Bryan Davis Author Visit- February 28th, 2023

To MEI Middle Students: I am pleased to announce that on February 28th, the author Bryan Davis will be visiting our school. He will be speaking for one session in the morning. I have booked the MPR from 10:05-10:55am. We will also be having a book giveaway!

Please plan to come out and hear this famous Christian author speak about his popular novels. He is known for his Raising Dragons and Starlighter books (which we have for Lit Circles). He also has two new series called Wanted: Superheroes and the young adult science fiction series Astral Alliance (which I have read and really enjoyed).

Acquaint yourself with his books before he arrives. We have many copies of books for students to sign out. Please save the date to welcome Mr. Davis!

Library Forms/Questionnaires

The Library would like to hear from you! Please click on the images below to get to the Forms.

If anyone would like to see any particular book in the library, please click on the link below to fill out the form. Thank you!

Feel free to fill out this form if you have any questions.

Please fill out the quiz below. Anyone who fills it out will be entered to win a Bryan Davis novel!!!

October/November 2022 in the Library

Hello! We have certainly been very busy the first semester in school, and I will fill you in on all the details…

On October 24th, it was Canadian Library Day, so we made a week of it. The kids enjoyed themselves! There were prizes, crafts, a movie in the library, and a scavenger hunt!

Bookmark Challenge:

Students were invited to participate in the bookmark challenge, and there were 3 winners!

The winners are:

Janae P, Maddie T. and Cadence K.

Way to go, girls! Below, you can see the prizes they won!

 

Scholastic Book Club:

This year, we aren’t having a Scholastic Book Fair, but students are being given flyers to bring home. If you see anything of interest to you, you can still order. Please click on the title above to have a look around!

Please use the order code: RC131019, and any purchases will also give the Library resource credits! Thank you!

November 21st-25th is “Half Off Library Fines Week”:

 

 

 

New Fantastic Fiction! 2022-23

 

The griffin's featherThe Aurelia curse

Books 2 & 3 of the Dragon Rider Series are here!

v. 2 “After learning that the last Pegasus needs help to continue the survival of the species, Ben and the Greenblooms set off to find a griffin feather, but their mission is complicated by the enduring hostilities between the dragon and griffin worlds.” -quote provided by publisher

v.3 “Ben and the Greenblooms must protect a mythical new creature rising from the ocean — a creature who can bring either light or darkness to whoever it first meets. Now not even baby dragons can keep Ben and the Greenblooms from heading to California where the vast, mythical Aurelia will appear. It’s a race against time to protect it, for if the Aurelia is hurt, all fabulous creatures will vanish from Earth. In the end, though, it may take the arrival of the original silver dragon, Firedrake, to help save them all.” -quote provided by publisher

The star that always stays

“When fourteen-year-old Norvia moves from Beaver Island to Boyne City in 1914, she has to contend with a new school, a first crush, and a blended family, but she also must keep secret her parents’ divorce and her Ojibwe heritage.” -quote provided by publisher

“Amelia Jones always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic.

So when Amelia botches her audition, she thinks her dream has met an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn’t.

Meanwhile, a mysterious storm is brewing that no one, not even the maestros at Mystwick, is prepared to contain. Can Amelia find the courage to be true to herself in time to save her beloved school from certain destruction?” -quote provided by publisher

 

The fort

“Five middle schoolers find a fully stocked bomb shelter constructed decades ago in the local woods by an eccentric tycoon and lost until a hurricane exposes the entrance. So, how to keep the hideout secret from interfering grown-ups–and, more particularly, from scary teen psychopath, Jaeger Devlin.” -quote provided by publisher

 

Freewater

“After fleeing the plantation where they were enslaved, siblings Ada and Homer discover the secret community of Freewater, and work with freeborn Sanzi to protect their new home from the encroaching dangers of the outside world.” -quote provided by publisher

 

Rain reign

“Struggling with the challenges of OCD and Asperger’s syndrome, Rose, a homonym enthusiast, shares an inseparable bond with a beloved dog, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, Rose is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places in order to search for her pet.” -quote provided by publisher

“Fifteen years ago, eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout. Over time, seven of them disappeared without a trace, presumed captured or killed. And now, the remaining one has died.

Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their own: Birdie can communicate with animals. Brix has athletic abilities and can heal quickly. Tenner can swim like a fish and can see in the dark and hear from a distance. Seven’s skin camouflages to match whatever is around him. Cabot hasn’t shown signs of any unusual power—yet.

Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash. There is also a note:

Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map.

The five have lived their entire lives in isolation. What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world full of things they’ve only heard about, like cell phones, cars, and electricity? A world where, thanks to their parents, being supernatural is a crime?” -quote provided by publisher

“When her father’s dream to immigrate to Canada fall through, Rena and her family are trapped in the Ukraine in the midst of the Holodomor, a famine that will kill millions. Then, just when it seems the worst is over, her father goes missing, and Rena struggles to keep her hopes alive.” -quote provided by publisher

 

The barren groundsThe great bearThe stone child

A New Series “The Misewa Saga” by Indigenous author David A. Robertson.

“Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home — until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything — including them.”  -quote provided by publisher

 

“Warrior. Princess. Hero. Diana’s destiny is to be the world’s greatest female superhero… if she can survive this action-packed adventure! Witness young Wonder Woman come into her own powers as she fights to save her island!” -quote provided by publisher 

 

Omar rising

“Seventh-grader Omar must contend with being treated like a second-class citizen when he gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school in Pakistan.” – quote provided by publisher

 

Winterkill : a novel

“Despite their political differences Nyl, a young Ukrainian farmer, and Alice, a Canadian girl whose father has come to the Soviet Union, struggle to survive the famine-genocide known as the Holodomor, when the forced collectivization of the Ukrainian farms and hard winters led to mass starvation and death.”- quote provided by publisher

September 2022- Welcome Back!

Welcome to the MEI Middle Library!!! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Taegen Burritt, and I am the librarian at MEI Middle. Please feel free to email me at: tburritt@meischools.com if you have any questions or need help with anything.

Some of you are coming back from last year and have borrowed books for the Summer Reading program. The books must be returned the first week of school. The library is open between 8 am and 3:30pm, Monday to Friday.

For a full tutorial on how to access your library account and place a book on Reserve, please go the The Beakling blog website: https://thebeakling.edublogs.org/catalog-and-account-info/

Once you have placed your books on Reserve, they will be available for pick up in the Library on the 2nd floor. I will send an email to your Office 365 account to notify you that your book(s) are ready, but you are welcome to come by and ask if it is available, too!

New books and magazines are added to the library all year so make sure to check out the Insignia Middle Library home page for updates at: bit.ly/meimidlibrary

Library items are signed out for two week periods and can be renewed from home by logging into the library account. Students may also email or talk to me in person if they need help renewing their books. There is a 25 cent fine for overdue items (per day/per item) so please remember to check your library account.  Information on accessing and managing library accounts can be found on this library blog along with announcements, book suggestions, an Office 365 tutorial, etc.

We are excited to bring Audiobooks and eBooks to the library this year, and I will let you know when they come available! The SORA app will be accessible on student tablets, but parents are welcome to download the app to their smart phone to use. Initially, there will be more audiobooks available than eBooks, but over time they will be added to the collection. If you have any book suggestions, please feel free to email them to me.
Library Tip:
 If you need your password reset, please come to the library and Ms. Burritt will be happy to reset it for you.

 

End of Year Announcements

LIBRARY PAYMENTS 

Please check School Cash Online to see if you have any “Library Overdues”, which were recently added.

Also, if you have a damaged or lost a library book (and need to return it), I will add a separate payment called “Library Fee” if the books are not returned by June 17th. If you find the book and return it to the library by June 13th-17th, I will delete the fee and you will no  longer be required to pay it.

