.jpg?picon=590)
all next week here at the readergirlz blog.
We invite you to tell us about your favorite books,
chat with October featured author, Laini Taylor, about love and goblins,
and tell us who you'd love to see featured on the readergirlz blog.
Check out the wiki here, and contact your local library
for events in your area!
Check out the winners of the Teens' Top Ten 2010, to be announced
October 18th at 11 a.m. Central!
By: Beth,
on 7/9/2010
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA Update, WrestleMania Reading Challenge, YALSA webinars, books, Contests, YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, Emerging Leaders, YA Lit Symposium, Continuing Education, Add a tag
Save $10 on next Thursday’s webinar If you register for YALSA’s Risky Business webinar by July 14, , taking place next Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern, you’ll save $10 over normal registration rates. That means the webinar is just $29 for individual YALSA members and $39 for all other individuals. Register today at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars.
WrestleMania: We’ve made the Challenge shorter and simple. The WrestleMania Reading Challenge has changed this year to take place during just one week, making it simpler for you and your teens and tweens to particpate. Registering automatically enters you into a drawing for one of five sets of books from Penguin — and it gives teens and tweens at your library the chance to win tickets to WrestleMania and $2,000 for your library. It’s a surefire way to get new YA readers into your library. Don’t believe us? Then find out what happened at Bambi Mansfield’s library. Register today at www.ala.org/wrestlemania.
Win cold, hard cash from YALSA. Do you have an idea to make YALSA’s awards and booklists into household names, ensure young adult and school librarians have access to important research, help YALSA better advocate for quality library services for every teen in every library, develop continuing education or career services that librarians need or engage YALSA’s current membership and recruit new members? Of course you do. Well, YALSA will pay you $250 for that great idea (and YALSA committees are eligible to submit an idea, too). But you have to submit your idea to the Great Ideas contest by July 15.
New Books from YALSA Now available in the ALA Online Store: Risky Business: Taking and Managing Risks in Library Services to Teens by Linda Braun, Hillias J. Martin, and Connie Urquhart and Multicultural Programs for Tweens and Teens, edited by Linda B. Alexander and Nahyun Kwon. Order your copy today!
After the jump, find out how you can win FREE BOOKS simply by registering for Teen Read Week, be a 2011 YALSA Emerging Leader, and more!
Want to win free books? Sign up for Teen Read Week If you haven’t already, register for Teen Read Week In addition to showing YALSA that you support this program — which encourage teens to read for fun — there are major benefits to doing so.
When you register for Teen Read Week, you’re automatically enrolled in a contest to win a collection of titles from Cinco Puntos, 25 manga titles from Viz Media, and a full set of the Fall 2010 launch list from Carolrhoda Lab. Register today!
Apply to Be a 2011 Emerging Leader YALSA will sponsor t
Add a Comment
By: Beth,
on 7/2/2010
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Contests, YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, Publications, Emerging Leaders, Continuing Education, YALSA Update, WrestleMania Reading Challenge, YA Literature Symposium, YALSA webinars, Add a tag
Summer Course Registration Ends Tuesday Registration ends July 6 – that’s Tuesday – for YALSA’s summer online course, Power Up with Print! Instructor Jamie Watson will show participants how to boost the library’s circulation through the development of teen-centered programs, material evaluation and selection, booktalks and more, as well as discuss the latest trends in YA lit. Course registration now open at www.ala.org/yalsa/onlinecourses. Courses cost $135 for YALSA members, $175 for ALA members, and $195 for nonmembers and will take place July 12 to August 9.
Congrats to YALSA’s Newest Spectrum Scholar! Congratulations are in order for Hoan-Vu Do, YALSA’s 2010-2011 Spectrum Scholar. Do will attend San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science.
WrestleMania Reading Challenge Registration You only have 30 days to register for the 2010-2011 Challenge! Remember, the Challenge has changed this year to take place during just one week, making it simpler for you and your teens and tweens to particpate. Registering automatically enters you into a drawing for one of five sets of books from Penguin — and it gives teens and tweens at your library the chance to win tickets to WrestleMania and $2,000 for your library. Register today at www.ala.org/wrestlemania.
Register for our July webinar! Registration is open for YALSA’s July webinar! Our July 15 webinar (Risky Business, hosted by Linda Braun) offers participants insights into effectively taking risks to manage and improve services to teens at your library. This in-depth, one-hour webinar will be held at 2 p.m. Eastern. Registration costs $39 for individual YALSA members, $49 for all other individuals. A group rate of $195 is available. Learn more (and find out details on our August and September webinars) at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars.
After the jump, see how to win $250 from YALSA for your Great Idea, how you can get a free copy of Excellence in Library Services to Young Adults, 4th edition; how to win books simply by registering for Teen Read Week (it’s free!); who’s speaking at the Bill Morris Memorial Author Luncheon at the YA Lit Symposium, and how you can be a 2011 Emerging Leader!
Win $250 from YALSA for Your Great Idea We’ve extended the application for YALSA’s Great Ideas contest to July 15, 2010! YALSA needs your Great Ideas – and you could win $250 in cash! We’re looking for creative help from you to help YALSA achieve its goals. Download an application at the Great Ideas webapage and send your questions to Sarajo Wentling at [email protected].
Free Book Offer! For a limited time only at the
Add a Comment
By: Beth,
on 5/11/2010
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, Add a tag
Do you have a great Teen Read Week program idea? Team Teen Read Week is offering up ten mini-grants to needy libraries that can be used for programming, teen resources and teen services. Each recipient of the grant will recieve $450 cash as well as $50 in Teen Read Week products! Applying is simple- YALSA members just need to fill out an application and send it to [email protected] by June 1st, 2010. Recipients will be notified in August 2010.
The mini-grant guidelines and the application are available at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2010/minigrant.cfm. If you have questions please contact [email protected]!
.jpeg?picon=3075)
By: Fleur Bradley,
on 10/29/2009
Blog: YA Sleuth (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA, Teen Read Week, Guys Read, Add a tag
This week in YA:
Teen Read Week is over… But that doesn’t mean we stop reading YA, right? Right. Like you needed an excuse to read a good book.
