2017 Pesky Reading Challenge Celebration

Yesterday afternoon we celebrated with our 2017 Pesky Reading Challenge participants at the library; a brief but festive meeting centered on a love of books that included discussion, prizes, and gorgeous cupcakes. Five readers completed all 25 categories--what an achievement. Everyone was invited to share with the group a favorite book, a book that surprised them, or any that they would have never read without the challenge categories. One of the best things about a challenge with 25 diverse categories (from a book that takes place on an island to a steampunk novel) is that it forces readers to choose books outside of their comfort zone. And although many of our categories were directed at potentially older works--a classic, a book published before you were born--I was still struck by the books our students chose to talk about. It warms these librarians’ hearts to see young people speaking passionately and intelligently about books in general, and especially some old favorites. I thought I would highlight a few of the books that came up in our discussion.

1984 by George Orwell

A modern classic if there ever was one, Orwell’s dystopian novel greatly inspired one student. He spoke of its amazing ability to speak to students today even 60 years after it was written, and how brilliant and insightful the story was.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Our youngest reader managed to fulfill all 25 categories in 4th grade! When asked to speak of her favorite book from the list she mentioned The Princess Bride. Known mostly from the 1987 movie, the book holds its own among audiences and critics for its humor, romance, and swashbuckling story. The book is always better than the movie, right?

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This beloved fable fit a number of our categories including book under 100 pages and a book translated into English. It was heralded by one reader for its surprising universal message and standing up to all that she had heard about it in the past. There is a reason that it has been translated into over 200 languages and more than 70 years after being written it remains one of the world’s bestselling books.

Thanks again to all of the readers who participated, and we look forward to announcing our 2018 challenge soon.

Martin Luther King Day

We had a fantastic program of Martin Luther King Day events here at Governor’s Academy. Darryl Davis spoke to the entire community in the morning about his lifelong quest to understand racism, and then we broke into groups for various trainings and workshops. After lunch and advisory meetings we came together again for an open mic opportunity where many students chose to read poetry. Their courage and incredible voices impressed me, and reminded me of what a potent medium poetry can be. In the past few years I have been especially moved by a number of Young Adult books written in verse by authors of color that I thought I would share for MLK Day.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

This book won heaps of awards in 2014 and deserved every one of them. The phrasing and use of language is gorgeous, dynamic and paints a picture that stays with me even years later. It is autobiographical about growing up in 1960’s and 70’s, and her beginnings as a reader and writer. Woodson recently became the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

Blade is about to graduate from high school when faced with many typical teen issues--like girlfriend problems--and some not so typical--like dealing with his alcoholic rock star father. When he learns life altering information he travels to Africa to find out the truth. The language is beautiful, the characters are original, and the story is captivating. Alexander is the author of many books written in verse including The Crossover which won the Newbury Medal.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Reynolds is a poet motivated to “NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS” according to his Amazon bio, and he succeeded with Long Way Down. On his way to possibly avenge his brother’s death, Will endures a fantastical elevator trip that questions his memories and his motivation. Reynolds plays with structure and voice to create something unique while telling a difficult story about loss the cycle of violence. Reynold’s style and the challenging story make this a quick page-turner and good introduction to books in verse for a reader that wants to try something different.

I am also really looking forward to the March release of Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X. This will be Acevedo’s first foray into YA literature, but her award winning slam poetry style and feminist slant seem a sure bet for a great read. We already have it in the cart and I for one can’t wait to get my hands on it.

PK

The Moons of January

This week, we will look in on DDC section 523.3, aka the Moon. Just so you know, the whole 520 section (in the big room on the second floor of the library) is about astronomy in general. Math, physics, and paleontology are nearby subjects.

This is kind of an awesome time to look at the Moon, both in books and in real life. So far in the month of January, we had a 3-day long full moon which was also a Supermoon. It was 14% wider and 30% brighter than your normal full moon. Some names for this first full moon in January are the Wolf Moon, the Ice Moon, the Old Moon, and the Long Night Moon.

