Conspiracy Theories: A Compendium of History’s Greatest Mysteries and More Recent Cover-ups by Jamie King

Ever wondered about the intrigue behind conspiracy theories but lacked the time to go down the rabbit holes? Conspiracy Theories offers a concise exploration of both renown and lesser-known conspiracies. Each theory is summarized in four pages or less, providing essential details for understanding the core concepts. 

While the book's brevity is a strength, it also limits its ability to debunk the theories, leaving readers to evaluate their credibility themselves.  Those seeking a quick introduction to conspiracy theories will find this book valuable, but it's important for the readers to remember that all the theories presented are speculative.--Claudio Leon

King, Jamie. Conspiracy Theories: A Compendium of History’s Greatest Mysteries and More Recent Cover-ups. London: Summersdale Publishers, 2020. Print

Halloween Papertoy Monsters Tradition Continues

photo credit: Jessica Fenster-Sparber

On Halloween we were happy to continue the tradition of offering a Papertoy Monster program inside of our school library at Belmont.  Students expressed their delight with this hands on activity and their enthusiasm to continue to craft the little creatures back at the house over the long weekend was infectious.  We are grateful to Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT) for continuing to sustain this tradition with the book from Brian Castleforte.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge

Tanjiro returns home too late to protect his mother and siblings from the night-hunting demons, only to discover that his sister has miraculously survived the attack. However, she is no longer the sister he once knew. 

Then Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to cure his sister from the demon she’s become. His path is fraught with danger, as demons seek to kill him, and demon slayers aim to eliminate his sister. Can Tanjiro find a cure before they are hunted down? Is there even a cure to be found? With action-packed sequences reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z and character development and intertwining storylines similar to Naruto, there is something to appeal to everyone.--Claudio Leon

Gotouge, Koyoharu. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2016. Print.

Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles

Gio is 17 and living with his preacher father and loving stepmother when his birth mother - who deserted the family eight years ago  - arrives back in  town and wants to see him and his younger brother Theo who suffers with PTSD.  

Gio is  getting through school and playing on the  basketball team, supported by his friends Olly and Ayesha, when his mother arrives on the scene.   And complicating  matters is a new student at Gio’s school who just arrived from Kansas,  is a painter,  also on the basketball team,  and also bi,  and who now may be Gio’s new crush.  

Brimming with emotional intelligence, author Coles invites the reader to empathize with Gio’s storm of difficult feelings as his birth mother makes a bid for his attention while romance with his new friend is in the air.  

Confident teen readers looking for realistic fiction and a little romance may enjoy this title from the author of Tyler Johnson Was Here.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Welcome Back!

 Welcome back everyone! School is back in session and so is our blog. Keep checking back as we’re excited for a whole new year of trips, special guests, activities and book reviews. We hope everyone had a restful summer and look forward to a fantastic new school year. --Claudio Leon

Be Back Soon!

 Thank you for visiting us!  We're taking a break and we'll be back in September with more book reviews and more of our regularly scheduled programming.

Batman: City Of Bane by Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Janin King

The Cape Crusader is missing and Gotham is being ruled by one of its worst enemies… Bane. With Batman gone the city has descended into chaos under the greatly feared Bane.  But all is not lost, Batman’s sidekicks are still around biding their time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Will they come to Gotham’s rescue? Who will lead them against Bane’s army of supervillains? Batman and DC fans will enjoy reading this one. --Claudio Leon

Programming Spotlight: Dance Africa 2024

image from BAM's website

We were thrilled to have recently hosted the returning teaching artist Jayson P. Smith  from Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Jayson conducted a pre-theater dance workshop with an exceptionally engaged group of students who spent a special hour in the library as it was filled with the joy of movement and dance.  The students were preparing for a trip the following week to BAM’s annual Dance Africa performance.  You can read a bit about the tradition here.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

The Crime Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained By DK

Would  you like to know about some of the biggest crimes ever committed? What about the most heinous? The most outlandish?

 If your answer is yes, then The Crime Book is for you! From bandits to political assassinations, The Crime Book covers all the who, what, when, where, how and why. 

Bite size information is given to the reader along with pictures, diagrams and other  graphics to help understand the crime and its impact on the world. Written at a middle school level, the book is accessible and interesting to all. Anyone with interests in history and crime should pick up The Crime Book! --Claudio Leon

DK. Crime Book. New York: DK PUBLISHING, 2021. Print

Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty by Charles R. Smith Jr.

When a new student recently told me  I should ”get a poetry book about LeBron James” I knew I’d found the perfect reader for Charles R. Smith Jr.’s Hoop Kings. All the copies of Hoop Kings copies were checked out from my site’s library but  I was happy to discover  that author Smith had published a sequel back in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic.

 Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty  is an appealingly  slim volume that includes  a poem entitled “Royalty” about none other than LeBron James.

Similar in style to the first  Hoop Kings, the bold graphic design of this sequel, the large size of the font, and the brevity,  specificity,  and rhythms of the ten or so poems are made entirely accessible to developing readers. 

The  backmatter includes poem notes and short paragraphs by the poet fleshing out a bit of his poetic process, thoughts, struggles and goals for each poem, a perfect snippet to help new, young poets think about their art.  Highly recommended for older emerging and developing readers who love basketball.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Smith J., Charles R.  Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty.  Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2021.

Click here for a teaching guide from the publisher.  Contains a few ideas for content area applications in Social Studies, Math, and Art in addition to ELA/Writing.