Illustration by Thomas Pitilli

Ever since Bella bumped into Edward and Jacob, the world hasn’t been the same—especially within the hot and hair-raising pages of paranormal romance. Thanks, in part, to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight Saga,” tales about teen vampires, werewolves, and other sexy shapeshifters that have threatened to take over libraries and bookstores nationwide—and young readers just can’t seem to get enough of them.

They’re not the only ones. Movie adaptations of the “Twilight” series and television shows like “The Vampire Diaries,” based on L. J. Smith’s YA series of the same name, have created a feeding frenzy for all things preternatural even among parents. That’s why best-selling adult authors such as Sherrilyn Kenyon, James Patterson, Kelly Armstrong, and Kathy Reichs have leaped onto the paranormal bandwagon, much to the delight of their grown-up fans.

What is a paranormal romance? Basically, it’s a subgenre of the romance novel that contains elements of science fiction, fantasy, or horror. The setting can be contemporary or historical, pastoral or urban, and depicts an alternate world in which vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, demons, the fae, zombies, trolls, mermaids, and other astounding creatures are real. Sometimes humans are aware of these monsters in their midst; other times, they’re clueless. Or perhaps there aren’t any creepsters in the story. Instead psychic abilities, immortality, reincarnation, ghosts, and angels provide the narrative’s paranormal elements.

The following titles are mostly about vampires, who continue to lead paranormal romance’s popularity sweepstakes, and werewolves, who run a close second. (Sorry, Team Jacob.) I’ve also included some examples of the best of the rest—recommendations that run the gamut from angels to demons to, yes, zombies. If you’re dying to read one of them, you’d be wise to put an advance hold on it: odds are these books won’t be sitting on your library’s shelves for more than a nanosecond.

Vampires

Not surprisingly, many of the new vampire titles are continuations of series. Rachel Caine, the award-winning author of the adult series “Weather Warden,” has added a 12th volume to her “Morganville Vampires” series. Black Dawn (NAL, 2012) is the latest installment of the adventures of Claire Danvers, a college student who has discovered that life can be quite a challenge when your roommates are a Goth, a vampire, and a vampire hunter (her boyfriend)—and the town you live in is run by vampires who aren’t always friendly toward humans.

The mother-daughter team of well-known adult author P. C. Cast and her daughter Kristen have added a 10th volume, Hidden (2012), to their international best-selling “House of Night” series featuring Zoey Redbird, who was 16 when she entered the House of Night, a school that prepares fledglings for their lives as vampires, provided they survive the change. Zoey not only survives but is so powerful that she becomes the leader of an ongoing struggle against the powers of darkness, led by a High Priestess at the school. These authors are also working on a “House of Night” spin-off series of novellas featuring the background of certain teachers at the school: Bryan Lankford, the House of Night’s formidable fencing instructor in Dragon’s Oath (2011); Lenobia, the House of Night’s powerful equestrian studies teacher and Zoey’s favorite professor in Lenobia’s Vow (2012); and Neferet, Zoey’s former patron and current nemesis in Neferet’s Curse (2013, all St. Martin’s Griffin).

For a lighthearted treatment of vampires, you can’t go wrong with Beth Fantaskey’s Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (2009). Imagine science-nerd Jessica’s shock when the exchange student living with her family tells her he’s a vampire prince and she’s a vampire princess, removed from Romania by her adoptive parents during the last purge. He also tells her that they were promised to each other at birth and as soon as she reaches her 18th birthday, he’ll turn her into a full-fledged vampire and whisk her away to the Carpathian Mountains, where they’ll get married and rule together. Jessica’s response is to stab Lucius—in the foot!—with a pitchfork. And so their courtship begins. In the sequel, Jessica Rules the Dark Side (2012, both Harcourt), she’s struggling with married life and the leadership responsibilities of a vampire princess, not to mention the fact that her husband has been accused of a murder.

Claudia Gray concluded her “Evernight” quartet, set in a private school that accepts both vampires and humans as students, with Afterlife (2011). After the school is destroyed, the main characters are out of the picture in the fifth “Evernight” entry, Balthazar (2012), which features a satisfying relationship between secondary characters, Sky Tierney, whose special power makes her a target for vampires, and Balthazar More, a rogue vampire who comes to her rescue. Titles in the series: #1 Evernight (2008), #2 Stargazer (2009), #3 Hourglass (2010), #4 Afterlife (2011), and #5 Balthazar (2012, all HarperTeen).

South African author Cat Hellisen’s debut young adult novel, When the Sea Is Rising Red (Farrar, 2012), addresses issues of racism and social justice against a backdrop of vampires, selkies, and magic. The protagonist, 16-year-old Felicita, flees an arranged marriage, choosing a life of poverty and struggle instead, until she comes to the attention of the rebellious Dash and the wealthy vampire Jannik, after which she has a much more difficult decision to make involving the fate of her city and its inhabitants.

Julie Kagawa, the best-selling author of “The Iron Fey” series, leaves fairies behind for vampires in her new series, “Blood of Eden,” beginning with book one, The Immortal Rules (Harlequin Teen, 2012). In this dystopian world, humans serve as cattle to vampires, and both species are threatened by mindless zombie-like rabids. After 17-year-old Allison is turned into a vampire and believes she no longer has a chance at a relationship with Zeke, she still insists on protecting the humans who are searching for an antidote to the plague that created the rabids.

Sherrilyn Kenyon is a #1 New York Times best-selling author famous for her adult “Dark-Hunter” series that features a sexy group of immortal vampire slayers who risk life and limb to save the humans in their charge. They’re assisted by squires, young humans who look out for them during the daylight hours. Nick Gautier, Kyrian of Thrace’s squire, has been featured in a number of novels in this series. The “Chronicles of Nick” series tells his back story and is written for a teenage audience. As a longtime fan of the adult series, it’s been fun to see how the author has reinvented this character, who was 14 when Kyrian saved his life in Infinity (2010) and introduced him to the dangerous world of the Dark-Hunters. After surviving a zombie attack, Nick struggles with school and girl problems while attempting to raise the dead in Invincible (2011), to date and learn how to drive in Infamous (2012, all St. Martin’s Griffin), and eventually to decide whether his fate will be that of a hero or a destroyer.

You have to love a girl who opens a vampire-themed restaurant, dates a werewolf, and hires a chef who turns out to be a vampire planning to make her his bride. But Quincie is a direct descendant of Quincey P. Morris from Texas who plunged his bowie knife into Dracula’s heart. That knife now hangs on Quincie’s wall, within easy reach should she need it to fend off a sudden vampire attack. Children and teen author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Tantalize (2007) is set in an Austin, TX, where vampires and werewolves are real, but Quincie is up to the challenge. Diabolical (2012), the fourth entry in this series, features Quincie and her werewolf boyfriend, Kiernan, helping the Angel introduced in Eternal (2009) on a quest that literally turns into a battle between the forces of heaven and hell. Titles in the series: #1 Tantalize (2007), #2 Eternal (2009), #3 Blessed (2011), and #4 Diabolical (2012, all Candlewick).

Lynn Viehl began her adult vampire-hunter series, the “Darkyn” (Signet), in 2005, the same year that J. R. Ward published the first of her “Black Dagger Brotherhood” (NAL) vampire novels. Both series have done extremely well, and Viehl has now branched out into another adult series, the “Kyndred” (Onyx), as well as the “Youngbloods” young adult trilogy, which is just as polished and fascinating as her adult novels. In After Midnight (2011), 15-year-old Catlyn and her two older brothers, who have their own horses, have bought a ranch in Florida. While riding one night, Catlyn meets Jesse Raven, her dark boy, and they fall in love. There’s just one problem: he’s a vampire and she’s a Van Helsing, charged with hunting vampires. In the second book of the trilogy, Dead of Night (2012, both Flux), they’ve managed to stay together, but her life is in danger because girls who look like her are disappearing.

Werewolves

OK, Team Jacob fans, now it’s your turn. Fifteen-year-old Bryn was raised by wolves, literally, after her parents were murdered in Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s Raised by Wolves (2010), the first book in a trilogy of the same name. Chase, a teenage boy attacked by the same wolf that killed her parents, is being kept in a cage when Bryn first sees him. Together, the boy who was turned into a werewolf against his will and the girl who was raised by werewolves defy pack law and set out to hunt the wolf responsible for the attacks. In Trial by Fire (2011) and Taken by Storm (2012, all EgmontUSA), Bryn has become a human alpha determined to protect her pack, no matter what the cost.

