
For some wintry tales for younger readers, check out the latest picks from the editors at Junior Library Guild.
February 16, 2013
The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
Deborah, an award-winning library media specialist, brings more than 25 years of experience as a classroom teacher and librarian in K–12 schools to JLG. She previously worked as the District Resource Librarian for San Diego Unified School District, responsible for 180 K–12 schools.

For some wintry tales for younger readers, check out the latest picks from the editors at Junior Library Guild.

A week after the “big reveal” at the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting, everyone is still talking about the latest award-winning titles. Young Adult Library Services Association committees select books for teens from 12 to 18 years of age, with a broad range of reading abilities and maturity levels. Whether they are edgy or informative, these buzz-worthy books will circulate among your students for years to come.

Good nonfiction titles rise to the top as librarians focus their content needs to meet the Common Core State Standards. New releases by our favorite authors and illustrators include an environmental bilingual poem, a picture-book biography, a fact-filled science title, and a narrative account of a bird’s 7,200 mile migration.

With the announcement of the Caldecott winners less than a week away, Junior Library Guild examines some of 2012′s front-runner picture books.

With the ALA Youth Media Awards just around the corner, Junior Library Guild takes a look at some star-studded titles.

For outstanding science books that bring the subject to life in fun and fresh new ways, check out the latest On the Radar picks.

Looking for great, original science books? Check out the following award-winners for thorough nonfiction that also incorporates art, poetry, and ideas for hands-on experiments.

As winter approaches, students will enjoy fun wintry tales that include historical fiction, nonfiction, and picture books.

If you’re looking for official justification for the purchase of graphic novels, look no further than the Common Core State Standards. In grades 6-12, students will be required to apply the Reading standards to a variety of text types, including graphic novels. For mature readers, this fall’s releases offer stories of war, madness, gangs, and failed dreams. Young adult patrons will have much to think and talk about after reading these selections.

Start with a missing object, ask a few questions, throw in some red herrings and what do you have? An unputdownable mystery! This fall’s releases offer openers and new entries in fun whodunit series, and standalones that will keep your patrons sleuthing for clues.

If you’re looking for official justification for the purchase of graphic novels, look no further than the Common Core State Standards. In grades 6 to 12, students will be required to apply the Reading standards to a variety of text types and formats, including graphic novels. Today’s graphic artists and writers provide a plethora of titles for beginning readers to adults. Check out these new titles that will strengthen your collection and thrill your readers.

Though Election Day is behind us, it’s never too late for a president-related story, whether it’s a light graphic novel or enlightening poems.

Some genres have year-round appeal. Enter the ghost story. This fall’s ghost stories combine other elements our students enjoy reading. A girl dies too soon. A crime needs to be solved. The Titanic. These books have short, cliff-hanging chapters with no good stopping place. You can almost read them in one sitting―unless your fear factor is released. Like me, you may have to do Pinterest between chapters, and refrain from reading them before bed! Happy haunting!

It’s the day before Halloween and things that go bump in the night are high on everyone’s reading list. Even at the age of five kids ask, “Where are the scary books?” Of course, their definition of scary differs widely from our fifth graders. So for those kids whose idea of frightening fare is a talking pumpkin, haunted cupcake, or plotting carrots, these books are perfect.

In October eyes are usually drawn to ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night, but reality can be just as scary. Wasps sting the brain of a cockroach, paralyzing it so that the predator can lay its eggs in the zombified body. Tarantulas liquefy their prey in order to suck up dinner with their stomach muscles. Crocodiles can grow 3000 teeth in their lifetime, but they can’t chew their food. Detection rats use their sense of smell to sniff out explosive land mines. Forest fire beetles can discover a conflagration more than 20 miles away. And there’s nothing more unique than the distinct about the shape of wombat poop.

As trends and genres continue to evolve, one thing remains consistent: the return of beloved characters and stories. Whether it’s a sequel, a prequel, or a companion novel that walks alongside the original, books that connect to each other continue to be fan favorites.

Sometimes ordinary people are able to do extraordinary things. Annie Sullivan thought of a way to teach a deaf and blind student to communicate. Charles Ives listened to the sounds of everyday life and created a new kind of music. Henri Rousseau became one of the most gifted self-taught painters in history. Sarah Winnemucca stood up against injustices and wrote the first autobiography by a Native American woman.

Amidst all the stories filled with angst, broken hearts, and vampires, books that make you laugh-out-loud are a welcome respite. This fall offers many selections for young readers that will tickle their funny bone. Be sure to read these aloud. We could all use a good laugh from time to time.







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