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Want to keep teens coming back for more table top games? Try using an overarching theme like Game of Gnomes.
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Post four in my crash course series of posts about books for younger readers! Check out a dozen of the most popular series at my school!
oday, I'd like to pay homage to some 2019 picture books that not only know how to end, but do so in an entirely unexpected manner. You think you know what to expect from a book? Trust me when I say you'll never see where these books are headed.
I was among the fortunate who were able to attend the AASL National Conference in Louisville this week. We are all fortunate that a dedicated and hardworking social media team had our backs. So whether you suffered FOMO over sessions you couldn’t fit in, or couldn’t get into, or if you couldn’t attend onsite, you are covered. […]
The highly anticipated final installment of the Arc of a Scythe series, The Toll, hit the street just two weeks ago and delivers a strong finish of a stellar series. Will Heavy Medal readers support it for our own Mock Newbery selection? Read the analysis and the comments!
If you're going to play a Game of Gnomes, you're going to need a Gnome Trophy. Here's how we made ours at TLT.
Want to keep teens coming back for more table top games? Try using an overarching theme like Game of Gnomes.
Beyond a focus on giving thanks in November, Thanku can be used across the school year for read alouds at the beginning and end of the day, poetry genre studies, as an exploration of theme across language arts, and as a window into small moments in writer’s workshop.
Check out this week's new releases in comics and manga with Disney picks from Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing.
We are here today to reveal the cover of It Is (Not) Perfect by the Geisel Award-winning team Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant. But first, I had a few questions for them . . . Travis: This new book is about the meaning of “perfect”. Are you perfectionists? How did this story come about? Anna: […]
"50% of this book is just depressed donkeys." Time to play a new game where you can guess what classic picture book Kate and I are discussing. What's your guess?
In School Librarian Saturday, I’m going to share the websites, databases, apps, and other stuff I use with students in my K-3 teacher-librarian role, under the cover of internet darkness (see: the weekend). Today we have a website that allows students to create a story, called My Storymaker. What It Is: A site created by […]
A brand spanking new exhibit is occurring at the Toronto Public Library. Opening tomorrow, it features the "best of the best" from the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities, a multilingual reference collection located at North York Central Library, part of the Toronto Public Library system. But don't take my word for it.
Can you guess the classic children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads or Amazon? There was no depth…just a stupid kid who gets on a train with a stranger. Click here for the answer. Why do I share these? Click here. Previously . . . One Star Review Guess Who (#1) One Star […]
It's time for November Nominations! Heavy Medal readers are invited to submit two more Newbery-worthy titles to our list of nominated books.
My Crash Course series continues with a look at books with great stories and lots of illustrations that are perfect for kids who are growing in their reading fluency and ready to sit down and read a book on their own.
Once again, it’s the game that’s sweeping the country. I used this website to (virtually) create 3 LEGO book covers. They’re listed from least challenging to most challenging – see how many you can name. #1: Answer #2: Answer #3: Answer How’d you do? Previously . . . Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#1) Name That […]
Say you have a budget of $2,500 for a children's comic collection. What do you put in there? What would you deem absolutely essential and what would you disregard? How many of the materials would be brand new? How many would be older, but essential?
Jasmin Kaur is the author of the YA poetry & prose release When You Ask Me Where I’m Going . Today she joins us to talk about being a Sikh woman and writing Own Voices.
Want a book that’ll stick in your brain for long periods of time for all the right reasons? Chant along with me then . . . my footprints, my footprints, my footprints . . .
SLJ BLOG NETWORK
100 Scope Notes
Travis Jonker
A Fuse #8 Production
Elizabeth Bird
Good Comics for Kids
Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner, Lori Henderson, Esther Keller, Michael May, J. Caleb Mozzocco, Mike Pawuk, Scott Robins, & Eva Volin
Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
Steven Engelfried, Sharon McKellar, & Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Neverending Search
Joyce Valenza
Teen Librarian Toolbox
Karen Jensen, Heather Booth, Robin Willis, & Amanda MacGregor
The Classroom Bookshelf
Mary Ann Cappiello, Erika Thulin Dawes, Grace Enriquez, & Katie Cunningham
The Yarn
Travis Jonker & Colby Sharp
NEWS & FEATURES
Read 300 Books, Vote for Three | Pondering Printz
Jonathan Hunt
How To Build An Escape Room on a Shoestring Budget
Erin Holt and Howard Shirley
AASL National Conference Keynote Speakers Ask Librarians To Support Diverse Representation and Defuse Bias
Sarah Bayliss, Priscille Dando, & Jennifer Sturge
Best Transitional Chapter Books 2019 | SLJ Best Books
Travis Jonker, Ashleigh Williams