The Book Lover's Almanac

Book Talking

2011-12-01T10:42:00.000-05:00

Wonderful perspective on the treatment of witches in the 19th century. How much does mob mentality influence what we believe. Can the frantic search for witches make all the girls in the community wonder if they are indeed themselves witches. Briony thinks she can link herself with a death and a sickness, because she was wishing for those things to happen when she became angry. Is she really responsible?

Book Talk

2011-03-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Spinelli always creates memorable characters and Stargirl achieves the same. What a wonderful look at how things could be in high school. Cheering for the other team could never happen in our current high schools, but just thinking about it made me smile. What would have to change for our young people to be like that? What failures of our society does this one glimpse give? What ever happened to enjoying sport for the beauty of the game? Everything is about winning now and not just in sports. That is why Stargirl's perspective is so intoxicating.

Book Talk

2011-02-21T07:28:00.002-05:00

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Samantha Kingston is given a strange opportunity after she is involved in a car accident that will eventually kill her. She gets to relive the day she dies several times. At first she tries to change events so that her death is avoided. Then she understands that her chance isn't about saving herself, she is going to die, but it is about helping other people live their lives happily. Really entertaining story. Samantha is so evil at the beginning that I found it hard to believe I was hoping she would survive at the end. Very dynamic character.

Books Talking

2011-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The twist of having Katniss return to the arena caught me off balance, I thought that the revolution would have begun near the beginning of the book rather than at the end, but it was still an extremely exciting read. I am a curious about the trend in young adult fiction to write trilogies. Matched by Allie Condie presents a government run society where even our husbands and wives are picked for us. The first book in this trilogy really doesn't do much, just introduces the society. It is curious that we are trying to make stories more verbose. I love it when I am entranced by a novel and I don't want it to end, so I understand why we are heading in this direction, but there is a balance between poetry and too verbose prose. Just thinking aloud. Wondering where this trend will take us. Movies are getting longer as well to do justice to the wonderful novels that are being produced. Is our creativity as a whole that much better? Does new digital graphics allow us to create such remarkable visions that a three, four, or five hour movie becomes the norm. The holodeck in Star Trek is a remarkable idea. Living in a dream world. Doing whatever it is we like. Interacting with characters throughout history. If that is where we are going, then I can see why more verbose prose becomes necessary. It isn't necessarily the story that is important, but being in that place, wherever or whenever the story is communicating to us.

Books Speaking without Voices

2011-02-19T07:16:00.001-05:00

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold

I knew this one as a movie first. The 1944 production with Elizabeth Taylor is a favorite movie of mine. The color was so rich, I felt like I could smell the hay in the barn and the clods of grass that Pie ran through. When I read the book for the first time, these sensations only became more palpable. I felt rooted in the English countryside, wanting to be there taking care of the horses and training for the Grand National. The rich fields called my name. The small town gave me life. The stable gave me a home. This was written for a young audience, but it is ageless.

Books Talking

2011-02-18T07:07:00.001-05:00

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Klugar

Fabulous romantic comedy filled with an interesting take on a boy coming out of the closet, broadway shows, the BoSox and Mary Poppins. Just a wonderful read from beginning to end. As a 7-12 librarian I feel like I read some of the same stories over and over again when looking at the latest realistic fiction. This one had some of those characters, but Klugar put it together in a matchless way. It never slowed and there are definitely some completely memorable characters, interactions and dialogue, articles, constructions, etc... Who could forgot Hucky Harper giving signs at the baseball game, the fact that everyone knew Augie was gay before he knew, or the relationship between T.C.'s father and his guidance counselor. Please pick this one up and give it a chance. It's certainly worth it.

Book Talking

2011-02-17T07:32:00.000-05:00

Truancy by Isamu Fukui

An amazing emergence onto the literary scene for this young person. I think it is wonderfully done, but worry that the schools we have provided for our children are completely missing the mark. If a young person can write this novel and have such a poor opinion of our schools, what should we think? How would Fukui set up are schools? What does a young writer need to succeed? Why does such an accomplished writer think the people working at schools are clueless? Many good questions concerning our schools arise from this sixteen year old writer.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-16T08:08:00.001-05:00

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

While I read I knew where we were headed, but hoped for some sort of exemption for the young boy. But, if Boyne had let the boy off the hook it wouldn't be a Holocaust story. The brutal nature of the boy's death doesn't quite pierce the armor of the German war machine or do justice to the memory of all those who were murdered, yet in losing the life of one so young it does manage to clearly say, "You bastards!" The play with matches and you'll get burned metaphor is a little off target. Does this book show the viciousness of the Nazis? Do we get a sense of what the gas chambers were really like? The Holocaust seems simplistic through the eyes of a boy. Boyne obviously does this on purpose, portraying the father as a good man, Hitler's man. It makes the cruelties that much more unfathomable. Can we really be doing this to a race of people? Really? How do we fall in line when the rhetoric gets insane? It's more than scary that the human condition allows us to believe the Nazi propaganda. What do I believe now that will be looked on as crazy in fifty years?

