Rapture of the Deep

Since I just happened to have the next book in the Bloody Jack series, I figured Reader's Rally could wait a little bit longer. I picked up Rapture of the Deep almost immediately after finishing My Bonny Light Horseman and proceeded to devour it. What can I say? I love this series.
In this installment, Jacky is working for the British again, and this time she's treasure hunting. The British government is convinced they know the location of a lost Spanish treasure, and Jacky is the one they are sure can find it. This one was fun and fast-paced, and we got to meet some of Jacky's pirate friends. Jaimy was even there, though not for long. I guess I'm done with Jacky for a while, at least until the fabulous L. A. Meyer publishes The Wake of the Lorelei Lee.

My Bonny Light Horseman

After doing my duty and reading a reader's rally book, I decided to treat myself to another installment of the Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer. My Bonny Light Horseman was delightful. The book starts with Jacky at sea, but she is not there for long. The British government is at it again and this time Jacky is pulled away and beheaded in front of her friends.

Of course, this isn't the end of Jacky. It turns out the the British need her to spy on the French, and so begins a journey where Jacky finds she can command men on land as well as sea, more epic battles, old friends and new love. It's Jacky Faber, how can you expect less?

Deep, Dark and Dangerous

It's that time of year when I'm reading all the Georgia Book Awards because our Reader's Rally competition is fast approaching. Surprisingly, I enjoyed one of the ghost stories; Deep, Dark and Dangerous. It's a quick little read by Mary Downing Hahn, she who brought us Wait Till Helen Comes (which gave me nightmares in the fourth grade.)

Deep, Dark and Dangerous is the story of a family with secrets. Ali's mother can't cope - she has constant migraines, and anytime something gets difficult she changes the subject to gardening. Then one day, Ali's aunt Dulcie asks Ali to babysit for a summer at the family's old lake house. Ali's mother is horrified at the idea, and retreats to her room when Ali's father agrees to let her go. However, the lake house doesn't turn out to be the fun-filled vacation Ali is hoping for. She meets a little girl who manages to turn her sweet cousin into a nasty brat, and then things start to get creepy. Who is this mysterious girl named Teresa she keeps hearing about? Then Ali finds out Teresa died and her mother and aunt may have had something to do with it...

Mississippi Jack

I told you I couldn't wait. I picked up Mississippi Jack right away, and again I was not dissappionted. This time Jacky is one the run (big suprise there) and on her way down the Mississippi River. Little does she know, her beloved Jaimy is right behind her. This book was very good, but it is probably my least favorite in the Bloody Jack series so far. I think a big part of this is because Jaimy and his new love interest. I still enjoyed the book, Jacky runs into some characters for her past - she is after all, heading to New Orleans, and we all know who she'll find there. Also, the delightful Higgins plays a big part, and Jacky even finds a new love interest of her own (suprise, suprise).

And the action begins....

As I hung around over the holiday break this year, I decided for a New Year's goal to record every book I read this year. I figured it would be a good way to keep track of them all. Especially after I ended up re-reading two books all the way to the last few pages before I realized I had read them before. Hopefully, I can keep up with it and manage to post frequently.

Anyway, let's get this party started:

I had started the Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer earlier in the year, and the fourth installment was no disappointment. I adore the Jack series, especially the audio book version done by the amazing Katherine Kellgren. If you haven't read them - listen to the audio books first. In the Belly of the Bloodhound was another great read. Fast paced, exciting, and you can't help but commiserate with Jacky.

In this book, Jacky returns to Boston and her life at the Lawson Peabody school for Young Girls, and just as she is settling in the girls manage to get caputured by slavers. And we all know Jacky's opinion of those fine gentlemen. This voyage is made particuarly enjoyable for Jacky as Clarissa Howe (of the Virginia Howe's) is along for the ride. The back and forth between the two girls is great, as well as seeing how all the other students react to being in a slave ship.

All in all, it was a great read, and I can't wait to begin Mississippi Jack.