Students who do not pay their overdues or lost book fees will be unable to get their yearbook, so please remember to check your library account.

 

SUMMER READING

TAKING CARE OF BOOKS

 

FVRL SUMMER READING CLUB

 

Interested in a Summer Reading Club?! Go to the Fraser Valley Regional Library to find out more information!

 

 

April 2022 Poetry Contest Winners

Friendship Poem by Hakim R. from 7RO

Friends come and go
Like the tide in the ocean ebbing and flowing under the sun and moon
Like clouds blowing through the sky, sometimes blue and sunny, other times dark and stormy
Like a glacier freezing and melting, freezing, and melting
Like a fire, brilliant red faded into piles of ashes
Like a meadow of flowers once beautiful, lush, fragrant turned into pale dry husks parched by the sun
Like an old and wise oak that met its match with a swift axe
Like a life-giving river tainted by toxic waste
Like leaves on a tree once abundant turned brittle and have fallen to their grassy grave

But faithful friends can bring hope
Like a lone star in the dark sky
Like a single rose in a field of thorns
Like a kite fluttering in the wind a good friend stays there for you

 

How to Find a Friend by Evia L. from 8D

Friends come and go, but some will stay,

Depends on who leads you astray.

When you grab hold, never let go,

For they could be more than you know.

~

Grasp their hand, and hold it tight,

And don’t let go with all your might.

Share lots of laughs, happy and sad,

They ever last, good times and bad.

~

Some days wistful, some bittersweet,

Don’t walk away, and don’t retreat.

Stay positive, and not downcast.,

For bad times fade, they never last.

~

Some qualities, that you should find,

That make a friend, truly divine:

They are helpful, both kind and sweet,

They’re always there, happy to greet.

~

They never bail, they never lie,

They stand up for you anytime.

A special bond, a friend like kin,

Benevolent, and genuine.

~

Days go by slow, and years go fast,

Look for someone so they will last.

So if you want, to find a friend,

Find someone who’s there ’till the end.

 

An Ode to Old Friends by Lilly C. from 7R

Oh Friends,

How I love you so.

You have been there for me

Through the ups and downs.

And even when I had thoughts nobody my age should think.

 

Oh Friends,

Who would know that

Such priceless friendships

Could get torn apart by

Something that you brought upon yourselves.

 

Oh Friends,

The way I look back on how we could’ve been,

How we should’ve been.

Makes me ache to go back.

I tremble the words I miss you under my breath

Every single time I look at our yearbooks.

 

 

2022 Bookmark Contest Winners

Here are the winners of the Bookmark Contest of this year. The theme this year is: your favorite book and quotes from the book. Congratulations to Avery, Ella and Maddie!!!

1st Place: Avery G. from 7H

 

2nd Place: Ella E. from 7F

3rd Place: Maddie T. from 6R-G

 

 

Latest Books in the Library!

Dog Driven: adventure fiction

“McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.

Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.

A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.” ~quote provided by publisher

 

The Hacker’s Key: adventure fiction

“Ada Genet’s father, Remy Genet, was one of the most infamous criminals in the world, specializing in infiltration, theft, and cybercrime. As far back as she can remember, Ada had been his accomplice. She helped him steal secrets from governments, weapons from terrorists, and money from just about everyone. But when the law finally caught up with them, Remy ended up in prison — and Ada at a military boarding school, as a ward of the US Government. Now something called the Hacker’s Key has been stolen from a secret UN installation. The Key could supposedly shut down every computer, smartphone, and internet-connected device simultaneously, causing mass chaos around the world. A Techno-Doomsday. A clue left behind at the scene points to Ada’s father, but he’s been in prison the whole time. Then Remy springs one last surprise. He’ll speak, but only to one person — his daughter, Ada.” ~quote provided by publisher

 

56970272

I Must Betray You: historical fiction/young Adult

The latest book, I Must Betray You, by Ruta Septys is out. In this historical fiction novel, an aspiring young Romanian writer, Cristian Florescu, is commanded by the Romanian government to spy on an American family who live at the embassy. Being asked to spy on people isn’t new. In Romania, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu has the secret police routinely force neighbor to spy against neighbor to ensure that civilians are obeying the rules.

