February 16, 2013

Dodie Ownes

About Dodie Ownes

Dodie Ownes left the glamorous world of retrospective conversion and disco to jump on the library vendor train. Since then, she has been learning at the feet of the masters about all things library. Dodie lives in Golden, Colorado, where even the sign which arches the main street says "Howdy."

Take the Leap with the National School Boards Association, April 12–15

NSBA 2013 logo

Want to strengthen your relationship with the local school board? Or maybe you just need to start one with them? Then the place to go is San Diego, CA, for the 73rd annual conference of the National School Boards Association. Along with educational workshops covering everything from evaluating the superintendent to safety and security, attendees will be treated to keynote addresses from actress Geena Davis, science advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Diane Ravitch, a professor of education at New York University.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

A Corner of White

Our latest column features two contemporary stories, one fantasy, and another take on Out of the Easy. Gayle Forman’s Just One Day illustrates the benefits and dangers of opening up to the world, while Sarah Skilton’s Bruised defends the right to close down and protect yourself. A Corner of White, from Jaclyn Moriarty, explores what can happen to someone who’s trying to balance two worlds, both seemingly real.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

Scarlet

Our teen reviewers from Bookmarked are back up to speed and full of opinions on new and upcoming titles, including a mystery, a dystopian fairy tale, historical fantasy fiction, and yes, an apocalyptic tale involving a virus. If your library has fans of fairy tale retellings, stay tuned for next month’s Media Mania column, which will feature a fine list of titles which are sure to satisfy their fancy.

#ASCD13 Sham-rocks Chicago: The 2013 Tweet Up

ASCD Sham-rocks

What’s a tweet up? Your chance to meet face-to-face with fellow educators who use Twitter to strengthen professional learning and to connect. This is the second ASCD Sham-rocksannual ASCD Tweet Up, sponsored by Herff Jones Nystrom, a provider of classroom teaching resources. The free event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, March 16, during ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show in Chicago.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

Nobody But Us

Bookmarked really rallied after the Thanksgiving hiatus! We have a fabulous combination of books reviewed this issue, from mystery to thrillers to fantasy, all with a dash or more of romance. The 2012 titles are ready for reading over the holiday break, so get your holds placed now.

Cocoa and Cram

GHS Cocoa and Cram

One surefire way to get students to beat a path to your library is by offering food. And if you also offer hot cocoa and exam study help, you’re going to have a full house! Librarian Christy DeMeyer (front, left) at Golden High School (CO) experimented with this format last year, and found it so successful that she’s running Cocoa and Cram for a second time during this semester’s finals period.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

Colin Fischer

OK, the column title isn’t exactly accurate this time. To pick up the Thanksgiving holiday slack, Elizabeth Kahn, the leader of our fine young adult reviewers at Bookmarked, has also contributed a review. Liz reviewed the debut novel Colin Fischer—and her write-up is a beauty. As is the review of Greg Takoudes’s When We Wuz Famous, due out March 2013. Our final review is a second take on Jessica Brody’s Unremembered, and like the original review, gives the novel a big thumbs up.

NCTE Roundup, Two

Oreo cookie

If your school or public library is looking for some ideas for teen programming, the following sessions from NCTE’s recent annual conference are bound to inspire you. While most of the presenters focused on older teens, their programs can also be adapted for middle schoolers. And there are many more sessions that can be explored on NCTE’s 2012 website, such as But I Hate Poetry, Using Signal Words in Graphic Novels for Sequence and Cause/Effect, or Ah Ha Allusions!—Pop Culture Allusions & Dystopian Literature, to name just a few.

NCTE Round Up, One

NCTE 2012 logo

Over the next few issues of SLJTeen, I’ll be posting brief summaries of many of the sessions I attended at the annual National Council of Teachers of English annual conference, held in Las Vegas, Nov.15-18, 2012. Hand-outs for many of the sessions are available from the NCTE 2012 website. This round up includes sessions on nonfiction resources for English teachers, literacy efforts for incarcerated youth and adults, and faeries in young adult literature.

