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Book Review: The Twilight Man

Posted by Arlen Kimmelman on June 12, 2019 at 6:17am

Book Review

The Twilight Man

a graphic novel by Koren Shadmi

Publish date: 08 Oct 2019

Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

I don't care whether you're a fan of "The Twilight Zone" or not. This graphic novel biography about Rod Serling is excellent. It's strength is that it showed the evolution of the man and his storytelling. The drawings were clear and not confusing while maintaining drama and emotion. It was a quick read for 169 pages. And the ending didn't disappoint; well, in real life it did, but this iteration of the storytelling did not. I cannot wait to get this for my high school library!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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The Final Four by Paul Volponi

Posted by bj neary on May 6, 2012 at 11:01am

The Final FourThe Final Four by Paul Volponi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love all of Paul Volponi's books and this is no exception! He gets the suspense and excitement just right in this book about basketball and 4 overtimes in a game that will totally drive you crazy with anticipation. Who will win this Final Four game between the Michigan State Spartans (Malcolm McBride and Michael Jordan) against the Troy University Trojans (Roko Bacic and Crispin Rice)is anyone's guess as we follow the story through the four main characters, (and there are so many more other memorable characters in this book!) newspaper stories, and news reporting by sportscasters. I so enjoyed Malcolm; he was easy to dislike with all his bravado, but he was a consummate player, who had a close-knit family, ethics that kept him away from the drug infested streets, parties and trouble. Volponi's trash-talking between the basketball players was cruel and amusing and created a dynamic that fueled the tension on the court. Roko's story was heartrending with his flight from Croatia and the loss of his uncle. But you knew he was going to do whatever it took to survive, be a leader, and be just like his uncle. I enjoyed the dynamics between Michael Jordan and Malcolm and loved his Reaction Paper: Basketball is Life! Crispin Rice's spur of the moment proposal teaches him (and his team) about living in the moment and the Troy of Hope good luck won't make them a winning team, but looking out for each other during the game is their winning strategy. I will be getting multiple copies of this book for our library and I know my reluctant readers, especially those that love basketball will be fighting for this book!

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Achoo Will Catch You

Posted by Josie Whitehead on October 2, 2011 at 7:39am

(Well he has caught me because I'm recovering from a cold after a school visit.  I should keep away from such places).

 

 

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ACHOO WILL CATCH YOU - Josie Whitehead

 

Everyone’s met Achoo, known as the common cold.

He’s an evil little cold germ who’ll not do as he’s told.

    He likes to pounce on people for he’s such a social man.

    He hides away in corners and he’ll catch you if he can.

 

He’s invisible to humans so you won’t know that he’s there.

He’ll be hiding in your classroom or sitting on your chair.

    He’ll be waiting on the door handle or flying through the air.

    He’ll be hiding where you least expect, so is this really fair?

 

You’ll know when Achoo’s caught you for you start to feel quite ill

And Mum might say “Stay in the warm - you’ve got a nasty chill.”

     Your throat feels sore, your nose will run and oh how tired you feel.

      The fact that Achoo’s caught you isn’t easy to conceal.

 

Keep sneezes in your bedroom.   Don’t let Achoo get away.

He soon will tire of his silly tricks and he’ll go another day.

      By keeping him at home you will not give him to your friends

       And Achoo’s nasty, sneaky tricks will soon come to an end.

 

 http://josiespoems.webeden.co.uk/#/achoo-will-catch-you/4555938462    

 

Hope your children like this.

 

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Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

Posted by bj neary on September 8, 2011 at 1:32pm
Dark DudeDark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark Dude has such a great cast of characters. They all have their problems, but it is Gilberto and Rico, who takes Jimmy with him too that decide to leave their lives in Harlen and strike out for a better life in Wisconsin. Rico is a light Cuban American and this causes him so many problems; he is bullied becdue to his light skin, family tensions with his moms' constant hassles, a father who drinks too much and can't make enough money to support his family and a rundown, violent school. Gilberto is an older Latino friend who truly cares for Rico and makes Rico feel he can do anything. Jimmy has a horrible life but together Rico and Jimmy make comics and watch out for each other. Jimmy is the artist and Rico is the author and they have an idea for a story, "Dark Dude" or Latin Dagger. It is when Gilberto comes into money and decides to go out west and get an education and better life that changes life drastically for Rico. When he can't take his life anymore, he runs away with Jimmy and meets up with Gilberto in Wisconsin. It is this new life, which isn't always great, and his coming of age in Wisconsin (lots going on there), that really causes Rico to mature and changes the course of his life. Rico as a character is going through so much and he has compassion, morals,and integrity. He is smart, re-reads Huck Finn and loves the relationship between Huck and Big Jim. I really admired how Rico never shirked the many challenges that came his way. A great multicultural read of bonds and friendship, but one my reluctant readers won't be interested in because of the 439 pages.


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Running for ISTE PK-12 Board of Directors - I would Love Your vote! :-)

Posted by gwyneth jones on March 26, 2010 at 3:30am
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Isn't this a face and a cartoon you can trust to represent you in the PK-12 for ISTE Board of Directors?

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end April 12, 2010.

Hi everyone! Well, I've never run for a position like this before (local sure, but not international!) so I'm not sure this blog is kosher...but I'm really passionate about working for the PK-12 Ed Tech peeps out there and I'm shameless enough to PLEASE ask for your vote! :-)

Here's where you can find out more information and can vote.

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end
April 12, 2010.

I want to thank my good friend, mentor, and Maryland buddy Ms. Brenda Anderson for nominating me for a position on the ISTE Board. ....so Thank YOU dear amazing Brenda for not only believing in me but taking the time and effort to encourage me to step up and try and make a difference.