Most links from this week relate back to last week’s bookfrenzie. For author interviews, go to Readergirlz and the YA Authors Cafe. Just be ready for your to-read pile to take on Jenga-esque proportions.
Publishers Weekly reports on teen reading habits, based on research done by Teenreads.com. Very interesting, so take a look for yourself, but here are some numbers that jumped out at me:
1. By 2013, sales to teens are expected to rise more than 30 percent
2. And this is a biggie: 61 PERCENT OF TEENS READ MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER!!!
Let there be more books in this category! Exclamation mark! Books like this one, maybe? And more books to get boys excited about reading, because the survey shows that 96 percent of responders were female… And that just ain’t right.
Speaking of which, check out GUYS READ, a website all about books for guys (but I’m guessing you may have figured that already). I found this one at YPulse, where this article reviews the website. Apparently, GUYS READ is the brainchild of author Jon Scieszka; check out this great list of books great for guys of all ages.
Onward to the Great Stories CLUB, an ALA grant-sponsored book club for underprivileged teens. Applications for grants are being taken until November 2, so if you want in, hurry. Seems like a cool program.
Also at YALSA, find out which books 11,000 teens voted for this year’s top 10. I was glad to see John Green’s Paper Towns at the top, and added a few new titles to my list. So many books, so little time…
My very own Pikes Peak Library District has a list of 20 YA mysteries, in case you want more to read.
At Shelftalker, children’s bookseller Josie Leavitt makes her predictions on which books will get Newbery, Caldecott and Printz awards, and asks everyone to chime in. I’m staying out of this one, but will be interested to see if she’s right.
And finally, delightfully off-topic, check out Becky Clark’s collection of Halloween pet costumes. Happy Halloween, everyone!
P.S. Links come on Thursday now, since that works out better for me.
Blog: Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult books, YALSA, Young Adult Novels, Teen Read Week, Wacky Wednesday, Patterson, James, Writing Skills, Readergirlz Blogspot, Add a tag
This week is “Teen Read Week,” which is a week encouraging teens to read something out of this world (this year’s theme). YALSA sponsors this week. Another fun blog, Readergirlz, has their own set of ideas for Teen Read Week, which you can see in their poster that I included here.
I decided to make this part of my Wacky Wednesday post today because I wanted to include some ideas for teachers/home school parents who are doing independent reading or reading workshop with teens. Yes, teens read, and some of them read YA books; others read adult books. In my opinion, it is important for English teachers and home school parents to teach the classics and other important literature to an entire class. But it is EVEN MORE important to instill a love of reading into teens. And I believe we do that with allowing them to read independently books that peak their interests. If you have to give a grade or show how they mastered skills or their improvement over a semester, you can do that with some of my ideas below.
Here are some popular teen books:
Ideas for teens who are involved in reading workshop or independent reading:
1. Teens should have a reading response journal. While they are reading, they can write any questions they have, vocabulary, thoughts about what they are reading, favorite quotes, etc. Sort of like a diary for the book. It shouldn’t have to be in complete sentences, and it can be more creative. They could even include drawings.
2. Allow teens to start a class blog about the books they are reading. They can blog about chapters, characters, and the plot. When they finish books, they can write book reviews on their blogs. A super-easy website to use to start a blog is: Blogger
3. Pretend they are a character from the book and write: a diary entry about a day in the life of that character, a letter from that character to another character in the book or a real person, or a sequel or prequel to the book.
Add a Comment
By: Fleur Bradley,
on 10/19/2009
Blog: YA Sleuth (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA, Teen Read Week, Add a tag
It’s Teen Read Week! And this means we’re reading teen books, not that you have to be a teen to read them—at least that’s my belief.
This year, YALSA decided on the theme Read Beyond Reality. I usually like my fiction to be firmly grounded in reality, but found myself writing a scifi thriller this year—so if I can change my mind in my writing, I can certainly read some more scifi or fantasy.
For more on Teen Read Week, you can check out author interviews at the YA Authors Café, and chats with authors Justina Chen, Alyson Noel, and Zoe Marriott at Readergirlz. And Teenreads has this week’s releases, just in case you need some ideas on what to read.
I’ll be heading out today to get myself a beyond reality read. What are you reading?
By: Alice Pope,
on 10/19/2009
Blog: Alice's CWIM blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA, readergirlz, Teen Read Week, Add a tag
Readergirlz Teen Read Week Blog Bash...
The Readergirlz are fab hostesses, so don't miss their week-long blog party celebrating YALSA's Teen Read Week.
Starting today on the Readergirlz blog and continuing through October 23rd, the divas will host nine YA authors and end the week with "an online gala celebration where Sylvia Engdahl, a pioneer in young-adult science fiction, will be hosted and honored for her contributions to the literary landscape."
Here's the Readergirlz Teen Read Week lineup. (Events start at 6 PM Pacific/9 PM Eastern each day):
Monday, October 19th: Beyond Imagination
rgz diva Justina Chen Headley (NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL)
Alyson Noël (EVERMORE)
Zoe Marriott (DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES)
Tuesday, October 20th: Beyond Hardship
rgz diva Lorie Ann Grover (HOLD ME TIGHT)
Elizabeth Scott (LIVING DEAD GIRL)
Lynn Weingarten (WHEREVER NINA LIES)
Wednesday, October 21st: Beyond Daily Life
rgz diva Holly Cupala (TELL ME A SECRET)
Lisa McMann (WAKE)
Cynthia Leitich Smith (ETERNAL)
Thursday, October 22nd: Beyond Our World
rgz diva Melissa Walker (LOVESTRUCK SUMMER)
Cassandra Clare (CITY OF ASHES)
Patrick Ness (THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO)Friday, October 23rd: Into Our Beyond
rgz diva Dia Calhoun (AVIELLE OF RHIA)
Sylvia Engdahl (ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS)
And if you celebrate Teen Read Week, the divas want to hear from you.
Do you love YALSA's Teen Read Week? Post blog or vlog (video blog), then send the link to [email protected] with the subject line set up like this: Your name, TRW Tribute. Tell us about your recent release, or a book you love dearly, and then give a shoutout for Teen Read Week. We'll collect all the contributions and post them at the rgz blog in a 24 hour time span on October 23rd, 2009.