Steven M. Baule: The Star

Hello All,

This post will be all about a great contributor to the world of school library media: Steven M. Baule.

A Short Bio:

Steven Baule (1966- ) is currently the superintendent of schools in District 201 in Westmont, IL. He has been in Illinois since 2005. Baule has been a teacher, a middle school media specialist and a high school principal. He holds several degrees including his doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University and Loyola University of Chicago. In addition to his duties as superintendent, Baule travels around the globe speaking about technology planning and other subjects. He has also written several books about media and technology, as well as a book about the role of the British Army in the American Revolution.

Major Works Bibliography:

Technology Planning (1996)
A book with concrete ideas about how to deal with the ever changing technology in schools. It contains plans, a timeline and checklists.

Technology planning for Effective Teaching and Learning (2001)

Chapters cover the entire planning process, from organizing a planning team, to exploring technology and funding issues, drafting and implementing a plan, and maintaining it in the future.

Case Studies in Educational Technology and Library Leadership (2005)
This workbook contains potential solutions to the commonly encountered problems of media and technology specialists.

Facilities Planning for School Library Media and Technology Centers (1999, revised 2007)
This step by step guide contains useful advice about how to go about planning the design of your media/technology center. It includes sample layouts, and thoughts about everything from shelving to seating.

His research themes:

• facilities design
• trends in school library media centers for the 21st century
• educational technology
• how to perform a needs assessment for the library media center or technology lab
• libraries of the future
• How to resolve possible issues in the following: censorship/copyright/ accountability; equipment and software; personnel; instruction; programming; and evaluation
• How administrators and media specialists can work together.
  

Contributions/Ideas:
Steven Baule is obviously a big contributor to the world of school library media. His research lays out concrete ideas about how to plan and design a media or technology center. Also, his case studies book offers solutions to common problems most media specialists will face. His books, articles and presentations are an invaluable resource to all in the library/technology field.

These ideas were taken during an AASL conference in which Steven Baule was the presenter. Debbie Stafford remarked that these were especially important:

• Having extended shelving for reference, where you can pull out a shelf and lay the item down to read.
• Seating, plan seating to accommodate one class per LMS + 1 (one class working with teacher or, one class working with LMS)
• Square tables are better for flexible grouping
• Allow for wireless but keep "wired" because it's still faster
• Don’t buy signage until after the library is built, do some "test signs" THEN buy them (Stafford, 2007)
  

In the Unquiet Librarian Blog, Buffy Hamilton wrote about Steven Baule’s trends for media centers:
Six trends in school library media centers for the 21st century …
1. Flexibility in Student Spaces
2. Visual literacy
3. Extended access
4. Technology readiness
5. Supervision
6. A place for books
(Hamilton, 2007)

Important Facts:

• Steven M. Baule has held almost every position in the sphere of education, including; teacher, media specialist, principal and superintendent.
• He has published several books and articles about very relevant topics in the field of school library media, and continues to update his work and speak at conferences all over the world.
• His research has shown many in the field of school library media and technology how to effectively plan and design a media/technology center and how to solve or circumvent many common problems.
  

Resources:
Hamilton, Buffy. (2007, Sept. 18). Six Trends in School Library Media Centers for the 21st Century. Message posted to http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/six-trends-in-school-library-media-centers-for-the-21st-century/

Stafford, Debbie. (2007, October 30). Conference Thoughts. Message posted to http://blogs.ala.org/aasl.php?m=200710

Tech Forum. (2003). Breakthrough Technology for 21st Century Schools: Speakers. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.techlearning.com/events/techforum/chi03/speakers.php

Link to Steven Baule’s article How to Gain Support from your Board and Administration:http://books.google.com/books?id=ZcjyWHAHuRMC&pg=PA294&lpg=PA294&dq=steven+m+baule&source=web&ots=S6Ej3_rfg-&sig=Ki-G5wJTWbnmgMW2JlOeO0MMQr8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA296,M1

Be Steven M. Baule’s friend on facebook:http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven_M_Baule/1102383514