New Books
YA FICTION (Ages 12 and up)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John
Green and David Levithan - The first Will Grayson is trying to get
through high school without getting too attached to anyone or anything
that could cause him pain one day. His best friend, Tiny Cooper,
is constantly an emotional basket case. Tiny, who is huge by the
way, is not only on the school football team, he is also gay, and
constantly falling in and out of love. One night as the two boys,
along with their new friend Jane, travel to Chicago to attend a musical
performance by their favorite band, Will Gayson finds himself in
contact with a second Will Garyson. The lives of the two Wills
become connected and they both struggle with their relationships with
Tiny. The book comes to an end with the higt-school
production of Tiny Cooper's auto-biographical musical masterpiece. Each
character in the story has discovered something about himself along the
way. This book is great lesson in accepting differences, taking
emotional risks, and learning that the teen years can have way more ups
than downs.
Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins - It's been three years since Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. When the love spell she cast on prom night goes a bit out of control, Sophie is punished by being sent to Hex Hall: a reform school for supernatural teens like herself. There, she makes three new enemies, falls for a gorgeous warlock, and makes one friend...who just so happens to be the main suspect in a string of violent attacks on Students. Sophie soon finds that the mysteries all seem to be tied together, and the whole school, but especially herself, is in danger.
Sisters Red, by Jackson Pearce - Scarlett and Rosie March have hunted the Fenris, werewolves in the shape of handsome men, ever since the tragic attack that killed their grandmother and left Scarlett with one eye and scars all over her body. Now, Scarlett is obsessed with killing the Fenris and protecting other young girls from their vicious attacks. Rosie loyally hunts alongside her sister, but she can't help but feel drawn to Scarlett's friend Silas, the woodsman's son. Would following her heart betray the unbreakable bond between the sisters? Will the sisters be able to stop the pack of Fenris before the next "Potential" is turned? Find out in this dark, action-packed, urban fairy tale.
Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins - It's been three years since Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. When the love spell she cast on prom night goes a bit out of control, Sophie is punished by being sent to Hex Hall: a reform school for supernatural teens like herself. There, she makes three new enemies, falls for a gorgeous warlock, and makes one friend...who just so happens to be the main suspect in a string of violent attacks on Students. Sophie soon finds that the mysteries all seem to be tied together, and the whole school, but especially herself, is in danger.
Sisters Red, by Jackson Pearce - Scarlett and Rosie March have hunted the Fenris, werewolves in the shape of handsome men, ever since the tragic attack that killed their grandmother and left Scarlett with one eye and scars all over her body. Now, Scarlett is obsessed with killing the Fenris and protecting other young girls from their vicious attacks. Rosie loyally hunts alongside her sister, but she can't help but feel drawn to Scarlett's friend Silas, the woodsman's son. Would following her heart betray the unbreakable bond between the sisters? Will the sisters be able to stop the pack of Fenris before the next "Potential" is turned? Find out in this dark, action-packed, urban fairy tale.
YA NON-FICTION (Ages 12 and up)
How to
Be a Vampire, by Amy Gray - Once you've been turned, this book
will tell you all you need to know about how to live your new vampire
lifestyle. Included are chapters such as "Coming Out of the
Crypt", "Vampire Etiquette", and " Places to Visit Now That You're
Undead", as well as quizzes to test your vampire knowledge or find your
vampire persona. There is information on dressing in the latest
vampire fashions, as well as explanations on types of vampires from
stories around the world. If you're looking for vampires in the
media, there are plenty of lists of vampires in literature, films, and
on TV. This is the perfect guide for the newly turned, or for
those who just like to admire vampires from the afar.
YA GRAPHIC NOVELS
Mercury,
by Hope Larson - After the house that had been in her family for
generations burned down, Tara was sent to live with her aunt and uncle
while her mother found a job elsewhere to support the tow of
them. When Tara's aunt gives her a pendant that has been handed
down for generations, Tara's story begins to intertwine with that of
Josey, her ancestor from 1859, who fell in love with a mysterious gold
prospector named Asa. Told through expressive and beautiful black
and white drawings, this book highlights the everyday similarities
between history and modern times.