By: Beth,
on 9/15/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, programming, wrestlemania, Add a tag
The Wrestlemania Reading Challenge kicks off during Teen Read Week! If you’re looking for ways to promote the program, consult the toolkit:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/wrmc/ToolkitFinal_09.pdf
Get staff involved by introducing them to WWE superstars. Print pictures of wrestlers from the WWE website and label each picture with the wrestler’s name and nickname. Ask them to familiarize themselves with one wrestler. This way, they should feel comfortable engaging in a conversation about a wrestler with a teen.
http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/
http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/
By: Beth,
on 9/4/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Teen Read Week, YALSA Wiki, YALSA Info., Add a tag
We had an awesome chat Wednesday night about Teen Read Week and shared some great ideas for programming and promotion. If you weren’t able to make it to the chat it isn’t too late to share your own! You can go to the Teen Read Week page on the YALSA wiki (http://tinyurl.com/mo23rd) and add program ideas, check out booklists, and find out what other libraries are doing around the country.
There’s still time to register for Teen Read Week if you haven’t already done that, too. Just go to the Teen Read Week page at http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2009/home.cfm and click on Registration!
By: Beth,
on 9/3/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: ALA Annual, YALSA Info., ALA Midwinter, Teen Read Week, Youth Participation, YA Lit Symposium, YALSA Update, Teens' Top Ten, online professional development, Add a tag
YALSA’s Online Courses Cooler temperatures, falling leaves … why not complete the picture by signing up for one of YALSA’s Online Courses this fall? YALSA is offering three courses (including two brand-new ones!): AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating (taught by Teri Lesesne); Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond (taught by Francisca Goldsmith) and Reaching Teens with Gaming (taught by Beth Gallaway). Read descriptions and register at YALSA’s Online Courses page.
Bundled Registration Open If you’re planning to attend both ALA conferences this year (Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Jan. 15-19 and Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24-29) , take advantage of bundled registration and save 20% off of advanced registration for each conference separately. You’ll be able to register for hotels now, too. Starting Oct. 1, you can add registration for YALSA’s Midwinter Institute, “Libraries 3.0: Teen Edition” and YALSA’s Midwinter Social Event, “Games, Gadgets & Gurus.”
After the jump, learn how you can propose a program or paper for the 2010 YA Lit Symposium, see how you can preorder YALSA’s newest book, tell YALSA your opinion on future continuing education topics, and find out deadlines for the Teens’ Top Ten and Teen Read Week.
YALSA’s YA Lit Symposium Needs You Think about joining YALSA in 2010 for the Young Adult Literature Symposium, Nov. 5-7, 2010, in Albuquerque, N.M, with a theme of “Beyond Good Intentions: Teens, Literature and Diversity.” Proposals for programs, papers, and the preconference will be accepted at the symposium website through Oct. 1. We’re also giving away two stipends to offset travel costs, one for someone whose worked directly with teens in a library setting for ten years or less and one for a student in an ALA-accredited MLS program (you must be enrolled in an MLS program at the start of the symposium); stipend applications are due by Jan. 4, 2010. Details on both are available at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.
Preorder Cool Teen Programs for under $100 YALSA’s newest book, Cool Teen Programs for under $100, edited by Jenine Lillian for YALSA (YALSA, 2009), is now available for preorders! Books will ship in late September. This essential guide offers creative, fun programming ideas at prices that won’t break your budget (plus it has helpful chapters on budgeting and marketing for teen librarians).
Talk to Us YALSA is currently surveying members on topics for future professional development offerings – tell us what you’d like to see addressed in our online courses, monthly chats, face-to-face institutes, and more. The survey will take less than ten minutes and you’ll be entered to win a free online course from YALSA, just for completing it.
Two Weeks That’s how long you have until two big YALSA deadlines: registration for Teen Read Week ends Sept. 18, as does voting for the Teens’ Top Ten. Make sure you’ve registered for Teen Read Week and then encourage your teens to vote for this year’s Teens’ Top Ten. We’ll be announcing the winners during Teen Read Week in a video featuring WWE Superstars and Divas (and maybe a couple authors, too).
That’s it for this week’s update! To stay up to date on the latest from the YALSA Office, sign up to follow YALSA on Twitter or become a fan of YALSA on Facebook!
By: Beth,
on 9/3/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, Chat, Teens' Top Ten 2009, YALSA e-chat, echat, Teen Read Week 2009, Add a tag
Last night, YALSA members met in YALSA’s ALA Connect space for the division’s monthly online chat. This month, participants discussed Teen Read Week—exchanging programming ideas, discussing the economic crisis’ effect on Teen Read Week plans, talking about the Teens’ Top Ten and more. Read the transcript (PDF) for inspiration!
Our thanks to Carla Land for hosting and to all the participants for their contributions.
Join us for the next chat, Oct. 7, on advocacy for teen services, hosted by Beth Gallaway, chair of YALSA’s advocacy task force.
By: Beth,
on 8/21/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Awards, YALSA Info., ALA Midwinter, Teen Read Week, Annual, YALSA Update, Teens' Top Ten, online professional development, Add a tag
Teens’ Top Ten Voting Begins Monday! The Teens’ Top Ten opens for voting on Monday! Teens can vote for their favorite books from the past year at the Teens’ Top Ten website through Sept. 18. We’re giving teens four weeks to vote this year, to make sure that every teen’s vote counts. Winners will be announced in a webcast featuring World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars and Divas (plus a few special guests!) during Teen Read Week, Oct. 18-24.
Canada: The New Frontier for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge For the first time, YALSA and World Wrestling Entertainment will open registration for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge to Canadian residents, excluding Canada. Registration at this time is open only to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec). Canadian librarians can sign up using an online form through Aug. 31.
Go Back to School with YALSA Relive your school days and sign up for YALSA’s top-notch professional development! We’re offering three classes for the fall session (including two brand-new courses). Join us for AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating (taught by Teri Lesesne); Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond (taught by Francisca Goldsmith) and Reaching Teens with Gaming (taught by Beth Gallaway). Read descriptions and register at YALSA’s Online Courses page. Registration ends Oct. 2.
