Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Is it OK to hate a dead kid? Even if once he was the love of my life? My best friend? Is it OK to hate him for being dead?

I spent my whole life secretly in love with my best friend, Charlie Kahn. Over the years he betrayed me and kept alot of secrets. I still love him even after he ruined everything.

This is how Vera Dietz feels about Charlie Kahn. After Charlie dies under dark circumstances, Vera who knows more about Charlie then anybody else, struggles with whether she should provide information that could clear Charlie's name. But why does Charlie's name have to be cleared? Why would the police want this information? For Vera, this is could be the biggest decision of her life.

This is an unforgettable novel. Smartly written, funny, edgy and always surprising.

Highly recommended.

BYOD and the library

Welcome back for the 2011-2012 school year. Hopefully you had a fantastic summer and are as excited about this school year as I am. Once again, there will be lots of exciting things happening in the library. Included among these is bring your own device, an author presentation and book signing.

Visiting author Matt de la Pena will be in the FHS Library on the morning of October 5th. Look for more posts to this blog with details about this books and his visit. Matt is a wildly popular young adult author who writes books about teens faced with tough decisions and tough life circumstances. His debut novel, Ball Don't Lie was made into a major motion picture. Check out more about de la Pena at http://www.mattdelapena.com/.

One of the goals of the FHS Library is to embrace, teach and promote a 21st century digital learning environment. To support this commitment, students will be able to use their own devices (laptops, smart phones, eReaders, iPads, etc) for learning while in the library. For specific details, see the BYOD guidelines on the FISD homepage, ask the librarian or look for signage throughout the library.

Ms. Bivins (library-media specialist) is available to assist you in learning to use and navigate Google Apps for students. Ask for help on Google Docs, Google Sites, Gmail and Google Calendar.

Welcome back! I hope you have a great school year.

Dressing for the job

It seems generational differences in attitudes related to proper office attire sometimes causes concern for employers in the workplace. As you go into another summer or possibly into a fulltime job as an FHS graduate, you might want to heed the following advice from Monster.com and Career Services at UT-Arlington.
Luckily for you, the button down, oxford cloth shirt and khaki pants have gone the way of the dinosaur. Many organizations have relaxed their dress code for business casual attire to include capri length pants and leather sandals, but if you think the rubber flip flop and cut off jeans are still considered appropriate, you are in for a surprise. If you want to put yourself in the most positive light and get ahead of fellow classmates who are also seeking employment, you want to use good taste with your clothing choices.
Now let's get to what is considered professional attire in the workforce. According to the Career Services Department at the University of Texas-Arlington, it means a skirt or pants and a nicely pressed shirt, minimal jewelry and (believe it or not) closed-toed shoes for women. For men think about pressed slacks and shirt and dress shoes with black socks.
Once you have been offered employment and proved yourself responsible and professional, only then think about relaxing your dress as you take cues from your colleagues in the workplace as well as your employer.
Good luck in your job hunt! I hope you find a job doing something you totally love.

Hunger Games Movie

It should be all Hunger Games, all the time. Even though the movie is reportedly not to be released until sometime in 2012, news about the filming of the Hunger Games movie is flying all over the internet. Especially check out the sites below for everything Hunger Games and stop into the library to see the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, it has all the details about the casting and filming of the movie.

http://www.ew.com/ew/package/0,,20419951,00.html

http://hungergamesmovie.org/

http://www.myhungergames.com/tag/hunger-games-movie

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Melissa Marr has written a fantastic new cross over book for adults and teens as well titled Graveminder. It has all the elements of a great mystery. A small town, a curse, and a buried secret. But the twist in this one is that it is all in the grave and it doesn't want to stay there.
It captivated my right from the start, drew me in and is the type of book you just won't put down. Highly recommended.

Due out May 17.
Check out more at: http://www.melissa-marr.com/

Online profiles vs. resumes

With the new age of social media, it seems like a change may be on the horizon. Will online profiles take the place of resumes? In mentioning online profiles, I am thinking about networking sites such as Facebook or Linkedin (used mostly by the business community).

With summer, approaching many of you are thinking about applying for a summer job or even a full time job if you are graduating and moving on to the next chapter in your life. In a recent survey done by Office Team, a staff service that questioned approximately 500 human resource managers, 63% of respondents said that it is not likely that the resume' will be replaced. They did suggest there could be a real benefit to having an online profile, but emphasized that you should be careful about what you put on your Facebook page. If you are communicating on Facebook with mostly friends, you may want to start thinking about changing your posts to be more professional. You may also want to untag yourself in certain photos and set privacy setting to control who can see certain parts of your profile. Other suggestions included listing beneficial qualities related to your achievements as well as as posting appropriate hobbies and interests.

Source: Creators Syndicate; Office Team Staffing

Xtranormal: The place to make movies

I happen to be watching a student in the library working on a class project. He had done research on a common disease and was looking for a new, inventive way to present his research. When I asked about what he was doing, he showed me the movie he had made on Xtranormal.com. It was really quite cool. Then he went on to tell me that with a mic he attached to his home computer, he was able to narrate the movie using his own voice. Being the researcher that I am. I went right out and researched Xtranormal. What I found is that it can be a great tool for student projects. Below is what Xtranormal says about themselves.

Xtranormal says they have a mission. They want to bring movie making to the people. We all watch movies, right; Xtranormal believe everyone can make movies. Movie-making, short and long, online and on-screen, private and public, will probably be the most important communications process of the 21st century.
Their revolutionary approach to movie-making builds on one of the most universally held skills—typing. You type something; we turn it into a movie. On the web and on the desktop.

Check it out. It is free for the starter version. If you want extra bells and whistles, there may be a fee.