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Nothing says "I want to read that" more than making connections between teens and books. It's kind of like buy-in....you have to put something they can relate to into a booktalk to make that connection. And when that happens, you better stand back and let the stampede begin! When I booktalk I always try to make sure there's a personal connection to the book that's interesting or even anecdotal. And you can do this many ways...through a picture, a video, a story, interesting facts...anything.
So here are some books I've booktalked and how I tried to connect them to teens:
The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine. I LOVED that this novel had a main character who was handicapped...you don't see that much in YA lit. Connector: mention the movie Me Before You...enough said.
The Women in the Walls by Amy Luakvics. You can't have an October booktalk without having a book about a creepy house, can you?
Connector: Ever dangled your foot beside your bed at night? Especially after watching a horror movie?
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Nielsen: slaves, soldiers, and ceasars. Mix them up and put them in a fantasy Roman Empire, and you have got their attention.
Connector: Let them show off their knowledge by asking them who the most famous Ceasar was of all time. Then mention a salad was named after him followed by the true story of the ceasar salad. Corny joke, but that's how I roll
The Novice by Taran Matharu: An orphan at birth, the main character has more power than he knows what to do with, until he meets up with some very interesting characters.
Connector: What exactly are Pokemon? No, they aren't cute card characters, they are deadly WEAPONS! (this plays nicely into the "demons" the characters can manipulate)
The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas: small town and one horrible murder leads to eyewitnesses who aren't sure if they saw what they did or were persuaded to see what they did...
Connector: Give them the history of unsolved murders like the Black Dahlia (but not too much detail).
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco: nothing gets creepier than Japanese folktales come to life. Especially if they seek revenge in the most ghoulish of ways. Connector: Because I'm half-Asian, I tell them some folktales my mother told me and my sisters like the Peach Boy. And I also ask them if they've ever seen The Ring or The Grudge...
Everything Everything: over ten year never stepping outside, never having friends, never falling in love. Well, that's what happens to the main character until a family moves in next door. Connector: Ask people who do NOT have allergies to raise their hands. Then ask those who do and ask if anyone has an unusual allergy
With Malice by Eileen Cook: two best friends on a tour of Italy (and not the Olive Garden variety) end up in a car crash. One died, one survived but can't remember because of a concussion. Then the Italian police arrive to extradite her for murder.
Connector: tell them the story about Amanda Knox. Make sure they know this is a true story.
A Storm Too Strong by Michael. Tougias: Talk about the ride of a lifetime. Who wouldn't want to ride 80 foot waves in winds over 60 miles an hour on a rubber life raft in the middle of the night? Now multiply that by 100 and you have Hurricane Andrea meets Survivors
Connector: I start this one out by saying this is a story about two men who have witnessed and seen something no other man has lived to tell about. Then I show them what real waves look like via Youtube because the kids are a bunch of landlubber North Texans and don't understand life by the sea. Show this video first Show this video second (just first 10 secs)
Amazing Fantastic Incredible by Stan Lee: this is by far the most colorful (literally and figuratively) memoir I've read in a long long time. A comic book memoir by the king of all comic book characters!
Connector: do you really have to ask? The cover itself is enough to catch their attention...or at least the attention of comic book and Marvel fans! Comic books aren't just for nerds, and regardless, we will embrace our nerdiness anyway :)
This is my favorite time of the year and I can't wait!! One of my major goals is to collaborate more with public YA librarians and this time I have the awesome Sarah Thompson from Roanoke Public Library talking it up with me! Here are the books we'll be sharing...time to get extra copies!
1 Comments on Fall 2013 Booktalk!!, last added: 9/11/2013
I had my last booktalk of the year in April, strategically before state testing so the students would have something really good to read. Here are the notes for the books I talked for 9-12th grade:
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott (real life read): Final Destination, the movie. PTSD Leading question: Other than war, what are some other instances where people can suffer from PTSD?
Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price (real life read): famous journals in history Leading question: Why do people keep journals? How would you react if someone read yours?
Legend by Marie Lu (dystopia): current hot topic issues Americans face today that deals with government (gun control) Leading question: Do you trust the government 100%? Why or why not?
Darkwater by Catherine Fisher (fantasy): stories about the Devil throughout history (Devil and Daniel Webster, Faust Leading question: how many of you have ever heard this song? Do a little Charlie Daniels. Explain how this is recurrent theme throughout literature.
