February 17, 2013

Grades 5 & Up: October 2012

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AVI. Sophia’s War: A Tale of the Revolution. 320p. bibliog. glossary. maps. CIP. S & S/Beach Lane. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1441-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1443-3. LC 2012007962.
Gr 5-9–Sophia Calderwood, 12, and her parents live in British-occupied Manhattan, 1776; her brother William has joined the rebel army. Masquerading as Tories, the Calderwoods are able to stay in their home, but are forced to house British officers. Their first boarder is handsome Lieutenant John André. He captivates [...]

Preschool to Grade 4: October 2012

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BANKS , Kate. The Bear in the Book. illus. by Greg Hallensleben. 40p. Farrar/Frances Foster. Oct. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30591-8.
PreS–In this deceptively simple bedtime story, a boy snuggles up with his mother to read his favorite book. It is about a bear going to sleep for the winter, and together they look at the pictures and talk about the text. “‘Do bears really sleep all winter long?’ asked the boy.” He turns [...]

The Tension of Innovation: The bridges to the future must be built for the kids of today | Editorial

Brooklyn Bridge

As SLJ’s editors roll up our sleeves in final preparation for our annual Leadership Summit, in Philadelphia, October 26-27 (www.sljsummit2012.com), and our “Digital Shift: Libraries, Ebooks and Beyond” online event on October 17 (www.thedigitalshift.com/beyondebooks), I’m inspired by both the big ideas in education and the ground-level work I’ve seen in school libraries across the country.

I’m also aware of the vast challenges we face as we strive to give our kids the best educational experience possible. A recent [...]

The Secret Lives of Presidents: A behind-the-scenes look at the residents of the White House

Picture book cover: Presidents' mothers

Every U.S. president had a mother. Most of them had children and pets. Combine these obvious, but often-unconsidered facts with a touch of humor and they spell can’t-miss booktalks.

News Bites: Register Now For International Games Day and Get Freebies for Your Library

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Libraries in the United States and across the world are coming together to celebrate the American Library Association’s (ALA) 5th Annual International Games Day @ Your Library on Saturday, November 3. Beginning this year, National Gaming Day has been renamed International Games Day to reflect the interest of libraries outside of the U.S. It’s up to individual libraries how they celebrate this special day, but there’s lots of freebies for your library if you fill out a registration form.

News Bites: Get Your Voice Heard During Banned Books Week!

ALA Banned Book Week logo

From September 30 to October 6 libraries, schools, and bookstores will celebrate Banned Books Week, an annual event that focuses on First Amendment rights. “During Banned Books Week, we hope to remind Americans that the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely is a right, not a privilege,” said Maureen Sullivan, American Library Association President. “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, it’s important to recognize that book banning does exist in this day and age. It’s up to all of us, community residents, librarians, teachers and journalists, to continue to stand up and speak out for the right to read.”

Interview: Dav Pilkey on Captain Underpants #9

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Photo: Karyn Carpenter

SLJ talks to Dav Pilkey about the creative process behind his books, working with DreamWorks to turn Captain Underpants into a 3-D animated movie, and, of course, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers (Scholastic)—the ninth installment of his sublimely silly novels.

News Bites: Celebrate Librarian’s Day

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AudioGO is inviting librarians to visit their offices in North Kingston, RI, on Friday, September 28 to celebrate their annual Librarian’s Day. Present at the festivities will be library advocate and supporter U.S. Senator Jack Reed and authors James R. Benn and Janet Taylor Lisle. Participants will tour the audiobook company’s recording studio, listen to narrators in action, and try their own hand at narrating. RSVP deadline is September 21 and everyone who fills out the form will be entered to win a selection of audiobooks worth $500.

Coming Soon: Fresh Paint!

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There’s a new column coming to SLJTeen – Fresh Paint: Notes from a Public Library. We’ll hear from April Pavis, teen services librarian, as she prepares to move into the eighth library branch in Loudoun County, Virginia, the Gum Spring Library which will deliver 40,000 square feet of space for materials, programs, education, and entertainment to an area of the county that has never had a library.

NCTE 2012 – Dream, Connect, Ignite!

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There is still time to register for the 2012 National Council of Teachers of English annual conference, being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 15-18. It’s going to be quite the party, with 5500 attendees, 700 sessions, and 125 plus exhibitors.

News Bites: Join Candlewick’s ‘We Believe in Picture Books’ Campaign

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On August 31, Candlewick launched a yearlong video celebration of picture books in honor of their 20th anniversary. Every day for 365 days, as part of the We Believe in Picture Books campaign, Candlewick will offer a video shot by authors, illustrators, staff, and friends, sharing what picture books mean to them, recommending a favorite story, and more. Librarians and teachers are welcome to post these videos on their own websites to share with students. You can also submit your own video to the publisher in which you informally talk about your favorite picture book, what the format means to you, or why it matters.