Gail Carriger’s “Parasol Protectorate” series, featuring Alexia Tarabotti, is a romance and a comedy of manners set in a Victorian London in which werewolves and vampires have been accepted by society. In Soulless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves and Parasols (2009), the first book in the series and an Alex Award winner, Alexia meets Lord Maccon, the werewolf leader who not only winds up marrying her but also works with her to solve the mysteries that crop up in this and subsequent volumes. Her most recent adventure requires a trip to Egypt and a meeting with the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive in Timeless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Mummies (2012). Other titles in the series: #2 Changeless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Dirigibles (2010), #3 Blameless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Unexpected Surprises (2010), and #4 Heartless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves and Teapots (2011, all Orbit).

Andrea Cremer’s debut novel, Nightshade (2010), contains a sexy werewolf love triangle involving three teens—17-year-old Calla, an alpha female; Ren, the alpha male destined to be her mate; and Shay, a human boy. A group of witches, known as Keepers, are the masters of the werewolves in this world as well as a threat that Calla battles in the second and third volumes—Wolfsbane (2011) and Bloodrose (2012, all Philomel)—of this werewolf tour de force.

In addition to boys, romance, classes, and annoying roommates in her freshman year of college, Faith Reynolds is faced with the murder of young coeds and a battle between werewolves and vampires. The relationships and battles that began in Jennifer Knight’s Blood on the Moon (2011) continue in its sequel, Blood Crave (2012, both Running Press Kids).

Werewolves meet the Russian mob in Shannon Delany’s “13 to Life” series. Jessica’s junior year proves to be quite a challenge in volume one, 13 to Life: A Werewolf’s Tale (2010). She has to cope not only with the recent death of her mother, but also with her relationship with the school’s hot new student, Pietr Rusakova, a relationship that continues throughout the series. In the latest entry, Destiny and Deception (2012), the mafia threat has been replaced with the challenge of finding a cure for lycanthropy. Good luck with that! Other titles in the series: #2 Secrets and Shadows (2011) and #3 Bargains and Betrayals (2011, all St. Martin’s Griffin).

Sixteen-year-old Kylie Galen is sent to Shadow Falls Camp in Born at Midnight (2011), the first volume of C. C. Hunter’s “Shadow Falls” series. Once there, she discovers that it’s a training camp for vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, and witches. Which begs the question, what does that make her? She tries to find out in subsequent volumes while she’s trying to decide which boy she’ll wind up with—Lucas, a gorgeous werewolf, or Derek a sexy half Fae? Sequels: #2 Awake at Dawn (2011), #3 Taken at Dusk (2012), #4 Whispers at Moonrise (2012), and #5 Chosen at Midnight (2013, all St. Martin’s Griffin).

Ellen Schreiber, the best-selling author of the popular “Vampire Kisses” series, has gone over to the werewolf side in her latest series, “A Full Moon.” Seventeen-year-old Celeste, one of the popular, rich Eastsiders in the town of Legend’s Run, kisses Westsider Brandon under a full moon in the series opener, Once in a Full Moon (2010). Brandon is a werewolf, of course, so in the second volume, Magic of the Moonlight (2011), Celeste is looking for a cure. Their story continues in Full Moon Kisses (all HarperCollins), due out in December 2012.

Shapeshifters

In Firelight (2010), the first book of Sophie Jordan’s “Firelight” trilogy, Jacinda is a high school girl who’s a shapeshifting dragon. She’s the first firebreather to be born in centuries, which makes her the treasure of her “draki” pride—until she breaks the “no fly” rule and is seen by hunters. Even though one of them, young Will, lets her escape, the pride still plans to punish Jacinda. Determined not to let this happen, her mother moves the family to the desert, depriving Jacinda of the environment she needs to shift back into her dragon form. But Will, who to her surprise is a classmate, helps Jacinda keep her feeling of fire and flight alive… until the Alpha’s son, her intended draki mate, shows up to take her back to the pride. The plight of these star-crossed paranormal lovers continues in Vanish (2011) and Hidden (2012, all HarperCollins).

Angels

Lauren Kate’s popular “Fallen” series, which begins with a 2009 book of the same name, features fallen angels at a reform school in Savannah. Luce is there because her boyfriend died under mysterious circumstances. She plans to avoid other boys, but then she meets Daniel, who grabs her attention from the moment she first sees him. There’s something so familiar about him… as there should be, since they are lovers who keep finding and losing each other down through the ages. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the problem of the dark shadows that torment her and may have been responsible for her boyfriend’s death. Luce and Daniel’s relationship continues in subsequent volumes. Daniel faces some competition in Torment (2010) from Miles, the Nephilim, or angel-human hybrid, Luce meets at the California prep school Daniel takes her to. In book three, Passion (2011), Luce goes back in time to study her past reincarnations, hoping to find a clue that’ll break the curse keeping her separated from Daniel. In Rapture (2012), the final “Fallen” novel, they battle Lucifer and his forces in a last desperate attempt to find a way to stay together. Fallen in Love (2012, all Delacorte) offers four love stories featuring secondary characters from Luce and Daniel’s epic love story set against the background of what happens during a romantic Valentine’s Day in medieval England.

Psychics

A small South Carolina town, still obsessed with the Civil War, is the setting for Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures (2009), book one of a series of the same name. Ethan Wate, a high school sophomore, can’t wait to get out of Gatlin, until he meets a new student and realizes that she’s the girl he’s been dreaming about. Lena Duchannes and her family are Casters, or witches, with supernatural powers, so Lena has indeed been reaching out to Ethan in his dreams. She and her family also harbor a dark secret that won’t be revealed until her 16th birthday, unless Ethan can help her find a way to break the curse before then. Their relationship is tested in Beautiful Darkness (2010), when Lena begins to pull back from Ethan and the town itself is in danger from magical attacks that can only be stopped by a sacrifice that takes place in Beautiful Chaos (2011). In this Southern Gothic series’ stunning finale, Beautiful Redemption (2012, all Little, Brown), the young lovers must risk everything if they hope to ever be together again.

Demons

Cassandra Clare’s “Mortal Instruments”trilogy has morphed into a five-book series, with the addition of City of Fallen Angels (2011) and City of Lost Souls (2012). Clary was 15 in City of Bones (2007) when she first met the Shadowhunters, a group of teenage demonhunters, and joined them in their battle to protect the world from threatening monsters. The battle continues in the fifth book, with the added challenge of Jace’s kidnapping, leaving Clary distraught over the threat to his life. Other titles in the series: #2 City of Ashes (2008) and #3 City of Glass (2009, all S & S/Margaret K . McElderry Bks.).

Ghosts

Talk about angry ghosts bent on revenge. That’s exactly what 17-year-old Cas Lowood encounters when he goes after the blood-soaked ghost of a teenage girl in Kendare Blake’s debut novel, Anna Dressed in Blood (2011). What starts as a work of horror ends up a love story when Anna helps Cas take out the true ghostly villain. In the sequel, Girl of Nightmares (2012, both Tor Teen), Cas is determined to find a way to rescue Anna from the torment she’s been in since sacrificing herself on his behalf in the previous book.

Faerie

Fans of Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Marr have a new author to follow with the advent of Carrie Jones’s “Need” series, but instead of vampires, werewolves, or the fae, it’s pixies that now hold center stage. Zara is a high school junior who has come to stay with her grandmother in a small Maine town. When a strange man begins stalking her, one who leaves behind trails of gold glitter, she learns that he’s a dangerous pixie king who’s looking for a queen to help him control his need for the blood of young human men, and he has decided that Zara will be his new queen. She already has a werewolf boyfriend and isn’t interested, but the situation changes after a Valkyrie takes Nick to Valhalla and evil pixies invade, threatening all that Zara holds dear. Other titles: #1 Need (2008), #2 Captivate (2010), #3 Entice (2010), and #4 Endure (2012, all Bloomsbury).