The Diviners by Libba Bray (supernatural): haunted places in our area Leading question: Anyone ever heard of la Llorna? How about Chupacabra? Regional legend ghost stories. Are they true or not?
Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Catherine Applegate (science fiction): protein folds mystery and the gamers who helped solve it. Leading question: What would the perfect teen look like (in your mind?) Is it ethical or not to "play" with genetics?
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (fantasy): Talk about Kony or Saddam Hussein Leading question: What causes people to become refugees? How can they start over again?
Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder (girl reads; novel in verse): signs of an obsessive person (taking up all of your time, needing you in his life in order to live, constant contact, telling you what to wear/look like) Leading question: Where is the fine line between a relationship and obsession? Has anyone ever heard of a crime of passion?
Fateful by Claudia Gray (historial supernatural): Titanic exhibit in Ft. Worth; the 2015 launch of the replicated Titanic Leading question: How long have werewolves been around? How did they get from Europe to America?
Scandalous: 50 shocking events you should know about (so you can impress your friends) by Hallie Fryd (non-fiction): Look at cover and talk about two events: Elvis and his shocking antics: Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. How the impacted history. Yes, history does have a dark and dirty side, and this book has the stories the textbooks leave out.
Infects by Sean Beaudoin (supernatural tongue-in-cheek):Zombie talk (fast, slow, what infected them, how to kill/evade them) Leading question: Have you ever had a case of food poisoning?
Trinity: a graphic history of the first atomic bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm (non-fiction): How many times was the A-bomb detonated? Where? One of the best kept government secrets of its time. Oppenheimer was the creator, but how did he feel about this thing he created? Why did the U.S. choose Nagasaki or Hiroshima?
The Raft by S.A. Bodeen (real life read; thriller): Life of Pi; the effects of dehydration Leading question: Besides food and water, what would be the most important thing to have on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean?
Breathe by Sarah Crossen: air quality alerts; the most polluted cities in the world Leading question: Do all people need the same amount of oxygen to survive? What about those that live in mountains vs. prairies dwellers? Athletes or sendentary people?
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (supernatural): Different ways of divination (tea leaves, magic ball, tarot cards) Leading question: Do psychics have the abilities they claim or not? Ever watched Long Island Medium or Psychic Detective on television?
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (girl reads): hindsight; spending your entire summer with your parents and siblings Leading question: Ever had one of those moments when you know you screwed up but didn't do anything about it? Ever wished for a do-over?
Zoo by James Patterson (adult fiction): story about the chimpanzee that turned on its owner and caused substantial facial damage Leading question: If you had a pet you loved and it turned on you, what would you do?
Ten by Gretchen McNeill (mystery): movie the Elevator; Agatha Christie Leading question: What's the best thing about being on an island? The worse?
The Turning by Francine Prose (psychological mystery): long-distance relationships Leading question: If you were offered a summer job that paid big time, would you give up all phone and internet access the entire summer?
Before You Go by James Preller (real life read): Three things guys think about (food, girls, hanging out) and the nothing box they are all equipped with Leading question: What is the best summer job for a teen? Are they different for guys and girls?
Visit Sunny Chernobyl: and other adventures in the world's most polluted places by Andrew Blackwell (non-fiction): brief history of the infamy of Chernobyl; current disasters that pollute the earth (Fukishima). Talk briefly about one other place in the book (India river) and end with the fact the Texas made the top five list of the most polluted places on earth.
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (non-fiction): Which is more difficult, elementary or junior high? How about junior high or high school? Talk about Jeffrey's history in school and the demons he had to battle. Describe his social life and his relationship with his friend Derf. Then talk about what happened 10 years later, when Derf saw him on television...
0 Comments on Connecting with the real world: Booktalking notes for spring 2013 as of 5/17/2013 12:03:00 PM
Booktalk Interview with Travis Jonker – Part 3 Part 3 of an interview I conducted with Travis Jonker, an elementary school librarian in Michigan, founder and blogger of 100 Scope Notes, reviewer and blogger for School Library Journal, former judge for CYBILS Awards, and member of the 2014 Caldecott committee.
