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March Media Center Madness

Junior-Senior High School Book of the Month: Ungifted by Gordon Korman

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel in which one middle-school troublemaker accidentally moves into the gifted and talented program—and changes everything. For fans of Louis Sachar and Jack Gantos, this funny and touching underdog story is a lovable and goofy adventure with robot fights, middle-school dances, live experiments, and statue-toppling pranks!

When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.

Although it wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD couldn't be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for someone like him. But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

I’ve been a Korman reader since I read “Schooled”. Korman is a very down-to-earth author that can easily capture the presence, voice and antics of his characters. His style seems to shift with the topic and one of the aspects that I most appreciate is the humor that comes through his writing. There were parts of this book where I was laughing so hard I was in tears and parts of of the book that I was in tears because of how Korman’s words pulled at my heart strings. This book is a very “light” read, yet one that has the potential to slow us down enough to really look at the people in our lives, the roles they play and remind us, we ALL have contributions to share.

February Elementary Book of the Month: Each Kindness~Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson and Lewis' latest collaboration unfolds with harsh beauty and the ominousness of opportunities lost. Narrator Chloe is a little grade-school diva who decides with casual hubris that the new girl, Maya, is just not good enough. Woodson shows through Chloe's own words how she and her friends completely ignore Maya, with her raggedy shoes and second-hand clothes, rebuffing her every overture. Readers never learn precisely why Chloe won't return Maya's smile or play jacks or jump rope with her. Those who have weathered the trenches of childhood understand that such decisions are not about reason; they are about power. The matter-of-fact tone of Chloe's narration paired against the illustrations' visual isolation of Maya creates its own tension. Finally, one day, a teacher demonstrates the ripple effect of kindness, inspiring Chloe--but Maya disappears from the classroom. Suddenly, Chloe is left holding a pebble with the weight of a stone tablet. She gets a hard lesson in missed opportunities. Ripples, good and bad, have repercussions. And sometimes second chances are only the stuff of dreams. Lewis dazzles with frame-worthy illustrations, masterful use of light guiding readers' emotional responses. Something of the flipside to the team's The Other Side (2001), this is a great book for teaching kindness. (Picture book. 5-8)

Woodson presents a story designed to help expand readers’ awarenesses of their choices and actions. The pictures and text help readers feel like they are part of Chloe and Maya’s world, a world that is real, and sometimes harsh. Written for those who have been on the receiving end of being ignored, avoided and excluded as well as those who have been on the giving end, the book seeks to remind readers how easy it is to be kind… and to be mean and that our what we do, and how we treat others, does come back to us. “Even small things count,” is the lesson that readers are gifted with. This is a very touching, eloquent book that both students and adults will find meaning within.

February Accelerated Readers
Congratulations to the following students for meeting your point requirements:

6th Grade:

Angel Padilla

Reagan Williams

Jaden Wolfe

7th Grade:

Nolan Benjamin

River Hastings

Julie Ingison

Natalie Koubek

Jonathan Moore

Makena Roberts

Kizziah Rutherford

Tyler Schleeman

8th Grade

Tate Hartley

Mariah Schneider

9th Grade

Payton Kahler

Ethan Plummer

Amanda Smith

Hope Stone

Paul White

11th Grade

Marisa Foster

Calyn Werkmeister

12th Grade

Keri Blackler

Darbe Dodson

Corey Eshleman

BreAnna Kahler

Danielle Thormodsgaard

Tori Van Drimmelen