Trolls

Thanks to Amanda Hocking, trolls are back in style. An indie-publishing sensation, her self-published troll trilogy has sold millions of copies around the world. Newly reissued, Hocking’s “Trylle Trilogy” recounts the adventures of Wendy Everly, who was six when her mother tried to kill her, claiming she was a monster, and 17 when she discovered that her mother might have been right. That’s the year Finn enters her life, a mysterious young man who explains that she’s a changeling, switched at birth. Finn has come to take her home, where she’ll become a Troll princess and face challenges she’s never dreamed of. Titles in the series: #1 Switched (2012), #2 Torn (2012), and #3 Ascend (2012, all St. Martin’s Griffin).

Zombies

Now that zombies are increasing in popularity, they’re being called the new vampires. Let’s see, tall, dark, and sexy vampires on one side, moldering, putrefying, mindless zombies on the other. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no contest. On the other hand, AMC’s TV series “The Walking Dead” has proved that zombies have genuine entertainment value. The same can be said for the encounters with the walking dead that occur in Ilsa J. Bick’s “Ashes Trilogy,” in which zombies are created by an electromagnetic pulse, leaving the few remaining humans, including the teen protagonist, struggling to survive. Titles in the series: #1 Ashes (2011) and #2 Shadows (2012, both EgmontUSA).

Bonnie Kunzel is a popular presenter at library conferences and coauthor of The Teen-Centered Book Club: Readers into Leaders (Libraries Unlimited, 2006).

Welcome to Libro por libro/Book by Book. I’m thrilled to be writing this new column, which marks the beginning of a new approach to SLJ’s coverage of Spanish-language and bilingual books for young readers. Rather than simply offering random reviews, the focus of this column will be building core collections and using those books to create connections with readers. With each column I’ll be introducing a topic(s) or theme(s) and I’ll include both new and backlist titles, and discuss how they can be effectively used in schools and public libraries. The books reviewed in this column are all recommended for school or public library collections that serve bilingual and Spanish-speaking readers. And they are not recommended simply because they are good books. These books also provide young Spanish-speaking readers with something more intangible, yet vitally important: a sense of their cultural heritage. In these books, they will see themselves, they will hear the music of the Spanish language, and they will explore the many varieties of the Latino cultural experience.

I welcome your feedback. If you have any requests for topics or themes that would be helpful to you in your library, please let me know. This column will only be worthwhile if it is practical. Please contact me at wadhambooks@gmail.com.

This month I am focusing on three important cultural topics: Food, Folktales, and Family.

Food

Pat Mora once said that “language is culture.” If the Spanish language is the primary ingredient of Latino culture, its cuisine has to be the second. Here are a couple of new tales, and one from the backlist, that focus on foods from Latino culture:

ARGUETA, Jorge. Guacamole: Un poema para cocinar/Guacamole: A Cooking Poem. tr. by Elisa Amado. illus. by Margarita Sada. (Cooking Poems Series) Groundwood/Tigrillo. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-133-5.
PreS-Gr 3–In this third book in the series from Argueta, a young girl makes guacamole in a joyful, fanciful, imaginative narrative. A liberal dash of similes makes the poetry sing. However, the most unique thing about this book is the way that Sada’s illustrations change perspective as the story progresses, showing the children smaller than the avocado itself. The magical realism of the children playing in and on the avocado make this book all about finding magic and wonder in the everyday. Kids reading the book can easily follow along and make guacamole themselves with the recipe that is provided at the end. Argueta’s previous two cooking poem books, Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding (2010) and Sopa de frijoles/Bean Soup (2009, both Groundwood) should also be part of your collection.

DE ANDA, Diane. A Day Without Sugar/Un día sin azucar. illus. by Janet Montecalvo. Piñata. 2012. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5702-5.
Gr 1-4–Given that diabetes is a significant problem in the Latino community, this book is recommended even though it exists almost entirely to teach a lesson. And that lesson is that excess sugar is not healthy. Tito, who is 10, realizes that he is at risk, as he has older relatives who have diabetes. So while staying with his cousins at his aunt’s house, Tito tries to go an entire day without sugar. He and his cousins make it a game, finding the hidden sugar in products they didn’t realize contained it. They discover that they can make substitutions and have delicious food even if sugar is not added.

MAZE, Stephanie, ed. Healthy Foods from A to Z/Comida sana de la A a la Z. illus. by Renée Comet. Moonstone. Sept. 2012. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-9834-9831-5.
PreS-Gr 4–This delightful book is illustrated with photographs of healthy food, and on each page the photographer uses the foods to create a healthy food face. The names of the foods are provided in Spanish with English translations below in parentheses. This title is particularly helpful in that it includes suggestions for making your own healthy food faces, along with other projects. There is also supplemental information for parents about the nutritutional benefits of the foods depicted.

KETTEMAN, Helen. Señorita Gordita. illus. by Will Terry. Albert Whitman. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-7302-0.
PreS-Gr 2–In a book that combines food and folktales, the Little Gingerbread Boy is transported to the American Southwest. He also receives a gender and cuisine switch to become a thick, fried, corn masa tortilla known as Señorita Gordita, who escapes numerous desert predators until she is tricked by an owl sitting atop a saguaro cactus. Terry’s illustrations emphasize the menacing nature of critters such as Araña, the spider, along with a snake and a scorpion.

RUIZ-FLORES, Lupe. Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las aguas frescas de Alicia. tr. by Gabriela Baeza Ventura. illus. by Laura Lacámara. Piñata. 2012. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5705-6.
K-Gr 4–Alicia attends a fiesta where she learns about aguas frescas, or smoothies, and asks her mother if they can try them at home. They do, using a blender that makes the drinks slightly different from what she had experienced at the fiesta. When Alicia learns that one of her friends on her soccer team has diabetes, she invites the entire team to her house for healthy, no-sugar-added aguas frescas. The book lacks a recipe, but the illustrations make you want to grab whatever fruit you have available and fire up the blender right away! This book will pair well with A Day Without Sugar/Un día sin azucar.

VAMOS, Samantha R. The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred. illus. by Rafael López. Charlesbridge. 2011. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5808-9242-1.
PreS-Gr 1–This colorful title is a winner of a Pura Belpré Honor award for illustration. Its fresh take on the rhyme “The House That Jack Built” chronicles the making of a delicious pot of arroz con leche, or rice pudding, in which all of the farm animals from the hen to the goat to the burro find a way to contribute. What really makes this a standout is López’s signature acrylic illustrations. A recipe is included.

Activity ideas: Of course the most obvious, and certainly most delicious, activity to do along with these books is to make some food. The easiest would be to make guacamole from the recipe in Argueta’s book, and serve it with chips. You might also want to make fruit smoothies after reading Alicia’s Fruity Drinks. Healthy Foods from A to Z provides lots of activity ideas appropriate for libraries such as creating bracelets with whole wheat noodles, or using potatoes or jicama to carve a stamp design, and then dipping them in paint to print the design on paper.

Folktales

Here are three new essential titles that celebrate the rich traditions of Latino folktales:

BERNIER-GRANDE, Carmen T., retel. Our Lady of Guadalupe. illus. by Tonya Engel. Amazon. 2012. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6135-7.
K-Gr 3–One of Mexico’s most beloved folktales is treated both reverently and poetically in this retelling. Bernier-Grand’s rich language captures the humility of Juan Diego, who when he first see’s the Virgin Mary states “I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, a tail end, a leaf.” The muted illustrations capture a folkloric feel perfectly suited to the tone of the story.

COFER, Judith Ortiz. La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas latinas/Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales. Piñata. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5743-8.
Gr 4-6–Pura Belpré-winner Judith Ortiz Cofer presents a bilingual book of Latino folktales about animals. This book is formatted with the English and Spanish versions of the tales on opposite sides rather than on opposing pages of a spread, you simply flip the book over to read the tales in the other language. These tales show the tables getting turned on animals, whether it is a pair of arrogant starving lions whose plot to cook a goat gets turned back on them, or a group of mice that bury a cat as a gesture of goodwill, only to find that the cat might not be dead. Also included are stories about a tiny ant that assists an elderly couple in saving their garden and a parrot who loves sausages.

