March 2018 Sawiris Library Newsletter

This month:

. New acquisitions

. MS Author visit - Kwame Alexander

. Curriculum connection with Science 8

Happy reading...

Mario Chioini

8-12 Librarian

KWAME ALEXANDER
AUTHOR VISIT WITH MS STUDENTS

March 22 and 23

The American School of Paris, through the US library and the MS Division, is excited to host acclaimed award-winning author Kwame Alexander on March 22 and 23.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 25 books, including his Newbery-medal winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER.

All Middle School students will attend a large-group presentation during a morning assembly. Students will then break out into grade-level workshops.

This opportunity is made possible thanks to the Excellence Fund, the PFA and the MS Division.

To find out more

Kwame Alexander's website

Video of a school visit

Guide to Crossover

LAST CALL!

Calling young authors for YAFF 2018

The American Library in Paris is proud to once again organize the annual Young Authors Fiction Festival. YAFF is a city-wide creative writing initiative that aims to strengthen community among English-speakers through the art of storytelling. YAFF is free of charge and open to all students ages 5-18 in the greater Paris area who write in English.

The deadline for submission is 30 March 2018 at 22h00.

For other questions, contact the library at

yaff@americanlibraryinparis.org. Happy writing!

F ALE

Alexander, Kwame. Booked. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, c2016.

Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.

F MUC

Muchamore, Robert. The Sleepwalker. Cherub 9. New York : Simon Pulse, 2016 , c2014.

After an airliner explodes over the Atlantic, CHERUB agents James and Lauren must investigate as well as deal with a distressed and violent twelve-year-old who claims his father is responsible for the explosion.

F MUC

Muchamore, Robert. The General. Cherub 10. New York : Simon Pulse, 2016, c2008.

The commander of forty British commandos, who are being hunted by an American battalion in the desert near a military base in Nevada, recruits ten CHERUB agents--children between age ten and seventeen who work for a branch of British intelligence--to act as spies.

F MUC

Muchamore, Robert. Brigands M.C. Cherub 11. New York : Simon Pulse, 2017, c2009.

Dante Scott, still suffering from his family's murder by a biker gang, is given the opportunity to become a member of CHERUB and joins James and Lauren on a mission to infiltrate Brigands Motorcycle Club.

F RIG

Riggs, Ransom. Library of Souls. Philadelphia : Quirk Books, 2017, c2015.

Time is running out for the Peculiar Children. With a dangerous madman on the loose and their beloved Miss Peregrine still in danger, Jacob Portman and Emma Bloom are forced to stage the most daring of rescue missions. They'll travel through a war-torn landscape, meet new allies, and face greater dangers than ever. Will Jacob come into his ownas the hero his fellow Peculiars know him to be?

F RIG

Riggs, Ransom. Tales of the Peculiar. New York, NY : Dutton Books, c2016.

A collection of original stories, inspired by the "Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children" series, that reveal secrets of peculiar history.

F VAL

Valentino, Serena. The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince. New York : Disney Press, c2014.

A novelization of "Beauty and the Beast" adapted from the classic tale and Disney's motion picture that explores what transformed the Prince into the Beast.

F VAL

Valentino, Serena. Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch. Los Angeles, Calif. : Disney Press, c2016.

Tells the story of "The Little Mermaid" from the point of view of Ursula, the sea witch, and the events that turned her into a scorned and vengeful creature.

F ZAR

Zarr, Sara. Gem & Dixie. 1st ed. New York : Balzer + Bray, c2017.

Sisters Gem and Dixie only have each other. Their parents' marriage ended when their drug and alcohol addictions made it difficult to hold down jobs, let alone raise a family. However, when the girls are in high school, Dixie receives a letter from their dad, who wants back in their life.

327.73 KENNAN GAD

Gaddis, John Lewis. George F. Kennan: An American Life. New York : The Penguin Press, c2011.

A biography of George F. Kennan, Cold War strategists, discussing his childhood and Princeton education, how his strategic vision that defined the United States policy toward the Soviet Union, and how he become an outspoken critic of American diplomacy.

551.464 ALD

Aldersey-Williams, Hugh. Tide: The Science and Lore of the Greatest Force on Earth. London, UK : Penguin Books, 2017, c2016.

