Parts or Features
of a Book
of a Book
What is the spine of a book?
The part of the book that shows while book is on shelf.
What do we call books that are created from the author's imagination? Where are these books located in this library?
Fiction.
What was your favorite book that you read this year from either this library or your classroom library? Choose three words from this list to describe it or come up with your own: Fast-paced, engrossing, relaxed; Well-developed, action-oriented, issue-oriented, plot-centered; Complex, suspenseful, romantic, humorous, dramatic, thoughtful.
Answers will vary.
What is an online catalog? Describe a time this school year that you used our online catalog.
An online catalog contains the records of all the print books that we have in our library, electronic books that we can access with a tablet or computer and databases.
How are non-fiction books arranged?
By topic or subject and labeled with a number in the Dewey Decimal System.
Where can I find out about the author or illustrator of this book? Why do you think this information is included?
On back flap or last few pages of book.
You want to borrow The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. How do you find it?
Fiction is arranged on the shelves by the author's last name in ABC order. This book would be found with the books labeled Sel or S (call #).
Fictional thirteen-year-old, Tom Carroll takes his place as head of the family after his father dies fighting for the Union in the War between the States. His job at the local ironworks (he helps build an iron ship for the Union army) and his loyalty come into question when he is approached by Confederate spies to sell secrets about the ship to the South. Which war is the back drop of this novel? What genre is this book?
Civil War, Historical Fiction
Your class has just read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to have a better understanding of multiple perspectives on a problem or event. You'd like to read it to your younger sister or brother. Does our library have it? (Open up another tab and do the search at library.nycenet.edu)
Yes. Search the online catalog by title.
Would biographies or autobiographies be shelved with fiction or non-fiction? Why?
Non-fiction. Biographies and autobiographies are books that give information about a real person's life, challenges and achievements.
What type of book would you find an index in?
An informational book
What does a call number FIC RIO mean? (hint: There are two parts to this answer. You can examine the book to answer.)
FIC stands for Fiction and Rio stands for the first three letters of the author's name, in this case Riordan.
What genre of novel takes place in a fantastical world with dragons, princesses, witches, sorcerers, fairies or wizards? Choose one: (a) historical fiction (b) realistic fiction (c) fantasy.
Do you have a favorite?
(c) fantasy
Many students enjoy these books: Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, Artemis Fowl, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Magyk, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of OZ...
A friend has recommended an author with the last name of Spinelli. Review the list of books by Spinelli. Is there more than one author with that last name?
Yes. Eileen Spinelli and Jerry Spinelli.
Are non-fiction books labeled with numbers or letters or both?
Both. For example, a book called Japanese Culture has 306.09 (Dewey number) and HEA (first three letters of author's last name).
Can you name three text features of this non-fiction book that may be helpful to a reader that is new to the topic?
Possibly has: ■Captions: Help you better understand a picture or photograph ■Comparisons: These sentences help you to picture something {Example: A whale shark is a little bit bigger than a school bus.} ■Glossary: Helps you define words that are in the book ■Graphics: Charts, graphs, or cutaways are used to help you understand what the author is trying to tell you ■Illustrations/Photographs: Help you to know exactly what something looks like ■Index: This is an alphabetical list of ideas that are in the book. It tells you what page the idea is on. ■Labels: These help you identify a picture or a photograph and its parts ■Maps: help you to understand where places are in the world ■Special Print: When a word is bold, in italics, or underlined, it is an important word for you to know ■Subtitles: These headings help you to know what the next section will be about ■Table of Contents: Helps you identify key topics in the book in the order they are presented
Describe where you would find a copy of the book I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai?
In the biography section on the shelves with book labeled B YOU or BIO YOU.
Name the title of the fictional book and movie about August Pullman who was born with a facial difference that had prevented him from going to a mainstream school. The story focuses on Auggie starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep where he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face.
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
Your class has been talking about hurricanes because extreme weather has been in the news a lot lately. You want to find additional information about hurricanes. Name two non-fiction books about hurricanes?
Use the online catalog to search for hurricanes. Do a subject or keyword search.
Scan the books on display in the non-fiction shelves. Name two topics that you could research by using the non-fiction books in your library. Did you borrow any non-fiction books from the library this school year?
There are so many...Sports, Ancient Civilizations, American History to name a few. I hope so.
Can you name three text features of this non-fiction book that may be helpful to a reader that is new to the topic?
Possibly has: ■Captions: Help you better understand a picture or photograph ■Comparisons: These sentences help you to picture something {Example: A whale shark is a little bit bigger than a school bus.} ■Glossary: Helps you define words that are in the book ■Graphics: Charts, graphs, or cutaways are used to help you understand what the author is trying to tell you ■Illustrations/Photographs: Help you to know exactly what something looks like ■Index: This is an alphabetical list of ideas that are in the book. It tells you what page the idea is on. ■Labels: These help you identify a picture or a photograph and its parts ■Maps: help you to understand where places are in the world ■Special Print: When a word is bold, in italics, or underlined, it is an important word for you to know ■Subtitles: These headings help you to know what the next section will be about ■Table of Contents: Helps you identify key topics in the book in the order they are presented
Why isn't the 39 Clues series shelved together in the fiction section? (hint: examine the book covers for the answer)
This series was written by many different authors including: Gordon Korman, Rick Riordan, Linda Sue Park.
If you really enjoyed the book titled Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. How would you find other books like that to read over winter break?
Read another book by Gary Paulsen. Ask the librarian at the public library for recommendations on stories that focus on wilderness adventures. Use the online catalog at the library and use the search term adventure.
Does 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass look interesting to you? How many copies of this title do we have?
Read the description. One.
How do you locate non-fiction books in this library or the public library?
Ask the librarian. Use the online catalog. Use the signage on top of bookshelves.