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-15T07:37:00.001-05:00

The Demon's Lexicon by Sara Rees Brennan

Well done, I liked the ending, didn't suspect where the author was going. You'll have to read the whole thing to find out. I wish she would have got there sooner, but I guess that was the big cliffhanger for book two in the series. Thought this would do as well as P.C. Cast, City of Bones, and some of the others new popular vampire/fantasy lit, but it didn't, so I am wondering what grabs and what doesn't. Enjoyed the dancing scene the most. Reminded me of the magic of dancing that Tamora Pierce uses in the Circle Opens: Magic Steps.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Wonderful, steampunk has now fully entranced me! Loved the machines that were created, very Star Wars like with the walkers on Endor and the ice planet Hoth. But even better were the genetically engineered animals. Great look at alternate histories - two directions the world could have gone. Fans of Kenneth Oppel should check this one out.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-13T09:01:00.002-05:00

His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

Awesome, it's up there with Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Susan Cooper. He is part of the 'Steam Punk' genre that is catching so many readers. The second and third books both head off in directions that are more and more distant from what Pullman created in The Golden Compass. Mostly new characters and settings, but it all works and is entirely entertaining.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-12T08:37:00.002-05:00

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

She had me laughing the whole time. The British teenage sense of humor is awesome. She is totally self aware and can laugh at all her funny characteristics and it makes her heroine delightful. As a male librarian I feel slightly awkward recommending this book to teenage girls, mostly because of the title. But, it is completely hilarious and should definitely be picked up and read.

February 17th Discussion Books

2011-02-11T12:56:00.011-05:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip M. Hoose

What did you think of this month's books? Share your thoughts at next Thursday's book discussion after school in the library.

My favorite couple phrases from The Help were:

"If only singing was a color."

"I only been cooking white Thanksgiving since Calvin Coolidge was President."

My moment of repulsion happened when Miss Hilly says to Aibileen, "How do you like your new bathroom?" She then waits for Aibileen to thank her before moving on. 'Waits' is probably not accurate because she prods her to say thank you. Skeeter is standing outside the room, praying that Aibileen doesn't say it, but it can't be avoided.

Mobiles

2011-02-11T10:06:00.001-05:00

Photos by Mackenzie Reese

We have some new artwork on display- wonderful and whimsical mobiles created by Ms. Reckord's Art 1 students last semester. We love having them in the library...it definitely brightens things up when it's snowy and gray outside. Thanks to Mackenzie for taking these great photos!

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-11T08:14:00.005-05:00

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

A staple of Arthurian legend. This was the deepest look into Camelot and the time before the explosion of literature that came out with Marion Zimmer Bradley and all the others in the 1990s. I am sure that all of the more recent authors went through White's work for information on the age. It is a little drier than some of the more romanticized recent stuff. It is probably for a slightly older audience than Gerald Morris's and Vivian van Velde's.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-10T08:05:00.003-05:00

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Wonderful book, I thoroughly enjoyed running around Venice, having been there a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It is a modern day Robin Hood. Slightly disappointed when the thief turned out to be just a boy who was rich and was basically stealing from himself and his friends. Though Funke did create the Robin Hood illusion for this character that lasted through most of the book; we didn't know that the thief was just a rich man's son until very near the end. The magic at the end with the merry go round was very cool. I wish she would write this again. I think she jumped back and forth between the realm of magic and the real world, but I would have liked for her to create an inbetween place that is neither only real nor only fantasy.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-09T07:57:00.002-05:00

Foundling by D.M. Cornish

Robert Jordan's recommendation and the cover got me a little more excited than I should of. Cornish creates an interesting world and I'm sure if I read more it will become deeper with each stroke he paints and strand he weaves. Comparing to Tolkien went a little far though. Neat monsters and the monster hunters seem to have cool capabilities. Didn't fall in love with the protagonist. He is your typical picked on orphan who just needs a chance to prove himself. The first book was released in parts, so Foundling seemed to end midstream. Very good.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