After the jump, find out about how to propose a session or win a travel stipend for the YA Lit Symposium in 2010, encourage your patrons to nominate you for the 2009 I Love My Librarian Award, sign up for Teen Read Week, and more.
YALSA’s YA Lit Symposium Needs You Think about joining YALSA in 2010 for the Young Adult Literature Symposium, Nov. 5-7, 2010, in Albuquerque, N.M, with a theme of “Beyond Good Intentions: Teens, Literature and Diversity.” Proposals for programs, papers, and the preconference will be accepted at the symposium website through Oct. 1. We’re also giving away two stipends to offset travel costs, one for someone whose worked directly with teens in a library setting for ten years or less and one for a student in an ALA-accredited MLS program (you must be enrolled in an MLS program at the start of the symposium); stipend applications are due by Jan. 4, 2010. Details on both are available at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.
Congrats to Cristina Mitra! Cristina Mitra is YALSA’s 2009-2010 Spectrum scholar. Mitra will use the funds to earn an MLS at the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science. YALSA was able to sponsor a Spectrum scholar this year through donations to the Friends of YALSA.
I Love My Librarian Nominations Now Open Nominations are now open for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations will run through October 9 and are being accepted online at www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian. You can also find information on the 2008 winners and download publicity tools at the I Love My Librarian website.
Teen Read Week Registration: Don’t Forget Teen Read Week is coming up fast! Make sure you’re registered so you can download the 2009 theme logo, Read Beyond Reality @ your library. After you’ve registered, check out the Teen Read Week website for ideas and download publicity tools to get the word out at your school or in your community. Then, post what you’re doing this year on the Teen Read Week wiki.
Bundled Registration Opens Soon Bundled registration for ALA’s 2010 Midwinter Meeting (Boston, Jan. 15-19) and Annual Conference (Washington, D.C., June 24-29) opens on Sept. 1. Bundled registration costs $300 for YALSA members (and even less for students), a $60 savings. Learn more at the Midwinter Registration webpage.
That’s it for this week’s update! To stay up to date on the latest from the YALSA Office, sign up to follow YALSA on Twitter or become a fan of YALSA on Facebook!
By: Beth,
on 7/20/2009
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Teen Opinions, WrestleMania Reading Challenge, YALSA Info., Teen Read Week, Add a tag
Registration for the 2009-2010 WrestleMania Reading Challenge will close July 31 —teens and tweens at your library could win a trip to WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix, and you could win $2,000 for your library! Just complete Teen Read Week™ registration at www.ala.org/teenread and say “yes” to the WrestleMania Reading Challenge by July 31. .
The WrestleMania Reading Challenge, sponsored by YALSA and World Wrestling Entertainment, encourages teens and tweens in grades 5-12 to read one item a week for 10 weeks, starting in January. Teens and tweens can win prizes and incentives from WWE, including the chance to compete in the national WrestleMania Reading Challenge championships to win ringside tickets to WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix in March. The sponsoring library of each finalist wins $2,000. Details on the 2010 challenge are available on YALSA’s website. After the jump, find out how students can win a trip to WrestleMania this year and read about the experiences of last year’s finalists.
Teens and tweens who want to win the trip to WrestleMania will go to the participating school or public library, check out and read a combined total of ten books, graphic novels and magazines, complete a log sheet, available from your librarian, indicating the name and author of the books, graphic novels and magazines read, and design a bookmark which includes a slogan that promotes reading. The slogan may be written in either English or Spanish. The bookmark and slogan will be judged based on the following objective criteria: (a) impact of the slogan; (b) originality of the design; (c) relevance of the graphics and images to the slogan; and (d) overall visual appeal.
Students are divided into three grade levels (5-6, 7-8, and 9-12) for judging. Based on the submitted reviews, a national judging committee of YALSA members will select five finalists from each grade level to attend the championships. Whichever finalist from each grade levels answers the most correct questions about their required book will win ringside seats. Author Will Weaver will judge the championship round. Weaver’s appearance is courtesy of Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers and Square Fish, imprints of Macmillan Publishing Group.
Looking for more info? Some of last year’s finalists talked to Lori Gruenthal, chair of YALSA’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge Jury, about their experiences.
Paula Brehm-Heeger, a past YALSA president, met with several of the winners, including Stephanie Diaz, Karolina Flores, Angelica Kruth, and Marissa Braun, at Wrestlemania 25 in Houston. They all admitted to being fans of WWE when they entered the contest. As one of them noted, “first my friend entered and when I heard about how you can get a trip, I thought it was a hoax or something. But then when it was true, I said, ‘hot dog - I’m doing it.’”
Stephanie, Karolina, and Marissa saw posters at their library and asked the librarian for details about the contest. Marissa’s librarian told her to enter “because you like drawing stuff and you like wrestling.” As it turns out, each teen had an artistic background. Karolina was inspired by her personal experience. She told Paula, “I am a second degree black belt in tae kwon do. I wrote my text in English and Spanish since my family is from Mexico. The English side has a tae kwon do dude. On the Spanish side, I did a little girl baking because I am interested in cooking too.”
Angelica was inspired by her description of reading, “as the key to the present, past, and future.” Marissa brainstormed ideas. She says, “I bounced a couple slogans off of friends and cousins and picked the best one and then just sort of put the pictures to words.” Each bookmark was unique and creative regardless of how they came about their design.
The teens each recommended entering this year’s contest and had positive remarks to share. Stephanie said, “If you’re really interested in something just go for it and do what you have to do.” Karolina said she got a lot out of the experience. She enjoyed “going other places,” and discovering vocabulary words and different authors. Marissa enthusiastically added, “You get to meet a lot of wrestlers and of course there’s always the two tickets to Wrestlemania — awesome!”
