The Hunger Games’ $155m opening haul was the third-biggest debut in US cinema history.”  (The Guardian, Blog.)

So did you see it yet? What did you think? Did it live up to the hype, or more importantly, your expectations? Which actor or actress perfectly embodied the role of the character from the book? Were you surprised or disappointed by any of the actors’ protrayal of the characters?

Everybody is talking about the book vs. the movie. Please take a moment to share your thoughts here…

Thank you for participating in our Second Annual Hunger Games Challenge! We appreciated your enthusiastic comments at the conclusion of the event held today in our library. Many of you had suggestions for future book club events, and I wish that I had had the time to write them down. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions below: your feedback and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to Ms. Blair for her numerous contributions and for helping to make this event a success….I couldn’t have done it without her! Thanks to Mr. Kalagher and Ms. Woodward for helping out with the scorekeeping.

1. What was your favorite challenge? (Computer game, Archery, Cornucopia/Story, Trivia)

2. What could we do to improve this event if we held it again?

3. Would you be interested in participating in future book club events? Are you willing to come after school to do so?

4. What book or series do you think we should feature at a future book club event?

5. Any other comments or suggestions?

Thanks again…and may the odds be ever in your favor!

The first activity will be The Tribute Trials, an online question and answer game designed to test your likelihood of survival. Click on the following link to begin:

The Tribute Trials 

You can read the first two chapters of this book online! Click on the title :   ASHFALL

I have purchased 6 copies of this book for the library, which are circulating quickly!  If you would like to read this book, you can reserve  it by logging in to your Destiny account , typing in the title of the book, and placing a hold on it (or you can ask me to place a hold on it for you).

All incoming 7th and 8th grade students are required to read ONE book from the lists over the summer. Students can choose to read any additional book (not from the lists) and answer the questions on the Note Sheet for extra credit. During the first week of school in September, students will be asked to complete a writing assignment in class based upon the book that they read over the summer. This will count as their first grade in English class.

The books from the lists are on display in our school library for students and parents to browse. Please visit the Falmouth Public Libraries, where the books will be featured and available for checking out.

Happy Reading!

Friday, April 8:  Ms Hennessy  (Team 1)

Monday, April 11:  Ms. O’Connell  (Team 4)

Tuesday, April 12:  Ms. Galligan  (Team 3)

Wednesday, April 13:  Ms. Alves  (Teams 2/5)

Thursday, April 14: Ms. Sciarretta  (Team 6)

Each day a trivia question will be read over the announcements, and students may submit the answer for a chance to win a free book from the fair!

We will also be open during the Lawrence School  Blast on Friday night from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Hope to see you there!

Students participated in three competitive activities in which scores were kept. The first event was the Tribute Trials,  an online game (scholastic.com) similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure series where students (tributes) were asked eight questions related to survival. The second activity was The Cornucopia Challenge, in which various items necessary for survival were placed in the hallway. Students were divided into three groups (districts) and formed a relay team, with the object being to race to the pile to select one item at a time to help them survive.  Theme-related snacks (dried fruit, peanuts, trail mix, beef jerky, and cupcakes from Peeta Mellark’s bakery!) were eaten while Ms. Botelho read from a short script. When an item was mentioned,  students held up them up to score points. The final event was a trivia game on the Smartboard. Students and staff members used the clickers to answer the multiple-choice questions culled from the novels. The scores from the three events were totalled, and the top three winners earned prizes (Hunger Games t-shirts from Hot Topic and a snugli backpack).

Special thanks to Ms. Diotte, FHS school librarian, for  joining  us, along with  Ms. Dietlin and Ms. Johnson.

Please contact me with any book title suggestions for our next event!

Your first challenge in our Hunger Games competition is to play the Tribute Trials online (the second game listed).

Click on the following link to begin:

                                                                          TRIBUTE TRIALS

1.  What do you think is the cruelest part of the Hunger Games? What kind of people would devise this spectacle for the entertainment of others?

2.  Why does Peeta join with the Career Tributes in the beginning of the Games? What does he hope to gain? Why do they accept him when they start hunting as a group? Why do groups form in the beginning when they know only one of them will be able to survive?

3. What makes Katniss and Rue trust each other to become partners? What does Katniss gain from this friendship besides companionship? Is Katniss and Rue’s partnership formed for different reasons than the other groups?