Peak by Roland Smith

Loved it! Talk about a great message, 'Going to the top isn't everything'. I wish he would have put the flag where he did and then climbed to the top. This might have played on the personal success versus success in the eyes of our peers idea. It would have really brought home doing things that you value no matter what everyone else thinks. I still think the idea of not having to accomplish things is huge, but that message is easily converted to being completely unproductive. Smith's novel asks us what we should value. What is important to us as people? Have we lost site of what really matters? Pro athletes, some of them idols of thousands/millions, are making very questionable life decisions and we let them do this and continue on because the Sunday afternoon television of whatever event it is is more important than teaching our children how to live. Why do we have to go to the top? Why are there phrases like, 'winning isn't everything, it's the only thing'? Why doesn't participation count? Why do we have to be the best?

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-02T07:39:00.002-05:00

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

Alexander was the first author I fell in love with. The Book of Three was the first book that I liked. So, naturally anything he writes intrigues me. I have read all of his and most of the time I will only read one by any author. He introduced me to daring rebels willing to take on the establishment, colorful dwarves that can become invisible, peaceful valleys untouched by war, and all the other 'first' big ideas that I had.

Daily Book Talk

2011-02-01T07:31:00.002-05:00

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

This is one of my all time favorites. I remember a teacher reading this to us in early elementary school. It certainly changed the way I looked at the world. Were there magical wells everywhere or just in Babbit's world? Probably the book that made me realize I wanted magical wells with 'Fountain of Youth' powers in my world as well. Thank you Natalie Babbit for pushing me with such tender thoughts.

Daily Book Talk

2011-01-31T07:26:00.001-05:00

Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson

Thought it was pretty good, a nice look into the life of a teenage soldier, but I started to wonder who wrote the book. It doesn't sound like the voice of a kid just out of high school. Then I started to question how sincere the reports were. If someone else is writing this, then the Ghost Writer could be telling half truths. I don't know, if he wrote it, I apologize, but does this sound like an 18 year old person who wasn't excited to go to college and become a writer. If he can write like this he should be taking Creative Writing classes at a college.

Daily Book Talk

2011-01-30T07:23:00.004-05:00

Room by Emma Donaghue

Wow! Loved it all. I kept thinking that Old Nick was going to return at some point. Glad he didn't. Her voice through the child is inspirational. Jack's inquisitiveness with the world at large allows him to accept his world and even enjoy it. He doesn't know that what is going on his bad because his mother does such a wonderful job of creating a safe environment. The book kept me thinking about a quote from a Natalie Merchant song, "Baby brother, there is a world outside of this room, and when you meet it, don't meet it with a gun." I know that looking at Jack's situation without any hatred is hard, but children can do it. They do it. Makes me wonder which of our feelings are completely innate. Trust? Love? How can those feelings grow in 'the room'. Great stuff.

Daily Book Talk

2011-01-28T07:21:00.001-05:00

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Why do post-apocalyptic novels give us hope? Don't quite understand these feelings. Cronin creates a dynamic tale that traverses at least a hundred years, from the time of the development of a virus that is supposed to create super soldiers to the eventual destruction of society when those super soldiers become blood thirsty animals. It was a unique way to create multiple protagonists. Each time period had a hero and their actions were each unique to the period of the outbreak that they lived through. Great suspense and darkness, it allowed for the good things that happened to really strike a deep chord. Wonderful.

Daily Book Talk

2011-01-28T07:06:00.002-05:00

Heist Society by Ally Carter

This was an entirely entertaining read. The pace was perfect, kept me intrigued. Never slowed. Wonderful book, definite good read for all spy fanatics. I think it is for any reader that loved the Stormbreaker stuff by Anthony Horowitz. Though this time we see life from the perspective of a young woman born into a crime family. They are without a doubt some of the best thieves the world knows. Great buildup of suspense and the author keeps a couple things from her readers to create plenty of mystery.

Daily Book Talk

2011-01-27T11:04:00.001-05:00

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

A nice suspenseful run with colorful characters, a creative setting (offworld, though still earthlike) and intrigue that kept you guessing. Loved the idea of thoughts that could or could not be heard. At one point the author says through one of the main characters, "If I could not make you listen to all these thoughts, I would." Made me laugh, since we all have way too many thoughts running through our minds. The genocide of the natives needed a powerful counter attack to prove the depth of the writing. I picked up the Ask and the Answer right away to see where Ness would go.

