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Tomorrow, October 1, 2009 is a very big day in the Kidlitosphere.  Tomorrow is opening day to nominate your favorite titles in many categories for the 2009 CYBILS.

Last year, I was on the Nonfiction Picture Book committee. Oh my, what a grand experience.  This summer I was honored when contacted to be the organizer for this category.  The panelists and the judges will be announced soon and we are all looking forward to our work.

A title can only be nominated once in a category so be prepared with perhaps your top five  favorites.  You may only nominate one title per category. Be sure to nominate by October 15, 2009.  That’s when nominations close.

Look here for updates.  On February 14, 2010, the winners will be announced.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

This week sitting in meetings has been the order of the day. Next week the students arrive.

I discovered this wonderful poem in Naomi Shihab Nye’s collection, This Same Sky, a Collection of Poems from Around the World:

The Pen
Take a pen in your uncertain fingers.
Trust, and be assured
That the whole world is a sky blue butterfly
And words are the nets to capture it.

–Muhammad al-Ghuzzi
Tunisia

Translated by May Jayusi and John Heath-Snubbs

We should all be fortunate to have students arrive thinking that words are the nets to capture the sky-blue butterflies.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Do you blog about YA and Children’s books?  The CYBILS Awards are in their fourth year and are looking for judges and panelists for the myriad of categories.  If interested, you can find out more here. 

This yer I am the organizer of the Nonfiction Picture Book (NFPB).  Am excited to serve in this capacity.

Poetry Friday is over at Book Aunt. Thanks, Kate.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Just yesterday, I checked in the hardcover copy of Blackbringer. It has seen great circulation.  Was it just yesterday that I met Laini? Planned a book party for her?  No,two years ago! Time flies.  Now on May 14, Blackbringer arrives as a paperback in stores.  Yippee!! Here is a re-post of my review:

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringerby Laini Taylor

One word: WOW!! Laini Taylor has delivered a knock out punch with her first novel.

I am a historical fiction type girl. I always want to know about the spark, the event that led the author down the path to write the story.

This is funny because I was all about the faeries, fairy tales, and make believe worlds as a child. I read and re-read Tolkien. Then I switched to a more eclectic approach in my book choices and fantasy got left behind for the most part.

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringerbrings me back to the world of fantasy. I thought that I would read it lickity-split (and I wonder if Laini has been thinking, why is she taking so long to read it). It is a book to savor. And that is exactly what I did. Savor. I didn’t allow myself to rush my reading.

Magpie Windwitch, the faerie, chases after devils that “mannies”or humans have released from bottles. She travels with crows who are both funny and protective of their Magpie. The troop heads to the forest of Dreamdarkwhen the fiercest of the devils, the Blackbringer, must be caught. He really is creepy. I have to tell you, I was at the edge of my seat as I finished the book this afternoon.

Laini’s writing is tight, flowing, and the language rich. From the prologue, when baby Magpie, is blessed by the animals to the end as she and her family of crows and other friends head to the next adventure (can’t wait for the sequel), you, the reader, are mesmerized.  Jim Di Bartolo’s art work and cover conveys a faerie you just don’t want to mess with.

If I hear students saying “flummox me”, “jacksmoke” or “skived”, I won’t be alarmed. I will know they have pick up some great vocabulary from this book.  

Happy Reading.

MsMac

What do these three things have in common?
1. The 2009 Newbery Award: The Graveyard Bookby Neil Gaiman.
2. Email chatter about the Newbery Award winner.
3. “A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship” by Debra Lau Whelan, School Library Journal, February.

They intersect one another. Gaiman’s book, a Newbery winner, once again could be self-censored from elementary school libraries. Why? Because of the opening scene. A scene in which the reader discovers the main character has escaped being murder while he rest of his family does not. A scene that includes a knife.
Shortly after the ALA announcement that The Graveyard Book won the award, emails started flying. Many of which stated, the book would not be purchased for their school. I had not read the book but immediately got my hands on it and devoured it cover to cover.

