The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
In a live SLJ webcast on November 12, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney spoke about the evolution of his career and some of the inspirations that went into his popular series, including the seventh book, “The Third Wheel,” which released last week.
New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins, Newbery medalist Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and First Amendment activist Chris Finan were all recognized by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) on November 12 for their work defending free speech.
A variety of authors were celebrated this week at both the National Coalition Against Censorship Award Gala and the National Book Award Ceremony.
First time author William Alexander took home the National Book Award (NBA) for Young People last night for his book Goblin Secrets (S&S, 2012), about a boy who joins a theatrical group of goblins.
What are the next big trends for teenage readers? Fandom, contemporary fiction, Australian lit, and transmedia, according to experts leading panels on these subjects at the third biennial YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis, MO, held November 4-6.
In a live School Library Journal webcast, author Lois Lowry discussed her dystopian classic “The Giver” and how she came to write its recent released follow-up, “Son.”
About 500 librarians gathered in St. Louis for YALSA’s Young Adult Literature Symposium to discuss social reading within Ereaders, apps such as Inkling, Kno, and Subtext, and which contemporary books teens will be reading in the 2057.
YALLFest, otherwise known as the Charleston Young Adult Book Festival, will be held November 9 and 10 and will feature authors Pseudonymous Bosch, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black, among others.
Find yourself looking for inspiration when it comes to creating awesome programming for your teens? The 365 Days of YA Task Force wants to help, but first, you have to be willing to share your successes and creativity! The 365 Days of YA is a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) task
force charged with creating a calendar of easy to implement plans for programs, services, and activities for teens. These are simple ideas that can be used by anyone working with youth in libraries.
At the School Library Journal Summit held October 26-27, authors Deborah Hopkinson, Barbara Kerley, Steve Sheinkin, and Sally M. Walker came together to share their views on their work and how they can address Common Core principles as they conduct research for their books.
Chris Lehmann, the founding principal of Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy, isn’t surprised most teens think, “school stinks.” This innovative educator is out to change their opinion.
“I love the library, and I firmly believe in it,” says Mark Ray, a former teacher librarian and Washington’s 2011 Teacher of the Year. “But what I also think is that we can redefine perceptions on the part of administrators and decision makers by not necessarily wearing the library on our sleeves.”
Former School Library Journal Editor-in-Chief Lillian N. Gerhardt, former Library Journal Editor-in-Chief John N. Berry III, former LJ Editor-in-Chief Francine Fialkoff, and former SLJ and LJ Vice President/Group Publisher Fred Ciporen at a farewell party honoring Fialkoff on October 23 at 25CPW Gallery.
In a New York Public Library Children’s Literary Salon on October 20 that coincided with National Bullying Prevention Month, authors Paul Griffin, Madeleine George and others came together to talk about bullying: strategies for ending it, their own personal experiences, and the positive effect their books have on their readers.
New Jersey librarians Craig Anderson (Kean University Library); Megan Kociolek (Nutley Public Library); Michael Maziekien (Rockaway Township Public Library); Ty Rousseau (Monroe Township Public Library) presented The Library as Mythic Oracle at New York Comic Con, a fan convention dedicated to comics, video games, graphic novels, and more.
To expand how learners think about writing, national literacy and educational groups are asking teachers, librarians, writers, children and creators of all kinds to share what they write on Twitter on Friday, October 19, using the hashtag #whatiwrite.
Digital comics, gaming, and, of course, costumes were among the draws for teachers and librarians who attended New York Comic Con’s (NYCC) Professional Day on Thursday, October 11, featuring panels by the American Library Association, among other organizations. Once again, as in past years, New Jersey librarians dominated as presenters at Professional Day, covering collection development, library programming, and the history of the science fiction and fantasy genres.
The American Library Association (ALA) is coordinating the annual International Games Day @ your library (IGD12) for Saturday, November 3, 2012. It is estimated that more than one thousand libraries around the world will showcase gaming programs and services in support of IGD12. This year marks the 5th annual event. In 2011, over 27,700 people played games at more than 1,400 libraries across the U.S. and in other countries.
Lois Lowry recently gave fans some insight into her latest novel, Son (2012)—it came about because the ending of her Newbery-winning, The Giver (1993, both Houghton), left too many unanswered questions.
Kid lit blogs are huge with librarians, but can they reach fans beyond our world? Greg Pincus, whose blog GottaBook features poetry and perspectives on children’s literature, shared his advice on using social media to find new audiences during KidLitCon 2012 at the New York Public Library on September 29.
