The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
Cartoonists Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd always seem to have something fun going on at Kids’ Comics Revolution! blog—which features podcasts, tips on creating sound balloons, and visual storytelling. Now is an especially good time to drop in for a visit. Drozd has just launched an online book club that’s devoted to Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl (First Second, 2011), the tale of a young explorer whose best friend has been abducted by a space alien.
When it comes to changing the world, two titles—Girls Who Rocked the World and Boys Who Rocked the World—prove that it doesn’t matter how old you are. Now 20 lucky readers will have a chance to win signed hardcover copies of each title.
Remember reading about the Lubuto Library Project in SLJTeen’s July 11 issue? Now congratulations are in order— the project is among 32 winners of an All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development grant, a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Vision, and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).
Though our reviewer recommends Steven Arntson’s The Wrap-up List to teenage girls, I can vouch that it will also appeal to adults—especially with its references to classic reaper stories. If you’re looking for something with zombies or aliens, or just a sharp contemporary read, Bookmarked has some recommendations here as well. Read on.
SLJTeen’s sister newsletter, Curriculum Connections, recently ran a terrific article that’s perfect for high school seniors who are thinking about college—and for those of us who work with them. “The College Maze: From Application to Admission (And Beyond)” offers a comprehensive round-up of titles that college-bound students, as well as their parents, caregivers, and counselors, won’t want to miss.
The recommended list of books—which cover everything from choosing a major to guidance for students with disabilities—is bound to spark ideas for [...]
With the kick-off of a new school year comes the kick-off of football season. Sports activities fill our students’ days and nights with competition and energy. Thankfully, there are great new sports-themed books (football and more) to grab their attention even in the midst of strong opponents. You’ll note that all of these authors are big names in YA lit, which will help grab the attention of your tween and teen readers.
End of summer means less outside time, more indoor time, so make sure you have the latest video games on your shelves to share with your teen patrons. Our reviewers recommend Darksiders and NHL 13 as excellent distractions. And if you’ve been wondering what Pink has been up to, give a listen to The Truth About Love.
So, what’s the buzz on supporting online instruction?
Like many of you, several of our teachers started the new school year wanting to broaden the way they instruct their students. Here are a couple of examples of teachers who have successfully flipped their classrooms or used online techniques to give their students feedback.
On a recent trip to Portland, OR, I made sure to leave time to meet Jerry McGill, the author of Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me (iUniverse.com, 2009). I discovered this memoir a few years ago while browsing iUniverse, and now it’s a contender for the Alex Award, which honors books that have been written for adults but also have teen appeal. McGill was only 13 when he was shot in the back while walking home on New Year’s Eve, and the attack left him a quadriplegic. On a gorgeous late-summer day, much to my surprise, he rolled up to our meeting place under his own power, and joined me to talk about his book.
Perfectly pitched to fans of TV’s Glee and reality competition shows such as American Idol, The Voice, and X Factor, this musical comedy from Universal Studios opens nationally on October 5. Set in the fascinating—and surprisingly bodacious—world of collegiate a cappella singing, Pitch Perfect (PG-13) harmonizes crowd-pleasing acoustic production numbers with plenty of sassy and brassy girl-power attitude and ribald humor (hence the tagline—“Get Pitch Slapped”). The film is inspired by Mickey Rapkin’s nonfiction title, Pitch Perfect (Gotham, 2008; Gr 10 Up), which has been re-issued with an eye-catching movie-poster cover.
The public library is an information center providing resources that the community needs and wants. To know exactly what the community needs and wants the library relies on comment cards, conducts online surveys, and closely follows local issues and trends. But what if there are no customers to poll, no users for librarians to have a discussion with? This is exactly the situation that my library system is currently facing, because we are building a library where there has never been one (for many, many miles) and therefore there are no statistics, surveys, or discussions to base our collection, preliminary programming, or resource needs.
Two new titles from masters of YA lit are featured in this issue’s teen review column, and both get rave reviews. David Levithan’s Every Day is already available. Sorry you all have to wait so long for Cory Doctorow’s Homeland (Feb. 2013)—though if you want to hear him speak about his thoughts on technology, digital rights management and the internet, you can register now for The Digital Shift: Libraries, Ebooks and Beyond, a full day virtual event happening on October 17. The closing keynote, What We Talk About When We Talk About Copyright: The Internet is not a glorified cable TV system, to be delivered by Doctorow, is sure to have attendees cheering in the virtual aisles!
It’s here. Heavy Medal, SLJ’s mock Newbery blog, resumed September 4. Bloggers Nina Lindsay, supervising librarian for children’s services at Oakland (CA) Public Library, California and Jonathan Hunt, library media teacher for Modesto (CA) City Schools, return to discuss and debate potential titles in the running for this year’s Newbery Award. Bestowed annually by the American Library Association (ALA), the Award honors “the most distinguished American children’s book” of the year. This is the most fun you can have without [...]
Shannon Hale’s follow-up to Princess Academy, Palace of Stone picks up the story of Miri, a girl whose smarts and sense of fairness have just brought a new age of prosperity to Mount Eskel, a remote area of Danland. She’s also destined to serve the princess-in-waiting and her dear friend, Britta, who has recently sent for her to come to the royal city of Asland. I’m delighted that Shannon Hale will be visiting with her fans via a free live-stream event on October 1, sponsored by Bloomsbury Children’s Books (register here!), and that she took time to answer a few questions about her latest book.
Many attendees enjoyed the Classic Twists webcast during this year’s SummerTeen virtual event. Author/illustrator Sean Michael Wilson was a panelist on that presentation (still available for on-demand viewing!), and just got in touch with SLJTeen to announce that his latest title, The Book Of Five Rings, is now available —and Shambala Publications is giving away ten copies to SLJTeen readers!
This manga version of Japanese classic The Book of Five Rings, the iconic book of confrontation and victory by the famed [...]
Have you launched an exemplary children’s after-school series? Or set up outreach services for a daycare program? If you have, consider nominating yourself or a colleague for the 2013 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children. The annual award honors an individual who has shown exceptional understanding and support of library services for kids.
Our music reviews feature three very different albums. You might say that Owl City’s The Midsummer Station is a bit like an anthology, while Havoc and Bright Lights from Alanis Morissette is more of sequel. North, from Matchbox Twenty, is a bit harder to slot—though our reviewer doesn’t see it as a bestseller!
How many times have you looked back on your teenage years and cringed, wishing that you could offer your younger self some guidance? That is exactly the inspiration behind Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves, the upcoming book by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally, in which seventy young adult authors—including Ellen Hopkins, Nancy Holder, Lauren Oliver, Tom Angleberger and more—write letters to their teenage selves.
It all started with “Pete the Cat.” Well, actually it started with the fact that author Eric Litwin was coming for our library’s summer reading program and my boss wanted to promote his visit. We have a fabulous teen volunteer, Rose, who does great artwork. I asked her if she could make a big Pete the Cat, and she pulled it together in one day! I couldn’t believe it. When given the opportunity (and materials), Rose can do anything artistic! So, naturally, I went to her when we received our promotional kit for the Colorado Blue Spruce Award, an honor that recognizes the most popular books among middle and high school students in our state.
You know how folks say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? Well, that’s what happened when Swati Malik, one of our Floral Park (NY) Memorial High (FPMH) students, approached social studies teacher Christina Blanc about building a school for kids in Nicaragua in late 2011. Swati came up with the idea after hearing about buildOn, a nonprofit organization that offers extracurricular service-learning programs in our nation’s high schools and builds schools in developing countries, such as Mali, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