Everyone lives in fear of the smallest infraction. However, Cristian doesn’t want to be a spy, and as his eyes are opened to what is happening to his people and the destruction the government has on his family. Together, his people can overthrow the government. As one, they can reclaim their lives, but at what cost?

Merci Suarez Changes Gears

“Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, as strong and thoughtful as Merci is, she has never been completely like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren’t going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. And Merci is left to her own worries, because no one in her family will tell her what’s going on. Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal, this coming-of-age tale by New York Times best-selling author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.” ~quote provided by publisher

 

The Mighty Miss Malone: historical fiction

“We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful” is the motto of Deza Malone’s family. Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But it’s 1936 and the Great Depression has hit Gary hard, and there are no jobs for black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother, Jimmie, go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie’s beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is the Mighty Miss Malone.” ~quote provided by publisher

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich 

“Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, Jeremiah has nurtured Ebony-Grace’s love for all things outer space and science fiction—especially Star Wars and Star Trek. But in the summer of 1984, when trouble arises with Jeremiah, it’s decided she’ll spend a few weeks with her father in Harlem.

Harlem is an exciting and terrifying place for a sheltered girl from Hunstville, and Ebony-Grace’s first instinct is to retreat into her imagination. But soon 126th Street begins to reveal that it has more in common with her beloved sci-fi adventures than she ever thought possible, and by summer’s end, Ebony-Grace discovers that Harlem has a place for a girl whose eyes are always on the stars.” ~quote provided by publisher

Out of Hiding: biography

“With a foreword by Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee. Ruth Gruener was a hidden child during the Holocaust. At the end of the war, she and her parents were overjoyed to be free. But their struggles as displaced people had just begun. In war-ravaged Europe, they waited for paperwork for a chance to come to America. Once they arrived in Brooklyn, they began to build a new life, but spoke little English. Ruth started at a new school and tried to make friends — but continued to fight nightmares and flashbacks of her time during World War II. The family’s perseverance is a classic story of the American dream, but also illustrates the difficulties that millions of immigrants face in the aftermath of trauma. This is a gripping and human account of a survivor’s journey forward with timely connections to refugee and immigrant experiences worldwide today.” ~quote provided by publisher

A Wish in the Dark: fantasy

A 2021 Newbery Honor Book


“A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.

All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong’s prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.

Nok, the prison warden’s perfect daughter, is bent on tracking Pong down and restoring her family’s good name. But as Nok hunts Pong through the alleys and canals of Chattana, she uncovers secrets that make her question the truths she has always held dear. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, Christina Soontornvat’s twist on Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice — and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark.” ~quote provided by publisher

A World Below: adventure fiction

“Mr. Baker’s eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. But when an earthquake hits, their field trip takes a terrifying turn. The students are plunged into an underground lake…and their teacher goes missing.

They have no choice but to try and make their way back above ground, even though no one can agree on the best course of action. The darkness brings out everyone’s true self. Supplies dwindle and tensions mount. Pretty and popular Silvia does everything she can to hide her panic attacks, even as she tries to step up and be a leader. But the longer she’s underground, the more frequent and debilitating they become. Meanwhile, Eric has always been a social no one, preferring to sit at the back of the class and spend evenings alone. Now, he finds himself separated from his class, totally by himself underground. That is, until he meets an unexpected stranger.

Told from three different points of view, this fast-paced adventure novel explores how group dynamics change under dire circumstances. Do the students of Mr. Baker’s class really know each other at all? Or do they just think they do? It turns out, it’s hard to hide in the dark.” ~quote provided by publisher