Sandman: The Dream Hunters, by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell - This is a retelling of Neil Gaiman's 1999 novella in the form of a graphic novel. In this book, Gaiman combines the characters and mythology of his Sandman series with the myths and legends of ancient Japan. The story begins with a bet between a fox and a badger: whoever successfully drives a nearby monk away from his temple wins the bet. After they try and fail, the badger leaves and the fox stays behind, eventually falling in love with the monk. When she learns that the monk is in danger, she calls upon the Sandman to intervene. Included in the back of this hardcover volume are afterwards by the author, illustrator, and editor, and alternate cover art.
Sandman: The Dream Hunters, by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell - This is a retelling of Neil Gaiman's 1999 novella in the form of a graphic novel. In this book, Gaiman combines the characters and mythology of his Sandman series with the myths and legends of ancient Japan. The story begins with a bet between a fox and a badger: whoever successfully drives a nearby monk away from his temple wins the bet. After they try and fail, the badger leaves and the fox stays behind, eventually falling in love with the monk. When she learns that the monk is in danger, she calls upon the Sandman to intervene. Included in the back of this hardcover volume are afterwards by the author, illustrator, and editor, and alternate cover art.
We now have "Playaways". What are 'Playaways" you ask?
An all-in-one MP3 player. The Playaway is a lightweight, compact,
easy-to-use MP3 player that comes with a pre loaded audio book.
The battery and headset are included just in case you do not have a
spare set of earphones. Playaway is about the size of an ipod and
you can use it in your car radio or home stereo system. They
can be checked out for three weeks. The YA audio collection in
inter filed with the Adult collection on the first floor of the
Library. They are easy to locate in the collection as you will
find a YA on the spine of the material.
Check out our expanded collection of
new
music CD's. We are expanding our soundtrack and world music
collection. There is something to please everyone.
If you prefer paperbacks, check out our carousels of YA
paperbacks. The graphic novels are
located on the back wall bookshelf.
Important for your to know, all new NON-FICTION is located in the Teen Corner. All other YA Non-Fiction is located on the second floor and shelved with the adult non-fiction material.
All students are asked to consider
reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver in
addition to what may be required for your English Class. In
cooperation with the Topsfield Town Library Community Read Program, the
science and English Departments are encouraging everyone, including
family members to read this book and then participate in discussions on
it in September. Details about the discussion sessions will be
available when you return to school in the fall.
2010
MASCONOMET
SUMMER READING LIST:GRADE 7
Required: Lawn Boy - by Gary Paulson
The Name of this Book is Secret - by Pseudonymous Bosch
GRADE 8
College Prep students should read two or more from this list.
Honors students should read three or more from this list.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead - by Avi (Fantasy)
Out of the Dust - by Karen Hesse (Historical fiction)
Gathering Blue - by Lis Lowry (Science fiction)
Shakespeare's Scribe - by Gary Blackwood (Historical fiction)
Red Badge of Courage - by Stephen Crane (Historical fiction)
Tuesdays with Morrie - by Mitch Albom (Biography)
Monster - by Walter Dean Myers (Realistic fiction)
The Red Necklace - by Sally Gardner (Historical fiction)
Bog Child - by Siobhan Dowd (Realistic fiction)
Shooting the Moon - by Frances O'Rourke Dowell (Realistic fiction)
Scat - by Carl Hiaasen (Realistic fiction)
Treasure Island - by Robert Louis Stevenson (Adventure fiction)
A Walk in the Woods - by Bill Bryson (Non-fiction)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - by Douglas Adams (Science fiction)
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes - by Chris Crutcher (Realistic fiction)
GRADE 9
Grade 9 College Preparatory - Students are required to read one of the following:
Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night Time - by Mark Haddon
My Sister's Keeper - by Jodi Picoult
Grade 9 Honors - Students are required to read one of the following:
The Bean Trees - by Barbara Kingsolver
This Boy's Life - by Tobias Wolff
All Students in Grade 9 are to read an additional book of their own choosing.
