Mystery award: The Code Busters 2: The Haunted Lighthouse (Egmont USA) by Penny Warner won the 2012 Agatha Award in the Best Children’s/Young Adult category. In the book, Cody and his friends love codes, and when they receive a mysterious email suggesting that there’s a treasure hidden on Alcatraz Island, they are excited to start a clue hunt. A class trip to the prison is the perfect way for them to start their search. There are more than a dozen codes and puzzles in the book for readers to decipher.

The Agatha Awards honor “traditional mystery”books that are best typified by the works of Agatha Christie—that contain “no explicit sex and no excessive gore or violence.” The prizes were announced at the Malice Domestic 25 convention, an annual “fun fan” convention held in Washington, DC. Awards are also given in five categories for adults: Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story, and Best Historical Novel.

Industry News

The Presidents: Capstone is adding 60 more titles to the K–3 PebbleGo Biographies module in August 2013. The new titles will complete its U.S. Presidential collection. Current subscribers to the database will receive the additional content at no extra charge. PebbleGo Biographies, which employ reading scaffolding strategies, feature narrated text, animated highlighting, a glossary, visual searching, educational videos and games, an interactive time line of key dates, and activities.

Graphic novels: ABDO’s Spotlight division will publish library editions of IDW’s Jurassic Park and Star Trek graphic novels this fall. There will be eight books in the Classic Jurassic Park set for all ages, based on the 1990s movies, and four Star Trek titles for young adults featuring characters resembling those in the current film franchise. Spotlight’s comic books and graphic novels are published as library editions, with side-sewn pages, a cloth reinforced spine, and a laminated cover.

“These are two of the most popular science fiction story lines in history,” noted Jim Abdo, the company’s publisher. “One warns of what happens when science goes wrong, the other promises a time where science helps humanity come together and build a future. And there is plenty of action and adventure, too. We think our librarian friends will love getting these into the hands of their kids and young adult readers.”

Free resources:

ABDO has also just published a biography series for upper elementary students—“Women in Science”—that highlights the compelling lives of six female scientists (Rachel Carson, Joanne Simpson, Antonia Novello, Chien-Shiung Wu, Hayat Sindi, and Mae Jemison) that is sure to interest young readers.

Teaching guide: Hurry up and get your free copy of Brother Sam and All That: Historical Context and Literary Analysis of the Novels of James and Christopher Collier (Clearwater Pr., 1999) from AudioGO. The lessons compiled in this companion teaching guide provide teachers and librarians with information about how to use historical fiction in the classroom—just what the Common Core Standards require—and tips for teaching the novels by James and Christopher Collier. AudioGO publishes audiobook and ebook versions of more than 50 novels by James and Christopher Collier, including the classroom favorite, My Brother Sam Is Dead. The first 100 people to email Michele.cobb@audiogo.com will receive this teaching guide at no cost.

You Have to Be in It

Be Creative: If your students are between the ages of 13 and 18, here’s their chance to enter the Instructables Make-to-Learn Youth Contest, sponsored by Autodesk, a producer of 3D design software. All they have to do is make something—from a short movie to a painting, a science fair project, a school assignment, a garden, a video game, etc. Once the project is completed, the entrant just has to answer four questions about what they learned: What did you make? How did you make it? Where did you make it? What did you learn? All entries must be received by April 15. For more information, check out the rest of the rules here. Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel, including Chad Sansing (Central Virginia Writing Project), Leah Buechley (MIT Media Lab), Karen Wilkinson, (Exploratorium/tinkering studio), Antero Garcia (Colorado State University), and others.

Winners will be announced on or about April 22. Three Grand Prize winners will receive a Dream Maker kit consisting of a $200 gift certificate to SparkFun, Amazon, or Home Depot to purchase supplies for projects; a 32GB mini iPad; and a $50 gift card to the iTunes App Store. Five First Prize winners will receive a Dream Maker kit to purchase $200 worth of supplies. Ten runners up will receive a $50 gift certificate.

In addition, librarians, teachers, scout leaders, and anyone whose job is strictly educational can get a free Pro membership to Instructables that gives them access to classroom project ideas, advanced project editing tools, and the ability to download PDFs of projects and ebooks.

SPONSORED BY: ABDO Publishing and School Library Journal
EVENT DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET/12:00 – 1:00 PM PT

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Learn about ABDO’s new “Comic Book Curriculum” and “Star Wars Literacy” programs for your library’s support of ELL, Special Education, and Classrooms, as well as for library events, creative writing and arts projects, and more!

This webcast will feature a report on the 10-school pilot program ABDO led with elementary students and staff in a California district, using their Marvel Age comic books and graphic novels, eBooks, and teachers guides in a weeks-long “comic con” with the kids creating their own superheroes and stories based on the books.

As part of the pilot program, staff from the SELLASP (Supporting English Language Learners in After School Programs) initiative from the California Department of Education, and the National City Public Library in San Diego helped create free video training and materials designed to help educators provide the program for a range of students, from ELL through on-level English-fluent readers.