New Arrivals

2011-01-24T08:40:00.001-05:00

Come check out these new books!

From top to bottom:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Matched by Allie Condie
Room by Emma Donoghue
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

January Book Discussion - Sorta Like A Rock Star

2011-01-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

I found this book rather memorable. Amber has a voice that touched me. I was impressed with the character's that Quick was able to create. The haikus were fun. I think this book has been done many times and in many ways. It is a common story, but I like everything that Quick added. You have your token soldier who can't communicate after serving in Vietnam. There is the classic 'fairy godmother' character that takes care of Amber. The element of jocks vs. geeks creates the high school drama. Even though hundreds have written this story before, I believe Quick takes us places that we don't expect. The soldier writes haikus, and introduces us to the zen of staying in the moment. The fairy godmother is a foreshadowing of what Amber can achieve if she 'keeps hope alive'. The reconciliation of the jocks and geeks is too easy, but oh well.

My favorite Nietzsche quote from the novel:

We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.

May Book Club Selections

2010-05-05T08:32:00.001-04:00

Middle School

5/6-True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas

5/13-Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

5/20-Peak by Roland Smith

5/27-Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda

High School

5/20-The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

April Book Club Selections

2010-03-22T08:13:00.005-04:00

Middle School

4/1-Artemis Fowl, The Supernaturalist, and The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

4/8-Gifts and Powers by Ursula Le Guin

4/15-Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass

4/22-Book Discussion Theme: Spies (Alex Rider, Evil Genius, Artemis Fowl)

4/29-Gary Paulsen books, including How Angel Peterson Got His Name, Woodsong, and Hatchet

High School

4/1-Paper Towns by John Green

One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

4/8-An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

4/22-Looking for Alaska by John Green

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

More Books Just In!

2010-03-12T08:26:00.000-05:00

By popular request...

The Last Song and Dear John by Nicholas Sparks have both been made into movies as you can probably tell by the covers! The Last Song comes out at the end of March and Dear John is in theatres now.

We have 2 new paperback copies of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold with the movie cover. The new cover on the left seems to leave a little less to the imagination...it's very ominous. What do you think?

Just in!

2010-03-11T08:59:00.001-05:00

Interested in going vegetarian or vegan? Check out these two books we just got in:

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Jonathan Safran Foer is also the author of the novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

We also have in our collection:

Vegetarian Cooking Around the World and Student's Go Vegan Cookbook

You'll find these books along with many other great non-vegetarian cookbooks in the 641.5 area of the non-fiction books!

Book Recommendations?

2010-03-11T07:46:00.000-05:00

After a nice long break and a short week getting back into the swing of the things we're refreshed and ready to go! Now is the time we start making plans for next year, especially deciding what books are going to be monthly book club selections for middle school and high school. What books have you read recently that you just couldn't put down and that you think everyone should read and discuss? We have some picks of our own but we'd love to know what yours are!

March Book Club Selections

2010-02-15T08:52:00.002-05:00

Check out your March Book Club books before this Friday for some fun vacation reading!

Middle School

3/4-Redwall by Brian Jacques

3/11-Sports books: Travel Team, Heat, or Summer Ball by Mike Lupica and any sports novels (John Feinstein-Last Shot, Vanishing Act, Cover Up; Tangerine by Edward Bloor; The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter; One-Handed Catch by Mary Jane Auch; Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz; The Natural by Bernard Malamud)

3/18-Divide by Elizabeth Kay

3/25-Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

High School

3/4-Flygirl by Sherri Smith

3/11-Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

3/18-Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hope you have a great weekend and a sweet Valentine's Day!

The Lightning Thief Movie

2010-02-11T08:03:00.001-05:00

The Lightning Thief movie based on the book by Rick Riordan opens in theatres tomorrow! Come in and check out this book and other books in the Percy Jackson & Olympians series!

February Book Club Selections

2010-01-25T10:20:00.003-05:00

Middle School

2/4-Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz

2/12-Field trip to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie

2/18-Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan (Graphic Novel)

2/25-Winter Break =)

High School

2/18- Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

2010 YALSA Picks

2010-01-22T08:54:00.000-05:00

The 2010 American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults list is out! See the full list here. We have all of the top ten best books in the library already and will be getting many more in soon.