I also want to thank my good friend and mentor Joyce Valenza for supporting me in her award-winning recent Never Ending Search blog. She asked me to write up my goals and my vision for leadership within ISTE. I'm gonna re-post that here:

I was amazed and honored to be nominated for the board of directors of ISTE. Now more than ever, I passionately believe that we need to be seen as vital to our schools and the technology education of our most important customers - our kids. As a Media Specialist and a Technology Leader for over nineteen years, I think I am in a great position to see how to advance technology integration, digital citizenship, and helping our students create a digital footprint they can be proud of.

Innovative professional change is very important to me. I believe we need to support the effective use of technology in education to better the earning experience of the teachers and students.

I am also enthusiastic to bring in new members to the association and to foster those new members to contribute, participate, and join personal learning networks to create a more involved community of learners. Collaboration, innovation, approachable leadership, and building community bridges are central to my vision of leadership if I am elected to the board.

If you're reading this ISTE10 blog that means you're already committed to your own professional growth, and you're probably a change agent for your school and county, and I'm "preaching to the choir." For years I've been active with ISTE locally but meeting and working with Joyce Valenza and the geek squad has inspired me to step up and try and make some changes for us and for our profession - changes for the BEST!


Oh, and in the above paragraphs I realize there were WAY too many "I's" for my liking - But hey, it's not easy to write about one's vision of leadership without them...but if elected I promise that it will be about the we, us, and about the you. Thank you for your time and consideration! Cheers!

If you are a member of ISTE I really would appreciate your support....and though I am a teacher-librarian I am very appreciative and supportive of all my other subject area technology education colleagues, related arts, and support staff! - If you teach in a PK-12 School - I would be honored
to be your voice to ISTE and am very approachable for any concerns you have - you would have an eager advocate in me! Here's where you can find out more information and can vote.

Voting for the 2010-2011 ISTE Board of Directors will begin March 11 and end
April 12, 2010.

Follow me on Twitter
My Electronic Portfolio
My professional blog: TheDaringLibrarian
I also want to thank former MSET
president Julie Wray for her support!

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\And if you're a SIGMS member please consider voting for Brenda Anderson for Professional Development chair! She's AWEsome! (and not just for nominating me! LOL) - for real she rocks!

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Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (volume 4, no. 2, 2009)

Posted by Richard Beaudry on June 30, 2009 at 11:12am
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (from the University of Alberta Learning Services) has published another issue. This issue features "school libraries and their connection to evidence based practice." The articles are: 1. Weaving Evidence, Reflection, and Action into the Fabric of School Librarianship 2. Creation of a Research Community in a K-12 School System Using Action Research and Evidence Based Practice 3. School Library Media Specialist Collaboration with Special Education Personnel in Support of Student Learning 4. An Emerging Theory for Evidence Based Information Literacy Instruction in School Libraries, Part 1: Building a Foundation 5. School Librarianship and Evidence Based Practice: Progress, Perspectives, and Challenges 6. Librarian-Teacher Partnerships for Inquiry Learning: Measures of Effectiveness for a Practice-Based Model of Professional Development The Link: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP
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How Do You Get Those Books Back~!~???

Posted by gwyneth jones on April 27, 2009 at 8:30am
I need help writing a new newsletter request to parents for end of the year help getting Media books back...i'm tapped out of ideas and don't like my old newsletter messages.. what do you say? also, along those same lines last year, i also go this from a Media Specialist friend of mine about end of year getting books back: "Hey Gwyneth. I was wondering how you handled getting overdue books back at the end of the year. Any ideas for rewards/incentives? Thanks." my response: hi sweetie!" all books are due back by memorial day then i start on the TV show announcing the numbers of each grade's overdue books... to start a bit of competition, i do that for a week or more - announcing all books are now overdue and please GET THEM IN or ms. jones will come looking for you! muwwaaaaa! (this message is repeated in different ways also in conjunction with giving english teachers a list of kids who have overdue books so they can nag them, too....) then the last few weeks i go personally to each english class and i pull the kids out that still have overdue books and and i ask with mock fierceness like an interrogation: where's the book? (if it's in the locker - go get it now!) if it's at home - where is it at home? did you check under your bed? in the closet? bring it tomorrow! do i need to call home? (put on your list what the answer was H=home, C=call, T=tomorrow etc.) next day, follow up....same questions...this usually brings in like half of the books at least. after that...giving them some chances to bring it in....i have a handful left....THEN i call EVERY kid's parent/guardian on the remaining list and ask for help getting the book back also telling the price in case they need to pay for it but i emphasize and always say "i'd rather have the book than the money" in the end, i usually end up losing about 20- 30 books a year :-( but that's my population/kids..i've made peace with that...some of them keep favorite books because they can't own them any other way....and really, don't tell them i'm sorta cool with that.... oh and if a kid returns a book within a year, i give him/her the money back i don't like to give prizes for getting books back, because that's what they're sposed to do anyway...though i have tried giving a prize to the first english class of each grade to have NO overdue books...but that hasn't made much of a difference sadly..... it's a LOT of work, but i do like to get our books back..... in the end, i re-order the books that don't come back if they're popular, not dupes or needed... those are some of my tricks, what are yours?
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Better Safe Than Sorry: Does Your Library Have an Online Acceptable-use Policy?

Posted by Richard Beaudry on March 11, 2009 at 10:27am
Hello everyone, Here is an article worth reading. Better Safe Than Sorry: Does Your Library Have an Online Acceptable-use Policy? By Pat Scales -- School Library Journal, 3/1/2009 http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6640437.html Richard Beaudry Librarian Langley Secondary School
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