Half of the world's population today lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. But the tide rises and falls according to rules that are a mystery to almost all of us... This book weaves together centuries of scientific thinking with the literature and folklore the tide has inspired to explain the power and workings of this most remarkable force.

782.42166 SMITH

Smith, Patti. Just Kids. New York : Ecco, c2010.

American singer-songwriter Patti Smith describes her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, reflecting on how they first met, their pact to support one another, the challenges they faced, the people with whom they socialized and worked, and other related topics.

792.2 KAP

Kaplan, Steve, 1951-. The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny. Studio City, CA : Michael Wiese Productions, c2013.

Unlocks the unique secrets and techniques of writing comedy by deconstructing sequences in popular films and TV that work and don't work, and explains what tools were used (or should have been used).

797.2 PHELPS

Phelps, Michael, 1985-. No Limits: The Will to Succeed. New York : Free Press, 2009, c2008.

Michael Phelps chronicles his swimming career, discussing how he has overcome physical, mental, and emotional obstacles, his experiences at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2009 World Championships, his family and coaches, his passion for swimming, and the challenges he has faced throughout his career.

808.5 AND

Anderson, Chris, 1957-. TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. London, UK : Headline, c2016.

The inside secrets to giving a first-class presentation from the man who put TED talks on the world's stage.

940.54 GUARNERE

Guarnere, William. Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story. New York, N.Y. : Berkley Caliber, c2007.

Details the experiences of William Guarnere and Edward Heffron, two members of the Army's 101st Airborne Division--also known as Easy Company--who fought side by side during World War II and remained friends throughout the war and after.

959.704 LOG

Logevall, Fredrik. Embers of Wars: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam. New York, N.Y : Random House, c2012.

Discusses the beginning of the conflict in Vietnam from the early struggle for independence from French colonizers to the start of America's involvement in the 1950s.

DVD F SUM

Amour. French ed. Boulogne-Billancourt : TF1 Video, 2013, c2012.Directed by Michael Haneke.

An octogenarian couple find their love put to the ultimate test when one of them suffers a stroke, and the other must assume the role of the caretaker.

DVD F HAC

Blackhat = Hacker. French ed. Paris, France : Universal Pictures Video, c2015. Directed by Michael Mann.

Set within the world of global cybercrime, Legendary's Blackhat follows a furloughed convict and his American and Chinese partners as they hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta.

DVD F INT

Intouchables. French ed. Boulogne-Billancourt, France : TF1 Vidéo, 2012, c2011. Directed by Olivier Nakache & Olivier Toledano.

Based on a true story of friendship between a handicapped millionaire and his street-smart ex-con caretaker the film depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common.

DVD F NOE

Noah = Noé. French ed. Paramount Pictures, c2014. Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

A man is appointed by God to carry out a crucial mission of rescue before a calamitous flood destroys the world.

DVD F UN

Un homme idéal. French ed. Boulogne-Billancourt, France : TF1 Vidéo, c2015. Directed by Yann Gozlan.

Tells the story of a struggling author who steals the text of a manuscript originally belonging to a reclusive man who recently died.

The Orange Grove by Larry Tremblay

158 pages

Call number: F TRE

Reviewer: Mario Chioini, US Librarian

I was introduced to playwright and novelist Larry Tremblay through his novel Obese Christ a few years ago, a disturbing novel about good and evil - with an emphasis on "evil".

With The Orange Grove, Tremblay, a Québécois francophone, revisits the question of faith, this time with a story set in a world that is all too real and familiar. Identical twin brothers Amed and Aziz live with their family in a quiet village in a generic war-torn country. After a bomb kills their grandparents a group of religious insurgents come to the house asking for revenge (an eye for an eye) and for the ultimate sacrifice (death for martyrdom). Click here for the full review...

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHT

Project: Gr. 8 Environmental Studies
Science teacher: Joseph Scalon

How does science contribute to understanding environmental problems?

In this unit students are encouraged to identify important events, people, groups, agencies and laws that have had an impact on various environmental issues and understand how science is used to identify, address and solve environmental issues.

Mr. Chioini's role is to assure students transfer and build on the research skills they developed in their Social Studies unit and conduct strong research.