News & Features

Simon & Schuster’s recent preview of its fall children’s books in New York City was a unique, and unprecedented, opportunity for celebration this year, as librarians and teachers gathered during the event to help celebrate award-winning author/illustrator Ashley Bryan’s 90th birthday. Bryan was in attendance to present his newest book Can’t Scare Me, which debuts next month.

The Queens Library branch in Cambria Heights, NY, celebrated the start of work on its new 4,000-square-foot Teen Center with a ceremonial wall-breaking last week. The library hopes to open the space—which will include a Cyber Center, a lounge and gaming area, a sound recording booth, a meeting room, and a reading room—by next spring.

Already hobbled, Philadelphia schools are facing their first day with fewer school librarians—continuing a trend in the metropolitan school district and the state of Pennsylvania as well. Of the approximately 22 remaining certified school librarians working in the Philadelphia school district, some are not returning to their school librarian positions.

Michael Morpurgo's poignant 'War Horse,' first published as a novel for children, has seen many incarnations. It's now an interactive, enhanced book for IOS devices. Watercolor illustrations, archival photos, and videos make this a production for both fiction lovers and history buffs.

The first round of Common Core assessment results are in. What do they tell us, and what should librarians be asking? Marc Aronson weighs in.

Thirty-two titles from the “DC Super-Pets,” “DC Super Heroes: The Man of Steel,” “Superman,” and “Batman” series are now available as interactive ebooks from Capstone. Educators, student teams, gamers, or programmers can submit entries of games, math videos, infographics, or manipulatives to the WGBH Educational Foundation’s Innovation Math Challenge for prizes of $1,000.

The books presented in this month's collection development column have been selected to support and enhance expeditions to favorite preschool and elementary-aged destinations: farms and other food-producing enterprises; museums (both natural history and art); nature reserves and outdoor-observation areas; community institutions; and zoos and aquariums. A mix of fact-filled offerings and fictional adventures, all of these titles give kids a break from the routine and encourage interactive learning experiences.

A group of librarians and parents held a rally Wednesday morning in New York City to protest the city’s request for a waiver from state librarian staffing requirements. Standing on the steps of Tweed Courthouse, librarians said they couldn’t just be replaced by a computer in a classroom.

The first movie adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s popular series, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, is out in theaters on August 21. Lily Collins as Clarissa “Clary” Fray and Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace star in the action-fantasy, which provides the thrill of the chase and a sprinkling of the romance for its core audience.