Angelica revealed she was “never a fan of reading.” She said, “School just deteriorated my whole interest in reading. When I heard about the contest, I thought I’ll give it a try. It is 10 books. When I actually read the mission of the program, to get kids who aren’t really interested in reading to read, I knew I would be the perfect candidate for that. It was the first time I actually enjoyed reading. Now when I get a book or assignment, I think I’ll give it a shot.”
Blog: YA Authors Cafe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Teen Read Week, DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK, Marlene Perez, Books with Bite, YA Authors Cafe, Add a tag
Marlene Perez is the author of DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK. She lives in Orange County, California, where she's always on the lookout for vampires roaming her sunny suburb. So far, she hasn't spotted any. www.marleneperez.com
1) what's your book about?
DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK is the first book in a trilogy.
2) favorite Halloween candy?
mini mint Three Musketeers bars or those mellocreme pumpkins.
3) favorite spooky novel?
LOST BOY LOST GIRL by Peter Straub creeped me out. But my childhood favorite was WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE by Joan Aiken.
4) fangs or fur?
Fangs. Vamps rule and werewolves drool.
5) Monster Mash, Thriller, or The Time Warp?
It's a tie. I love The Time Warp, but Thriller has Vincent Price doing a voice-over.
6) cape or no cape?
cape. I'm old-school.
7) Bela Lugosi or Gary Oldman?
Gary Oldman! I know Bela Lugosi is the premiere vamp, but Gary Oldman rocked the house as Sid Vicious, Dracula and Sirius Black.
8) Trick or Treat?
treat.
9) favorite costume?
Hmm. On me or someone else? My best friend and I (our names both start with M) once dressed up as M&M candies. Not very scary, but fun.
10) favorite scary movie or television show?
SCARY MOVIE: THE LOST BOYS
TELEVISION SHOW: Buffy, of course
11) what really scares you? (like spiders or the dark or whatever)
Lots of things. I'm a wimp. Spiders, heights, people who don't vote.
12) what’s your favorite way to spend Halloween night?
The people in our neighborhood all hang out together, then a group of parents & kids go trick-or-treating. I stay home and hand out candy. Then after the kids have gorged themselves on chocolate and have crashed, my husband and I watch a movie.
13) what’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
When I was growing up, I lived in an old farmhouse that was haunted.
Blog: Confessions of a Desperate Young Adult Author: Terri Clark (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: yalsa, terri clark, teen read week, sleepless, books with bite, teens top ten, Add a tag
It's teen read week! Right now I'm reading WALKAWAY by Alden R. Carter and in my immediate YA TBR I have lots of BOOKS WITH BITE:
The Otherworldlies / Jennifer Anne Kogler
Bliss / by Lauren Myracle
The graveyard book / Neil Gaiman
Betrayed : a House of Night novel / P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
What YA books are you reading this week?
And teens, don't forget to vote for your Top Ten and check out what's happening at your local library! 
By: Sheila Ruth,
on 10/14/2008
Blog: Wands and Worlds (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: poetry, teen read week, clare bell, the named, ratha's courage, books with bite, limericks, Add a tag
This week is Teen Read Week, an annual event created by YALSA, the young adult division of the ALA. In honor of Teen Read Week, I'm going to be giving away a set of three books from the Named series, by Clare Bell: Ratha's Creature (book 1), Clan Ground (book 2), and the newly published Ratha's Courage (book 5).
For a chance to win, all you have to do is to write a limerick relating to this year's Teen Read Week theme, "Books with Bite," and leave your limerick in the comments. Your limerick could be related to the theme in general, or it could be about your favorite book with "bite". To get you started, here's a limerick written by Clare Bell, author of the Named series:
With October comes Halloween night
When we dress up to give folks a fright
Costumed as bats
Or black Named clan cats
And read all the best books "with bite".
Entries must be posted by this Saturday, October 18, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The winner will be selected by random drawing, 'cause, well, I was recently a judge in a writing contest and I know how hard it is to pick one winner from so many good entries. I'd rather celebrate and enjoy all your limericks rather than having to choose one as "best".
The winning entrant must be able to give me a shipping address for review copies, so anyone under 18 should check with your parents first. You don't need to give me your address unless you win (please don't post it here!) and I promise I won't do anything with your address other than ship you the free books!
So limerick away! I look forward to reading your entries!
By: Sheila Ruth,
on 10/13/2008
Blog: Wands and Worlds (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: young adult books, readergirlz, books with bite, authorchats, teen read week, Add a tag
Oops. I am so late with this that I missed the first one. Sorry! But it's not too late to chat with a fabulous lineup of authors. In honor of Teen Read Week, which has the theme "Books with Bite," Readergirlz is hosting a series of themed author chats, called Night Bites, every night this week!
Here's the schedule:
Sorry that I didn't tell you in time to catch this one:
Monday, Oct. 13: Multicultural Bites with authors Coe Booth (TYRELL), An Na (THE FOLD), and rgz diva Mitali Perkins (SECRET KEEPER)
But don't worry, look at all these authors you can still catch!
Tuesday, Oct. 14: Verse Bites with rgz diva Lorie Ann Grover (ON POINTE), Stephanie Hemphill (YOUR OWN SYLVIA), and Lisa Ann Sandell (SONG OF THE SPARROW)
Wednesday, Oct. 15: Contemporary Bites with Ally Carter (CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY), rgz diva Justina Chen Headley (NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL), and Maureen Johnson (SUITE SCARLETT)
Thursday, Oct. 16: Fantasy Bites with Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (THE GOOD NEIGHBORS), rgz diva Dia Calhoun (AVIELLE OF RHIA), and Tamora Pierce (MELTING STONES)
Friday, Oct. 17: Gothic Bites with Holly Cupala (A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT), Christopher Golden (SOULLESS), Annette Curtis Klause (BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE), and Mari Mancusi (BOYS THAT BITE).
All the chats take place at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific in the Readergirlz forum on MySpace. (You have to be a MySpace member to participate)
For more information, see the readergirlz web site or the YouTube video.