The next full moon, on January 31, will be another Supermoon. It will also be a Blue Moon. Not to be outdone, there will be a lunar eclipse that will turn the moon reddish. This makes our Blue Moon a Blood Moon as well. So, right at the end of the month, you can see a super blue Blood Moon. Stop by the astronomy section for books that explain the whole thing better than this. If you want to grapple with this whole moon thing in detail, try NASA’s online project to make a moon phase calculator of your own (https://goo.gl/tFfUzq).

-MJD

Winter Books

January 5, 2018

            It’s no secret that I really hate cold weather and all of the nasty by-products that come along with it. It’s also no secret that I really like to read--a lot. So I take winter as open invitation to cuddle up under multiple layers and read to my heart’s content with no feelings of guilt that I should be doing anything else. As the coldest weekend of the year approaches I am thinking about places and times when people had it much worse than we do. Like watching an episode of Hoarders to feel better about my house, why not read books to make me feel better about the weather? Here is a short list of books that might just fit the bill:

Call of the Wild by Jack London

 Sled dogs have it hard, and Buck certainly survives horrible treatment and conditions in Alaska. Originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, Call of the Wild may be too brutal and dated for some readers, but is still thought by many to be a classic.

The Shining by Stephen King

Stuck in a cold, empty, haunted hotel during a brutal winter with a crazy writer? Not for me, but a much beloved scary read.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

I read this a long time ago, but the setting of San Piedro Island in the Pacific Northwest always stayed with me. A murder mystery with a large serving of historical fiction that takes place in a cold, wet, rainy climate.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A childless couple living in 1920’s Alaska attempt to stave off their sadness by building a child out of snow are surprised when she seems to come to life. Beautiful book about love and family while homesteading in the unforgiving Alaskan wild.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Winter is coming…

For these books and more come check out our winter display, and keep warm!

PK

What a great year of Library Trivia! Thanks to everyone who played--we had a lot of fun and we hope that you did, too. 25 players answered all twelve correctly and 7 answered 11.

The Answers: 

DAY 1: Bill Quigley has a book in Pescosolido Library. (Also acceptable: Jeff Kelley whose thesis is in the stacks.)

DAY 2: William Faulkner supposedly wrote As I Lay Dying in 6 weeks while working the night shift at a Mississippi power plant...he claims that he was drunk most of the time. (Believable.)

DAY 3: Nathanael West’s novel The Day of the Locust features a character named Homer Simpson.

DAY 4: Fitzgerald used the words daiquiri, t-shirt and wicked in his first novel, This Side of Paradise in 1920.  (There were a few Great Gatsby answers...sorry!)

Controversial DAY 5: The answer we were looking for was John Green. He worked for the ALA for six years before publishing his first book. Although not exactly correct we will also accept Daniel Kraus and Michael Cart who are YA authors and work for Booklist.

DAY 6: The oldest working library is in Fez, Morocco.  The al-Qarawiyyin library was founded in 859 CE--by a woman, Fatima El-Fihriya.

DAY 7:  Starbucks took its name from the chief mate in Moby Dick.

DAY 8: From left to right the three people are: Allen Ginsberg, Emily Dickinson, and Gwendolyn Brooks--all poets. (And yes, all American, and all dead.)

DAY 9: Zora Neale Hurston was an author of the Harlem Renaissance who also studied anthropology at Barnard College and Columbia University.

DAY 10: Bibliosmia is the act of smelling a book for pleasure, but all answers that involve smelling books will be accepted.

DAY 11: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss was written to win a $50 bet that he couldn’t write a book with 50 words or less.

DAY 12: JK Rowling was the first author to make over one billion dollars from her work.

We have prizes at the library for the winners.

(We realize that we are not exactly Price Waterhouse, so if you think that we made a mistake we probably did...come see us.)

