Homer High Library

Ah, School Library Month!  That means YOU should check out a great book to read and give a cookie (or apple) to your librarian! Let’s kick off this celebration of school libraries with a couple of videos from Jason Reynolds, one of my favorite YA authors.  We have five of his titles available on the […]

Take a few minutes to honor the life of Tomie DePaola on the one-year anniversary of his unexpected death. All Homer High students grew up in the prime of Tomie DePaola’s work as a children’s author and illustrator.  His trademark colors and illustration style became favorites of children around the world. He even wrote engrossing […]

If you haven’t read Dune by Frank Herbert, you are missing an epic story–epic as in brilliant, well-told, and ageless.  Dune is not only a story.  It is the opening to an unforgettable universe.  You may be thinking, “I wonder if our library has that book.”   What do you think??   If you like adventure and […]

This is a source of quality information about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or Covid19, which originated in Wuhan Province, China. You will find facts about the virus, symptoms by their frequency of occurrence, a map of the pandemic, and up-to-date charts of where people are infected, not yet infected, and recovering. The webpage is […]

Use the Sora website for your KPBSD digital books and earn badges for reading and listening.  This works on home computers, school computers, and smart phones. Share your accomplishments with your family, friends, and teachers, or keep them to yourself.  Have fun as you explore literature.  If you want to share, I’d love to know […]

Is it time to buy an e-reader?   Hundreds of digital titles are available in the KPBSD Schools Overdrive collection.  Desirable titles are easy to find and easy to download.  Online articles, WORD documents, and PDFs are easy to send to a device for later reading and reference. Maybe it is time. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is the […]

Free audiobook downloads are once again available at  https://www.audiobooksync.com/ .This is a sweet deal for anyone who enjoys professionally-narrated literature.  SYCN gives you access to two titles each week during the summer. You may download and keep them forever but you only have a one week in which to retrieve them from the website.  You may also […]

Some of you seemed to enjoy the digital content at Overdrive.  What titles would you like to see in the KPBSD Schools Digital Library?  Suggest eBooks and/or audiobooks in the comment section.  

As a follow-up to “Fake News Epidemic” this post links to an article in The Intercept which details a very recent, very embarrassing false report by at least three major news outlets.  Toward the bottom of the article other examples of false reporting are also given.  Read it for yourself. “The U.S. Media Suffered Its Most […]

You started the school year full of vim and vigor.  Now, let’s finish it strong. During the next six weeks, take the challenge.  Read! Readings are inspired by Thomas C. Foster’s bestselling book How to Read Literature Like a Professor.  Participants will read short selections from Shakespeare, the Bible, and Greek mythology as well as […]

  Guys, I would like your book recommendations. What books have you really liked that you would recommend to other guys? Check out some ideas here and let me know what you think:  http://guysread.com/books/  

Earn your spurs at the Homer High library by reading a western.  If you don’t know what a western is, then you really are a greenhorn.  Talk to Mrs. Akers, and she’ll set you straight. Corral one of these well-known and admired novels by Louis L’Amour to get started. Bendigo Shafter The Cherokee Trail The Daybreakers […]

    Our “Finish Strong” reading challenge this spring is based (again) on Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor.  Foster claims that to truly understand and appreciate Western literature, the reader needs an understanding of Shakespeare, the Bible, and Greek/Roman mythology. So, the reading challenge for this April and May […]

Who:  Any incoming freshman What:  One new-to-you Charles Dickens novel or a collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries (five or more) Where:  Anywhere When: This summer How:  It’s simple.  Find the book or recording that meets the requirements. Read it or listen to it.  Add a comment to this post telling me […]

Introducing Dewey Browse!  Explore the Internet with student-friendly websites grouped by Dewey Decimal Classification.  Interested in philosophy?  Check out the 100’s.   Want to look up a Bible verse?  Try the 200’s.  Need to know details about Azkaban?  Go to the 800’s.   There is something for everyone in this Dewey database.    

“Gasoline Tax to Jump $3.00 January 1st!” No! Really? Maybe. Maybe not? The headline said it, so isn’t it true? Some headlines scream doom and gloom, others announce incredibly good news. But are they true? The most difficult headlines to discern relate to current events and personalities and contain just enough “truth” to look real […]

This year’s “Finish Strong” challenge is based on the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster.  The author points out that much of our literature alludes to Shakespeare, the Bible, and Greek mythology, so your mission, should you choose to […]

* Nine books.  Nine weeks.  *Take the challenge and Finish Strong.  Call It Courage I, Robot The Big Wave The Old Man and the Sea Good Bye, Mr. Chips The Hound of the Baskervilles Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Owls in the Family Shane The Jungle Book The Picture of Dorian Gray The Red Pony or […]