Now...i've ranted before how annoying and MarySue i think Bela is...sorry hon....but here's the whining clumsy little thing who still can't quite get the hang of returning those Library Media Books!

the first movie was created by the talented husband & wife PSA duo...Mr. and Mrs. Mike Hobson Media Specialist, Oakland Mills MS

the second movie was created using Blabberize by Ms. Jones -

bella, blabberize, books back, edward, end of the year, library books, media books, twilight