The Question Box

Poor rural areas in India and Africa are accessing the power of the internet without being computer literate. The solution (a low tech bridge to high tech) will open your mind. Read more at The Christian Science Monitor.

No, Thank You!

We love thank you notes. And a big thank you back to SC ASB for putting on a staff appreciation sesh.

WERE YOU THERE??

Last Monday, Jan 30th, author John Green stopped by Third Place Books to read from and sign copies of his latest release, The Fault in Our Stars. His brother, Hank, was with him. The Famous Vlogbrothers!!

I read the book over the weekend; I laughed and cried. It is at once heartbreaking and richly funny. Add in the philosophical threads, Shakespeare’s sonnets (and a quote or two from his plays), Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson’s poetry – what a wonderful read. I have a huge crush on Augustus Waters.

Dystopian and dark stories are currently popular with fiction writers. Green bravely takes one of the most hopeless of situations – teenagers struggling with life-changing and life-ending cancer and looks it square in the eye. We will all die. So how do we manage to live?

Green is not only a great teller of stories but an irrepressible human being. He is fast-talking, witty, warm, intelligent, curious, and genuine. If you take a look at his life and read his books, you will also learn that he had great difficulty making friends during his teen years. Most likely, he was awkward and unsure of himself, totally on the outside looking in. That’s why I want you to take a look at this youtube clip from his presentation at Third Place; listen to the audience, check out their response to him – 800 people from all over who wanted to connect with this amazing guy (well, two amazing guys actually). Watch the video and then repeat after me: “There is life after high school and it looks pretty-darn fun!”
Video from VLOGBROTHERS @ http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers X


Is the video not playing? Click here.

Truth, Justice and the SC Library Way...

Opt Out paperwork is due Friday, December 16.

Faster than a speeding bullet the library can check out a laptop to you. (If the paperwork has been turned in and you bring your student ID.) Download Opt Out form

Let’s Rocket! Only YOU can prevent a sticky, messy, library and the ants under the library from invading. No food & drink in the library.

Holy ink, Batman! Color printing is four stamps per page! And you need a print card! The first print card of the school year is free. Did you forget it? Buy one for $2 or ask a fellow student to be a super hero and loan one to you.
Click for more library policies.

Who's leaving book sculptures in Scottish libraries?

It's a mystery.
But Scotland doesn't want it solved.
More @ NPR

Photos: Chris Scott/flickr

Found on the Random House Facebook page.

Fill in the blank
A book commits suicide every time you _____________.

Post a comment to give us your answer.
If we get 3 to 5 responses we'll do a poll.

Laini Taylor @ SC

I love it when authors visit SC! Thanks to our fabuous local bookstore, Third Place Books, we have had some amazing “writers in action” over the years. One is coming this Friday!!

As if our week wasn’t packed enough with tests and Homecoming! Laini Taylor, author of some wonderful young adult stories, will be at the Highlands during 5th period to talk about her newest book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Selected by Amazon as a Best Book in its initial month of publication, here is a taste of the plot: “Karou is a seventeen-year-old art student with a most unusual family. From his desk in a dusty, otherworldly shop, her mysterious, monstrous father sends her on errands across the globe, collecting teeth for a shadowy purpose. On one such errand, Karou encounters an angel, and soon the mysteries of her life and her family are unraveled--with consequences both beautiful and dreadful.” (amazon.com)

The author has also written the Dreamdark series and a collection of short stories that is not to be missed: Lips Touch Three Times. She loves anything that is mythical, magical, faerie-connected, dark, and fantastical. If you would like to order any of her books, stop by the library for an order form. Ms Taylor will sign your copies and you may pick them up anytime after the assembly. Check out her blog as well @ www.lainitaylor.com. She is a true individual who will pique your interest.