Population growth, extreme weather, global warming—are all topics of interest to students and digital producers. Here’s a round-up of some recent apps that address these issues.
Nick’s Picks | Celebrating World Languages Through Books
By on December 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
In this month’s column we celebrate our multilingual world by showcasing audio and video recordings in a variety of languages from the TeachingBooks.net collection. ¡Disfrute!
Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults
By on November 30, 2012 Leave a Comment
Our latest music reviews feature the bad old boys (Aerosmith)… and the good new boys (One Direction)—and it sounds like their albums couldn’t be more different from each other. The Avengers finally make it to the gaming table with some superhero moves, and NBA2K13 is bound to please those who are looking for action on the hardwood.
Take Me Home, One Direction (Columbia)
One Direction is certainly a phenomenon in the music world. This Simon Cowell-created boy band is so popular with its [...]
Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults
By on November 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
Go ahead, have a second helping of stuffing and gravy—Just Dance 4 will keep it from going right to the hips! Feeling nostalgic, missing Ash and Pikachu? Fire up Skylanders Giants for a battle fix. And dear sweet Taylor Swift is not one to stay in that country box—she’s even experimenting with dub-step, and clearly it’s working. Her new album Red earned the highest sales of any album since 2002 (Eminem’s The Eminem Show), with 1.2 million copies sold in the record’s opening week.
Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults
By on November 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
Whether your teens like blasting a soccer ball into the net or covering their enemies in corrosive goo, our reviewers think they’ll like the the new releases FIFA 13 and Borderlands 2. For those that want to get their feet moving instead of their thumbs, Push and Shove from No Doubt delivers a pack of dance tunes guaranteed to delight old and new fans.
Multimedia Reviews: November 2012
By on November 1, 2012 1 Comment
Gum in My Hair: How to Cope with Bullying Version 2.0. DVD. 21:22 min. with tchr’s. guide. Twisted Scholar. 2012. ISBN 978-0-9837899-2-5. $69.95.
Gr 4-9–The host of this entertaining and effective program uses lighthearted humor to help kids learn about bullying—what it looks like, who are the perpetrators, and how it can be prevented. Approximately half of all kids have been bullied and the same amount of kids has bullied others. The video host, along with students who [...]
Now You’re Talking!: Your collection won’t be complete without these must-have new audiobooks for tweens and teens
By on November 1, 2012 4 Comments
Just how popular are audiobooks? Well, just check with your students. Along with the usual notebooks and textbooks in their backpacks, there’s bound to be tablets, ereaders, iPods, MP3 players, and, yes, audiobooks.
If the number of awards given to audiobooks—including the Audio Publishers Association’s Audie Award, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Odyssey Award, School Library Journal’s Best Audiobooks for Teens and Tweens, ALA’s Notable Audiobooks and Amazing Audiobooks, and a Grammy for the best spoken word album—is any [...]
Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: Game On! Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph
By on October 25, 2012 Leave a Comment
Wreck-it Ralph, the newest 3-D animated release from Disney, takes audience into world of video games to tell a humor-filled tale of friendship, heroism, and self-discovery. Fans of Ralph will also enjoy exciting but accessible picture books and chapter books based on the film.
Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: Fairy Fanfare: TV’s Winx Club
By on October 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
Fans of all things fey will enjoy Winx Club, a TV series about a flight of stylish teenage fairies with an updated look and an array of magical abilities. In addition to dolls, dress-up accessories, and video games, the franchise also includes fun, fast-moving chapter books and graphic novels based on the TV show.
News Bites: Involve Your Students in the Election Process with ePals World Election Center
By on October 16, 2012 Leave a Comment
Get your students interested in the electoral process in the United States and globally with ePals World Election Center. The site includes projects and activities to reinforce K–12 students’ critical thinking skills and cultural awareness by having them learn about candidates, government, and more. Kids have the opportunity to voice their opinions about issues affecting them at home and learn about the elections abroad.
Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults
By on October 11, 2012 1 Comment
Thermodynamics leading to the creation of a rock album? That’s what our reviewer says led to Muse’s The 2nd Law! Green Day is showing some maturity with Uno, putting their “bratty” roots behind them. And it’s not football season without a new release of Madden NFL, the thirteenth edition—it sounds almost classy!
Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: How to Rock TV Shows and Book Series
By on October 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
“How to Rock,” a comedy series based on Meg Haston’s novel, “How to Rock Braces and Glasses,” premiered on Teen Nick in February. Pitched toward the “Drake & Josh” crowd, the show combines storylines centered around school and friendship issues with pop/hip-hop music performances and an upbeat be-yourself message.
News Bites: Get Your Students Involved in the Presidential Election with OneVote 2012
By on October 10, 2012 1 Comment
OneVote 2012 is a student mock election held before the national presidential election. Launched by Channel One News, the program gives young people the opportunity to learn about the electoral process and the issues via interactive content as well as the chance to cast their vote for the next president of the United States from October 22–26. Prior to the election, Channel One News will offer news and other special segments to help teens make an informed decisions.
News Bites: Support Common Core with a New Nonfiction Program from Scholastic
By on October 3, 2012 1 Comment
XBOOKS is a nonfiction language arts program from Scholastic for middle school students that offers informational texts in both print and digital formats that cover science and social studies topics. XBOOKS is an interactive program that features print and online components to build student proficiency in reading, writing, and thinking critically about informational texts. The program, developed and written by master teachers Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm and Laura Robb, aligns with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Game and Music Reviews from Young Adults
By on September 30, 2012 Leave a Comment
End of summer means less outside time, more indoor time, so make sure you have the latest video games on your shelves to share with your teen patrons. Our reviewers recommend Darksiders and NHL 13 as excellent distractions. And if you’ve been wondering what Pink has been up to, give a listen to The Truth About Love.
Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: Go, Go Power Rangers: Refreshed Books and a New Graphic Novel Series
By on September 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
First introduced in 1993 with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, this iconic live-action TV series starring a group of teens able to transform into a team of color-coded costumed superheroes is still going strong. Power Rangers: Samurai, the show’s l8th iteration, premiered in 2011 on Nickelodeon, followed by 2012’s Power Rangers: Super Samurai (TVY7), a second set of episodes featuring the same characters.
Music Reviews from Young Adults
By on September 17, 2012
Our music reviews feature three very different albums. You might say that Owl City’s The Midsummer Station is a bit like an anthology, while Havoc and Bright Lights from Alanis Morissette is more of sequel. North, from Matchbox Twenty, is a bit harder to slot—though our reviewer doesn’t see it as a bestseller!
Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults
By on September 2, 2012
Football season is upon us from all sectors—high school, college, and pro—and just in case you’re between games, our video game reviewer reports that NCAA Football 13 will keep you from jonesin’ for the real thing. Looking for something more chill? Teens can settle back with the new Sparkle soundtrack, and play a little Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Fun, but not too intense; good action, decent listening, enough to pass a few hours in disco/superhero bliss.
Fresh Approaches—Noteworthy New Editions and Reissues: Celebrating 70 Years with ‘The Boxcar Children’
By on September 1, 2012
Gertrude Chandler Warner’s novel about four orphaned siblings who run away and take up residence in an abandoned boxcar in the woods was first published in 1942, launching a series that would remain popular with young readers for decades and become a staple in library, classroom, and home collections. The “Boxcar Children Mysteries” oeuvre (Albert Whitman) now encompasses 130 titles, and the concept has been expanded into other formats, including an easy reader series and graphic novels. To mark the 70th anniversary, Albert Whitman is re-launching the series with a fresh new book design and is also publishing a prequel written by Newbery-Medalist Patricia MacLachlan.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Other Tales of Teen Angst and Alienation
By on August 31, 2012
Since its publication in 1999, Stephen Chbosky’s epistolary novel (Pocket Books) has become a much passed around favorite among teens and a hot item for discussion groups (it has also appeared on ALA’s top 10 challenged books list five times in the last 10 years. Now, Charlie’s compelling account of his coming-of-age trials and tribulations has been re-envisioned for the big screen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (PG-13), adapted into screenplay format and directed by Chbosky himself, will be released by Summit Entertainment on September 21.