Collaborative Summer Library Program Launches 2013 Teen Video Challenge

CSLP Beneath the Surface

The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) has launched the 2013 Teen Video Challenge, a national video competition for young adults to get involved with reading and their CSLP Beneath the Surfacepublic library’s summer reading program. Kids across the country are invited to create a 30- to 90-second video with their unique interpretation of the 2013 teen slogan “Beneath the Surface” in combination with reading and libraries. The idea is to involve teens in summer reading, before and during the summer months, by being part of the process. This is an opportunity for teens to showcase their creativity and have their ideas heard by a national audience.

The Debut: The Teen Technology Project, Jeremie Miller

Teen Technology Project

Former teacher and virtual event entrepreneur Jeremie Miller created the Teen Technology Project to marry his passion for technology, teens and social issues. After discovering his project through its Facebook page, I got in touch with Jeremie and asked him to tell me more about his hopes and aspirations for the project.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

11712zoostation

Tales of aliens and bounty hunters, rockers and assassins, and a true story about addiction that reads like fiction are all part of this issue’s contributions from Bookmarked’s readers.

Get Cash for Great Programming

Cultural Communities Fund logo

The American Libraries Association (ALA) Public Programs Office is now accepting nominations for the ALA Excellence in Library Programming Award, sponsored by the ALA Cultural Communities Fund. The award will recognize a library that demonstrates excellence in library programming by developing and presenting a cultural or thematic program or program series during the previous year (September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2012).

Book Reviews from Young Adults

101712ginafred

When YA author Gina Damico set out on her Slapdash Road Trip Book Tour, she set aside time to visit our teen reviewers, Bookmarked, at Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy in Jefferson, Louisiana. What a thrill it was for Fred, pictured here with Damico, to meet a new favorite author face to face! You can read his review of her latest title, Scorch, right here.

Beyond Barron’s: The College Maze

college grad

SLJTeen’s sister newsletter, Curriculum Connections, recently ran a terrific article that’s perfect for high school seniors who are thinking about college—and for those of us who work with them. “The College Maze: From Application to Admission (And Beyond) offers a comprehensive round-up of titles that college-bound students, as well as their parents, caregivers, and counselors, won’t want to miss.

The recommended list of books—which cover everything from choosing a major to guidance for students with disabilities—is bound to spark ideas for [...]

Tech Tidbits from the Guybrarian: Are You Flipping?

Flipped Classroom

So, what’s the buzz on supporting online instruction?

Like many of you, several of our teachers started the new school year wanting to broaden the way they instruct their students. Here are a couple of examples of teachers who have successfully flipped their classrooms or used online techniques to give their students feedback.

Book Reviews from Young Adults

91912everyday

Two new titles from masters of YA lit are featured in this issue’s teen review column, and both get rave reviews. David Levithan’s Every Day is already available. Sorry you all have to wait so long for Cory Doctorow’s Homeland (Feb. 2013)—though if you want to hear him speak about his thoughts on technology, digital rights management and the internet, you can register now for The Digital Shift: Libraries, Ebooks and Beyond, a full day virtual event happening on October 17. The closing keynote, What We Talk About When We Talk About Copyright: The Internet is not a glorified cable TV system, to be delivered by Doctorow, is sure to have attendees cheering in the virtual aisles!

SLJTeen Talks to Shannon Hale

91912palaceofstone

Shannon Hale’s follow-up to Princess Academy, Palace of Stone picks up the story of Miri, a girl whose smarts and sense of fairness have just brought a new age of prosperity to Mount Eskel, a remote area of Danland. She’s also destined to serve the princess-in-waiting and her dear friend, Britta, who has recently sent for her to come to the royal city of Asland. I’m delighted that Shannon Hale will be visiting with her fans via a free live-stream event on October 1, sponsored by Bloomsbury Children’s Books (register here!), and that she took time to answer a few questions about her latest book.

Calling All Kid-Friendly Administrators!

91912smilingchildren

Have you launched an exemplary children’s after-school series? Or set up outreach services for a daycare program? If you have, consider nominating yourself or a colleague for the 2013 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children. The annual award honors an individual who has shown exceptional understanding and support of library services for kids.

Dear Teen Me Giveaway!

dearteenme

How many times have you looked back on your teenage years and cringed, wishing that you could offer your younger self some guidance? That is exactly the inspiration behind Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves, the upcoming book by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally, in which seventy young adult authors—including Ellen Hopkins, Nancy Holder, Lauren Oliver, Tom Angleberger and more—write letters to their teenage selves.