You mentioned earlier the effect that has come from changes in technology and the rise of eBooks. Tell me other ways that has impacted school libraries. Travis: Last year I wrote a grant in our school district to purchase eReaders. When it came through, we started a program where students could check out the eReaders and take them home like a normal book. It has been hugely popular. We keep trying to add more to keep up with demand. Whether you’re a school library or public library, there’s no denying that eBooks are going to be hugely important. They’re growing so fast that I think now is the time for libraries to give it a shot.
What were some of your goals with the eReader program? Travis: One of our goals when we started was to give all our students access to eReaders, especially kids that wouldn’t have access to that sort of thing at home. We felt that a lot of the features of eReaders would be good for students. They can take notes. They can change the fonts. A lot of times the eReader will even speak the words. There are a lot of features, especially for reluctant readers, that might engage the students a little bit more.
With the introduction of your eReader program, did you see a rise in reading with more students reading than before? Travis: Definitely. We had students who hadn’t had the highest interest in reading before, but were very interested in checking out an eBook and reading it on an eReader device. It’s hard to know whether they were interested in trying something new or if they were interested in some of the eReader features that could make reading a better experience for them. But we had interest from kids who read all the time and from kids who weren’t really readers and hadn’t been checking out books very much. We have a waiting list for all five our eReaders that will take us all the way to the end of the school year. As soon as one comes in it goes out to another student.
What advice do you have for other schools that might want to kick off their own eReader or eBook program? Travis: A big part is analyzing what you want out of the program. One thing to think about is what you want out of the experience. Do you want it to be mainly for reading? Do you want something where students will have more capabilities, such as from a tablet like an iPad, a Kindle Fire or something like that? That’s the first step. Once you settle on that, based on what your students need, you move forward from there.
I know cost is always a big issue for schools. Do you have advice for how schools deal with that as they look at launching their own eReader program? Travis: That’s tricky. Our grant came from a local education foundation in our school district. But there are definitely other sources out there. FableVision Learning has an email subscription list that will send you different grants that are available. But in a lot of cases, school libraries are already portioning some of their budgets for digital spending, like databases or online subscriptions. So if a grant won’t work for them, they might need to look at using some of their digital funds for eBooks or eReaders. Or they might want to use a little bit of the money they would normally use on print and put it toward digital. I think more and more school librarians will have to put a little bit more money into the digital side of things.
Any other advice in terms of eBooks and eReaders? Travis: That’s another situation where I think it’s just good to just jump in and try it. It is growing so quickly. Librarians definitely need to stay current and that’s a good way to stay current.
Before Thanksgiving we had a great chat on Twitter with some of the contributing authors from our new dystopian anthology, Diverse Energies. Authors Cindy Pon, Malinda Lo, Ken Liu, Rahul Kanakia, Rajan Khanna, and K. Tempest Bradford joined us to answer some questions about their stories, dystopia, world-building, and more:
In one or two sentences, can you describe the dystopian worlds you’ve written about in Diverse Energies?
Malinda Lo: “The dystopian world in my story ‘Good Girl’ is a postapocalyptic NYC that politically resembles Communist China.”
Rahul Kanakia: “My story is set in a world where wealthy people have retreated into virtual reality and allowed the world to collapse. Also, there are pesticide-resistant bedbugs.”
Cindy Pon: “‘How had we drifted so far on what it meant to be human?‘ from my story sort of encapsulates it, in a world divided.”
Rajan Khanna: “Mine takes place in a world where an empire similar to the British Empire at its height uses child labor for mining.”
Ken Liu: “‘Pattern Recognition’ is about a school where children are safe. But only later do the children find out its real purpose.”
How did you decide on the specific settings where your stories take place?
Ken Liu: “My story took inspiration from a paper on human-powered computing & news about labor practices of Taiwanese manufacturers.”
Malinda Lo: “I wanted to write a story in a Big City that could be isolated in a disaster, and NYC fit well. As events have shown!”
Rajan Khanna: “I was inspired partly by a story about young kids in South Asia who ruin their bodies to make soccer balls.”
Cindy Pon: “The idea of setting it in Taipei came immediately. I was born there but left at age 6. So many memories are sensory based of Taipei. The city comes at all senses all the time.”
True or false: We are living in a dystopia.
Ken Liu: “I think far more of this planet’s population lives in a dystopia than most of us in the US are willing to acknowledge.”
Rajan Khanna: “I think from a teen standpoint, the world can often seem like a dystopia.”
