February 17, 2013

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Pick of the Day: Peace

By on January 2, 2013 Leave a Comment
sphere with pink cloud above

HALPERIN, Wendy Anderson. Peace. illus. by author. 40p. S & S/Atheneum. Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-689-82552-1; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6787-3.
Gr 3 Up–A beautiful book with rich watercolor artwork. Most of the paintings are spreads in a nontraditional layout, with sections sometimes divided into shapes by the meandering text. The book is about peace and how it can be achieved: in the world, in the country, in the city, in one’s school, and within oneself. The layout makes it a [...]

Filed Under: Books & Media, Featured, Pick of the Day, Picture Books, Preschool to Grade 4 Tagged With: ,

Top Book Choices for Youth in Detention

By Amy Cheney, Alameda County (CA) Library, Write to Read/Juvenile Hall Literacy on January 2, 2013 Leave a Comment
Fitz

I guess we’re going make this an annual thing. Last January, SLJTeen ran my top choices for 2011, and here I am again with my 2012 picks. As you may remember, Coe Booth’s Bronxwood and Simone Elkeles’s Chain Reaction were on last year’s list. In a blog post, Booth wrote that she purposefully deleted the new novel she was working on. That takes courage and commitment. Her novels show her dedication to excellence, and teens respond. Elkeles is working on a new four-book series about football entitled Wild Cards. When I asked if there were also girls and guns in it, she replied, “There are always girls and romance and guys with lots of testosterone! No guns in the first book, but it gets gritty in the second when one of the boys gets caught up in gang activity.”

Filed Under: Best of, Books & Media, Teens & YA, YA reviews Tagged With:

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books | January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
Franklin Frog (Nosy Crow Ltd.) © by Barry Tranter.

Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ’s column Touch and Go. Please note that later versions of some of these titles may now be available. Visit Touch and Go at slj.com under “Blogs & Columns” for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.

Filed Under: Apps, Touch and Go Tagged With: ,

Book Review Preschool to Grade 4: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
redstar

 AHLBERG, Allan. The Goldilocks Variations. illus. by Jessica Ahlberg. 40p. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6268-4.
PreS-Gr 2–With whimsical illustrations and interactive features such as flaps, pop-ups, and pull tabs, the Ahlbergs showcase six silly variations on the classic tale. The standout of the bunch has the heroine wandering into the “trood (or spaceship) of The Three Bliim.” Full of silly alien words, the tale begs to be read aloud. In other adventures, Goldilocks takes on 33 bears, the furniture (chair, bowl, and [...]

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Adult Books 4 Teens: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment

 HAYES , Nick. The Rime of the Modern Mariner. illus. by author. Viking. 2012. Tr $32.. ISBN 978-0-670-02580-0.

Adult/High School–In cleverly constructed verse that echoes (without mimicking) Coleridge, Hayes presents the tale of a 21st-century explorer who has ridden the high seas in search of (illegally hunted) whale bone for scrimshaw. He has been sucked into the swirling mass of garbage in the north Pacific (see Rachel Hope Allison’s I Am Not a Plastic Bag by [Archaia 2012]) and eventually comes to a London park bench to [...]

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Book Review Professional Reading: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment

BERNIER, Anthony, ed. VOYA’s YA Spaces of Your Dreams Collection. 224p. appendix. charts. diags. further reading. illus. index. photos. websites. VOYA. 2012. pap. $50. ISBN 978-1-61751-011-3. LC 2012935470.
Bernier has compiled every “YA Spaces of Your Dreams” column for VOYA since its inception in 1999 through 2010. The book is divided into three main parts by size of the teen space (less than 500 square feet, 501 to 1000 square feet, and more than 1001 square feet), and the sections are organized chronologically by publication date. It provides [...]

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Fiction Series Update: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
Book Covers

The latest installments in ongoing fiction series that are well-known to most of our readers.

Filed Under: Grades 5 & Up, Preschool to Grade 4, Reviews, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Book/Multimedia Review Stars List: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 1 Comment
Henry and the Cannons (Brown), ©2013 illustration by Don Brown

Henry and the Cannons (Brown), ©2013 illustration by Don Brown

Preschool to Grade 4

AHLBERG , Allan. The Goldilocks Variations . illus. by Jessica Ahlberg. Candlewick. p. 74.

BROWN , Don. Henry and the Cannons . illus. by author. Roaring Brook. Jan. 2013. p. 89.

BRYANT , Jen. A Splash of Red . illus. by Melissa Sweet. Knopf. Jan. 2013. p. 89.

HALPERIN , Wendy Anderson. Peace. illus. by author. S & S/Atheneum. Jan. 2013. p. 92.

HELQUIST , Brett. Grumpy Goat. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Harper. Jan. 2013. p. 78.

JEFFERS , Oliver. This Moose Belongs [...]

Filed Under: Adult Books 4 Teens, Grades 5 & Up, Multimedia Reviews, Preschool to Grade 4, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Multimedia Reviews: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 3 Comments

 Planet Dinosaur. DVD. approx. 3 hrs. Prod. by BBC Worldwide. Dist. by Warner Home Video. 2012. ISBN 0-7806-8447-8. $19.96.
Gr 5 Up–In the last two decades, paleontologists have made great discoveries about dinosaurs thanks to new computer-generated imaging (CGI) technology and cutting-edge research. The film, narrated by John Hurt and featuring computer-generated images, brings these prehistoric creatures to life. A whole new cast of dinosaurs are introduced, such as the Predator X, a sea creature that liked to tear the Plesiosaurs to [...]