GRADE 10
Grade 10 College Preparatory - Students are required to read one of the following:
The Absolutely True Dirary of a Part-TIme Indian - by Sherman Alexie
The Help - by Katheryn Stockett
Grade 10 Honors - Students are required to read one of the following:
Life of Pi - by Yann Martel
Kite Runner - by Khalid Hossieni
Slaughterhouse five - by Kurt Vonnegut
GRADE 11
Honors Required: Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
AND, A choice of one of the following:
House of the Seven Gables - by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Uncle Tom's Cabin - by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Age of Innocence - by Edith Wharton
As I Lay Dying - by William Faulkner
A Farewell to Arms - by Ernest Hemingway
Ceremony - by Leslie Marmon Silko
Selected Poems - by Emily Dickinson (Dover Thrift Edition)
100 Selected Poems - by E. E. Cummings
Everything That Rises Must Converge - by Flannery O'Connor
College Preparatory - One book of the student's own choice.
AND, one of the following:
Ishmael - by Daniel Quinn
The Road - by Cormac McCarthy
Goodbye, Columbus - by Philip Roth
My Jim - by Nancy Rawles
Revolutionary Road - by Richard Yates
The Help - by Kathryn Stockett
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - by Sherman Alexie
A Walk in the Woods - by Bill Bryson
Selected Poems - by Emily Dickinson (Dover Thrift Edition)
Sailing Alone Around the Room - by Billy Collins
100 Selected Poems - by E. E. Cummings
Everything That Rises Must Converge - by Flannery O'Connor
College Preparatory 2 - One book of the student's choice.
GRADE 12
AP English: Read two books from the list below and one from the list of titles suggested for CP:
A Prayer for Owen Meany - by John Irving
Emma - by Jane Austen
No Country for Old Men - by Cormac McCarthy
All the King's Men - by Robert Penn Warren
Corelli's Mandolin - by Louis DeBernieres
The Bell Jar - by Sylvia Plath
Sister Carrie - by Theodore Dreiser
Robinson Crusoe - by Daniel Defoe
One Hundred Years of Solitude - by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Poetry
Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry - by Billy Collins (Editor)
The Graphic Novel
Students taking The Graphic Novel for Honors credit must read the following:
Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative - by Will Eisner
Choose two titles from the list below if you are taking the course for Honors credit; on if you are enrolled in College
Prep:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - by Michael Chabon
Ethel and Ernest: A True Story - by Raymond Briggs
The 9/11 Report: A graphic adaptation - by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
Watchmen - by Alan Moore and David Gibbons
Ghost World - by Daniel Clowes
Blankets - by Craig Thompson
American Splendor - by Harvey Pekar
Gothic Literature
If you have selected this course for College Prep credit, read one novel from the list below. If you have selected this course for Honors credit, read two:
The Turn of the Screw - by Henry James
Rebecca - by Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre - by Charlotte Bronte
Withering Heights - by Emily Bronte
The Picture of Dorian Gray - by Oscar Wilde
The Shining - by Stephen King
It - by Stephen King
Global Literature
College Prep students will select on of the following two titles:
Things Fall Apart - by Chinua Achebe
Three cups of Tea - by Greg Mortenson
White Tiger - by Aravind Adiga
Nervous Conditions - by Tsitsi Dangarembga
ASSESSMENT FOR ALL GRADES LEVELS AND STUDENTS: During the first day of school, you will participate in a grade-wide assessement of your reading in your English class. Your summer reading will count as part of your first quarter grade.
The Topsfield Town Library supports the Masconomet Summer Reading program, making titles available and separated from the rest of the collection during the summer months. Drop by and check out the area designated in the Teen Corner located on the second floor. Library staff can assist you in locating titles required for your summer reading success.
About the Library
Download our new Facilities Brochure
(pdf file; get a free
reader)
Schools and other good websites
Masconomet
Regional Middle and High School
Teen Space - great
site for homework help, writing, poetry, graphic novels and more.
College
Search - helps you find the right college for
you!
College
Planning - plan visits, application process and to ask
just the right questions as you visit colleges.
Test
Prep - assists students with taking all the
important tests for college entry.
Policies for you
Internet
Use Policy requires a
signature from a parent or legal guardian if you are under age 18.
Unattended Children's Policy
informs all students that they need to
be picked up when the library closes.
Please take the time to know the library hours.
Winter Weather Policy helps you understand why the library maybe closed on a snowy day.
Using the online library catalog
- Day
Hours - Monday
10:00am -
8:00pm - Tuesday
10:00am -
5:00pm - Wednesday
12:00pm -
5:00pm - Thursday
10:00am -
8:00pm - Friday 12:00pm -
5:00pm - Saturday
10:00am
5:00pm - Sunday
Closed