Black History Month

The African-American Experience Through Literature

Amazon.com WidgetsBud, Not BuddyMonsterFirst Part LastDay of TearsChainsLizzie Bright and the Buckminster BoyDanger Zone

2010 Award Winners

And the winners are… We guessed it! Check out the 2010 American Library Association literary award winners.

WINNERS

. On January 11th, The New York Times reported that today’s teens are dealing with more mental health issues now than during The Great Depression. Reading stories that deal with emotional and behavioral issues may help kids who are struggling as they help them to think about, process and understand their own concerns. These books may also give parents the opportunity to discuss tough topics in a non-threatening way.Young Adult Books Dealing with Mental Health Issues

Wintergirls
Black Box
Fat Kid Rules The World
Feeling Sorry For Celia
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things
Stop Pretending

2010 Award Predictions

On January 18th, the American Library Association (ALA) will announce its annual awards including the Caldecott Medal for picture book illustrations, the Newbery Medal for books geared toward 9-12 year-olds and the Printz Award for Young Adult literature. In the meantime, we’re making some “educated” guesses. See our 2010 Award Predictions

Our Predictions

39 Clues

Book 6: In Too Deep

Release Date: November 3, 2009 | MIDDLE/TWEEN

A hint from their parents’ past puts Amy and Dan on the trail of secrets their grandmother Grace would NEVER have wanted them to know. Awful memories begin to crowd in on Amy, just as her enemies circle closer. How far would she go to protect Dan? How much of a Cahill is she prepared to be? Perhaps Grace was right – some secrets are better left buried.

“This unique and incredibly successful series is not to be missed. Each of the planned 10 books is written by a different author. The first one was written by Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, who also planned the story arc for all 10. Jude Watson, aka Judi Blundell, is a National Book Award winning author and author of this and book 4 in this series. A surefire winner, don’t miss it.”

Giving Voice to Autism

According to the organization Autism Speaks, about 1 in 150 children are autistic. It is the goal of this organization to promote research, awareness, advocacy and family services.

AUTISM SPEAKS | BE INFORMED | GET INVOLVED | WALK EVENTS | DONATE

In addition to the good work of this group and others like it, there is another powerful way in which Autism is being given a voice.

Autism in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Amazon.com Widgets

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Movie Release for One of Our Favorites

Where the Wild Things Are

After he is sent to bed without supper for behaving like a wild thing, Max dreams of a voyage to the island where the wild things are.

NPR Article

Liz says:

“The lyrical cadence, poignant story and amazing pictures make this a timeless classic. It is an awesome read-aloud!”

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Series featured in the New York Times & NPR

Release Date: October 12, 2009 | MIDDLE/TWEEN

It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.

Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”

Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?

New York Times Article | NPR Article | Book Series

Liz says:

“If your kids haven’t read the first three, they should!! My 10-year-old son and I cannot wait for this next installment in the life of Greg Heffley. He’s just an ordinary kid who presents the humor in everyday life.”

Exciting New Releases

Some kids can’t wait to get their hands on the latest in their
favorite series and some are inspired to begin a new series when they
hear all the excitement from their friends.

Here are the latest in our favorite series:

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz
Syren by Angie Sage
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemna by Trenton Lee Stewart

Movie Release for Another One of Our Favorites


	Life is delicious in a town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers–until the weather takes a turn for the worse. Liz says: “The story starts out in black & white as the grandpa tells his grandkids about the magical town of Chewandswallow. The story itself is in color – very much like the movie,The Wizard of Oz. As tomato tornados move in, see what the people of this town have to do. You may never see the weather in the same way again. This is a terrific book!”

Life is delicious in a town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers–until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Liz says:

“The story starts out in black & white as the grandpa tells his grandkids about the magical town of Chewandswallow. The story itself is in color – very much like the movie,The Wizard of Oz. As tomato tornados move in, see what the people of this town have to do. You may never see the weather in the same way again. This is a terrific book!”

The Choice Is Yours

We have always believed that giving kids reading choices is the best way to encourage them to love reading. Apparently, we are not the only ones. According to a recent New York Times article, “A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like,” letting students make their own selections helps “to build a lifelong love of reading.”

NYT ARTICLE

Bibliotechies

It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading.

-Katherine Paterson

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Latest Update: Jan 20th, 2010 at 13:42

New Book on the Blog

2010 Caldecott Medal Winner The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.
Liz says:
“Through incredible watercolor paintings, Pinkney recounts the Aesop fable of the brave little mouse who saves the fearsome lion. A simple and tender book [...]

Posted in 2010 Awards, Caldecott Medal 2010, Lessons for Life, Picture Books by Lizsays