Book Club Holiday Party and Best Books of the Year

We had so much fun at our book club holiday party yesterday.  We were all stuffed!  Instead of asking students to do the usual book reviews of what they read in the last month, I compiled a list of the best books students read this year.  List and pictures follow.

Book Club's Best Books

The Eleventh Plague - Jeff Hirsch
Lockdown - Escape from Furnace - Alexander Gordon Smith

Ranger's Apprentice Series - John Flanagan
Mockingbird:  (Mok'ing burd) - Katheryn Erskine

Dark Powers Series - Kelley Armstrong

Pendragon Series - D.J. Machale

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Birthmarked - Caragh M. O'Brien

Matched - Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Maximum Ride Series - Alex Horowitz

Fablehaven - Brandon Mull

Rare Beasts (Edgar and Ellen Series) - Charles Ogden

Son of the Mob - Gordan Korman

The Ransom of Mercy Carter - Caroline Cooney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney

The Underneath - Kathi Appelt

The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer

Unbroken - Laura Hildenbrand

Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy) - Suzanne Collins

Everything I Was - Corinne Demas
The Boy Who Couldn't Die - William Sleator
Born at Midnight - C.C. Hunter
Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lost in the River of Grass - Ginny Rorby
Girl, Stolen - April Henry
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod - Heather Brewer
Moving Day (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls Series) - Meg Cabot
The Crushes (Heartbreakers Series) - Pamela Wells

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Hey 13! - Gary Soto

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Deliverance - Anne Schraff

7th Grade Book Club

7th Grade Book Club

8th Grade Book Club



8th Grade Book Club



What is the best book you read this year?

I read so many wonderful books this year, but here are my top books in no particular order:

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials - I'm cheating and making this "one" book as The Scorch Trials is the sequel.  The Maze Runner, especially, was a little violent for me, but I was engrossed throughout both novels.  I never thought I was into creepy novels with scary creatures, but apparently, I am!  This year I have read a lot of dystopian novels, similar to Hunger Games, about future societies gone wrong, and I love them!

Birthmarked - This young adult novel is another dystopian page-turner. The setting is a society where women must give up their first-born children to be adopted and live within the walls of the city where the children enjoy a much better life than those outside the walls. It's a longer book that's on the dark side, but I loved that, once again, there is a strong female protagonist who stands up for what she believes.

The Education of Bet - Bet, an orphaned girl in the nineteenth century, disguises herself as a boy to attend an all-boys boarding school, but she doesn't consider the challenges that await her, including rooming with handsome and charming James.  Clever and sweet.

Ruined - This is a ghost story set in New Orleans where the protagonist befriends a ghost in the graveyard across the street from her aunt's house.  The ghost links her to a dark secret connected to the history of the city and the families who live there.  The drama will suck you in.

Scorpio Races - This book reads like a movie.  I could picture the scenes and even the soundtrack in my mind!  Violent, flesh-eating Water Horses come out of the ocean once a year and are captured to be ridden in the annual Scorpio Races.  Beautifully written with adventure and romance. 

The Summer I Learned to Fly - This was a heartwarming book about a boy and girl who become friends one summer.  I loved the ending.

So, what are the best books YOU read this year? Comment on this blog post to let Ridgeview readers know!

Anna Shutley - First to Finish the Dewey Decathlon!

Seventh-grader Anna Shutley is the first student to complete all 25 books in the Dewey Decathlon this year!  Anna is an avid reader who is also a member of Summer Reading Book Club here at RCS.  Anna enjoyed a pizza party with friends as a reward for reading 20 books.  Congratulations, Anna!

Nooks are Coming! What books should I load?

I'm so excited to announce that we will have 10 Nook ebook readers available for checkout next semester!  The Nooks will be available for a two-week checkout period with parental permission.  I need to know what you would like to read on the Nook, so that I can start loading books.  Comment on this post to add your suggestion here!

Atlanta Parent Magazine Reviews by Ridgeview Students!

Ridgeview students had an opportunity to write all the middle school reviews for Atlanta Parent Magazine's 2011 Books Worth a Look issue!  I am so proud of these students. They read and wrote their reviews in about two weeks to make deadline.  Ten of the reviews were published in the magazine, but all of the reviews can be read online at http://www.atlantaparent.com/.  Congratulations to our published Ridgeview authors:
Abby Gibson
Anna Shutley
Areyci Avila-Moran
Hill Belfi
Kacie Blair
Lainey Young
Wesley Smith
Cerjio Vasques-Mejia
Asher Flanagan
Kennedi Jackson
Esha Clements
Maya Breeze
Amelia Holley
Katie Franklin
Andrea Perez-Maspons
Sydney Johnson
Nan Curnin


One of our amazing student reviewers!



Scholastic Book Fair 2011 - The Best Ever!

Thank you to Ridgeview's PTA, Co-Chairs Katie Arney and Carol Shutley, and Ridgeview students, parents, and staff for the best book fair we have ever had!  The total sales of the book fair was over $7,000 and the media center will receive over $4,000 to purchase new books and materials for our library.  More importantly, Ridgeview students and staff raised almost $700 in our One for Books campaign.  Our goal was $500 and you far-exceeded this goal!  The entire school will receive a special jeans day!  Scholastic matches these funds dollar for dollar and also makes a matching donation to organizations in the community. 

Ms. Lessinger’s homeroom raised the most money (an average of almost $4 per student) and received a donut party.

Special thanks to the following homerooms which also raised a large amount of money – Mr. Grant’s, Ms. Billie Williams', and Ms. Furst’s.

I thought the book fair selection was great this year, and we already have some of the wonderful new books on our shelves!

A Beautiful Surprise!

These gorgeous flowers were delivered last week on behalf of the Ridgeview family for being recognized as a Georgia Department of Education Exceptional Library Media Program!  They absolutely made my day.  What a thoughtful gesture from Principal Hastey and the staff.  She has been so encouraging and kind about this recognition; I think she is even more excited than I am!  The flowers are a reminder to me that it's so important to encourage each other in our profession.  It doesn't have to be flowers (even though they are awesome), but  even an encouraging word or note goes such a long way.

On a side note, my four-year-old thinks the peacock feathers are amazing.  Just the kind of "flair" she loves!

Scholastic Book Fair is coming!

The Scholastic Book Fair will begin next Monday, October 24th in the Little Assembly Room.  All students will visit with their Language Arts classes.  You also may visit the book fair before school or during school with a pass from your teacher.  You should have money to purchase as well.  Don't forget to bring your money starting next Monday!  There will be lots of fabulous books as well as a Young Adult section.


Also, bring your money in for our One for Books fundraiser!  We are hoping to top $500 raised this year!  All money goes back in to free books for students at our school.  Scholastic also matches each dollar earned with a donation to charities in the community.  If we reach our goal of $500, the entire school will receive a free jeans day!  Also, the homerooms that collect the most money will receive a donut party as well.  Bring in at least a dollar and any loose change.  Let's make this the best year ever!