It seems that many recent Newbery Awards are for middle or high school. But this year, the committee was brave in selecting a book that not only has kid appeal but is masterfully written. Have you read Gaiman’s book? If not, it must go on your “to-read” list.
The timing of the SLJ article could not have been more perfect. Do we as school librarians self-censor? Do I self-censor? I think it is food for thought. My library does not have And Tango Makes Three or Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. Interestingly, I check our district, seven schools (four elementary) have And Tango Makes Three and there are no copies of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding in our district. This requires further examination on my part. ( I am in the process of putting an order together).
Last year, I had a parent visit me about Harry Potter. I explain she could censor her children’s reading but not others. I gave her all the paper work to file a challenge but it never happened.
What is the criteria for selecting The Graveyard Bookfor my school library? I am good at considering the reviews and the suggested ages for a book. Many reviews say ten years old or fifth grade for this title. I am always on the lookout for those “edgy” fifth grade reads. Having read the book, I think it is an excellent choice for elementary. Gaiman’s book fills a void in the scary/horror genre of the school library. It is a difficult genre at elementary beyond the Goosebumps series. (which the cover is often more scary than the text). And paired with the classic Jungle Book, wow, let the discussions begin.
This past week at the conference, we talked a lot about providing mentor text for students. The Graveyard Book will make such a great mentor text for those students trying to write a scary story. The reader can be scared and yet, most of the scary parts are nuanced. The reader is not reading about gore beyond the words “bloody knife” and that will send the imagination off, won’t it?
I have to agree with Pat Scales, a former librarian and First Amendment advocate, who says, “Children will put down what they can’t handle or what they aren’t ready for.” I know this will be true for Gaiman’s book and I also know it probably will not stay on the shelves much. By the way, yesterdy it was announced that The Graveyard Book also won the CYBILS for best book in the “Middle Grade Sci-fi/Fantasy” division. Congrats on that.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Better late than never, yes? I got to school today and before I knew it the morning (in which I have time to post on this blog) was gone.

Good for me though, I got home and found Wolfsnail by Sarah C. Campbell on the dining room table.

Who knew that snails could be so interesting?  Did you know that some snails will climb on hostas in search of other snails to eat? That is what the wolfsnail does.  They are carnivorous little creatures.Did you know that this species of snail has a special detection system with four tentacles and a lip extension?

 Sarah C. Campbell’s son’s fascination with wolfsnails inspired the book.  It is clear that Campbell has done quite a bit of research on the topic.  The text is spare and yet packed with great information for the youngest of backyard bug enthusiasts.

And the photos! Oh my, they are amazing.  Up Close and personal with many details that supports the text.  Both Sarah C. Campbell and her husband, Richard took the photos.

The book ends with a two page spread on wolfsnail facts as well as a wolfsnail glossary.  This book is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages.

Title: Wolfsnail: Backyard Predator
Author: Sarah C. Campbell
Date Published: May 2008
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: K-5
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
ISBN: 978-1-59078-554-6
Source of Book: Publisher sent for CYBILS consideration.

So if you are in your yard, look closely before destroying the lowly snail. It could a be a wolfsnail which actually eats the leaf eating snails. As always a list of great nonfiction blog posts can be found here.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

The third year of the CYBILS (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) has just begun! Nominations will stay open until Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

This year, awards will be given in nine categories
Easy Readers
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Novels,
Non-Fiction Middle Grade/Young Adult Books
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Novels

From Jen Robinson’s blog:

“Anyone can nominate books in these categories (one nomination per person per category). Nominated titles must be:

**published between January 1st and October 15th of this year

**the books must be in English (or bilingual, where one of the languages is English).

To nominate titles, visit the Cybils blog between October 1st and 15th. A separate post will be available for each category - simply nominate by commenting on those individual posts. If you are not sure which category to choose for a particular book, a questions thread will also be available.

Between October 16th and January 1st, Cybils panelists (children’s and young adult bloggers) will winnow the nominations down to a 5-7 book short list for each category. A second set of panelists will then select the winning titles for the different categories. The winners will be announced on February 14th, 2009.

I am leaving the poetry category this year and will be on the Non-fiction Picture Book Panel.

 So what great books published in 2008 have you read?  Go! Nominate a book!

Happy Reading.

MsMac