Blog: YA Authors Cafe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Teen Read Week, Books with Bite, Add a tag
.jpg)
Teen Read Week Books with Bite
Celebrate Teen Read Week at the YA Authors Cafe
Our guests will be:
Monday, October 13- Kimberly Pauley, author of SUCKS TO BE ME
Tuesday, October 14-Annette Curtis Klause, author of BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE and FREAKS
Wednesday, October 15-Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of TANTALIZE
Thursday, October 16, Kristopher Reisz, author of UNLEASHED
Friday, October 17, A.M. Jenkins, author of NIGHT ROAD
Saturday, October 18, Marlene Perez, author of DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK
By: Susannah Harris,
on 10/7/2008
Blog: First Book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: General, Teen Read Week, Books & Reading, AdLit.org, Literacy Links and Articles, The Mash Up, Add a tag
Guest Blogger Susannah Harris is the manager of AdLit.org, a national multimedia initiative offering resources to the parents and educators of struggling readers and writers in grades 4-12. Susannah has been a tutor herself for more than 16 years working with a range of organizations including The Higher Achievement Program and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, She is the Volunteer Coordinator for The Community Club, a tutoring program serving middle and high schools students in Washington, D.C.
October 12-18 is Teen Read Week–an annual event sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)–to encourage teens to read for the fun of it and explore all the great resources libraries have to offer. This year’s theme is Books with Bite @ Your Library and YALSA has some great ideas for promoting books and libraries as well as a new booklist of 100+ books that teens can really sink their teeth into.
Though the official celebration just lasts one week, every week is Teen Read Week at AdLit.org, where we’re all about adolescent literacy. We add new themed booklists and interviews with top young adult authors every month.
In addition to our great resources on young adult literature, AdLit.org offers articles and resources on reading instruction–everything from achievement to writing. And we like to bring people together for a little reading fun as well. Check out Just for Fun for contests and activities for teens.
If you’re a teacher or librarian, we have a contest for you too.YALSA, Mirrorstone Books, and AdLit.org are looking for the best Teen Read Week celebrations that involve significant collaboration between teachers and librarians. Share your ideas, and you could win some fabulous prizes, including an author visit from Kimberly Pauley or a D&D game session run by author Geno Salvatore. Entries, which include a 300-word description of your Teen Read Week Celebration, must be submitted to YALSA by November 7, 2008. Contest form and official rules.
Finding books that suit both teens’ interests and reading abilities isn’t always easy, so don’t be afraid to ask for help in finding great books to engage the reluctant adolescent readers in your life. Get to the library to talk with your own librarian or check out The MashUp, AdLit.org’s blog about books for teens, written by our very own YA Lit advisor (and librarian) Jamie Watson, who was recently named a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal magazine. Each week, Jamie reviews new books and offers suggestions for finding books for teen readers. You may even find some titles that tempt you to get bitten right along with your teen readers!
Add a Comment
By: Sheila Ruth,
on 10/3/2008
Blog: Wands and Worlds (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: vampires, cats, dogs, animals, booklists, dragons, werewolves, monsters, aliens, teen read week, creatures, prehistoric, bookswith bite, young adult books, Add a tag
October 12-18 is YALSA's Teen Read Week 2008, and the theme this year is "Books with Bite!" I think it's a great theme, and I asked the teen members of the Wands and Worlds community to suggest books that they recommend which would fit the theme. They suggested so many books that I had to break the list into two parts: Books with Bite: Creepy Creatures, which includes Prehistoric Animals, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Creatures and Monsters, and Aliens, and Books with Bite: Animals, which is self-explanatory.
Anyone who thinks that teen readers are "boxed in" to the young adult category of books should meet the Wands and Worlds members. I was amazed at the diversity of books they recommended. The list includes classic novels, modern novels, and graphic novels, not to mention one interactive book, and the reading level ranges from middle-grade to adult.
These are all books that the teens enjoy reading and would recommend to others. I mainly acted as organizer and moderator. I tried not to censor their selections, other than to make sure that all the books fit the theme, and was pretty liberal about that. Basically, if I wasn't sure a book would fit, I asked how it fit the theme, and if anyone suggested a way, I went with that. I did make some suggestions to get the discussion going, but only included those if at least one person said, "Yeah! I love that book!" A few of the books on the list appear to be out of print, but I decided to include them anyway, in the hope that they are still available in some libraries.
It's my hope that these lists can be helpful, either to teens looking for good books, or to librarians, booksellers, parents, teachers, and other adults to whom teens may turn for recommendations. I'm providing the lists here in three forms:
- A raw/formatted html text in the blog post below, and which you are welcome to copy and post on your own blog or web site if you wish. (You can even copy the source, if you want to retain the formatting).
- An attractively formatted downloadable PDF, suitable for printing and giving out. You may freely copy these without permission as long as you are not selling them. (And while I hope that they're helpful, I can't imagine that anyone would actually want to pay for them, anyway)
- A BlueOrganizer widget, that you are welcome to place on a blog or web site. The widgets are fully customizable with many options.
Here's the widgets:
And finally, here's the actual text, if you'd like to copy it directly:
Books with Bite: Animals
Cats:
Warriors series
by Erin Hunter
First book: Into the Wild
Love, friendship, intrigue, and war among clans of wild cats.
Ratha and The Named series
by Clare Bell
First book: Ratha’s Creature
Fiery prehistoric cat Ratha brings change to her clan.
The Tygrine Cat
by Inbali Iserles
A young cat exiled from his homeland struggles for acceptance and seeks to understand his mysterious power.
Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw
by Sf Said
illustrated by Dave Mckean
A young cat from a sheltered life is forced to go outside for the first time as he seeks help to save his family and home.
Lionboy Trilogy
by Zizou Corder
First book: Lionboy
A boy who can speak to cats sets off on a journey across Europe and eventually the world, aided by cats and even
lions along the way.
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
A boy raised by wolves, and tutored by the panther Bagheera and the bear Baloo, faces off against the fierce tiger Shere Khan.
Tomorrow’s Sphinx
by Clare Bell
In a future world, a telepathic black cheetah, exiled from her clan due to her unusual color, rescues a human child.
Dogs & Wolves:
The Sight and Fell
by David Clement-Davies
A white wolf and a black wolf deal with the consequences of prophecy in the mountains of Transylvania.
Runt
by Marion Dane Bauer
The last-born and smallest wolf in the litter seeks to find his place in the pack.