Following the report will be information on how to transfer the techniques to support creative writing and learning for your classroom teachers, book clubs, special education programs, Title I initiatives, and all the other student populations that the research shows are aided by comic books & graphic novels. Guests include ELL leaders, 501st Legion Star Wars characters, & more.

Also included will be research from ABDO’s “Comic Books & Literacy” compilation, Common Core and graphic novels information, a look at the amount of vocabulary that’s in Marvel and Star Wars books, and related information.

Tune in and put on your superhero and superheroine masks and capes for this webcast – you’ll be ready to defeat reluctant readers, provide super-strength support to your schools, and promote the greatest superpower of them all – reading.

Panelists:

Helen Gonzales – Lead Coordinator, Region 9 Technical Assistance Center

Helen Gonzales is currently the Lead Coordinator for the Region 9 Technical Assistance Center, After School division providing technical assistance for over 600 after school programs at the San Diego County Office of Education. Ms. Gonzales is also statewide Project Lead for the Supporting English Language Learners through After School Programs (SELLASP) Project funded by the California Department of Education¹s After School Division.

In her career an educator for over 30 years Ms. Gonzales¹ experiences include serving students and families in both rural and urban school settings. As an Elementary and Middle School Principal, Vice Principal, Counselor, Teacher, Grant and College Outreach Coordinator she has served on numerous educational boards and committees including English Language Task Force, Puente Mentor Project, Association of California School Administrator, California Association of Latino Superintendents, San Diego County RTI (2) Task Force, Latino Advisory Board and the California After School Network¹s Rural and English Learner committees. The success and educational achievement of English Language Learners in both the regular day and afterschool continues to be her focus with Principals and district administrators throughout the state.

Tamarie Tigh - Writer and Trainer, ABDO Publishing

Tamarie Tigh began working in the Literacy Department of the National City Public Library in California in 1994. Specializing in interactive, multisensory teaching techniques. Tamarie created and/or coordinated several programs, including Adult Literacy for adults needing to improve their English language skills; Families for Literacy for preschool children with their caregivers; KidSounds and Building Blocks, phonics programs for elementary students and preschool children; and Family Study Teams, a literacy program conducted during the after school hours at the local elementary schools.  In 2003, when the National School District contracted the National City Public Library to provide the out of school time programs for their ten elementary schools, Ms. Tigh created

WINGS: Winners Growing Strong, which provides academic and recreational enrichment for K-6 students before school, after school, and during the summer. Tamarie has written curriculum and training materials for all of the programs that she has administrated. Ms. Tigh graduated from the University of Phoenix with her Bachelors¹ of Science in Business Management and Business Administration. She raised and homeschooled five children and has worked tirelessly in church – for which she has also written curriculum!

Moderator:
Dan Verdick – Vice President of Marketing & Communications, ABDO Publishing

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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. Although the sign-up period to receive a free Star Wars event kit from the sponsors (1000 libraries signed up) has ended, there is another option available for libraries that want to participate in the event. 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. You can also follow Star Wars Reads Day on Facebook.

Game On

Free online game: Electronic Arts’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, previously a subscription only massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), will be available online for free starting this fall. The free version allows players “to play free to Level 50, with game play restrictions that limit game options and access to certain game content,” according to Jeff Hickman, the game’s executive producer. Those who continue to subscribe for $15 per month will have free unlimited access to all game features and game updates. The publisher will rely on players buying premium content and virtual items to make money.

Digitally Yours

Multimedia ebooks: eBoost is ABDO Digital’s new multimedia line of flip book ebooks that are combined with related media links. Among the multimedia features of ABDO’s flip books is the ability for readers to turn pages and make them larger. Each ebook in the new eBoost line also includes Web links; downloadable content; embedded videos; RSS and/or Twitter feeds; notes and custom links fields for teacher comments, posting messages, and student assignments; and more. The eBoost titles, featuring secure Web-based hosting by ABDO, are compatible with Macs, PCs, iPads, and Android-based tablets such as Kindle Fire or the Nook. The new line is being launched with 164 titles for elementary through middle grade students. Titles can be ordered individually or in bundles such as Animal Kingdom, Body Systems, The Civil War, Planet Earth, and more. eBoost is sold as a site license with simultaneous access for multiple users.

Granted

Public awareness campaign: The 2013 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant is an annual $3000 award open to all libraries. To apply for the grant, libraries must come up with a public awareness campaign using the National Library Week Theme—“Communities matter @ your library—and involving at least one other community organization. An application form and guidelines are available on the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant website. The application deadline is September 30. The winner will be announced after the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle in January 2013. The winner must provide documentation of their activities and submit a report to ALA’s Public Awareness Committee by May 20. The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing and is administered by the Public awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA).

Read On

Literacy initiative: Author John Green, Michael L. Printz and Edgar Award winner, has been named the spokesperson for the 2012 Teen Read Week, a literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The theme of this year’s Teen Read Week—celebrated October 14-20—is “It Came from the Library!” “Getting more teens to pick up a book and make it a regular habit” is what Teen Read Week is all about says Jack Martin, YALSA president. Among his duties, Green will host a national event to kick off the celebration and will judge a contest in which teens are charged with creating a video about their favorite book.