HAYES, Joe, retel. The Coyote Under the Table/El coyote debajo de la mesa. tr. by reteller. illus. by Antonio Castro L. Cinco Puntos. 2011. RTE $19.95. ISBN 978-1-9359-5521-4; pap. $12.95 ISBN 978-1-9359-5506-1.
Gr 2-6–This bilingual collection of stories is one that storytellers will want to come back to again and again. The title story has a dog that makes friends with his former mortal enemy, Coyote. The old dog is about to be put down by his masters who think he is no longer useful. But Coyote has a plan for him to prove his worth, and the dog is later able to repay the favor. Some of these stories have visible roots in European folklore, but they are all distinctly Hispanic. There is a version of “Puss in Boots” in which Gato Pinto, a spotted cat, saves a young man from the jealous treachery of his brothers. In another, a boy gets the power to turn into an ant, an eagle, and a lion, and uses the power to rescue a fair maiden. Hayes has perfected his storyteller’s voice, and the words flow on the page just as if you were hearing the story in person. The Spanish translation is equally readable and tellable for that matter. The illustrations by Castro L. find the most memorable moments in the story and bring them to life with a feeling of action and delightul (and sometimes hilarious) facial expressions. Hayes includes source notes that provide helpful information about the provenance of these tales and the changes that he made in his retellings.

Activity Idea: The thing that makes Hayes’s tales such a gift for teachers and librarians is that they are easy to learn, memorize, and tell on your own. And just as he has made these stories his own, librarians can make them their own. Being a programming librarian working with children means that you are constantly searching for material. Hayes’s books provide that material. You can also have children learn the stories and tell them to the group as well. Check out his other books, such as The Day it Snowed Tortillas (Cinco Puntos, 2003).

*It is necessary to acknowledge the difficulty of presenting an overtly religious tale such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in school and public library settings. This is a challenge with Latino folklore, as many of the folktales have religious roots. Use your best judgment based on your community when sharing these stories.

Family

Latino culture values family, particularly extended family, and ancestors who have passed on as well through celebrations such as El día de los muertos or Day of the Dead. The following books celebrate families in the community, aunts, mother/daughter relationships, and the pain of being separated from family, and the joy of being reunited. These are all universal issues, but each of these titles has a unique cultural perspective.

DORROS, Arthur. Mamá and Me. illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. HarperCollins/Rayo. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-0605-8160-2; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-058161-9.
PreS-Gr 3–Dorros’s book is an ode to a relationship between a mother and her daughter, told in English with a smattering of Spanish. The child wants to do things by herself but she also recognizes the need for help from her mother. Gutierrez’s stylized illustrations capture both the contemporary aspect of the story, while incorporating Latino design traditions.

GONZALES BERTRAND, Diane. The Park Our Town Built/El parque que nuestro pueblo construyó . illus. By Tanja Bauerle. Raven Tree. 2011. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-9362-9914-0.
PreS-Gr 2–In this book, multiple families band together to make their community a better place. Gonzales Bertrand has come up with a unique and clever way to use the “The House That Jack Built” trope as a way to create a successful bilingual story. As the things needed to build the park come together, they are first introduced in English, but when they are repeated the words are Spanish. The conceit works wonderfully, and is supported by a bilingual vocabulary page at the end. Many of the same themes appear in Gonzales Bertrand’s Family, Familia (Piñata, 1999).

MEDINA, Meg. Tía Isa quiere un carro. illus. by Claudio Muñoz. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6129-8; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5751-2.
PreS-Gr 2–Aunt Isa wants a car so she can drive her niece to the beach. This story, narrated by the unnamed niece, is not just about Aunt Isa achieving her dreams, but is also about the dreams of immigrant families who are often separated for financial reasons, working until they can be together again. A lovely book that speaks to the emotional experience of immigration.

COLÓN, Edie. Good-bye, Havana! Hola, Nueva York! illus. By Raúl Colón. S & S. 2011. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0674-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3484-4.
PreS-Gr 3–Edie Colón’s autobiographical story of coming to the Bronx as a girl is a moving account of Castro’s Cuban revolution and the immigrant experience through the eyes of a child. Raúl Colón’s illustrations are the highlight here, his distinctive watercolor and pencil style perfectly conveys the wonder of seeing the New York City for the first time, and the warmth of being reunited with family.

Activity idea: Invite a relative of one of the children who was not born in the United States to come and speak with the children about their immigrant experience.

Tim Wadham is the director of the City of Puyallup Public Library in Washington State. He is the author of Programming with Latino Children’s Materials: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians (1999) and Libros Esenciales: Building, Marketing, and Programming a Core Collection of Spanish Language Children’s Materials (2006, both Neal-Schuman).

Illustration by David Flaherty

Principals value their librarians. They also want them to be more visible leaders.

Those are just two of the interesting findings from a recent survey of 102 media specialists and 67 principals. In fact, 90 percent of the administrators that we surveyed think we have a positive impact in schools—and a large number also feel that our jobs are important. That’s great news, considering only 65 percent of librarians in the study thought their bosses would recognize the valuable role we play.

Tech respect

When asked about our tech contributions, not only did 90 percent of principals say that we encourage its use, they also ranked dealing with technology as one of the top 10 important tasks that we perform. In fact, our bosses highlighted three technology-related activities—sharing our tech expertise with students and teachers, offering tech leadership, and providing tech equipment—as being among our most important job functions.

“The evolution of the ‘library’ into the ‘media/technology’ center is a reality,” says one administrator. “The librarian needs to be current on new and emerging technologies, and assist others in their use.” Another explained that our “teachers are not technology literate, but the librarian is doing her best to change that problem.”

One principal even went as far as to say that technology and the library go hand-in-hand. “As the information landscape continues to evolve, the librarian is the rudder guiding the school toward the new or unknown, while at the same time melding ethical use and appropriate application in the school environment as well as life outside of school.”

Not surprisingly, we’re keenly aware of the crucial role that technology plays in our professional lives—and we like being called the “tech expert.” Some 95 percent of media specialists surveyed agree, or strongly agree, that technology is an essential component of our work, with one librarian saying it was “vital” to her library and another saying she pushes it all the time.

“Technology is my baby! I infuse it into each lesson,” says one respondent who’s also part of her district’s tech team and offers tech training to her colleagues in newsletters and emails. “I present with it and teach it. It hooks the students and the staff.”

Every librarian who responded to the survey said they embrace and encourage technology in their schools, with many adding that they’re one of the few people in the building who are up to date on the latest and greatest technology available, in addition to having in-depth knowledge of web design, prezis, wikis, blogs, and the hottest educational apps.

While some media specialists—especially the veterans—admit to fearing technology at times, they say they still push themselves to help teachers see its value and how it’ll make learning easier in the long run. Several, for example, mentioned getting creative with their Kindle Fires and iPads to teach students about online resources. The only negative comments were about funding—or more specifically, the lack of it—for keeping up with the fast-paced tech evolution.

What are other areas of our jobs that scored high with our bosses? The bulk, 93 percent, strongly agree that we’re helpful in “reinforcing concepts learned in the classroom” and that we assist teachers by making resources available. Plus, 90 percent of administrators think our rooms are inviting. Meanwhile, 90 percent also feel our professional development efforts with teaching colleagues are effective. This is an area of opportunity for librarians: as more than half of librarians surveyed report working with teachers on a one-on-one basis, and express a desire to do more professional development and collaboration in the future.

The big disconnect

Of course, there are areas where school librarians and their principals simply don’t see eye to eye. One that stands out has to do with the promotion of recreational reading. A whopping 98.4 percent of librarians agree—and 81.3 percent strongly agree—that they encourage reading for pleasure, which, according to researcher Stephen Krashen, “is the major source of our reading competence, our vocabulary, and our ability to handle complex grammatical constructions.” Simply put, those who read more show superior literacy development, and as Krashen explains, literacy and language growth are “clearly attributable to free reading.”

Yet only 48.8 percent of principals strongly agree that the librarian encourages recreational reading. It’s quite possible that the question was misunderstood, or that of more concern, principals just don’t understand that it’s a significant—and important—part of what we do each day.

This may help explain another disparity we uncovered: when asked to list the activities that librarians perform daily, media specialists provided a list that exceeded 100 tasks. On the other hand, principals listed 20 items, which, when we eliminated redundancies, were narrowed down to a mere 10. The good news is that both pretty much agree that the top tasks performed by librarians include helping students to access books and information, teaching students and teachers research and tech skills, and collaborating with teachers.

Looking for leaders

So why do so many librarians complain about not feeling the love? Our survey found that some of the negative stereotypes that we’ve been fighting all these years still persist. A lot of principals continue to view librarians as unfriendly shushers who are more concerned with keeping their books in order than encouraging kids to read. One administrator said that courtesy and customer service were important but lacking in his librarian, with another adding that a smile wouldn’t hurt. And when asked to identify the visible leaders in their schools, most of our bosses simply don’t think of us. Only 24.4 percent of administrators view media specialists as visible leaders. And the sad news is that we agree. When posed the same question, only 28 percent of school librarians say they strongly see themselves in a leadership role.

A very likely explanation is that school librarians don’t feel comfortable labeling themselves as leaders—but it doesn’t mean they’re not acting like ones, says Marcia Mardis, associate director of the Partnerships Advancing Library Media (PALM) Center at Florida State University. “Leaders are as leaders do.”

Mardis makes an interesting point. As our survey shows, media specialists perform dozens of tasks each day, but they don’t necessarily feel the need to stand up and shout about it to the world. Some feel that librarians would have taken district-level or managerial jobs if they wanted to be identified as leaders in the traditional sense of the word.

“Labeling yourself a leader can require a lot of chutzpah in an environment that very clearly labels its leaders as principals, assistant principals, and curriculum directors,” explains Mardis. “To stand in the face of that formal recognition and say, ‘I am a leader, too—even if you don’t call me one’ is a professional risk. It’s much less professional risk to act like a leader than it is to call yourself a leader.”

We’re trying to overcome this exact problem with our MLS students at Sam Houston State University, where I train teachers to become school librarians. When asked to rate themselves on key areas that are important to the role of a media specialist, my students consistently rank themselves low in leadership potential and high in the areas of literature expertise, tech ability, library administration, and teaching. Since these future librarians don’t seem to know how to lead—or don’t have a natural affinity for it—our faculty has developed several assignments to teach them how to lead through collaboration, by providing training, teaching technology, and by encouraging them to be the go-to person in the school and community. We’re even teaming up with our school administration department to offer a Ph.D. program in school administration, with an emphasis on library science. By training our students to lead before they enter the media center, we hope these future school librarians will consider leadership and advocacy as important as ordering books and teaching kids how to do research.

Indeed, formidable obstacles to leadership exist in the real world. While many librarians who were surveyed say that they feel like visible leaders with their students and want to be leaders outside the library, it’s a different story when it comes to standing out among their teaching peers. The roadblocks range from fear of rocking the boat and being spread too thinly among different schools to jealousy from classroom teachers and a lack of support from administrators.

“I have been an advocate in my district, which has earned me a few gray hairs due to the lack of interest,” says one respondent. Another says she’s never invited to faculty meetings, despite raising repeated requests to her administrator. “It’s hard to be a visible anything—let alone leader—when you aren’t even seen.”

Lisa Hunt, a media specialist at Apple Creek Elementary in Moore, OK, concurs. “The first year my principal arrived, she rarely came into the library. It soon became clear that she not only thought I wasn’t leadership material, she wanted to ignore my existence.”

One high school librarian in rural Alabama says she wasn’t even allowed to accept an invitation from a student to a banquet honoring academic excellence among the top 10 seniors at her school because “my principal said, ‘No, she’s not a teacher.’”

Lorraine Calabrese, an elementary school librarian with the Northgate School District in Pittsburgh, PA, inherited both the legacy of a former librarian who possessed few leadership qualities and the difficulty of splitting her time between two buildings. “I have two schools, two principals, often with very different styles of management,” she says. “I have my hands tied somewhat by teaching seven out of nine periods a day. Students are dropped at the door, [and I’m] lucky if I see the teacher. When technology came in, I grabbed the chance to be a leader and was… until they hired a technology teacher.”

Taking the lead

Although most administrators don’t see us often taking the lead, about 50 percent of respondents say they’re receptive—and in favor—of the idea. And while some media specialists say they’re waiting for an invitation to lead from their principals, a majority of administrators say librarians should take the initiative themselves.

“This position is the best of both worlds,” wrote one principal. “Students work in project-based learning environments without the threat of failure in the library, and actually, failure in the library is incentive alone to continue learning.” Meanwhile, another administrator said, “An effective librarian could be as important as an effective principal, given his/her ability to impact teaching and learning in the school.”

At the same time, almost all librarians agree that achieving success without their principal’s backing is impossible. “It is vital,” says Gerri Ellner Krim, a media specialist at Brooklyn Collegiate in New York and a 2007 winner of the School Library Journal/Thomson Gale Giant Step Award for the most improved library.

What advice do librarians who consider themselves leaders have to offer? Advocacy ranks at the top of the list for all of them—and it can come with huge payoffs. Alice Yucht, a retired school librarian and the creator of the widely read Alice in Infoland blog, describes the need to be “assertively courteous” by offering timely and useful resources to teachers and administrators. But she cautions against complaining. “Always be positive, even if you have to fake it,” she says, adding that it’s important to promote the library, not yourself—and to know the difference between promotion and advocacy. “You cannot self-advocate. You need to create satisfied customers and users who will then advocate for the library.”

Learning the language of administrators and even dressing like them was key for Rose Luna, a librarian at New York’s Freeport High School. “When you wear a suit, people perceive you a certain way. If you’re wearing a holiday sweater with a pumpkin on it, you aren’t going to be perceived as a leader or as a part of the leadership tribe.”

After giving numerous presentations and workshops to teachers, parents, and other community members—sometimes on weekends and after school—Margaux DelGuidice, a librarian at Garden City High School in New York, says she and her co-librarian were asked by their superintendent to present at a Superintendent’s Cabinet Meeting to administrators from across Long Island. The topic was a librarian’s dream: the importance of a research curriculum and the link between school librarians, research skills, and the Common Core Standards.

For Pamela Jackson, a teacher-librarian at East Wake High School in Wendell, NC, social media played a big role in her success. “I’ve Twittered with educators globally for over three years, and this has led to exponential professional growth,” she says. “I’ve participated in numerous free online webinars, boot camps, edchats, virtual cafes, classroom 2.0, and unconferences. I’ve attended board meetings, advocating for librarians, information literacy, and student success; and I’ve shared with business leaders what librarians do.”

The best advice that Maureen Schlosser offers is to attend every meeting possible, especially the ones at grade level. “Bring to every meeting some little tidbit from the library, whether it’s a great book that will support a lesson, or a website that will help teachers or administrators in some way,” says the librarian at Colchester Elementary School in Connecticut. “When presenting the tidbits, think of it as a quick commercial, and you are the star of the commercial, and the cameras are rolling. If the audience sees you excited about whatever it is you are bringing to the table, they can’t help but be excited, too. Especially when they see that you truly want to help support what they work so hard at doing every day. Who wouldn’t appreciate help?”

Schlosser also says to stay current. “Read all of the current information out there about what is new and relevant. Go to any classes or workshops that will not only help you in the library, but also teachers in the classroom.”

She routinely follows “revolutionary” librarians such as Joyce Valenza, Michelle Luhtala, Buffy Hamilton, and Gweneth Jones on Twitter to see what they’re doing.

“With the Common Core being implemented next year, you can’t help but see library media skills written all over those standards,” says Schlosser, explaining that her goal last year was to team up with her school’s ed-tech teachers on lessons using the Common Core Crosswalk and the Inquiry Model developed by Barbara Stripling, the former head of school libraries for the New York City Department of Education, and to share the lessons with everyone. “Because of our efforts, our administrators are asking all social studies teachers to work with school librarians on research projects.”

Nicole Knott, a media specialist at Connecticut’s Watertown High School, sums it up best. “If you promote the image of the media center as the hub of the school—for staff, students, and the community at large—it will inevitably become such, and the person in charge of such a vital place is bound to be sought out as a leader.”