Snow Dog
by Jim Kjelgaard
A dog must take down the black wolf that had murdered his family when he was a pup, as well as learn to survive
on his own.
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
A beautiful, exciting, and tragic story of a boy and his dog in late 19th century Texas.
White Fang
by Jack London
The adventures of an orphaned half-wolf, half-dog in the wilderness of northwest Canada.
Call of the Wild
by Jack London
Buck the dog is kidnapped from his California home and sent to the Alaskan wilderness as a sled dog, where he
encounters both cruelty and love.
Wolf’s Rain (Manga)
by Bones
illustrated by Toshitsugu Lida
In a world where wolves are nearly extinct, the last four wolves can disguise themselves as humans.
InuYasha (Manga)
by Rumiko Takahashi
A teenager is transported back in time in Japan and releases a dog half-demon.
Wolf Series
by Jane Lindskold
First book: Through Wolf’s Eyes
A girl raised by wolves may be the long-lost heir to the throne.
A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray
by Ann M. Martin
The life and adventures of a stray dog, told in the dog’s words.
Other Animals
Seekers Series
by Erin Hunter
First book: The Quest Begins
Three young bears from different species on quests that will bring them together.
Animal: bears
Hermux Tantamoq Adventures
by Michael Hoeye
First book: Time Stops for No Mouse
A gentle watchmaking mouse gets drawn into adventure and mystery
Animal: mouse
Guardians of Ga’Hoole
by Kathryn Lasky
First book: The Capture
A young owl faces danger and adventure
Animal: owls
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
A warren of rabbits made homeless by a land developer encounter many dangers as they search for a new home.
Animal: rabbits
Redwall series
by Brian Jacques
First book: Redwall
The adventures of various animals in and around Redwall Abby in the fantasy world of Redwall
Animal: various
Fire Bringer
by David Clement-Davies
A young deer may be the fulfillment of a prophecy and the only hope of the deer against a tyrannical ruler.
Animal: deer
Silverwing Trilogy
by Kenneth Oppel
First book: Silverwing
A young bat, the runt of his colony, gets separated from the colony and finds adventure and new friends as he tries to find his colony.
Animal: bats
Tarka the Otter
by Henry Williamson
The life of an otter in the countryside
Animal: otters
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
by Richard Bach
The story of a seagull who follows his dreams
Animal: seagulls
Fruits Basket (Manga)
by Natsuki Takaya
An orphan moves in with a mysterious family who can change into the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Animal: various
+Anima (Manga)
by Natsumi Mukai
A group of children with animal powers, shunned by human society, search for others with similar abilities
Animal: various
Mistmantle Chronicles
by M. I. McAllister
illustrated by Omar Ryann
First book: Urchin of the Riding Stars
An orphaned young squirrel serving as page to a Captain of the Guard becomes embroiled in court intrigue when his Captain is accused of a murder
Animal: various
Raven Quest
by Sharon Stewart
A raven exiled from his community after being falsely accused of murder sets off on a quest to find the Grey Lords, who can save his people.
Animal: ravens
The Waterstone
by Rebecca Rupp
The world is drying up, and twelve-year-old Tad faces
adventure, danger, and mysteries as he seeks to restore
the water before it’s too late.
Animal: various
His Dark Materials Trilogy
by Philip Pullman
First book: The Golden Compass
In an alternate world, two children and their animal daemons try to save the universe.
Animal: various
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
A boy raised by wolves, and tutored by the panther Bagheera and the bear Baloo, faces off against the fierce tiger Shere Khan.
Animal: various
Books with Bite: Creepy Creatures
Prehistoric Animals:
Ratha and The Named series
by Clare Bell
First book: Ratha’s Creature
Fiery prehistoric cat Ratha brings change to her clan.
Raptor Red
by Robert Bakker
A female Utahraptor struggles for survival in a hostile prehistoric world.
Darkwing
by Kenneth Oppel
A young, prehistoric bat-like mammal, born with deformities that let him fly and navigate in the dark, uses his special abilities to save his colony.
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
by Michelle Paver
First book: Wolf Brother
A 12-year-old orphan in a prehistoric world bonds with a wolf cub, and the two of them battle evil magic to save the world.
Vampires:
Twilight Saga
by Stephenie Meyer
First book: Twilight
A teenage girl falls in love with a vampire, exposing her to a dangerous world.
House of Night series
by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
First book: Marked
In a world where vampires coexist with humans, a teenage girl is marked as a vampire and begins to attend the House of Night school for vampires.
Vampire Knight (Manga)
by Matsuri Hino
A student at a school attended by humans during the day and vampires at night seeks to find a way for the two groups to coexist peacefully.
Vampire Academy series
by Richelle Mead
First book: Vampire Academy
Two friends at a school for vampires deal with social pressures and dangers from a different group of vampires.
Dracula
by Bram Stoker
Real estate agent Jonathan Harker has been hired to find a London home for Transylvanian Count Dracula, putting his fiance Mina in danger from the vampire.
Blue Bloods
by Melissa De La Cruz
A teen at a prestigious private high school discovers that she is descended from a line of privileged society vampires.
Bloodline
by Kate Cary
The Dracula story continues with the next generation, as a young woman is enticed to become the bride of Captain Quincy Harker from Transylvania.
Vampirates
by Justin Somper
First book: Demons of the Ocean
Twins Connor and Grace are shipwrecked and separated; one ends up on a pirate ship, the other on a ship of vampire pirates.
Werewolves:
Lonely Werewolf Girl
by Martin Millar
A laudanum-addicted, Joan Jett loving, teenage Scottish werewolf princess hides with a couple of humans in London, while her family battles for the werewolf throne.
Blood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klause
A sixteen year old werewolf girl falls in love with a human boy.
Twilight Saga
by Stephenie Meyer
First book: Twilight
A teenage girl falls in love with a vampire, exposing her to a dangerous world.
Maximum Ride Series
by James Patterson
First book: The Angel Experiment
A group of children genetically enhanced with bird DNA giving them the ability to fly escape from the lab where they were bred, and are on the run from half-human, half-wolf predators called erasers.