September 2012 Reviews: Stars List

Interior Image from, Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (Marsalis)

Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (Marsalis)©2012 Illustration by Paul Rogers

Preschool to Grade 4

FERRIS, Jerri Chase. Noah Webster & His Words. illus. by Vincent X. Kirsch. Houghton Harcourt. Oct. 2012. p. 129.

HOPKINSON, Deborah. Annie and Helen. illus. by Raul Colón. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Sept. 2012. p. 130.

HATKE, Ben. Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. illus. by author. First Second. Sept. 2012. p. 171.

KLASSEN, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. [...]

Hot Topics for Teens and Tweens: Financial Literacy and CyberSmarts

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Rosen Digital has just announced the launch of two new digital resources for middle school and high school students: Financial Literacy, an online database for economics and personal finance; and Teen CyberSmarts, an interactive ebook program that teaches kids about digital citizenship and cyber safety. Both programs have been specifically designed to support Common Core learning standards. And SLJTeen readers have a chance to evaluate both of these for free through October 5, 2012.

WA’s Pierce County Library System Bids Farewell to Bookmobiles After 65 Years of Service

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After more than 60 years in operation, the Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, WA, is saying good-bye to its three bookmobiles as a result of drastic budget cuts.
The library’s board of trustees agreed to the cuts earlier this month in order to offset an anticipated $2.6 million to $3 million budget shortfall for 2013, which amounts to approximately 10 percent of the library’s $26.8 million 2012 operating budget. Stopping the bookmobiles will save the library $180,000.

News Bites: Help Clifford the Big Red Dog Celebrate his 50th Birthday!

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The 50th birthday celebration of Norman Bridwell’s iconic Clifford the Big Red Dog will kick off on September 24th at 10 am with a party at Scholastic’s New York City headquarters. And everybody can join in on the “Biggest Birthday Party Ever!” The live event will be streamed to classes across the country. Teachers can register now so their students can watch the festivities and Bridwell’s 30-minute webcast. There’s also a free kit that includes lesson plans, art project ideas, and coloring pages. In addition, Norman Bridwell’s Clifford Collection, six stories originally published between 1963 and 1977, will be released on the same day.

Children’s Sci-fi/Fantasy Writer Josepha Sherman Dies at 65

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Science fiction and fantasy writer Josepha Sherman died on August 23 in New Haven, CT, after a long illness, in which she battled dementia. She was 65. Sherman’s works include Gleaming Bright (Walker, 1994), a story of a resourceful young princess who goes in search of a magic box to avoid marrying a cruel king, and an adult fantasy, The Shining Falcon (Avon, 1989), a tale of love, hate, and magic that’s filled with Slavic mythology.

News Bites: A New Award for Authors of Color

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The New Visions Award has been announced by Tu Books, the fantasy, science fiction, and mystery imprint of Lee & Low Books. It will be given for “a middle grade or young adult fantasy, science fiction, or mystery novel by a writer of color.” The winner will get $1000 and a publication contract; an honor award winner will get $500. Children of color should be able to identify with and relate to the novel. Authors submitting a novel must include a synopsis of the story and the first three chapters (don’t send the entire manuscript) by October 30.

The Countdown to Seven Is On

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The Countdown to Seven Is On! Seven (the series) is coming October 10, 2012. Seven grandsons. Seven journeys. Seven authors. One amazing series. SLJTeen exclusive—get the whole series before anyone else! We have seven complete sets to give away. Do you want one?

Teens 2012: Truth, Trends, and Myths About Teen Online Behavior

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Wondering if your perceptions of teen online behavior are correct? Have boys really started texting more? Does it seem like most 13 year olds are already engaged in online social networking? Get the answers to these questions and more from this terrific Slideshare summary of “Truth, Trends, and Myths About Teen Online Behavior,” the latest teen-focused study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, sponsored by the Pew Research Center.

News Bites: Freebies for Star Wars Reads Day!

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Star Wars: National Star Wars Reads Day is October 6. The event is an initiative of Lucasfilm and its publishing partners, Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK, Scholastic, Titan Magazines, and Workman. ABDO Publishing is offering a free Star Wars event guide containing teacher’s guides, promotional posters, interviews with celebrities connected to the franchise, a list of nearly 300 Star Wars universe terms, a video of the event that was held in the Hennepin County Library in Minneapolis, and an order form for the 68 ABDO/Spotlight Star Wars library editions.