If the pundits and talking heads are to be believed, politics in America is dirty business. Lobbying, partisanship, pork-barrel spending, and mudslinging make up no small part of it. There is much more to politics, though. Beneath the necrotic layers of scandal and corruption are the birth-bright essentials of policy, governance, civics, and people. This collection of books, websites, and films attests to that with content, style, and format that are ideal for children and teens.

Using poetry, humor, history, science, fact, and fancy, these titles engage, enlighten, entertain, and inspire. In addition, new and archival photographs and stylistically diverse original paintings and drawings interpret and complement the texts with flair and vitality. Among these materials, a long-dead president enjoys a new sort of life thanks to a committed and creative group of scientists and historians; a camping trip inspires new laws, and a set of dusty paper dolls rekindles memories of White House life long ago. In short, politics is fleshed out in details that make it human and personal.

Presidents Are People Too

CALKHOVEN, Laurie. I Grew Up to Be President. illus. by Rebecca Zomchek. Scholastic. 2011. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-545-33152-4.
K-Gr 5–In this Washington-to-Obama collective biography, Calkhoven provides readers with succinct, cheerful accounts of presidential lives. The vital stats are here as well as facts that are strange, humorous, and, most of all, humanizing. Zomchek’s stylish presentation juxtaposes presidential portraits with clever drawings of the presidents as boys. Informative and engaging.

JURMAIN, Suzanne Tripp. Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud. illus. by Larry Day. Dutton. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-525-47903-1.
Gr 2-5–“Different as pickles and ice cream,” Adams and Jefferson were America’s original odd couple. Keeping the tone light, Jurmain explains why these close friends became enemies over the Constitution. Finely detailed watercolor illustrations are historically accurate with a little fun thrown in. 99 percent history + 1 percent whimsy = 100 percent awesomeness. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

KALMAN, Maira. Looking at Lincoln. illus. by author. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-24039-3.
Gr 2-5–Bold, emotionally resonant paintings flesh out the bare-bones account of Lincoln’s life in this unusual and lovely homage. Kalman pairs facts with kindly guesses about Lincoln’s thoughts on nicknames, dessert, and birthday presents. Somber reflections on war, slavery, and death are also included.

KATZ, Susan. The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems about the Presidents. illus. by Robert Neubecker. Clarion. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-18221-6; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-67783-5.
Gr 1-4–All 43 commanders-in-chief receive an individual poetic dousing in this lighthearted romp through our leaders’ foibles, gaffes, embarrassments, and other unusual biographical details. Colorful, kinetic illustrations complement the spunky collection, and a brief explanatory note is appended to each poem. A fun supplement or lead-in to presidential biographies.

KERLEY, Barbara. Those Rebels, John and Tom. illus. by Edwin Fotheringham. Scholastic. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-22268-6.
Gr 2-5–This playful account shows how Adams’s and Jefferson’s opposing temperaments and talents were the winning combination to spur a recalcitrant congress into action and an ornery king into acquiescence. The illustrator toys with proportion and realism, filling the book with sight gags that interpret the text with wit and flair.

KRULL, Kathleen & Paul Brewer. Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country). illus. by Stacy Innerst. Harcourt. 2010. RTE. $17.ISBN 978-0-15-206639-0; ebook $17. ISBN 978-0-54-777019-2.
Gr 2-4–Lincoln faced enormous challenges personally and politically. In this readable biography, the authors complement key events with quips that demonstrate his keen sense of humor and love of language. Exaggerated acrylic illustrations match the folksy tone, while thick, slightly uneven brushstrokes add a timeworn appearance.

MCCLAFFERTY, Carla Killough. The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon. Carolrhoda. 2011. RTE $20.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-5608-0; ebook $15.71. ISBN 978-0-7613-7157-1.
Gr 6 Up–Blending science and history, McClafferty describes how professionals from several fields created three life-size models of Washington as he looked when he was a surveyor (age 19), an army general (age 45), and U.S. President (age 57). Dozens of color photographs document the process. Corresponding facts about Washington’s life flesh out the illuminating narrative.

MCNAMARA, Margaret. George Washington’s Birthday: A Mostly True Tale. illus. by Barry Blitt. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks, 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84499-7; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94458-1.
Gr 1-4–Young George wakes up on the morning of his seventh birthday expecting but receiving no special notice from his family. As the tall tale plays out, McNamara includes elegantly trimmed sidebars with information confirming or supplanting events presented in the story. The watercolor illustrations, a blend of whimsy and realism, provide a perfect balance.

NATIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOK AND LITERACY ALLIANCE. Our White House: Looking in, Looking Out. illus. Candlewick. 2008. RTE $29.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2067-7; pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4609-7.
Gr 3-8–More than 100 children’s and YA authors and illustrators add their voices to those of presidents and First Ladies to illuminate the history of the White House, past and present. Through poems, stories, memoirs, conversations, and colorful full-page illustrations, everyday life and special occasions are made vivid and compelling.

RHATIGAN, Joe. White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pratfalls of the Presidents’ Children. illus. by Jay Shinn. Charlesbridge. 2012. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-936140-80-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-60734-472-8.
Gr 4-5–Iconic red, white, and blue graphics—archival photos and colorful original drawings—combine with anecdotes that recount life in the spotlight, the White House as a playground, and the pros and cons of growing up there. Impeccably researched, informative, and fun.

SMITH, Lane. John, Paul, George, & Ben. illus. by author. Hyperion. 2006. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-4893-5.
Gr 2-5–Smith spins a few outlandish backstories for some of America’s founding fathers. Why was Paul Revere so good at yelling? What did Ben Franklin’s friends think of his pithy sayings? Pen-and-ink drawings combine with collage to create appropriately zany illustrations. DVD and audio version available from Weston Woods.

TOWNSEND, Michael. Where Do Presidents Come From? And Other Presidential Stuff of Super Great Importance. Dial. Sept. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-803-73748-8.
Gr 2-5–Vibrant cartoons and a steady stream of visual and verbal jokes enliven the text in this graphic novel that describes the origin of the American presidency, how the president is elected, what the job entails, the function of the White House, and life for the men once their terms are up.

WALTON, Rick. Mr. President Goes to School. illus. by Brad Sneed. Peachtree. 2010. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-538-6.
K-Gr 3–Feeling beleaguered, Mr. President sneaks into his old kindergarten teacher’s class for a break where he plays, sings, and enjoys a snack of milk and cookies. Could these rediscovered joys be the key to negotiating a meeting between feuding world leaders? Colorful pencil and watercolor illustrations are fittingly buoyant.

You Don’t Have to Be President to Get Involved

ARETHA, David. No Compromise: The Story of Harvey Milk. Morgan Reynolds. 2009. PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-59935-129-2.
Gr 7 Up–Concise and unbiased, this biography describes how Milk’s early discomfiture about his homosexuality shaped his ultimate leadership in civil rights and politics. Photos, mostly black-and-white, complement the text as they show Milk’s transformation from an awkward kid to an influential and controversial activist and politician.

BLUMENTHAL, Karen. Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America. S & S/Atheneum. 2005. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-689-85957-1.
Gr 7 Up–A lively history recounts the fight for and subsequent passage of the law that made it officially okay for girls to play organized sports. Well-researched and engaging, this account demonstrates what can happen when enough people work together to incite political and social change, even if it means plowing under centuries of entrenched status quo. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

BRUEL, Nick. Bad Kitty for President. illus. by author. Roaring Book. 2012. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-669-5; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-2500-101-6-2.
Gr 2-4–Bad Kitty is running for president of the Neighborhood Cat Club. It’s up to the narrator to educate the candidate about primaries, endorsements, campaigning, ethics, ads, debates, and voting. Bruel squeezes in lots of sound facts as Bad Kitty turns every election expectation on its head, while his integral black-and-white drawings are wittily expressive.

CLARK, Catherine. How Not to Run for President. Egmont USA. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-101-3; ebook $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-302-4.
Gr 5-8–When a 12-year-old kid from Ohio saves the life of a presidential candidate, he finds himself swept up in a political blitz of campaigning and TV appearances. Events take an even more interesting turn when Aaron is asked to run as vice president. An entertaining and plausible read about national and local politics from a child’s point of view.