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Book Review Grades 5 & Up: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 2 Comments

 BLACKWOOD, Sage. Jinx. 360p. HarperCollins/Harper. Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212990-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212992-5.
Gr 4-8–“In the Urwald you grow up fast or not at all,” readers learn in the opening of this rich and fecund fantasy. Jinx is that staple of children’s literature: the scorned, ill-used orphan who proves to be so much more gifted and important than he ever imagined possible. He occupies a world that is simultaneously original and familiar, influenced by centuries of folklore, but newly envisioned and [...]

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Book Review Graphic Novels: January 2013

By on January 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
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 HALLIDAY , Ayun. Peanut. illus. by Paul Hoppe. 216p. Random/Schwartz and Wade. Jan. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86590-9; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96590-6.

Gr 7 Up–Worried about transferring to a new school, Sadie comes up with the idea of faking a peanut allergy. She thinks that pretending to have a life-threatening condition will draw attention to her and generate sympathy. Her predictions come true, and she makes several new friends and even attracts a boyfriend. But as time passes, Sadie finds it harder [...]

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SLJ Reviews Rosen’s ‘Financial Literacy’ Database | Digital Resources January 2013

By Stephanie Farnlacher on January 1, 2013 1 Comment
Rosen Home pahe image

“ How long will it take me to pay off my credit card?” “How do I create a budget?” “What is a trade deficit?” Students can find the answers to these and many other financial questions using Rosen’s most recent entry into the digital realm.

Filed Under: Digital Resources, Literacy, Resources Tagged With: ,

Pick of the Day: Wild Horse Scientists

By on December 31, 2012 Leave a Comment
wild horse scientists

FRYDENBORG, Kay. Wild Horse Scientists. 80p. (Scientists in the Field Series Series). diags. further readig. glossary. index. maps. photos. reprods. websites. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-51831-2.
Gr 5 Up–Focusing on the wild horses of Assateague Island, Frydenborg effectively combines scientific facts such as coloration and size, as well as the actual definition of a wild animal, with a compelling narrative about several of the scientists who are working to protect and maintain the wild horse population there. A large [...]

Filed Under: Featured, Grades 5 & Up, Pick of the Day, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Fairy Tales

By on December 31, 2012
Fairy Tales

Adaptations of the fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers are among my great pleasures in life. They account for one of my favorite picture books, Trina Schart Hyman outrageously gorgeous (and even more outrageously out-of-print) version of “Snow White” (Little, Brown, 1974); one of my favorite YA novels, Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels (Knopf, 2008), [...]

Filed Under: Adult Books 4 Teens, Featured, SLJ Blog Network Tagged With: , ,

Fairy Tales

By on December 31, 2012

Adaptations of the fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers are among my great pleasures in life. They account for one of my favorite picture books, Trina Schart Hyman outrageously gorgeous (and even more outrageously out-of-print) version of “Snow White” (Little, Brown, 1974); one of my favorite YA novels, Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels (Knopf, 2008), [...]

Filed Under: Adult Books 4 Teens, SLJ Blog Network Tagged With: , ,

An Arctic Tale for Digital Devices

By on December 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
Scottpt

With snow blanketing the country there’s not much else to do but pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab your iPad, and get ready for a wintery adventure featuring two boys, a whale, and a polar bear or two.

Filed Under: Apps, Touch and Go Tagged With: , ,

SLJ Pick of the Day: Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie (CD)

By on December 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
little seed

Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie. CD. 29 min. with booklet. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.98.
PreS-Gr 3–Twenty years after Elizabeth Mitchell first discovered Woody Guthrie’s album, Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child, she performs 13 of those numbers in her clear, smooth voice on this outstanding album that coincides with the Woody Guthrie Centennial. Husband Daniel Littleton, daughter Storey, and others join Mitchell on several of the songs. These mostly folk and bluegrass style [...]

Filed Under: Audio Reviews, Multimedia Reviews, Pick of the Day Tagged With: , ,

Libraries Use iPads and Apps to Ramp Up Storytime, but Concerns Remain

By on December 27, 2012
Libraries Use iPads and Apps to Ramp Up Storytime, but Concerns Remain

In a shift occurring nationwide, libraries are conducting “digital storytime,” using apps in kids’ programs for education, entertainment, and involving parents in the learning process. But not everyone’s sold on the use of iPads, especially with very young children.

Filed Under: Apps, Ebooks, Featured, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,

SLJ Pick of the Day: Creepy Crawly Love (CD)

By on December 27, 2012 Leave a Comment
Insect playing instrument

Creepy Crawly Love. CD. 30:47 min. CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.99.
PreS-Gr 3–In his first album for children, Duke Otherwise hits all of the right notes. Clever lyrics abound in this collection of 12 original songs about topics such as food, animals, and word play. Children will enjoy listening to each song and trying to figure out what the twist may be. From the tune about “my uncle who’s an ant” to a lion being given the advice that he would [...]

Filed Under: Audio Reviews, Featured, Multimedia Reviews, Pick of the Day Tagged With: , ,

. . . And We’re Back

By on December 26, 2012
. . . And Were Back

Hooray!  We’re back online, and the new site looks great, though please let us know if you’re having any problems with it.  You may notice that there’s a new url for the site, and it will probably work best to update your RSS feeds with the new one: http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen. While I play around with the new [...]

Filed Under: Adult Books 4 Teens, SLJ Blog Network
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