K. Tempest Bradford: “Some people live in what others would see as a dystopia. It’s often a matter of perspective.”
Are oppressive governments a key part of dystopias?
Rajan Khanna: “For me, I associate that kind of oppression with dystopias. And I think that restriction of freedoms works as a YA theme.”
Malinda Lo: “My idea of ‘dystopian’ is firmly rooted in family stories/experience. I always think of oppressive governments first.”
Ken Liu: “I try to make my dystopias not about the government. I think other things are far more frightening than governments. . . . I think governments are often merely a symptom, not a cause. At least, not the cause.”
If not, are there elements that every dystopia needs?
Since these are short stories, any tips on how to build a world in very few pages?
Malinda Lo: “I think in short stories, world building must be done with some shorthand tricks. Can be hard. Shorthand tricks I like for worldbuilding in stories: food, names, twist on real-world setting that’s easily recognized. I cheated in the story by setting it in post-apoc NYC. Easy to “get”!”
Rahul Kanakia: “Most SF takes place in archetypical worlds: the Orwellian world; the gritty Blade Runner world, etc. The trick is knowing what mental image your reader starts the story with, and knowing how to deviate from that image. Most stories aren’t building worlds; they’re combining worlds that the readers have already ‘seen.’”
What is your favorite short story?
K. Tempest Bradford: “‘Even the Queen’ by Connie Willis. Far future story about menstruation (or lack thereof).”
Rajan Khanna: “‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ by Ray Bradbury.”
Rahul Kanakia: “Jorge Luis Borges’ ‘Library of Babel.’ Not sure the Diverse Energies readers will like it; when I made my students read it, they hated it. More apt example: ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,’ by Le Guin.”
Malinda Lo: “Probably ‘The Bloody Chamber’ by Angela Carter.”
Cindy Pon: “Oh gosh. One of Stephen King’s I’m sure.”
Booktalk Interview with Travis Jonker – Part 2 Part 2 of an interview I conducted with Travis Jonker, an elementary school librarian in Michigan, founder and blogger of 100 Scope Notes, reviewer for School Library Journal, former judge for CYBILS Awards, and member of the 2014 Caldecott committee.
You talked before about the importance of working with students and teachers in terms of information literacy. Tell me more about that. Travis: I was telling somebody just the other day that I think this is the craziest time in history to be a librarian. There is so much change going on with technology, especially with eBooks and with resources being available online and for free. It’s just totally changed what the library looks like and what we do.
How do these technology changes tie into information literacy and what you’re trying to teach students? Travis: Information literacy involves skills that kids will need as they grow up and throughout their lives. So, we’ll work with students doing research projects and I’ll introduce them to some of the different databases that we have online. I also talk to them about formulating guiding questions for their research, such as what exactly is it that they want to answer. I’ll talk to them about being methodical about how they go about answering those questions and being really thorough about it. My goal is to make students self-sufficient in terms of navigating everything that is out there and finding answers to their questions.
What advice do you give other librarians to help students learn how to navigate all the information resources that are available? Travis: The big thing for me is to just try things. I think a lot of time people are hesitant to try a new project or something with a student because they’re nervous it might not work or the outcome might not be exactly what they want. But I think it’s really important for school librarians to work with students and teachers at every opportunity they can.
Why is it important for school librarians to work with teachers in terms of teaching information literacy to students? Travis: Collaboration is such a big part of what we do. Sometimes it’s really difficult to collaborate. Everybody has their own things going on. But making those connections would be one of the first things I would tell a new school librarian. You need to keep working with teachers and getting into the classrooms of students that you’re teaching. You can even collaborate without collaborating. Meaning, you proactively look at what teachers are working on and then you look for resources and suggestions that might help the teachers even if they don’t come to you first. Tell me a little more about the importance of school librarians collaborating with teachers. Travis: School librarians really are well versed in doing research. They’re well versed in what books might fit with a particular reading or with the interests kids might have. The more times that you can work with a teacher, the better the students will benefit because you’ll be able to share your expertise and what you’ve learned over the years; whether it be working on research or suggesting a great new book to read.
The students won’t learn those things if you don’t make connections with those teachers. There are a lot of times when I’ll be eating lunch in the lounge and through a normal conversation a teacher will mention something she’s going to be teaching and we’ll end up planning to work on a project together. Even though it sounds simple, if that connection hadn’t happened, the students wouldn’t have benefited as much.