The 21st Century Book: Book to the Future

2010-01-14T11:12:00.007-05:00

Book Lovers, the Library will be offering a course next year called, "The Art of the Book". Avid readers, creative writers, students who enjoy art and future librarians should consider this course. The purpose of the course is to create a 21st century book. We will discuss in class what we think the 21st century will offer in the way of books and you will be free to interpret our discussion and create your idea of a book as the final project. The book does not have to be what most of us consider books today. It can be anything that tells a story. This means it could be a box with some of your favorite things, just as long as you somehow create a story around them. It could be a photojournal made up of hundreds of pictures, again, just as long as it tells a story. Use your art skills to construct a way to tell your story, it might be just colorful covers or something that no one has ever seen before. You might add videos, songs, or smells. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and creativity. Think big, think boldly, make a book that the world has never seen before! The change to a new, 21st century book is happening, like the Kindle. It may make as much of a difference as the Gutenberg printing press, see what you can create.

January Book Club Selections

2010-01-06T10:30:00.029-05:00

Middle School

1/7-Tamora Pierce (Circle of Magic and all the others)

1/14-Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

1/15-Cirque du Freak the movie

1/21-Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

High School

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

1/7-during lunch

1/14-7pm at the Milton Public Library

1/28-after school in the Media Center

New Year, Almost New Blog

2010-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing break and are as excited as we are for all of the possibilites that await you in 2010! Did you make any resolutions for the New Year? Here in the library one of our resolutions is to help you read more. The purpose of this blog is to keep you updated on the happenings in the library and to share interesting book, writing, and arts-related topics with you. We hope to inspire you to explore our shelves and the world around you with curiosity and an open mind.

Book to Movie: The Lovely Bones

2009-12-21T09:05:00.003-05:00

The Lovely Bones movie, directed by Peter Jackson and based on the book by Alice Sebold, comes out in wide release in January. If you haven't read the book, I would definitely recommend reading it before you see the movie. We have it here in the library among our display of books that have been made into movies. Check out reviews of the book here and reviews of the movie here.

Couture Classics

2009-12-18T14:58:00.009-05:00

Check out these covers designed by fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo for Penguin Books. Do they make you want to read or re-read these classics?

On Our Shelves: 741.5 BAR

2009-12-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

What It Is by Lynda Barry

"What It Is is many things. Part autobiographical comic, part watercolor and collage, part instructional manual, and part workbook, the book is that rare breed that tries to be many thing at once and succeeds in its own grand ambitions, transitioning from one section to the next rather gracefully. Author Lynda Barry successfully arranges the different parts of the book so that they compliment each other nicely, giving each other value and depth that they wouldn’t necessarily have on their own.

What It Is would be far less interesting as a straight autobiography. Or just collage. Or a book about how to write. Barry’s collage pages, which reveal some of the inner workings of her mind with their clever and thoughtful essay questions—“When images come to us, where do they come from?”—resonate with her autobiographical comics because of the thematic links she creates. The comics depicting Barry’s personal struggle to find her own creativity and maintain it make the writing instruction section much less pedantic and much more exciting, because we know that she’s struggled as we have. The existence of the book itself gives the how-to section credibility as well, because knowing that Barry has created such a fantastic work using the methods she teaches means there’s gotta be something to it.

At the very end of the book, Barry includes some of the pages from her side notebook—the pad she keeps at her side while working so that she will have a place to doodle and keep her pen moving when her mind draws a blank. These pages are the best part of What It Is. A chance to see someone else’s doodles—the unaffected, spontaneous wanderings of someone else’s mind—is rare, particularly someone as creative and talented as Barry. She has created a deliberately complicated book for our benefit, and the result is fantastic."

Read the complete review by Jillian Steinhauer as well as other reviews of graphic novels and comics at The Daily Cross Hatch

In the Library

2009-12-18T09:46:00.001-05:00

Speak low - tread softly through these halls,
Here genius lives enshrined,
Here reign, in silent majesty,
The monarchs of the mind.

A mighty spirit-host, they come
From every age and clime,
Above the buried wrecks of years
They breast the tide of time.

And in their presence-chamber here,
They hold their regal state,
And round them throng a noble train,
The gifted and the great.

Excerpt from "In the Library" by Anne C.L. Botts

Love Vampires?

2009-12-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

If you love vampire books check out this web site for book release dates, reviews, and author bios!

The Library Initiative

2009-12-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

We're thinking of creating a mural in the library and are in the process of brainstorming ideas. Do you have any cool ideas for a mural? If so, please share them with us! While looking for inspiration, I came across this project pairing well-known artists and designers with elementary schools within the NYC public school system. These are my two favorites:

Images from The Library Initiative