Reviews of Professional Reading

This guide will be a tremendous resource for students and teachers who are using handheld devices. Thoroughly indexed and easy to read and follow, it will give teachers and media specialists a means to integrate handheld computers into their curricula and library-media programs. Bell discusses using the devices to meet national and state academic standards and curriculum integration; selecting appropriate hardware and software; finding, assimilating, circulating, and designing digital media, like e-books and e-audiobooks; and common copyright issues with this format. Some charts and images illustrate Bell's instructions. All teachers and media specialists with sets of handheld computers should keep this manual close by as a ready resource.—Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH

A compilation of 50 ideas, culminating in 50 computer-generated products. Organized into three sections, it includes things that are just plain fun to make (bags, banners, T-shirts), those that are actually reports presented in nontraditional packages (acrostics, word art, paper chains), and those that present serious research (culture cards, wanted posters, totem poles). Each spread is laid out by "Plan" (curriculum connections, software requirements), "Prepare" (a checklist of what teachers need to know and do), and "Present" (the step-by-step instruction), with useful diagrams, computer screens, and examples. Utilizing Microsoft products found in most schools, the projects are easy to complete, and instruction parameters include a differentiation table to accommodate varied learners and a rubric useful for judging the lesson and the product. Helpful for newbies trying their hand at basic technology, the book also has enormous potential as a resource for experienced teachers who want to teach the research process painlessly by having it culminate in formats achieved quickly and colorfully. A winner.—Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA

Librarians looking for new booktalk material will find a treasure trove in this compilation of information about 100 titles. The authors present a variety of classic and newer literature, grouped by topics such as "Teenage Life and Concerns," "Science Fiction and Fantasy," and "Important Nonfiction." They intentionally exclude Newbery and Printz winners, which are treated in The Newbery/Printz Companion (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). Each entry includes introductory material, a list of main characters, a plot summary, discussion of themes and subjects, highlighted points for booktalking, additional titles of interest, and pointers to more information about the book and its author. The entries are indexed by author, title, and subject, and the preface, "A Guide to Booktalking," can serve as an introduction or a refresher course.—Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, North Hollywood

For fortunate teacher librarians able, in these days of pacing calendars and NCLB, to allocate the time to take a group of students through a 12-lesson research unit, Harrington's book provides an inclusive model that would appeal to adolescent detective wannabes. The first of three sections includes extensive rationale, an introduction to the ebullient acronyms (the research process becomes an acrostic of ANTHILL), curriculum connections (grasped rather than embedded), a unit and lesson summary, a note-taking skit and very hokey backstory, lesson plans that are virtual textbook follow-alongs, and reproducible forms and rubrics for planning, teaching, and evaluation. The second section is the students' "casebook," replete with reproducible forms for alert ANTHILL detectives to use as they proceed through their crime logs, solving the mystery and presenting the evidence. Visual in format and brimming with corny CSI-speak, this turnkey unit would be far more successful with sixth graders than their more jaded upperclassmen and useful for inexperienced teacher librarians who will find it a virtual pathfinder for teaching a unit. For most educators, a unit as extensive as this is a luxury, but there are nonetheless concepts that can be adapted and forms that can be helpful to even the most harried librarian.—Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA

Honnold's book is a useful and user-friendly guide to young adult literature. The first part deals with the challenges of working with teens, from developing a rapport and dealing with the more conservative adults in their lives, to marketing a YA collection to its audience. The author's descriptions of the major awards and lists relating to the literature as well as the list of print and online reader's advisory resources are sure to be helpful. Part two consists of subject and genre lists. Each one has at least 10 titles. The annotations are excellent, consisting of a short plot summary that includes the age and gender of the main character and the setting. Potentially objectionable language, sexual content, and violence that might limit the audience are noted along with any awards the book may have won. Extensive author and title indexes and a list of references complete the volume. Because it is so up-to-date, this volume will prove invaluable to anyone working with teens. It would also be a great addition to the YA area, for teens to look through on their own.—Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY