Miscellaneous | Readers Be Advised

Six sensational summer camp stories

With June arriving with the flip of the calendar today, I decided to rally and do a post a day for the month of June of “six sensational” books on various themes, topics, situations, or characters. What better way to kick of the post Memorial Day unofficial start to summer than six sensational summer camp stories!

Upstaged by Robin Easter: A new graphic novel out that celebrates theater camp but also the realistic side of friendships and crushes.
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson: An adventurous middle grade about discovering the other side of a family that she didn’t know much about.
Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino: This YA romance featuring a Deaf character, cute lifeguards, and finding out who you are.
Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim: Instead of culinary camp, she’s at vamp camp? Ooops. But turns out Maya’s enjoying herself enough to stay.
You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron: A thriller of a story featuring all that’s the best about 80s slasher movies and the last “campers” of the summer season.
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol: The humorous memoir of Brosgol’s is made sweeter by some of the local connections to the area I live in.

What are some of your favorites?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on June 1, 2024 in Miscellaneous

Life had other plans

14 Mar

I wish I was here to give you a gushing event recap of our author visit today, but instead, I’m going to share a reminder that there are things that are out of our control and we have to roll with them. Yesterday, life had other plans instead of an author visit.

With an unfortunate medical emergency, our author’s relative reached out that they were not able to be at our school and that when better, would reschedule. It was a hard hit after all as the last few details had been put in place including the event setup of chairs from our maintenance staff and school secretary making the 15-minute reminder announcements for students to head to the library.

It might be a dirty word in education, the word “pivot”, but that’s exactly what happened. We pivoted. We still had the students who were invited to the special-invitation lunch down to talk about their books and reading in general because the food had been pre-ordered. We reopened the library. Students still came to grab the books. Staff and students came to express their sadness and disappointment. We told them that the option to reschedule will be our next big announcement and we’ll welcome the author back since so many students had been reading the books or were excited about meeting an author even if their classes weren’t and they were reading them independently. It still stings just a little. Yet it was out of our control entirely.

I suppose at our fifteenth in-person author visit, maybe there’s a statistical probably that it would happen. Life happens. It gets in the way of carefully laid plans. We pivot.

Look for a new post in the next few months where we celebrate the coming of our author, we know we’ll be ready!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on March 14, 2024 in Authors, Events, Miscellaneous, Reflections

On the eve

12 Mar

What does a school librarian whose love language is baking desserts do on the eve of an author visit?

Bake.

We’ll have an invite-only lunch with a small group of students nominated by their teachers to attend. While the fare is typical for teens– pizza and a salad– I wanted to add a homemade treat. But because I couldn’t decide on chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or Oreos, I found a recipe in which the cupcake includes all three. Win, win, win.

I’ll fangirl about our author, students, and activities tomorrow….

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on March 12, 2024 in Authors, Events, Miscellaneous

Help, I’m trapped in the library!

16 Jan

After school last week, as a student was walking into the bathroom in the library, he said

Wait, Mrs. Abdul, do you, like, get sick of staying in the library all day?

He’s a library regular that uses the library more for relaxation and connecting with friends than schoolwork. So it was even weirder question because he doesn’t normally engage me in conversation aside from coming and going or when I have to address he or his friends’ behavior.

I paused for a minute– unsure what he was really getting at but then I responded

I like being in the library! But, (pauses) I can leave the library when I want to… like, I meet teachers in their classes and can walk around the building. I’m not stuck here. But there’s no place I’d rather be. I like what we’ve built in the library, we work hard to make it a place that people want to be.

I wasn’t sure if he thought I couldn’t leave the library or that it was boring being in the library all day. I can honestly say that it’s never a dull moment in the library! He seemed content with my answer and went about his business but I had a chuckle at the question.

The library is the best place to be if I had to be trapped, that’s for sure!

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on January 16, 2024 in Blogging, Miscellaneous

Reading buddies

08 Jan

A trend I’ve noticed in my high school library over the last few months is buddy reading. Generally two girls, they come in looking for a book they can both read together. They might meander around the shelves picking up books and putting them down or asking for recommendations, but either way, they want the opportunity to connect with one another through literature.

This is easy to accomplish in our library. As a large high school, one of our collection development goals is to purchase multiple copies of many popular, well-written, and influential stories that could be used in the classroom, recommended during booktalks, and for times like these where friends are reading together. There’s nothing more frustrating during readers advisory to be talking up a book as we walk to the bookshelves, only to find it checked out. There are titles that always hit right with teens.