I understand that one such collaboration led to a rather unique experience for you. Please share. Travis: You never know what you might be doing during the course of a day as a school librarian. But a couple years ago when Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday was coming up, I mentioned to one of the teachers who was coordinating our school’s celebration that a couple years before I had gone as Abe Lincoln to Halloween. She picked right up on that and before you know it, on Lincoln’s 200th birthday I came riding up to the school in a horse drawn carriage and delivered the Gettysburg Address on the front steps to a bunch of students dressed up in period clothing. We even had all the local news and TV cameras there. It was just the kind of thing where one little thing led to another. And it was a lot of fun.
Read part 1 (Everything is Reading) now and watch for part 3 (eBooks and eReaders in the School Library) of this interview to show up the first part of next week.
0 Comments on Collaboration and Helping Students Navigate Information Resources as of 11/30/2012 7:15:00 PM
Fresh off my booktalking week, I was exhausted by happy. Most of the books I talked about are checked out and a waiting list is growing. Always a good sign! One thing I usually do before each booktalk is get audience participation by asking about something relevant going on in news or culture that can connect teens to the books. So here's a list of the books and the tie-in I found for each one.
172 Hours on The Moon by Johan Harstad: Neil Armstrong death, Moon landing controversy, aliens Leading question: If given the opportunity, would you want to travel to the moon and live on a space station for a month?
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons: Presidential election, due process of the law Leading question: Name a society dictated by soldiers and a police state. Would you want to live there?
Ashfall by Mike Mullin: name some world famous volcanic eruptions Leading question: Did you feel the tremors caused by an earthquake two weeks ago in the DFW area?
Audition Stasia Kehoe: different types of dance from ballet to Gangnum style Leading question: What does it take to be a famous athlete or dancer?
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson: effects of meth on a person Leading question: What are some physical traits of a person on meth?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young: preciousness of water in Texas, the twin bond Leading question: Have you ever been around twins that were super close? **trailer
Dead to You by Lisa McMann: Jaycee Dugard story Leading question: How would your life change if you were abducted but brought back?
Dearly Departed by Lia Habel: Victorian England Leading question: Do opposites attract? Why? **trailer
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: cancer in a family Leading question: Name some of the saddest movies you've ever seen
Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral: Romeo and Juliet Leading question: Have your parents ever made decisions for you that you didn't agree with? How about who you date?
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman: human experimentation debate, deprivation chambers Leading question: Think about one of the worst fears in your life.... ** trailer
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts: epidemics, West Nile virus in our area Leading question: Movie Contagion, pandemic and pandemonium ** trailer
Trafficked by Kim Purcell: story of domestic near Mexico found tied to a tree Leading question: Why people get trafficked into the land of the free, home of the brave
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting: the most common languages on Earth. story of the Tower of Babel Leading Question: Which language would be most beneficial to use? Why?
The List by Siobhan Vivian: school traditions, October national anti-bullying awareness Leading question: What makes a girl pretty or ugly?
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga: America has most serial killers than any other country Leading question: Can you name any famous serial killers in our country's history? ** trailer
In Too Deep by Amanda Grace: the facial signs a person may be lying Leading question: Have you ever lied? Have you ever tried to cover it up but the hole kept getting deeper? ** trailer
Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay: stats of divorce in America; long distance relationships Leading question: How would you feel if you were forced to move across the country your junior year? How would you keep in touch with your friends?
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler: History of the Internet Leading question: If you could see yours and your friends' Facebook 15 years from now, would you want to know? (Non-fiction pair: Friend Me! 600 Yearsof Social Networking in America by Francesca David DiPiazza)
Quarantine by Lex Thomas: ebola virus; biological weapons and the government Leading question: Have you ever read Lord of the Flies? How would you feel locked in high school is no adults around? ** trailer
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne: world disasters (tsunami, Japan nuclear meltdown) Leading question: If a major disaster happened and you had to stay somewhere for six months or more, where would you want to be?
No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz: Malls around the area, which ones are best Leading question: If, all of a sudden you were in lockdown at the mall and saw Hazmat suits come in, what would your reaction be?
