We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

New Books

Teen Room

YA FICTION (Ages 12 and up)

      The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had - by Kristin Levine.  This novel takes place in 1917 in a
       small town called Moundville, Alabama.  A twelve year old boy named Dit is excited
       about the arrival of the new Postmaster and his son.  He finds it to be very unlucky
       when the Postmaster turns out to be black and his son is a daughter.  Dit and Emma
       form a special bond and friends in this book.

       YA GRAPHIC NOVELS
     Chiggers - by Hope Larson.  Abby is back at the same summer camp she usually goes
       to, but this year, everything is different.  Her friends have all changed, and the only
       person who isn't too cool for her is the new girl, Shasta.  Can Abby and Shasta be friends, even though all of Abby's
       friends think that Shasta is totally annoying?

       The Good Neighbors:  Book One:  Kin - by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh.  Rue Silver's life is turned upside-down when her  
       mother disappears and her father is accused of murder.  When Rue starts to investigate her family's past, she discovers        that her mother is a faerie, who was forced to return to the faerie realm because of a broken promise.  If Rue is half -
       faerie, which world does she belong in?  Human or faerie?  Will her life ever be the same?

       Into the Volcano - by Don Wood.  The Pugg brothers are on a three-day hike when suddenly, an erupting volcano forces
       them into a battle for their lives!  The brothers soon begin to think that their guides on the hike, who they thought to be
       trusted family members, might be thieves.  They are forced to set off on their own through a maze of tunnels, on a
       race against time as the volcano threatens to explode the entire island!

YA NON-FICTION (Ages 12 and up)

Charles and Emma - by Deborah Heiligmann.  Charles is Charles Darwin and Emma is his faithful wife.  this book touches on how much influence his wife and children had in his theories.  His wife's religious nature gave him pause as to how the world around him was.  This is a biography but reads like a novel.

Sweat and Blood - by Gloria Skurzynski.  This is a history of U. S. labor unions.  This is a fascinating account of how workers were treated in the 1700's to the present.  In the 1700's there was no union to stand up for the worker's right to fair wages and a normal work day.  Today the union is a powerful system of checks and balances to ensure the workers are treated fairly.  It was a long road from the 1700's to what we know today as unions.

Career Coach Sports Industry - by Shelly Field.  This book is a very helpful tool for someone interested in entering the variety of positions within the sports industry.  The topics covered are many and range from marketing yourself, making connections and job search strategies. 


       New Materials: 

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 even use it in your car radio or home stereo system.  They can be checked out for three weeks.

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.  We also continue to purchase new Books on CD for your listening pleasure.

If you prefer paperbacks, check out our carousels of YA paperbacks.  We have a section of new paperbacks on the back bookshelf located in the Teen Room.  The graphic novels are located just below the paperbacks.

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.


       2009 MASCONOMET SUMMER READING LIST:
      
GRADE 7
       Required:  Lawn Boy - by Gary Paulson
                        Bearwalker -
by Joseph Bruchac
                       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
      
       GRADE 10
       Grade 10 College Preparatory - Students are required to read one of the following:
          In the Time of the Butterflies - by Julia Alvarez
          Into Thin Air - by Jon Krakauer
          21 Great Stories - by Abraham Lass   (Editor)
        
       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
          Finn - by John Clinch
          My Jim - by Nancy Rawles
          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:
          The 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

       Students taking The Graphic Novel for College Prep credit must read the following:
          Ethel and Ernest: A True Story - by Raymond Briggs
          The 9/11 Report: A graphic adaptation - by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

       Monsters, Madness and Mayhem
       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
          An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - by Ambrose Bierce
          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

       Honors students will read one of the above titles in addition to:
          The Accidental Asian - by Eric Liu
         
       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

Behavior Policy


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

How to use the Online Catalog



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