Thanks again to anyone who played & Happy Holidays!!

Folklore and Tradtions

With classes and school responsibilities done for a while, you might want to look at the world in a completely new way for a few weeks. For Winter Break, let’s check out the 300 nonfiction section, which covers the Social Sciences, including (among others) Political Science, Education, and Law. Today, we’re going to look at a few books in the Customs, Manners, and Folklore subsection.

Many cultures have at least one holiday in the winter months. Traditions particular to cold weather are also common. The Folklore of World Holidays pretty much covers the range, as well as warmer months. This book, found in the Reference section, is set up in encyclopedia fashion. That means that it is designed for you to look up individual topics rather than read the whole from start to finish. Very similar books can be found in the regular (non-Reference) stacks upstairs. (398.2 MAC)

If you're interested in looking more closely at a more historical take on "stories, customs, and rites of passage" relating to the United States, The Book of American Traditions might be a good read for you. Each topic, like New Year's Day, contains a number of very short pieces that describe older practices. Did you know that dressing up for Halloween is actually pretty recent? Kids used to just make mischief all night. See 391 JEN for more examples of some very strange habits in American social history.

Although this last book is a little off-topic, I had to include The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures, by Aaron Mahnke. It is a collection of short pieces from the Lore podcast. Each story examines not just a creepy bit of (international) folklore but also the social context that it comes from. It's a book well worth checking out, even if it is is shelved under Monsters and Zombies (001.944)

-MJD

Explorations for Vacations

Have you ever wanted to add a little adventure to your life over Break? Does adventure travel sound appealing, but you just don't have the time to fit it in? Have you ever, faintly lost, wandered the shelves in the library, wondering how the books are arranged? Well, today, we're going to explore the 900s section of the nonfiction collection to see what we find. (Hint: the 900s span includes books about History and Geography, as well as some closely related topics.)

So, what does all that have to do with adventure and exploration? How about we think of exploration as we step over to the Bragdon Room to pick a few books to start your adventure:

First off is a fine winter-weather collection of stories about a really, really cold place, the Arctic and many of the incredibly tough people who tried to explore it. While some have succeeded and now flourish living within the Arctic Circle, others were unsuccessful at best, terminally late at worst. If you're interested in extreme cold-weather tales of endurance, check out the 919s. This is the section for "geography of and travel in Australasia, Pacific Ocean islands, Atlantic Ocean islands, Arctic islands, Antarctica and on extraterrestrial worlds." The Icemen: 919.8 CON

If Arctic extremes of weather doesn't do it for you, how about we go in the opposite direction? We can while away quite a few miles, 24000 in fact, around the Equator in much more balmy circumstances. Warmer, but maybe not safer. Because Western exploration had a distinctly northern bias for so long, many explorers thought they were poking around at the ends of the Earth. Their stories are amazing. If you could try a little travelers' tales, check out the 910s. This section specializes in geographers, travelers, explorers regardless of country of origin. Latitude Zero: 910.92 GUA

If you just want to stay local and not reach quite as far as the Equator, how about checking out some of the absurdities to be found right here in the state of Massachusetts? A trip to the Moon might be too hard to arrange, but how about a trip to a house made entirely of paper (Rockport)? Or to a museum dedicated to bad art (Dedham)? Or to a memorial to a cookie (Whitman)? Day tripping in New England can be weird and wonderfully enlightening. Check out the 917s for more ideas for local adventuring. The geography of and travel in North America section brings you these gems. Massachusetts Curiosities: 917.44 GEL

The last stop on our exploration is 13th Century England. This isn't strictly travel to adventurous geography like the other selections, but it is too strange to miss knowing about. Did you know that King John of England (known as King John the Bad) moved the crown jewels of England from one place to another while he was fighting his subjects? The weird part is that the wagon train with the treasure completely vanished while crossing a marsh. Not one person, ox, or golden treasure piece has ever been found. To this day, no one knows exactly what happened to those carters and John's millions. 942 holds more history of England and Wales in all its flavors. King John: 942.03 MOR

-MJD

Freaky Fairy Tales

Has it been a while since you read a fairy tale? If so, you might be surprised at some modern versions of old-time stories. Check out one of these odd little tales for to read over break -- Mother Goose is a long way behind these freaky, slightly fractured stories. Children are definitely optional.