DIPUCCHIO, Kelly. Grace for President. illus. by LeUyen Pham. Hyperion. 2008. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-3919-3.
Gr 2-5–When eager Grace Campbell vies with super-student Thomas Cobb for class president, the children learn how the electoral college works. While Thomas does little during the campaign, Grace embarks on a school-wide tour winning over voters with her can-do attitude and kindness. Full-color, animated illustrations add polish and pep.

FITZGERALD, Dawn. Soccer Chick Rules. Roaring Brook. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-596-43137-9; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-312-37662-8.
Gr 5-8–Middle-school student Tess is passionate about soccer. When budget cuts threaten her school’s sports program, she spearheads a movement to encourage voters to support a levy that would provide funding. Adolescent high jinks, sibling antagonism, and soccer details will resonate with young readers, while political activism adds an ennobling, but never preachy, dimension.

FRITZ, Jean. Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider. illus. by Ian Schoenherr. Putnam. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25546-5; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-142-41986-1; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-1-101-47535-5.
Gr 5-9–Ambitious and intelligent, Hamilton lived under a cloud of suspicion due in large part to his irregular, turbulent youth. In this riveting biography, details of his military and political prowess blend with descriptions of colonial culture. Occasional, visually engaging black-and-white images enhance the text.

LUBLIN, Nancy, Vanessa Martir & Julia Steers. Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists. Workman. 2010. ebook $13.95. ISBN 978-0-761-15747-2.
Gr 9 Up–Young readers are encouraged to pick a passion and act on it. Suggested causes include poverty, disaster relief, and health. Project ideas, checklists, and advice help teens figure out their areas of interest and strengths; fill-in-the-blanks should not deter purchase. Activism now is the front door to politics (and policy change) later on.

MALASPINA, Ann. Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President. illus. by Steve James. Albert Whitman. Sept. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-3188-4.
Gr 2-5–“Outrageous. Unbelievable. True.” is the refrain in this stunning picture book about the uproar caused when Susan B. Anthony registered to vote and then actually voted. Word and image evoke the frisson of witnessing absurd injustice in a society that is veiled in modernity and culture. Incisive storytelling and luminous oil paintings make for a memorable, important read.

SMITH, Lane. Madam President. illus. by author. Hyperion. 2008. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-0846-7.
Gr 2-5–An ambitious little girl imagines what it would be like to be president of the United States. Her imperfect, egotistical understanding of presidential privilege is at once lightly educational and hilarious. Stylized collage illustrations offer detailed insight into the girl’s life and imagination. Audio version available from Weston Woods.

WINSTON, Sherri. President of the Whole Fifth Grade. Little, Brown. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-316-11432-5; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-316-11433-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12298-6.
Gr 3-5–Bright and friendly Brianna is a shoo-in for the office of president of the fifth grade until self-assured Jasmine moves to town. When she tries to undermine Brianna, Brianna must decide whether or not to respond in kind. The message is clear but not preachy. A light look at elementary-school shenanigans and politics.

WONG, Janet. Declaration of Interdependence: Poems for an Election Year. CreateSpace. 2012. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-468-19191-2.
Gr 6 Up–These 20 poems cover an election year from the viewpoint of a teen who is not old enough to vote. The lean, incisive verses explore tolerance, free speech, campaign ads, winning and losing, equality, and more. The authentic voice and evocative insight make this collection a great choice for readers’ theater.

Politics in Action

BURGAN, Michael. Political Parties. illus. by Charles Barnett III. (Cartoon Nation Series). Capstone. 2008. PLB $29.99. ISBN 978-1-4296-1334-7; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-4296-1782-6.
Gr 2-5–Tongue ensconced firmly in cheek, this book explains the formation and evolution of the major political parties in America. Dynamic comic-book art enlivens descriptions of the spoils system, the electoral college, party presses, and much more. Lively, funny, and accurate.

CLANTON, Ben. Vote for Me! illus. by author. Kids Can. 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-822-5.
K-Gr 2–Expressive line drawings and eye-catching red, white, and blue colors are the heart of this story. Elephant and Donkey (no actual mention of Republicans or Democrats) both want to win the election. Initially they woo readers with over-the-top compliments but descend quickly into juvenile mudslinging: “Booger Breath!” “Smellypants!” A surprise ending is just and satisfying.

FORD, Lynne E. Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. (Library of American History Series). Facts On File. 2008. PLB $85. ISBN 978-0-8160-5491-6.
Gr 9 Up–More than 500 thorough, readable accounts introduce the women and issues that have shaped political life in America. Suffrage, law, health, and education are all discused in this one-volume wonder. Biographical sketches cover a wide range of women, from First Ladies to political activists to Supreme Court justices. Alphabetically arranged and easy to use.

HENNESSEY, Jonathan. The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation. illus. by Aaron McConnell. Farrar. 2008. pap. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-809-09470-7.
Gr 5 Up–Hennessey explains each article and amendment in laypeople’s terms. The shadowy, surreal art depicts key moments in Constitutional history (trial of the Scottsboro boys, the Seneca Falls convention, etc.) and gives emotional weight to the straightforward analysis. Readers will want to have a copy of the full text of the Constitution handy.

HUDSON, David L. The Handy President’s Answer Book. 2nd. ed. (The Handy Answer Book Series). Visible Ink. 2011. pap. $21.95. ISBN 978-1-578-59317-0; ebook $18.95. ISBN 978-1-578-59360-6.
Gr 7 Up–Copious information is presented in a succinct question-and-answer format. Each president’s 7- to 10-page entry covers early life and family, career and political offices, administration and post presidency. A section on disputes and anomalies and another on presidential trivia round out this solid reference.

JULES, Jacqueline. Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation. illus. by Jef Czekaj. Charlesbridge. 2009. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-58089-189-9; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-58089-190-5.
Gr 2-5–Brimming with colorful, cartoon illustrations and simple text, this book uses the ubiquitous school play to describe the development of the U.S. Constitution. In a lighthearted but factual skit, kids act out the Convention’s high-stakes bid to govern 13 recalcitrant states. Historically sound, easy to understand, and fun.

MORRIS-LIPPMAN, Arlene. Presidential Races: Campaigning for the White House. (People’s History Series). Twenty-First Century. 2012. PLB $33.26. ISBN 978-0-7613-7395-7.
Gr 6-8–A revision of Presidential Races: The Battle for Power in the United States (2008), this title ushers readers through the most dramatic, influential, and pivotal elections. Political cartoons and photos complement the text. The most substantive revision is the inclusion of the race between McCain and Obama. That addition alone warrants purchase.

ROSENSTOCK, Barb. The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks. illus. by Mordecai Gerstein. Dial. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3710-5.
Gr 1-4–Brimming with fun and fact, this book recounts a 1903 camping trip in which Roosevelt asked Muir to convince him that conservation mattered. Soon after the trip, Roosevelt enacted legislation that marked the nascency of America’s national park system. Ink and watercolor illustrations, with a studied messiness, match the folksy tone of the text.

SCHANZER, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides. illus. by author. National Geographic. 2004. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7922-7349-3; PLB $25.90. ISBN 978-0-7922-6999-1; pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0042-4.
Gr 4-8–To George Washington, King George III was a tyrant. To King George III, George Washington was a traitor. Gleaning from hundreds of sources to flesh out text and illustrations, Schanzer presents a vivid example of how there are two sides to every story—a fact that is easy to overlook in politics. Well told and gorgeously illustrated.

TROY, Gil, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. & Fred L. Israel, eds. 3 vols. History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008. 4th ed. Facts On File. 2011. PLB $225. ISBN 978-0-8160-8220-9.
Gr 10 Up–Accurate, thorough, and organized, this three-volume set provides overview, analysis, and a time line for every presidential election in America. Included are candidates, results, campaign methods, key issues and events, legacy of campaign, and more. Designed for the layperson with a deep interest in presidential politics, this is a first-rate reference.

Jennifer S. Prince is a Youth Services Librarian at Buncombe County Public Libraries, Asheville, NC.

Illustration by Travis Jonker; Photography by Craig van der Lende.

Last year, we rolled out an ereader lending program in my fifth and sixth grade school library, and I plan to share here the ups, downs, and what-to-look-out-fors we encountered along the way. We’ll talk planning and implementation of the program—but first, a bit of background. Let’s hop into the librarian time machine (fashioned from an old card catalog I found on Etsy) and go back to August 2011….

Background

Each year, my school district offers an Innovation Grant to employees. Teachers interested in implementing a project, using unique or innovative components and with the goal of benefiting students, are encouraged to apply. For my secondary school colleague Amy Huyck and me, an ereader lending program was a no-brainer. Our reasons were these:

• It would allow all students access to this fast-growing form of technology, especially those who would not otherwise have access due to socioeconomic status.

• It would generate excitement for reading. A bit of hype never hurt, right?

• Ereader features (adjustable fonts, highlighting, note-taking) would benefit all students, and particularly those with visual impairments.

• Other schools were seeing positive reactions to their ereader programs.

We outlined these benefits in our program goals, put together a time line for reaching them, and sent the whole thing to the powers that be.

If this were a cooking show, this is where I’d put the grant application in the oven and pull out another application with the word APPROVED written on top. That was an exciting email to receive. Now might be a good time to mention that if you’re an educator looking for grant opportunities, FableVision has a nice list you can subscribe to for free.

The grant allowed us to purchase 10 ereaders, warranties, cases, and a selection of ebooks to spread among our fifth and sixth grade and middle and high school. I would have three devices under my watch. While this isn’t a huge number, it gave us the chance to get a handle on things before expanding the program.

Planning

Let’s move on to a headline: “Ownership of E-Readers, Tablets Almost Doubles in One Month.” Last holiday season, in the span of 30 days, we went from 10 percent of the population to 19 percent of the population owning some form of ereader. The digital reading explosion is staggering to consider. If the whole “ebooks eliminate cover shame” thing is true, the time to get into the trashy romance novel biz is now.

OK, so you’re feeling like you’re ready. You want to start offering ereaders to students. First, some things to think about.

Research

• Georgia school librarian Buffy Hamilton has been sharing her valuable ereader program insights on her blog: Here and here.

• ALA Techsource posted the slides from an excellent webinar on ebooks in K–12 libraries (hosted by the aforementioned Buffy Hamilton)

• School Library Journal published Audrey Watters’s article titled “The Truth About Tablets.” For my money, it’s a must-read on the topic.

• No Shelf Required 2 (edited by Sue Polanka, ALA Editions) is also an excellent way to learn more.

Grade levels

Before beginning an ereader program, you should ask yourself which grade levels the program is for. I work in a district where grades are grouped by building, so I have a K–2, a 3–4, and a 5–6 school. Considering the limitations of the device, the cost, and the intended use, it seemed like beginning with fifth and sixth graders was the place to start, along with middle school and high school students.

Cost

When looking at a program dependent on electronic devices, dollars and cents immediately come into play. If no grant opportunities are working out and your library budget is tight, write up a proposal and submit it to your administration. Those looking to stay current may be willing to fund your program.

The beauty is, the prices of standard ereaders are coming down so quickly, cost is fast becoming a nonissue. Folks are already wondering if the Kindle will be free in the near future. For a while, Nook was free with the purchase of a digital subscription to the New York Times.

Basically, the day is fast approaching when you’ll be getting ereaders as junk mail. “Not another ereader!” you’ll moan. A national Do Not Send Me an Ereader list will be created to fight off being bombarded by ereader-device spam in your mailbox.

But however you ante up the funds, don’t forget to factor in the following costs when budgeting:

Permission

We require a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian before checkout (email me for a copy of the one we use). From a school district standpoint, this is especially important if the device has Internet access (folks tend to get very permission-y when the Internet is involved). We’re circulating Nook Simple Touch ereaders, which don’t have an advertised web browser, diminishing this issue. Work with your school district technology director to see what’s acceptable. Permission slips can turn into legal jargon in a hurry, though, so push for clarity and brevity.

Accessibility

Before they started circulating, we made sure to turn on password protection for downloads. Each device is tied to a credit card, which makes it easy for an individual to order books but could be a problem when offering them for general checkout.

Once the ereader is checked out, where are students allowed to take them? Some options:

Teachers

Aside from individual students checking them out, another possibility is to load up some books for use in classrooms for literature circles. It’s likely if you did this you’d want to get enough to outfit a whole classroom. If one or two groups have ereaders and other groups do not, there could be mutiny.

But, which device to choose? (See “The Devices,” below)

Ebooks

So, with planning complete and the device chosen, now comes possibly the most important piece—what books to offer and how to get them on the devices?

For me, the trickiest part of the program is in the management of ebooks. If there’s one thing that would open up more libraries to lend ereaders, it would be a way to manage any number of devices from one account. Frustratingly, that’s not the current reality.

To manage devices individually, you need a separate account—with a unique email address—for each one. Should librarians really have to create shell email accounts just to offer Kindles or Nooks to eager students? The alternative—which we went with due to lack of a better solution—is one account for up to six ereaders, sharing books across all devices. Barnes & Noble does offer a “managed digital locker” program, but you need to purchase 25 or more devices to qualify and then have to work through B&N to manage the ebooks. Not ideal.

If appointed Ereader Czar, my first actions would be to eliminate Digital Rights Management (DRM) that blocks ebooks from working across platforms, and then demand that ereader makers offer the ability for users to manage all their devices from a single account.

Adding to the complexity are traditional book jobbers and publishers offering their own ereader platforms. Follett has Follett Shelf, Baker & Taylor has Axis360, and Mackin has VIA. All of these offer on-demand access to ebooks for iPads and other tablet computer-style ereaders. OverDrive, the popular public library ebook provider, also offers a school library solution—for a princely sum. My school district will be kicking off a 1:1 initiative this year at the middle school and high school level using iPads, and we are experimenting with Follett Shelf. It will be interesting to see how this affects the circulation of our traditional ereaders.

Looking at traditional ereaders like those we have, you can go a couple of ways with how you offer ebooks.

Something else to consider is giving students the ability to check out books from the public library on the device. This is an excellent way to strengthen the partnership between school and public libraries while also giving students more freedom in what they choose to read.

Whichever option you choose, one thing we realized early on is that we wouldn’t be able to track individual ebook checkouts on our Nooks— there just isn’t a good way to do it. Our approach is to catalog the device and not worry about which titles are being read. The ebook platforms I mentioned earlier (Follett Shelf, et al) do allow for ebook checkout data—another aspect to consider when creating your program.

In the wild

This is the best part—sending the ereaders out into the world. As permission slips came back and the wait list grew, it became clear that we needed more devices, so I added two, bringing our total to a larger yet still modest five ereaders. Be sure you don’t forget the hype. We set up a display in the library announcing the new program. I got on our school’s daily video newscast for our school and let students know how to sign up. We offered a stack of permission slips front and center, alongside a page showing the covers of all the books they would have access to.

It had to happen. About three weeks in, we had our first damage—the power port at the bottom of one ereader was broken, making it impossible to charge. With the protection plan, this was not a problem. I brought it to the nearest Barnes & Noble, explained what had happened, and left the store 10 minutes later with a replacement. It’s a beautiful thing when you expect a hassle and you are met with nothing but smooth sailing.

One trend we noticed was that the ereaders were in much higher demand in my fifth- and sixth-grade school than they were at the middle school or high school. We noticed that older students often already had ereaders.

After the first round of checkouts, we received some questions about how the things worked. We decided to create a simple, one-page how-to for students checking out ereaders. This helped to address student FAQs immediately.

We made the executive decision to not circulate power plugs. With a one-week checkout, battery life has held up—and in cases where it didn’t, students could bring the device to the library for a couple of hours during the school day to top it off. Just be sure to do a full recharge before sending the device out again.

Looking back on the year, I know a couple of things. I know the goals we outlined in our grant application—providing access, generating excitement, and offering a more customizable reading experience—were all met. I know we encountered more difficult decisions than anticipated. I also know we’ll be looking to expand to lower grade levels this coming school year. A modest beginning is still a beginning. I’m glad we started.

This article, modified from a series of posts on Travis Jonker’s blog 100 Scope Notes is just a glimpse of the smart thinking Jonker shares there. We’re pleased to announce that Jonker and 100 Scope Notes will be joining SLJ’s blog network, which includes A Fuse #8 Production by Elizabeth Bird and Joyce Valenza’s NeverEndindSearch. Coming soon!