Book clubs are used for socialization more than deep literary conversation, so I have been excitedly encouraged by this newfound trend in our library. What better way to get to know your friend than reading and discussing literature?

Below are some of the favorites I recommend or have spotted friends reading together.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on January 8, 2024 in Authors, Miscellaneous, Poetry, Reflections, Verse, Young Adult

Listening speed

29 Nov

1.00x (normal speed)— Who wants to be normal?

1.25x— It may be the reader or it may be the book, but we have to add a little pep in the step of the book.

1.50x— A sweet spot for an avid reader who not only likes to get pulled into a book’s orbit but also knows there are too many books and too little time on this earth (or there’s a deadline to finish the material).

1.75x— It’s probably the book because it’s not the best, but it’s also not the worst so we’ll stick it out and get through this together… just a little faster.

2.00x— I want to meet the person whose listening comprehension skills are this refined as to revel in a book while doubling it’s listening speed.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on November 29, 2023 in Audiobooks, Miscellaneous, Reflections

Traditions

26 Nov

About this time, the tags for book trees (a lit up tree made from books) or Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic book flood, come fast and furious. As they should because they’re traditions just like building a gingerbread house is for my family and making pierogies on Christmas Eve.

As for book traditions, there is one that I’ve done for years. On the last day of school, I take our boys to the indie bookstore and let them buy whatever they want– they’re reasonable and bookish, so it all works out. It’s a way to celebrate another school year gone by and usher in summer reading outside.

I have a tradition for the end of one year and the beginning of another. It’s simple but ‘a thing’. By December I’ve usually picked my last book of the year and the first book I’ll read in the new year– usually to end and begin on a high note– selecting a type of book that I traditionally enjoy or have heard all good things about.

And while I don’t have one for the winter itself as a family, I might try to build a tradition in the vein of Jolabokaflod though it’s complicated by the fact that we are at family’s on Christmas Eve. But it can be whatever we make it. I think I’ll take some recommendations over the next month and see what we come up with.

Any suggestions?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on November 26, 2023 in Events, Miscellaneous, Reflections

Thankfulness

23 Nov

Waking up today will be my first full day turning the page to chapter 40. It also happens to be Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for being able to live another year.

I am thankful for good food and drink whether it’s at a beautiful new restaurant or from my own kitchen.

I am thankful to be able to run a Turkey Trot this morning with my nuclear family, two teenagers and a husband before spending time with extended family to share in some turkey, stuffing, and cranberries (don’t forget dessert!)

I am thankful for authors, books, and being surrounded by the power of words.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on November 23, 2023 in Miscellaneous, Reflections

Gifts for the book nerds in your life

22 Nov

Gift giving season is upon us, so what kinds of items would a book nerd in your life want? I’ll tell you the things I’ve been gifted and loved and the things that I’d love to own.

Canvas bags with pithy sayings like this gorgeous one.

Apparel that brings comfort to readers like these warm socks with a cool slogan.

Items that compliment your reading environment like these adorable coasters.

Jewelry like a bangle that says “I love books”.

For the book nerds with an extensive library that they often don’t like to lend out– they’ll add a reminder of just whose it is with a stamp or embosser. That’ll do the trick!

And book weights! That item has revolutionized my reading life.

What are your favorite book nerd gifts?

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on November 22, 2023 in Miscellaneous, Style

Stocking up for long weekends and breaks

21 Nov

Just like you buy the essentials to stock up when impending weather hits, so I stock up on long weekends and breaks when libraries are likely to be closed. I want to make sure I have enough reading material at the ready. Yes, I know that the digital world remains available, but it’s often so much better to hold a book in your hands.

Luckily in our high school library, we got a big shipment of books in, so we’ve created a few displays to highlight these books to stock up. Last Friday two girls came up to the desk to check out and asked how many they’re allowed to borrow at a time. I told them that four is usually a pretty good number but around long weekends and holidays we’ll let them take as many as they can carry. They chuckled and shouted loudly about how happy that made them. Adults do it, teens do it, and the adults for little children do it too.

Here in upstate New York, wintery weather is starting to arrive, so I’ll be sure to make sure my shelves are stocked.

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Posted by Alicia Abdul on November 21, 2023 in Miscellaneous