Fractured Fairy Tales by A.J. Jacobs. These short tales were originally shown as cartoons during The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle show. These stories are the original bent, folded, and mutilated fairy tales. Think twisted, punny, and many unexpected endings. (SC JAC)

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. Tam Lin is a modern retelling of the ancient Scottish song by the same name. In this version, a Scottish forest is a college campus and Tam Lin is a student. The magic, intrigue, and angry Queen of the Fairies are still there. Tam Lin is a cult classic for people who like fantastic fiction and romance. (FIC DEA)

Fables: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham etc. Winner of many awards, the Vertigo series author remakes several fairy tales by throwing the characters (Cinderella, a "big, bearded man who lives in the North,"... into present-day New York City. Chaos and catastrophes ensue, as in Colin the Pig’s severed head answering when Snow White asks him if it’s over and if things will ever get better—“Oh dear, oh dear. I wish I could say it did, Snow. I truly wish I could.”  (GN WIL FAB v. 5)

-MJD

Displaying Our Stuff!

Did you know that this October marked the 125th anniversary of the release of Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes stories collection? Did you know that Govs has its own water treatment plant and how it works? How about that the “Great American Eclipse” took place this summer on August 21st? If you were a regular visitor to the library you might know because these are a few of the topics we have highlighted in our library displays.

Every month we try to put together eye-catching displays that tackle current events, a scientific discovery, an important anniversary in history, or something that interests us and might interest you.  We research important dates in history as well as looking at what people are talking about now, to come up with what we hope is an interesting and timely display.  Our extensive collection of books and DVDs supports the chosen topic and has been known to lead to a junior thesis topic or two!

If there is something you would like us to highlight in one of our displays in the future, please let us know. Suggestions are always welcome!

AEC

National Native American Heritage Month display

The organized fight to officially recognize the contributions of Native Americans to the United States began in the early years of the 20th century. Different states and time periods have used different names, including American Indian Day, Native American Day, American Indian Day, and Indigenous Peoples Day. The first Federal proclamation of National American Indian Heritage Month came in 1990 under President George H.W. Bush. Other names for this month of celebration are Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Pesky has a strong collection of books and videos that explore the politics, history, literature, and social conflicts of indigenous peoples in the United States. Please stop by and check out our display. More information is available at the websites of the Federal agencies that sponsor the heritage month.

• National Archives
• National Endowment for the Humanities (EDSITEment)
• National Park Service
• Smithsonian Education

_________________

in a double rainbow

lives the summer rain

who bring the seed

to soak the ground

to make dry arroyos run

as singing summer floods

-- Harold Littlebird, “In a Double Rainbow” in Voices of the Rainbow: Contemporary Poetry by Native Americans, edited by Kenneth Rosen, 212-213. New York, 1993.

-MJD

48 Hours Without the Library

48 Hours Without the Library

Due to the inconsiderate act of Mother Nature, the somewhat mysterious workings of National Grid, and the obstinate rule enforcement of the Byfield Fire Department, Pesky Library remained closed for a number of days this week. Although Library 2.0 set up shop in the dining hall for the duration, it just wasn’t the same. Here is a brief timeline of events and commentary that ensued:

Hour One: Students gasp in shock as we stop them from entering the library on Monday morning...they need to print. We gently send them on to buildings with generators while quietly questioning their understanding of electricity.

Hour Two: Panic from students who borrow textbooks and laptops every day in lieu of bringing theirs to school. How will they get through the day?