Ripper by Stefan Petrucha: Most famous mystery in history. What happened to him? Leading question: Would you want your parents to be famous? What happens if they were infamous? (Non-fiction pair: Secret Subway by Martin Sandler) ** trailer
0 Comments on Booktalking 101- Make it Relevant! as of 10/16/2012 10:57:00 AM
Bill Traylor draws on a street corner in a scene from “It Jes’ Happened”
Bill Traylor’s story is the stuff of legend: he was born into slavery in Alabama, lived most of his life as a sharecropper, and started drawing at the age of eighty-five, while living homeless in Montgomery, Alabama. His drawings once decorated a street corner; now he’s known as one of America’s most important folk artists.
You can learn more about Traylor’s life story in our picture book biography, It Jes’ Happened, but there’s nothing like seeing Traylor’s artwork in person. Most of it is concentrated at a few museums in the southeast, but luckily, right now there’s a traveling exhibition making its way around the US with over 60 of Traylor’s works. The paintings, borrowed from permanent collections at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, represent some of the best examples of Traylor’s unique folk art style. Here’s where the exhibit will be:
“Blue Man With Umbrella,” a piece of Traylor’s artwork
Other national venues will be announced soon, so keep an eye on art museums near you to see if Traylor’s exhibit will be visiting your area. Meanwhile, you can find some of Traylor’s artwork in permanent collections at the following museums:
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
The Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
The Milwaukee Art Museum, WI
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, NY
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
The National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
It’s Black History Month, and that means another giveaway from Lee & Low Books! We’re giving away three sets of three books featuring African Americans, and the contest will run through February 29, 2012.
You may have noticed that the winners won’t get their books until after Black History Month. We think Black History Month is important, but black history is part of American History, and shouldn’t get relegated to one month out of the year. So enter below to win three great books to enjoy all year long!
Here’s how it works:
Author Glenda Armand (Love Twelve Miles Long) gave us food for thought in her BookTalk when we asked her if she thought her book could only be used during Black History Month. Here is her response:
“I think it can be read at any time of year: it is a story about mother-child relationships, about slavery, about American history, and about a great statesman. It is a story about family and tradition. And it’s a bedtime story.
I can think of two aspects of Love Twelve Miles Long that give it timelessness and universality: one is the mother-child relationship and the other is separation anxiety. There are many reasons that a parent might have to be separated from a child: divorce, financial problems, illness. Children in circumstances such as these can relate to Frederick’s situation. And they can learn that there are ways—traditions, rituals—that can strengthen the bond with the absent parent.”
To enter this contest, answer this question: What do you think about Black History Month? -or- How do you celebrate Black History Month? -or- How do you call Black History Month to the attention of your kids (students or otherwise)? Write your answers in the comments section below to enter, and we will select a winner* at random. All answers have to be in by midnight on February 29th. You can also gain additional entries by subscribing to our blog, following us on twitter, and liking us on facebook. If you’ve done any of these, please note it below in your comment, otherwise your additional entry will not be counted.
I teach at the college level and when I am teaching, I exhort my students to learn about, know, and follow Banks & Banks’ 5 stages of multiculturalism. I urge my students to not read books about a person or culture only during a certain month, but to truly integrate all cultures during the whole school year, work to educate themselves and teach including various lenses (for example “American History,” which includes that of blacks, women, Chinese, Native Americans and others), as well as addressing racism, sexism, economic injustice, and social issues including homophobia.
I liked Lee & Low on Facebook.
LaQueshia said, on 2/8/2012 8:22:00 AM
While Black History Month is still an essential educational process in America, the experiences of Afro-Americans needs to be included in curricula throughout the year.
I currently volunteer as a librarian for my children’s school and I include books about African Americans, Indians, Asians, and women year-round.
There is no way to encapsulate a peoples’ story in 29 days. The information must be ongoing.
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. 2010. Babymouse Burns Rubber. New York: Random House.
In pink, white and black, Babymouse is back. Can it be almost 5 years since Babymouse first made her debut? Time flies when you're daydreaming and eating cupcakes.
Time to see what our favorite pink, sassy, messy-whiskered mouse is up to!
(booktalk) In Babymouse Burns Rubber, Babymouse leans heavily (a bit too heavily perhaps?) on her friendship with Wilson as she endeavors to enter the soap box derby. The fact that she can barely ride a bicycle and has no skill in building or fixing things never even enters her mind, which is, of course, full of daydreams - Babymouses' alient encounter, Babymouse the race car driver, Babymouse the worldwide traveler, Babymouse the captain of the Titanic. Will Babymouse win the race? Will her selfishness cost Wilson the chance to enter? You'll find out in Babymouse Burns Rubber!
