Achieving the level of complex thinking in the classroom required by the Common Core standards can feel overwhelming, particularly when students will be reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing in this capacity throughout the day.
Review of the Day: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales (One Dead Spy & Big Bad Ironclad) by Nathan Hale
By on November 26, 2012
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad!
By Nathan Hale
Amulet (an imprint of Abrams)
$12.95
ISBN: 978-1-419700396-6
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0395-9
Ages 9-12
On shelves now
If you should find that you share your name with a Revolutionary War Hero you have various ways of making use of that fact. You could join Revolutionary War re-enactors [...]
Nonfiction Monday: Castle: How It Works by David Macaulay
By on November 19, 2012
Castle: How It Works By David Macaulay with Sheila Keenan David Macaulay Studio (Macmillan) ISBN: 9781596437449 $15.99 Grades 1-4 In Stores Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library One of the more satisfying things about being an elementary school librarian (other than the resurgence of the cardigan sweater) is seeing gaps filled. The landscape [...]
Nonfiction roundup
By on November 11, 2012
Life After Murder
By on November 8, 2012
Can a convicted murderer ever merit a fresh start? Investigative journalist Nancy Mullane spent years examining that question. In Life After Murder she writes about five convicts in San Quentin State Prison in California, from their lives before the murders through the experience of reentry. Mullane clearly believes in giving criminals a second chance, once they [...]
Review: Bomb
By on November 8, 2012
Bomb: The Race To Build – And Steal – The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. 2012.
It’s About: One nice thing about non-fiction titles: they tell you up front what a book will be about. This is about the invention of [...]
Review of the Day: The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel
By on November 6, 2012
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
By Michelle Markel
Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
$17.00
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5264-6
Ages 4-8
On shelves now
I’m not ashamed to say it, though perhaps I should be. Still, it’s true. Though I grew up in the middle class with a good education and a stint at a liberal arts college [...]
Review of the Day: The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel
By on November 6, 2012
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
By Michelle Markel
Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
$17.00
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5264-6
Ages 4-8
On shelves now
I’m not ashamed to say it, though perhaps I should be. Still, it’s true. Though I grew up in the middle class with a good education and a stint at a liberal arts college [...]
January First
By on November 5, 2012
Michael Schofield’s nonfiction account of his daughter’s schizophrenia has similar appeal to titles that have drawn teen readers in the past. Think Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel, A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar and perhaps especially Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Scheff. Next week I will [...]
On Common Core | Content Over Coverage
By on November 1, 2012 1 Comment
One of the most common complaints about state or local curriculum standards is that they focus on covering a range of topics while sacrificing depth of understanding. Chances are you’ve heard your colleagues bemoan that these standards are “a mile long and an inch deep.” Are the Common Core State Standards any different?
Common Core Comics
By on November 1, 2012
It’s hard to believe that November is knocking on the door and the school year is well underway. (If it wasn’t for Hurricane Sandy, I’d be thinking about elections, Thanksgiving, and yes… the Winter Holidays!) Of course, what my thoughts are constantly busy with are the buzzwords “Common Core” that are being chirped up and [...]
Hosoi
By on October 30, 2012
Christian Hosoi is one of the top skateboarders in history. He turned pro at 14.
He was at the top of the world until he started using. A methamphetamine addiction landed him in prison, where he found freedom in reading the Bible. Hear it from the man himself.
Hosoi’s 300-page memoir includes more than 100 color and black-and-white [...]
Hosoi
By on October 30, 2012
Christian Hosoi is one of the top skateboarders in history. He turned pro at 14.
He was at the top of the world until he started using. A methamphetamine addiction landed him in prison, where he found freedom in reading the Bible. Hear it from the man himself.
Hosoi’s 300-page memoir includes more than 100 color and black-and-white [...]
Muck City
By on October 29, 2012
Bryan Mealer’s exploration of football and poverty in one small Florida town brings to mind other books about high school sports, such as Friday Night Lights and Michael D’Orso’s Eagle Blue.
You probably know Mealer’s previous work, even if you don’t recognize the name. He wrote The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind with William Kamkwamba, a [...]
“Are Zombies Good for Kids?”: A Lively Roundtable
By on October 27, 2012
SLJ’s Resources on the Common Core
By on October 22, 2012 3 Comments
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have become the topic du jour in educational circles, and librarians are key participants in the conversation. School Library Journal’s Leadership Summit, “Advocacy and E-volution: Creating Stronger Schools Through Stronger Libraries,” taking place in Philadelphia October 26-27, will focus on how librarians and school media specialists can propel the dialogue and help teachers and administrators deliver on the full potential of the Common Core.
Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite
By on October 22, 2012
Monsters are eternally intriguing, and Matt Kaplan offers a unique take on the historical possibilities of where our fears may have originated. From dragons to golems to zombies, the interdisciplinary nature of this work will thrill young science and history readers.
Kaplan is a regular contributor to National Geographic, New Scientist, Nature, and The Economist. Teens [...]
Just-For-Fun Giveaway: Zombie Cupcakes Book
By on October 21, 2012
Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus
By on October 9, 2012
Many thanks to Amy Cheney for sending in the following about today’s reviewed book:
Deborah Jiang Stein came to visit the teen girls in Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center on the last day of September. Born in prison to a heroin addicted mother, she spoke about secrets and shame. About prison, drugs, crime, rage, revenge – [...]
Global History as a Teacher
By on October 4, 2012
from graphic novel guest blogger, Francisca Goldsmith:
World War II, rather like the Torah, is endlessly plumbable for lessons, insights and other instructions from the past that we can apply as we continue to move always toward the future. Keery and Wyatt’s concise and visually enriched version of Canada’s role and military experiences in that period [...]
