Professional Reading

By Staff -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2006

ANDERSON, Sheila B. Extreme Teens: Library Services to Nontraditional Young Adults 175p. (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series). bibliog. further reading. index. CIP. Libraries Unlimited 2005. pap. $36. ISBN 1-59158-170-2. LC 2005016076.

This resource offers information about serving teens who are homeschooled, incarcerated, pregnant, school dropouts, GLBTQ, or homeless, but the word “extreme” seems inappropriate for the various types of young people referenced here. Brief sections describing particular behaviors and ways of serving these teens are followed by lists of fiction and nonfiction, nonprint and organizational resources. Outreach is highly encouraged as a vital part of service to young adults. The extensive annotated bibliographic resources are excellent, especially in the chapter “Extreme Resources.” This book provides a one-stop shop for information on some very real issues. Just remove the word “extreme,” and this librarian–who has dyed red hair and three tattoos–would be more comfortable.–Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library

This set is designed for teachers and librarians to help children learn key research skills. When Chen’s dog Digger unearths an unusually hard object, Chen, Tanisha, and Timmy are anxious to find out more about the strange “bone.” With the help of their friend Mac, Information Detective, they pick a topic or question, narrow it down, and make a plan. “Interactive Pages” invite adults to stop the story and discuss particular topics with the listeners before proceeding. Once Chen and his friends decide that they are looking for information about fossils, they locate, collect, and organize it. They take notes and later present their findings. Their journey includes stops at the library and a local museum. The accompanying Educators’ Guide has suggested activities to reinforce student learning. Sections of this book correlate the story with learning objectives and AASL Information Power standards. Reproducible activity sheets are included. Unfortunately, the design and graphics do not do justice to the educational content. In the storybook, the shadowed font is blurry and almost impossible to read. The garishly colored cartoon-style figures and simple backgrounds are reminiscent of the type of art children create with computer art software programs. Despite the lack of visual appeal, though, the content is strong.–Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, VA

The authors present complete designs for 30 folktale storytime programs. Their compilation is arranged into three groups–stories about animals, people, and places. Each section provides a few questions to ask children in order to set the scene. The authors suggest games as well as other similar tales to read aloud. There is at least one page of attractive reproducible puppet patterns per folktale with more detailed instructions on how to use the commonly found materials. Bair and Andrews use the term “puppets” loosely because they offer a wide variety of pattern styles from stick puppets and fan puppets to finger designs and story cubes, which are optimal for sequencing activities. Both beginners and veteran storytellers will find something here to add some extra spice to their story hours.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Grimes, an award-winning librarian, led a school-wide research study with classroom teachers to transform the reading program at Lansdowne Elementary School in Baltimore. The study resulted in dramatic and measurable gains in student reading achievement. This book can be used as a toolkit to duplicate those results. Grimes’s work is informed by solid educational research in the field of reading comprehension. The text is lively and clearly written, accessible to teachers and librarians. Twenty-three pages of useful appendixes include a bibliography for each reading-comprehension skill corresponding to the matching stage of reading development, evaluation tools for library media specialist/teacher collaboration, and charts and graphic organizers for student lessons. Grimes demonstrates the transformative role of a librarian who is at the forefront of moving an entire school toward increased reading achievement. This book will interest administrators and inspire reading specialists, classroom teachers, and, above all, library media specialists.–Bobbee Pennington, Bryan Public Library, TX

Designed for use by facilitators of teen groups (grades 6-12) in community or school programs, this guide presents a variety of activities in three categories: “Personal and Environmental Awareness,” “Skill Building,” and “Practice Activities.” Providing creative ideas to stimulate discussion and cooperation, the book is an excellent resource for community- or faith-based programs, classrooms, after-school programs, leadership courses, juvenile-detention centers, and weekend retreats. Sample scripts, 20 reproducible handouts, and more than 50 activities introduce such topics as “Cultural Ethnocentrism,” “Untapped Potential,” and “Challenging My Stereotypes.” Each activity touches on 3 of the 40 assets emphasized, such as support (family, neighborhood, school), boundaries and expectations (rules, consequences, responsible behavior), and positive values (equality, integrity, restraint). This book offers constructive action for those who ask, “How do I go about raising diversity awareness and acceptance among youth?”–Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA

Warner argues that adolescent literature can act as a means of support for young people as they face what she calls the “major issues” of teen life. This is not a new argument, but she goes further with her claim as she attempts to solicit information from young people about the issues they face and connect these findings with similarly themed fiction. While this subject-related correspondence seems to be the primary criteria she uses for recommending powerful literature for teens, she also draws from the literary recommendations of teens themselves. According to Warner’s findings, teens look first to parents, siblings, grandparents, or relatives, then to friends and peers. Very few report seeking guidance from books, journaling, or magazines. Roughly 50 percent of her respondents report that no book has helped them. In spite of this disheartening response, the author takes pains to include teens’ own recommendations within the second half of her book, which annotates titles by category. While the bibliographic component does, to some degree, reinvent the wheel, Warner’s research findings could inform and direct youth services librarians and teachers.–Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston