News & Features

"It was purposeful that the IWitness platform was built with media literacy and school standards around digital education right at the center of its architecture."

This grand-slam lineup of titles about baseball illustrate why the sport is still America's pastime.

The leader of our Bookmarked review group, Elizabeth Kahn, is always looking for new ways to keep her students engaged and entertained. Elsewhere in this issue of SLJTeen you can read about a recent visit to her library by Ruta Sepetys, author of the award-winning Between Shades of Gray (Philomel, 2011). She also recently wrangled a stop from Cory Doctorow, who is on the road promoting his latest title, Pirate Cinema (Tor Teen, 2012). Her advice on getting authors to visit your school or library? Just ask—the worse they can so is "No," and odds are, eventually you are going to hear "Yes."

This winsome tale about a porcupine and a balloon would make a perfect choice for toddler storytimes.

For newcomers, computer source code can look quite alien. Librarians might be reminded of the first time they saw a MARC record—a mishmash of recognizable words and bits of information embedded in funky punctuation. But it doesn't have to be that way--learning code can help librarians customize and improve the usability of web-based resources and vendor interfaces and improve communication with a library’s IT staff and software vendors.

My Friend Dahmer is a strong example of the power of an engaging nonfiction narrative in illuminating the darker side of human nature. For teens interested in more insightful, hard-hitting works, check out the following titles.  Given that My Friend Dahmer skates the line between teen and adult in terms of collection, please be aware [...]

Last month, the Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy's juniors were treated to a talk by Ruta Sepetys, the author of the New York Times bestseller Between Shades of Gray (Philomel, 2011)—and it was engrossing from beginning to end. In fact, we didn't even want to return to class because we were so enthralled by her.

We have all fantasized about being transported to magical locations, and on March 8, Disney is giving everyone an excuse to revisit the 1900 novel and 1939 movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Oz the Great and Powerful (PG) tornadoes into theaters in traditional, 3D and IMAX 3D formats. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), an unscrupulous two-bit circus magician, is swept away via hot-air balloon to the Land of Oz. Teens can visit the movie website to browse videos and photos, play games, and access downloads. Then hook them in with a display of portal fiction that will not disappoint.

NEWBERY IN 90 The 90 Second Newbery, once just a glimmer in author James Kennedy’s eye, has just completed its second year. If you missed the recap of this year’s screening in New York, click here – it looked like a wild night. Spread the word: for those who want to participate in next year’s [...]