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Complete list, with annotations but no cover images

Selected lists, with annotations and cover images
New fiction and graphic novels

New nonfiction

New DVDs

This may sounds like we are sending out for an interesting lunch, but Noodle Tools is a software tool to use when doing research. Students can use Noodle Tools to create their citations, take notes, and organize an outline.

The secret to success with creating a citation in Noodle Tools is to correctly identify the type of resource. Noodle Tools will then ask relevant questions and put all the information into the correct format. At a touch of a button the student can then generate their Works Cited, or Bibliography Page. Not only that, when using Noodle Tools there is no more fear of losing a stack of note cards.

So far Noodle Tools has been used extensively by the 7th grade Social Studies Classes and right now the Juniors who are writing their English Research Papers. But it has also been used by the 5th graders, the 12th grade English Lit, and the Psychology Class. Each student can create their own account and can use Noodle Tools for all of their projects to keep up with their research and citations, so as to avoid plagiarism.

You can find the Noodle Tools link on our Database pages.  –Ann Ewel

Six Word Memoirs: Winners 2012

 The six-word-memoir theme has spawned a fleet of books, including I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs By Teens Famous and Obscure. This year, for the second time, Overlake Middle School students wrote their own six-word memoirs, focusing on their lives overall or something that has had a significant impact on their lives. Winners were chosen by faculty/staff votes.

1st Place: 10 points
Straight but curvy, not so simple.
–Sana, 8th, Green

2nd Place: 7 points
Blessings and catastrophes in a box.
–Usman, 6th, Green

3rd Place: 5 points
Makes sense if you don’t think.
–Brevin, 7th, Gold

Honorable Mention: 3 points
Reality can be better than dreams.
–Anonymous, Green

Selected list, with annotations and cover images

Complete list, with annotations, organized by subject/call number

Looking for a good book to buy for your student this holiday season? Check out the Library’s annotated lists of suggested titles:

• 5^th-6^th Grade Lists
• 7^th-8^th Grade Lists
• Upper School Lists

This year, Overlake ran its first Food Haiku contest. The object was for students to write a haiku—five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, five in the third—about something related to food. Out of all the gastronomically talented entries the now-ravenous faculty voted on, here are the winners.

1st Place
The lovely taste flows
Over my tongue so swiftly
How I love ice cream
–Sara, 8th

2nd Place
All the bright colors
Sitting in a pack of joy
I love M&Ms
–Harriet, 8th

3rd Place
Little small and neat
There is something filled with meat
Is that stromboli?
–Shriya, 8th

Honorable Mention
Refrigerator
My favorite place on earth
It’s my second home
–Ada, 8th

There once was an apple
He did not want to be pie
Then came Thanksgiving
Lulu, 6th

Selected list, with annotations and cover images

Complete list, with annotations but no cover images, organized by subject

Slideshow of selected covers (sometimes does not work with Explorer)

This year, Overlake ran its third Story in a Tweet contest. The object was for students to write an entire story—beginning, middle, and end—in 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation; the length of one Twitter.com post, or a ‘tweet.’ Out of all the amazingly short entries, the faculty voted, and here are the winners. Final score: Gold 43, Green 49.

1st Place: 5 points
One day Nate the Pig was bored. He rolled around in the mud, which made him really dirty. The farmer was mad; he couldn’t have clean bacon. –Will, 8th Gold

2nd Place: 3 points
Once an egg rolled down a hill. When it reached the bottom it hit a huge rock. When the dust settled, nothing could be found of the rock. –Max, 8th, Green

3rd Place: 2 points
Bob peered into the gloom, straining to see into the darkness. He was hunting a skunk, which had a penchant for nastiness. He never found it. –Kirby, 6th, Green

Honorable Mention: 1 point
There was a boy with springs in his shoes. He jumped so high, he hit the moon. The craters on the moon are forevermore from his shoes. –Megan, Sana, Diana, 8th, Green

Once upon a time there was a frog. He kissed a princess. The princess then turned into a frog. “That is very unusual,” thought the frog. –Talia, 7th, Gold

Click here for an annotated list of selected new materials received in the library in October. Includes cover images.

Click here for the full annotated list of new materials received in October. No cover images.

The Middle School Bookfair was once again a great success! We owe it all to many different people: the University Bookstore, which supplied the books; the wonderful volunteers who helped set up/break down and staff the bookfair; the teachers who gave up their class time to bring their students to look at books; and of course the students who thrilled us all with their passion for reading. Thanks especially to the 5th grade teachers who, at the last minute, let us switch venues to the 5/6 building, and put up all day with the lively excitement of students choosing books. The most popular title was Rick Riordan’s ‘Son of Neptune,’ of which we sold almost 30 copies!