Siblings Jennifer and Matthew Holm keep the fun coming in this latest installment of the very popular Babymouse series. Holm pays tribute to Star Wars films (imagine the scrolling text rolling into deep space),
CHAPTER VII A NEW CUPCAKE It is a dark time for the REBELLION. The brave pilot, BABYMOUSE, has badgered her best friend into building her a SOAP BOX DERBY CAR. ... for the blah blah blah blah... are you still reading this?
and Margaret Wise Brown's, Goodnight Moon.
In the great pink messy room ... there was a telephone (somewhere on the floor underneath the dirty socks) and a plate of half-eaten cupcakes. Goodnight cupcakes. Goodnight cupcakes being eaten by Babymouse. Goodnight math homework that's not finished. ...
Of course, the illustrations complete the package. Simple, yet expressive and full of humorous details like aliens wearing bunny slippers, "Goodnight aliens hiding in the closet."
Next up: Babymouse Cupcake Tycoon - coming in September.
When I first checked in with Babymouse, she was Queen of the World in 2005. Since then, she's gone on to bookshelf fame as a Rock Star, Beach Babe, Skater Girl and more. This is the 12th book in the graphic novel series.
Click here to go to the Babymouse homepage. (don't worry - you can turn the music off) You can find more information about Babymouse, create your own comics, make posters, or play other Babymouse games.
I'm in the midst of a great ALSC sponsored course, Out of this World Youth Programming. My assignment for this week is to create a new library program for elementary school-aged children. I think I just did my homework. Come this fall, I'll be "Calling all Cupcake Tycoons!" Share|
0 Comments on Babymouse Burns Rubber as of 1/1/1900
I had a few days off for the Independence Day weekend, but took a little time out to make a video book trailer for Rebecca Stead's Newbery Medal winner, When You Reach Me. A video is perfect for this book that is difficult to promote without giving too much away! I actually made two. You can find the other one on the Multimedia Booktalks page. If you haven't tried Animoto, you're missing out. Hope you like it. The book is awesome!
Lupica, Mike. 2010. The Batboy. Read by Lucian Doge. Penguin Audiobooks. (About 6 hours)
Fourteen-year-old Brian Dudley lives with his divorced mother. His father, a one-time major league pitcher, is in Japan, unable to give up the game he loved once his pitching career was over. Brian shares his dad's love of baseball. He plays on a travel team with his best friend Kenny and has just landed the job of his dreams - batboy for the Detroit Tigers.
With his favorite player returning to the Tigers after a steroids scandal, his travel team, The Sting, heading for the playoffs, and the Tigers making a run for the pennant, the lineup reads like a perfect summer. But a perfect roster doesn't always equal a win in baseball, and Brian's perfect summer lineup may be in for a few losses.
Mike Lupica's latest is a home run. Just close your eyes and you can smell the hot dogs, hear the crack of the bat, and see the play at first. No one does sports like Mike!
If you're a fan of baseball or ever wondered what it's like to be a batboy, Batboy is your summer reading!
Read an excerpt or enjoy this interview with the author and a trailer for the book.
White Americans tend to raise children in nuclear families—just parents and kids—but in many cultures and many immigrant groups, extended families are deeply involved. Only One Year, one of our new Spring books, is about a Chinese American family sending their two-year-old boy to live for a year in China, with his grandparents and surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins. In a new BookTalk, author Andrea Cheng talks about the families who inspired her to write this book, as well as cultural differences, siblings, and her own family.
Check out the whole interview and tell us what you think. Have you lived apart from your parents or children? Is this something you would consider? How does your family deal with distance?
0 Comments on Raising Children Away from Home as of 1/1/1900
Of those, I’ve only read The Poison Apples and Life as we Knew It.
callie said, on 11/5/2008 1:51:00 PM
Hi guys!
I can’t find Elissa’s Quest on any of your lists. Where is it? I read both this book, and the sequel, Elissa’s Odyssey, and thought they were fantastic! Are people talking about them anywhere?
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White Americans tend to raise children in nuclear families—just parents and kids—but in many cultures and many immigrant groups, extended families are deeply involved. 
Looks great! Can't wait to read some of these.
www.alicekouzmenkowriting.blogspot.com