
Children’s literature author and illustrators visit Sandy Hook Elementary School; attendees gather in New York City for Book^2 Camp.
February 16, 2013
The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens

Children’s literature author and illustrators visit Sandy Hook Elementary School; attendees gather in New York City for Book^2 Camp.

Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle excellently chronicles the political, social, and cultural dimensions of the campaign to establish the United States’s first offshore wind farm in Massachusetts’ famed Nantucket Sound.

It took many by surprise when Nick Lake’s ambitious young adult novel In Darkness (Bloomsbury) was named for the Printz Award at last month’s Youth Media Awards. Although filled with vivid details of oppression, poverty, and violence, Lake sees the book as a hopeful one with an important message for its teen readers, “this idea of darkness being only a temporary thing,” he tells SLJ.

Girls with supernatural powers, rumors of demon-worshiping, and of course, romance, are all to be found in “Beautiful Creatures,” the film adaptation of the popular YA paranormal series.

This week’s News Bites include info on Samsung’s competitions for teachers and students, 2 new picture book imprints, a new conference about kidlit in the digital age.

With their emphasis on clear observation, logical thinking, and well-drawn conclusions, mysteries support many Common Core State Standards and lend themselves to an array of interesting writing assignments. These audiobooks are sure to spark student interest.

“Rich symbolism abounds, and many common threads are woven together” in Sharon Creech’s The Great Unexpected. Read SLJ’s starred review of the audiobook version.
Four of the ten 2013 Alex Award winners were not reviewed here on AB4T, for various reasons. Mark has already written about one of them: One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard. Today I take on two more. I’m not going to lie. Just looking at the cover and reading the description of Caring is [...]

On Thursday, February 14 at 4:50 p.m. EST, popular young adult author John Green will participate in a Google+ “fireside” Hangout with President Obama, following up on the State of the Union address to Congress.

Author Andrea Cheng’s latest book, ‘Etched in Clay,’ charts the courageous life of Dave the potter, a 19th-century slave who became an accomplished artist.

With one smart heroine and witty wordplay, Nelly May Has Her Say, which is based on the English folktale “Master of All Masters,” will delight.

The children of the Sandy Hook Elementary School were visited by 12 children’s authors and illustrators on Tuesday, the school’s first assembly in its new building following the December 14, 2012 shooting that took the lives of 26 children and staff at the school.

Participant Media announced today that it will distribute free DVDs of Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed film Lincoln to all middle and high schools, both public and private, throughout the United States, along with teacher guides and lesson plans.

Move over Carrie Underwood, the Foo Fighters, Kanye West, and make way for the Okee Dokee Brothers—Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing. The group’s latest album, Can You Canoe?, nabbed the coveted 2013 Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album on February 10 at the star-studded awards ceremony held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

‘Lincoln: Discover the Story’ is a free app that explores the passage of the 13th amendment and takes viewers behind the scenes of the Steven Spielberg movie.

Sophia’s War. By Avi. 6 cassettes or 6 CDs. 7:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2043-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2042-3. $66.75.
Gr 5-9–Set in 1776 during the American Revolution when New York was under siege by the British, Avi’s tale (S & S/Beach Lane Books, 2012) of resistance features an amazing female protagonist, trials aplenty as she tries to avenge her brother’s death, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sophia’s family believes in freedom and desperately wants America [...]
Chris Ballard’s One Shot at Forever is one of the three books on the Alex Awards this year that we declined to review. In the comments of our Alex Reactions post, John Sexton explained why: I believe the last time a sports themed book received Alex recognition was in 2007 when the committee i served [...]

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

In recognition of the Caldecott Medal’s 75th anniversary, librarians at School Library Journal’s Leadership Summit shared their favorite winners and discuss beloved picture books that were overlooked for this honor but still stand the test of time.

WRIGHT, Joanna. Bunnies on Ice. illus. by author. 32p. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-404-2. LC 2012001187.
PreS-Gr 1–This budding champion (a white snow bunny) loves to ice skate so much that she patiently waits for perfect conditions. When the other bunnies are doing summer things, she is planning what she will do when the snow falls. She proceeds to wait through the fall as she dresses her scarecrow with a pair of skates. Then when the snow [...]







By Brigid Alverson on February 16, 2013
By Elizabeth Bird on February 16, 2013
By Peter Gutierrez on February 15, 2013
By Elizabeth Burns on February 15, 2013
By Battle Commander on February 15, 2013
By Elizabeth Bird on February 15, 2013
By Angela Carstensen on February 14, 2013
Copyright © 2013 · SLJ Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in