PA: Where will everyone go? Stay in the dining hall? Go to the student center?  Terrible ideas. Students lament. We offer to “SHHH” in the dining hall to comfort them.

Hours 10-15: Emails abound from all directions. No library? No learning center? No study rooms?

Hour 25: Mobile Library wises up and grabs a table near an outlet. Electricity is life.

Hour 26: Depression has set in. Boxes of books for Junior research projects lay unopened in the mail room. Appointments that “have to happen today!” are hastily accomplished amidst dining hall chaos.

Hour 28: Students stop by the pop-up library to share their harrowing tales of life without electricity. Many realize how much time they actually spend in the library and tell us how much they miss it. We miss them, too...to hide our emotions we tell them to take off their hats.

Hour 48: With the power back on we spend the (hopefully) last few hours in the mobile library awaiting the all clear to return to Pesky. We echo the sentiments of many at Governor’s as we put this time into perspective, and think about the many people around our country and the world who live in much worse conditions daily. As frustrating as some of these 48 hours have been, we are thankful for the time spent around students, faculty and staff that we don’t typically get, and the new perspectives on life here at Governor’s and our world. Now back to work!

P.S. at Hour 72: Post electricity return we spent another afternoon in our pop-up space awaiting the all clear on the fire alarm system. Like so many things this week nothing went as predicted, but that is another life lesson. Thursday morning finally finds us back in Pesky helping students print, loaning out textbooks and laptops, digging out from days of mail and packages, and awaiting the first hat on a student head. We’re happy to be back.

Dia de Muertos

No hope that ever warmed a human heart

      Was lost when that heart crumbled into dust:

      The dreams that woke the sunrise of the world are ours—

      Our dead walk with us daily, hand in hand.

      But every joy we know to give or keep;

      By hearts more gentle, and by eyes more true,

      They are our own, and undivided still.

In memory! In memory of the dead!

      In tenderness and hope for all who live!

      Peace with you, ye that lie at rest!

      Hope with you, ye that live and yet must face

      The pain of living!

      In memory, in hope, in tenderness!

--Sharlot Mabridth Hall (1870–1943), "Memoriam," Cactus and Pine: Songs of the Southwest, 1910

Dia de Muertos is a memorial festival, all about remembering and honoring the dead. It’s held in the beginning of November. Come see our display with more information about Dia de Muertos traditions, including movies, cookbooks, and coloring pages. 

Dia de Muertos

-MJD

Hair-Raised Jonathan

Ghosts and goblins, witches and werewolves, vampires and mummies! 

Are you in the spirit for some hair-raising stories and nerve-rattling movies? Spookify your life over at the Masters of the Macabre exhibit in Pesky Library. Don't wait too long -- these creepy, scary entertainments will vanish into the dark of the night before too long. (not really, they'll still be on the shelves).

-MJD

Pepe Corporan Vase

The very tall vase in the entryway of Pesky Library had visitors on Sunday night. Grace Corporan and Manuela Sepulveda (pictured) stopped in with senior Alondra Caceres Corporan. The vase was created by Alondra's uncle, Elvinson (Pepe) Corporan, Class of 2004. It was his AP Ceramics project in his senior year. The surface of the vase is decorated with a poem honoring his family, written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Grace and Manuela, cousin and aunt of Pepe respectively, were very pleased to see his work and the other art pieces in the library.

-MJD

Banned Books Week

Have you ever wondered what Banned Books Week is all about? In a word or two, it’s about celebrating all the cool (and subversive) ideas that you can find in your library.

Although “Banned Books” sounds good, the vast majority of banned books are actually “challenged” by people who do not want a book in their local public or school library. Frequent reasons given are that a book is dangerous, offensive, or somehow threatening. In other words, the challenged book conflicts with the challenger’s personal beliefs.

American libraries resist calls to ban books because we believe that wide ranges of thought are the best way to represent broad spectrums of experiences and opinions. We call this the marketplace of ideas. Libraries are places that always fight against the restrictive tyranny of the few in favor of the free access of intellectual pursuits of the many.

