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In: On the Edge, Realistic Fiction (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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If what you want most in a novel is a protagonist who gets it, who’s wading through the same emotional crap you are, who’s fed up with the ineffectual adults in his life and having to just accept the way things are, and most of all, a guy who is funny as hell, then Lucky Linderman is the protagonist for you. That’s not to say that Lucky’s life is all that great – it’s pretty crappy, actually.  His dad is emotionally distant from the family; his mom meekly inhabits the edges of her own life, preferring to spend time swimming laps; his grandfather is/was a VietnamRead More →

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School Library Journal (11/29/11) reports: Calling all school librarians: there’s still time to apply for a Laura Bush Foundation grant—but you better hurry, the deadline is December 31. If you work in a school where 50 percent or more of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch, then get moving. To promote a love of reading, the foundation awards media centers with grants of up to $6,000 to purchase books, magazines, and other reading materials. The goal?  To update, extend, and diversify book collections in the nation’s neediest school libraries. All grants, which are supported by private donations, are given to individual schoolsRead More →

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Cecil Castellucci’s latest is First Day on Earth, a succinct, poignant short novel about a teen who is an alien in his own life. Mal is a loner. An observer of the idiocy of high school, reluctant caretaker of his alcoholic mother, and lonely as hell.  He would never admit that, of course, but  ever since his dad left him and his mom, Mal’s been adrift.  And something strange and secret happened to him out in the Mojave desert that he still can’t get over – he was abducted by aliens.  Trying to survive high school, his messed up home life, and the wrenching pain ofRead More →

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Who wouldn’t want a glimpse into their future? To see what your life is like 15 years from now, who your friends are, what your job is, where you live and if you’re happy.  But how do you piece together a true picture of your future if it’s revealed in a list of “friends” you many not even know, photos that haven’t been taken yet, and random tidbits (“Cake for breakfast – yum”) that don’t make sense?  For Emma and Josh in 1996, getting access to their lives in 2011 via an AOL disc that reveals their as-yet-to-be-invented Facebook pages, there are just as many gaps inRead More →

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From The New York Times (Nov. 20, 2011): Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even with parents who themselves are die-hard downloaders of books onto Kindles, iPads, laptops and phones. They freely acknowledge their digital double standard, saying they want their children to be surrounded by print books, to experience turning physical pages as they learn about shapes, colors and animals. Parents also say they like cuddlingRead More →

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Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners by Judy Sierra with illustrations by Tim Bowers, walks you through exactly what to do if you happen to meet a dinosaur while shopping at the grocery store. This manners book is a series of cute rhyming questions like: “Your shopping cart begins to spin. It dings the dino on the shin. She roars a terrifying roar. What do you tell the dinosaur?” With the answer displayed simply on the next page: “I’m sorry.” This cute little book teaches, through various scenarios involving a dinosaur in the grocery store: introducing yourself and saying goodbye andRead More →

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In: Ideas You Can Use, Reaching Reluctant Readers, This is interesting
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We loved this article by Patrick Carman from SLJ-Check it out now! From School Library Journal, Nov. 1, 2011: Read Beyond the Lines: Transmedia—and its multiplatform brethren—has changed the very notion of books and reading By: Patrick Carman Whenever I speak to a group of middle school students, I run the same simple test. I ask the audience to think about the day before I arrived. Only that one day. Then I have them count on their fingers each of the following things they did the day before I got there: • Used a cell phone • Used a personal device to listen to musicRead More →

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From Publisher’s Weekly: With 2012 fast approaching, here at Publishers Weekly we’ve assembled our list of the very best books published this year for children and teens. Did your favorites make the cut? Read on to see the top Children’s Picture Books here. Or, check out the best of Children’s Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, or see all of PW’s top picks for readers of all ages.Read More →

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ASU is Offering ENG 500: Research Methods in English Education Investigating Reading and Writing Practices in Secondary Schools Spring 2012 Wednesdays 4:40-7:30pm Dr. Jessica Early Course Description: This graduate seminar is designed to explore research methods used to study the reading and writing practices of secondary students in classroom settings. Research methodology is a central issue for literacy researchers and this course will link methodological concerns with practical issues, acknowledging the ways research design has an impact on the classroom as well as the academy. In recent years, researchers examining secondary reading and writing practices have become increasingly interested in expanding their methodological options andRead More →