The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
When it comes to measuring the authority of an online source, there’s more than Klout, according to Joyce Valenza. In her latest post on her SLJ blog NeverEndingSearch, the teacher librarian examines some tools that researchers of all ages can use to assess social influence.
RIVERS, Karen. The Encyclopedia of Me. 248p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-31028-4; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46951-7. LC 2011046292.
Gr 5-8–Diminutive, biracial, freckled Isadora “Tink” Aaron-Martin is grounded for most of the summer after an incident with her best friend. She decides to write an encyclopedia, and in spite of the artificiality of the alphabetical format, Rivers has created a warm, funny, fast-paced story about an endearing middle schooler who keeps her cool and sense of humor when events [...]
As librarians and teachers prepare for the release of the new film “The Hobbit,” they’re incorporating Tolkien-related activities and events into their libraries and classrooms.
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit. By Tom Greenwald. 4 CDs. 4:29 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-0309-5. $49.97.
Gr 5-7–In this followup (2012) to Tom Greenwald’s Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading (2011, both Roaring Brook), a poor report card and a reputation for cutting up in school land Charlie Joe in his middle school counselor’s office. Things go from bad to worse, causing Ms. Ferrell to recommend that Charlie Joe attend “Camp Rituhbukkee,” a summer camp that [...]
SLJ spoke with illustrator Nonny Hogrogian who discussed her experiences winning her two Caldecott medals.
OBED, Ellen Bryan. Twelve Kinds of Ice. illus. by Barbara McClintock. 64p. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-618-89129-0.
Gr 3-6–The coming of winter in the rural north brings ice. The first ice “came on the sheep pails…a skim of ice so thin that it broke when we touched it.” Gradually as the weather grows colder, the ice becomes field ice, “short-lived but glorious…,” stream ice, black ice from “water shocked still by the cold before the snow.” The ice and [...]
You can create infographics—visual representations of data—from scratch using free web tools. Library consultant and educator Linda W. Braun takes you step by step through making your own infographic using easel.ly and info.gram.
The five finalists for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults were recently announced.
“You’ve seen infographics, right? Those visual representations of information that seem to be popping up everywhere on the Internet?,” writes Travis Jonker. Here’s his effort using easelly.
Finalists for the William C. Morris Award, an honor given to a book for young adults written by a debut author, were announced today.
Microsoft has committed $250 million to its Partners in Learning program, a worldwide education initiative that offers resources to both students and teachers.
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie. DVD. 93 min. Prod. by Entertainment One and National Film Board of Canada. Dist. by Bullfrog Films. 2012. ISBN 1-93777-234-9. $295.
Gr 10 Up–Scientist and TV personality David Suzuki is well known in Canada where he is revered as the host of the long running science program, Nature of Things, and as an environmental activist. This film honors his career by weaving together the story of his life with his last lecture outlining the [...]
Due to their longstanding frustration with Amazon’s failure to make Kindle ereaders accessible to people who are blind, officials from the National Federation of the Blind will be protesting outside Amazon’s Seattle headquarters on December 12.
LAKE, Nick. In Darkness. 352p. Bloomsbury. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-743-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-820-5. LC 2011022350.
Gr 9 Up–Trapped in the rubble of Haiti’s massive 2010 earthquake, teenage Shorty desperately waits for rescue. While in darkness, events of his traumatic, violent life replay in his head. He is haunted by his father’s brutal murder, his twin sister’s disappearance, and the armed gang activity that has been his means of survival in Site Soléy (Cite Soleil), a very real and dangerous [...]
Beyond those tried-and-true series entries there are many stand-alone titles with engaging texts and high-quality art to lure reluctant readers into informational texts.
Twelve months ago, when we chose 2011’s best graphic novels, we predicted that this year’s list would be even better—and we were right.
App production has skyrocketed. But curiously, a number of children’s book publishers and app developers are now thinking twice about the format. But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a slew of exceptional products this year, and you’ll find a number of them on our list.
Looking for a great way to keep kids’ attention from wandering in class? We’ve got a solution: show them a film that’s so engaging, they’ll forget it’s part of the lesson. During the past year, we’ve reviewed nearly 300 DVDs aimed at the K–12 crowd. So how could we possibly select the 10 best? Well, it wasn’t as difficult as we thought. As we looked over our reviews, a pattern emerged, especially in light of the new Common Core standards.
It seems as though not a day goes by without the media covering a story about children’s health. Fast-food restaurants decide to list the nutritional information of their entrees. School districts ban soft-drink vending machines in their cafeterias. Childhood obesity is at epidemic levels.
From MOOCs to open educational resources, Joyce Valenza examines the top trends of the year in technology. There are unique opportunities for librarians here and Valenza outlines specific actionables in this online version of School Library Journal’s feature story.
