Photos!

We now have a slideshow of recent photos taken by our newspaper staff. Look for the Photo tab on the right hand side of this page. Or just visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/iamschicago/

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars Review

By: Lillian M.

   

I have recently finished reading The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. It is a funny, exciting, heartbreaking tragedy/love story type book.  It is about a girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster.  She has major lung cancer. Her mom decides she is depressed and sends her to a support group. There she meets one Augustus Waters. He is a survivor of osteosarcoma, bone cancer, leaving him with an artificial leg. Their relationship spirals into a romance that takes unexpected twists and turns. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. JOHN GREEN IS CURRENTLY MY FAVORITE AUTHOR!!!! ☺

I recommend this book to anyone who IS NOT squeamish, and DOES NOT cry at little things like a puppy getting a thorn in its paw, as your house is already guaranteed to flood with tears.

The movie version of The Fault in Our Stars is not as good, but, it includes much of the same elements that I find satisfactory: funny, witty, sad, exciting, etc. The movie has far more yelling, crying and kissing than the book. In the movie, they have taken out a scene from the book in which Augustus and his mother are fighting. I wonder why?

MOVIE .VS. BOOK

THE BOOK IS BETTER! Even you TV addicts will agree with me. The book has more internal thinking and emotional value. The movie is still really good though.

FUN FACT:

If anybody reading this article has seen the movie Divergent, you will realize that the actress who played the role of Beatrice Prior also has the role of Hazel Grace Lancaster. Also, (if you have seen Divergent you might find this odd) the actor who took the role of Beatrice Prior's brother, Caleb Prior, has taken up the role of Augustus Waters. For me, it was rather awkward: former brother kissing former sister? Ew. I wonder what it was like for the actor/actress!I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Extended Interview with Mr. Feeley

By: Amanda S.

Extended Interview with IAMS librarian Mr. Feeley about Banned Book Week

Have you heard of Banned Books Week?
YES!  I love banned books week! It provides us an annual reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a free society and how we have to stand up sometimes to demand that our right to read be honored.
       
At I.A.M.S, has a parent, teacher or student asked you to remove a book from the library? If so, what book? And what did you do?
I have never received a formal book challenge at Inter-American. A formal book challenge is when somebody requests that a book be removed from the library.

On a number of occasions parents have contacted me to express their objections to some books that they didn't feel were appropriate for their children. On each of these occasions I asked the parents to share their concerns with me so that I could help their students to identify and check out books that are a good fit for their interests and that are better aligned with the values of the family. I think it's a good thing when parents and children read together or discuss what they are reading together. It promotes reading, promotes good family relationships, and provides families opportunities to discuss their values.

What do you think about banning books?
I am opposed to the practice of banning books. I believe that the freedom to read is extremely important. A book that some people find objectionable is a perfectly good book for many others. We live in a diverse society. I believe that libraries should have all kinds of books so that people of all ages can choose what is right for them and for their families. The most important thing is that people read and learn about the world around them.

What if I told you that Captain Underpants is number one in the top ten 2014 challenged kids books and The Hunger Games being number five? What do you think?
I knew that! I am not surprised that there are people who object to those books. I understand that in a diverse society people will not always agree about what is appropriate reading material for young people.

Which of these books do you have in your library?

                1) Captain Underpants  YES

                2) The Bluest Eye  NO

                3) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  NO but I just ordered it. Thanks for the suggestion!

                4) Fifty Shades of Gray NO

                5) The Hunger Games  YES

                6) A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl  NO

                7) Looking for Alaska YES

                8) The Perks of Being a Wallflower  YES

                9) Bless me Ultima  YES

              10) Bone YES

Is there any book you feel is not appropriate for a school library?
This is a K-8th grade library. Certainly there are books intended for adults that are not suitable for an elementary or middle school library.

Fran Feeley, NBCT
Bibliotecario Escolar/School Librarian
http://iamslibrary.wikispaces.com/

2nd group begins now

It was great working with our first group of kids. Now our 2nd group has started this week and we're off to a great start! Tomorrow our team will be covering the Halloween assembly in the auditorium.

BREAKING NEWS

OUR FIRST ISSUE IS OUT!!! WE SOLD OUT IN MINUTES... SO STAY TUNED FOR THE DIGITAL COPY THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT AT HOME.

Arts and Entertainment

Lucia M. is an arts and entertainment reporter. She wrote the comics page, and is a proofreader and editor for the movie reviews. In addition she publishes original stories on Storybird.com

Our Reporting Staff

We want to feature the reporters in our first group who helped write the first edition of our school newspaper. Here is Addison P., our sports reporter who wrote about the soccer team and Six Flags summer trip. He is very serious about his job.

First edition will be ready soon!

The first edition of the IAMS Times by our 5th/6th newspaper club will be printed by next week. Only a few copies will be available so get yours fast! We will also post an online copy too if you missed out on the printed copy.

Picture Day

On Tuesday, October 14th, picture day is taking place at Inter-American Magnet School. On October 13th, columbus day is being observed and there is no school, so make sure that you don't forget to dress nicely and SHOW UP with a smile on your face.

-Sofia J.

This photo was taken at the same time as the yearbook cover photo. It shows every class.  We went outside to go to the side yard to take the picture where the new turf field is. The cool part about it was seeing Mr. Wilder taking the picture on the steps in the houses next door to the school.  By: Calo P.