Dragons:
Inheritance Series
by Christopher Paolini
First book: Eragon
A fifteen year old boy discovers a dragon egg, becomes a Dragon Rider, and works to overthrow a tyrant.
Dragon’s Keep
by Janet Lee Carey
A princess born with a deformity that some consider a curse is abducted by a dragon.
Dragon Slippers series
by Jessica Day George
First book: Dragon Slippers
A poor girl becomes a dressmaker and secret friend of dragons.
Dragon Trilogy
by Chris D’Lacey
First book: The Fire Within
A college student discovers that a clay dragon given to him as a gift can come to life
Age of Fire
by E.E. Knight
First book: Dragon Champion
A lone young dragon survives the massacre of his family and goes in search of his own kind.
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
A young dragon sets off in search of a sanctuary where the dragons can be safe from humans, and encounters an evil dragon bent on destruction.
Hatching Magic
by Ann Downer
When a wyvern belonging to a thirteenth century wizard goes through a time hole to lay her egg, the hatchling is found by an 11-year-old girl in twenty-first century Boston.
The Dragonriders of Pern
by Anne McCaffrey
First book: Dragonflight
Humans bonded with dragons protect their planet from a threat that falls from the sky.
The Dragon Hunter’s Handbook
by Lori Summers
Everything you need to know to become a dragon hunter.
Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons
by Ernest Drake and Dugald Steer
Interactive guide to dragons.
Creatures and Monsters:
Artemis Fowl series
by Eoin Colfer
First book: Artemis Fowl
A teenage mastermind plans to steal the fairy gold and battles the elite fairy police
Deltora Quest
by Emily Rodda
First book: The Forests Of Silence
Three young companions are on a quest to recover the seven lost gems of the magic Belt of Deltora, to overthrow the Shadow Lord.
Harry Potter
by J.K. Rowling
First book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
An orphaned boy learns he is a wizard, and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
by Rick Riordan
First book: The Lightning Thief
A boy with dyslexia and ADHD learns that the Greek gods still exist and that he’s really a demi-god and pursued by
monsters.
Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. Lewis
First book: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The adventures of human children in the magical world of Narnia.
Tsubasa (manga)
by Clamp
A young man goes on a quest through alternate worlds to save his friend, when a mysterious symbol at an archaeological dig scatters her memories.
xxxHolic (manga)
by Clamp
Watanuki Kimihiro is tricked into becoming a servant to a witch, after he seeks her help in getting rid of the spirits that haunt him.
Firebringer trilogy
by Meredith Ann Pierce
First book: Birth of the Firebringer
The prince of the unicorns faces dangers as he and his friends go on a pilgrimage for their initiation.
Power of Three
by Diana Wynne Jones
Three children - two with special powers and one ordinary - may be the only ones who can break a curse on their
people.
Aliens:
Animorphs
by K.A. Applegate
First book: The Invasion
Children who can morph into animals battle aliens to save the world.
The Host
by Stephanie Meyer
A woman whose mind is possessed by an alien refuses to submit to the alien, and together they seek the man she
loves.
Ender Series
by Orson Scott Card
First book: Ender’s Game
A young genius is trained to fight aliens attacking Earth.
This list was compiled from recommendations made by the members of the Wands and Worlds community, a fan site dedicated to children’s and teen fantasy and science fiction. The following members contributed to the list: Adderfang, AshfurForever24, Coalfang, CloudWind, Crescentmoon, Fireblossom, Forestpelt, Gingerleaf, Hawkstorm, Heartwing, Icestar, Kitten-Chan, Lightfrost, Losty, Mossflower, Rabbitfoot, Rathacat, Sandcloud, Sevenclaws, Shadow, SheilaRuth, Spirithunter, Spottedstar, Swiftstep, Tawny/Moony, Waterstripe, Wolf.
By: Yours Truly,
on 10/16/2007
Blog: 3 Evil Cousins (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: ala, teen read week, ridiculous internet abbreviations, teen read week, ridiculous internet abbreviations, Add a tag
Happy Teen Read Week, everybody! Hmm. I guess we cousins should start reading, huh?
Teen Read Week is... presented by? Sponsored by? Held by? ________ by ALA (The American Library Association). This year's theme is LOL.
No, really. Like the internet abbreviation.
Please excuse me. I have to go curl up in a corner and cry.
But other than the atrocious (in my opinion) theme, Teen Read Week is pretty darn awesome. Teenagers should read more.
Readingly, curling-up-and-cryingly yours,
Note: You can see my further thoughts on lol, and some other stuff, here.
By: Mayra Calvani,
on 6/4/2007
Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: autism, judith mammay, turtle books, it's time, Add a tag
By Judith Mammay
Illustrated by Todd Fargo
Jason & Nordic Publishers – Turtle Books
email: [email protected]
ISBN: 978-0-944727-20-1
Copyright 2007
Paperback, 32 pages, $9.95
Children’s Picture Book
Does your child suffer from autism? Do you know what autism is? Would you like to teach to young children what this condition is without scaring them? Then I recommend you to get this book.
It’s Time is the story of Tommy, a young boy who suffers from this so-often-misunderstood condition. He finds it hard to think in words and to express those words so that people may understand him. He needs to follow a strict routine, otherwise he gets incredibly frustrated and even afraid. However, by following a few simple rules, he is able to control his temper and fear of the unexpected.
Mammay addresses not only Tommy’s fears and frustrations, but also those of his classmates as well. This is a helpful book to read to children so they will understand how to behave with children with special needs such as Tommy. The simple, colorful illustrations present the different scenarios effectively. At the corner of each page, enclosed in a small square, is a cute mouse demonstrating the emotion that Tommy is feeling at each particular moment.
The author is a special education teacher who has worked with children with autism. She writes with a straight-forwardness and sensitivity necessary in a story like this. It’s Time is the type of book that will encourage an interesting class discussion among young primary school children.
Reviewed by Mayra Calvani
Nice reportage, Fleur. And maybe I'll go back to the YA novel I started a few years back.
YA really is a great and fun place to be--not that I'm trying to persuade you or anything :-)