Monday, September 27, 2010

Banned Book Week
Sept. 25 - Oct 2, 2010

What do the books To Kill A Mockingbird, Animal Farm, and Clockwork Orange have in common? Each has had attempts made to ban it from school and public libraries in the United States. Surprised? It happens more often than you think! To bring awareness to the ever present danger of having books removed from the shelves of local libraries to protect young readers from their "scandelous" content, the American Library Association annual celebrates Banned Book Week. This year it runs from September 25th - October 2nd. To find out what classic books have been most frequently challenged, check out this ALA webpage!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Efrain's Secret, by Sofia Quintero

Efrain Rodriguez is a high school student with a burning desire to make life better for himself. He's taking honors course at his South Bronx high school, and working as a peer tutor to help raise money for his dream of going to a true Ivy League college. He just scored his school's highest SAT score ever, though he wants to take it again so he can do better. But his father walked out on the family many years ago, and his family simply doesn't have the money to make his dreams come true. So in a heart-breaking decision, Efrain decides to start selling drugs to get the money he needs!