So, visit the Pesky Banned Books display. Pick up a Banned Book and try and see what all the fuss is about.

-MJD

From the Sager Bowl to the Super Bowl

 The Archives case in the library celebrates Robbie Francois, Class of 2004, who came to Governor Dummer Academy from Texas as a 10th grader. In addition to playing football, Robbie was also an excellent basketball player and track athlete. While here, he played defensive back and was described by his football coach, Mr. Gerry, as "physical....a force on defense." Because of his skill, Robbie caught the attention of Boston College. He committed prior to his senior year at Govs. While at BC, he played linebacker. After college, Robbie signed first with the Minnesota Vikings, then later with the Detroit Lions and eventually with the Greenbay Packers, where he was a special teams player and a backup linebacker. Robbie was playing for the Packers when they won the Super Bowl against the Steelers in 2011.

The photos in the case include the team photo from 2013, Robbie's senior year, as well as a close-up shot from the same season. The football was given to Governor's in honor of the role it played in producing a member of the winning Super Bowl team!

Teen Tech Week 2017

Next week is National Teen Tech Week!  We want to celebrate all things tech, so we created a little video.  We hope to hear from you on what kinds of tech excites you!  Are you a gamer?  A coder?  An app developer?  Do you have a favorite app?

We are hoping to have some Google Cardboard goggles here next week and we invite you to come in and help us learn more about Virtual Reality.  We will let you know more about this next week!

Check out our video! (You can also find this on our library's YouTube Channel!)

Teen Tech Week 2017

Spreading the Love

We hope you will join us in spreading the love this February at the library. How can you join us?  

• Drop by the library and make a special Valentine for a friend - we have the craft cart full of materials you can use to show your creative talent.
• 

  Write a few words about why you love the Pesky Library to celebrate “Love Mass Libraries” and hang it up on one of our front columns.
• Stop by and take a look at the “All you need is love” display.

If you haven’t heard yet, we are doing a reading challenge this year, “The Pesky Challenge.”  Read 12 books from a variety of categories and join us for a celebration.  If you are a Senior and have read 5 books by May, we will have a special celebration for you before you leave Govs.  Stop by and grab a bookmark with all the categories and simple rules.  There are also a display of books to choose from to get you started.

Related to the challenge, we wanted to have an online discussion and place to share what we are reading.  We are using Goodreads, an online network with other readers where you can track, share and rate books.  It is free, and easy to sign up.  Once you have signed up for Goodreads, under “Groups” you can search for “Take the Pesky Challenge” and ask to join our group where we are discussing and sharing what we read.

While it may be cold and snowy outside, there is a lot of warmth at the library!  Stop in today, check out a book or DVD or just stop in to say hello!

Like or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, LibraryThing and Snapchat (peskylibrary)!

As the Leaves Turn

As the leaves turn color and we move into a new season, one thing remains the same - the great resources you can find at the Pescosolido Library!  We have geared up for the new school year with new materials and displays!  Last week was Banned Book Week.  Check out the mug shots of the library staff as they are “caught reading a banned book.”  Some of the titles are quite surprising - you probably have read one or two of them yourselves.

Are you a Junior working on your History Thesis Paper?  We are scheduling librarian appointments to help you get started on researching your topic.  Come on in or email us to book your appointment.  Early bird gets the worm, or at least a head start on resources for your paper!

Family Weekend is Oct. 14-15.  One of our favorite traditions is our book donation program.  There will be a cart of books to select from in the library with the cost of the book.  You can choose who you would like to honor and a special bookplate will be typed up and put in the book. This is a great way to support the library and celebrate someone at the same time!

Did you know we have a Facebook page, Twitter?  New books are also posted on the Flickr and LibraryThing.

Find us on Instagram and Snapchat  - we are PeskyLibrary!