Newsletter 2413 Issue 241320091215102735

TECH TRENDS

• Twitter, Texting Enhance Writing Skills, Says Expert
  If renowned author Ernest Hemingway could write a full story in just six words (“For sale: baby shoes, never worn”), then teachers and librarians should encourage their students to use Twitter and text messages as part of their literacy lessons.
  
  So says Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who believes the character constraint of Twitter could help students learn to be more inventive in their schoolwork. more » » » 

Blogs

• Nonfiction Matters
  Marc Aronson, AUTHOR, EDITOR, PACKAGER, SPEAKER,
  Skype Sample -- Davidson's Inst.'s Experience
  The Davidson Institute is an organization dedicated to nurturing and teaching profoundly gifted young people (ages 5-18). tinyurl.com/y9oofer The students and families it serves live throughout t...
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• Practically Paradise
  Diane Chen, Librarian, Hickman Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee
  Giving Capstone early chapter books
  Among the books I'm sorting for River Valley Elementary are these titles from Capstone Publishing. Norton Saves the Day (Pony Tales) by Bernadette Kelly. Illustrated by Liz Alger. Picture Win...
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• A Fuse #8 Production
  Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Street
  Fusenews: My spellcheck never did learn to recognize the word "Kirkus"
  Last week I had the chance to sit down and have a drink with novelist, memoirist, and short story writer Jennifer Boylan who has penned the upcoming middle grade fantasy novel Falcon Quinn...
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• Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  Nina Lindsay, ,
  Accuracy or Agenda?
  In a couple of posts commenters have raised issues about Almost Astronauts. The book's editor, Marc Aronson, challenges readers to bring objections to his blog, but no one has yet. Though ...
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• YALSA Names First 2010 Nonfiction Award Finalists
  Deborah Heiligman and Phillip Hoose are competing head-to-head again—this time for the first Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.
  
  Heiligman’s Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Holt) and Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, both 2009) were National Book Award finalists in Young People’s Literature, with Hoose taking home the prize on November 18. more » » » 

WATCH AND READ

• More Musical 'Munks
  Those three lovable—and mischievous—singing rodents from Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) are gearing up for an encore performance. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG), a live action/computer-animated movie from 20th Century Fox, premieres in theaters on December 23, 2009. The furry brothers—spunky and impulsive Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), brainy and bespectacled Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and gullible and sweet-natured Theodore (Jesse McCartney)—are now a worldwide singing sensation playing sold-out concerts across the globe. more » » » 

WHAT ARE THEY READING FOR FUN?

• What Are They Reading for Fun?
  Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA:
  The Central Library Teen Center in downtown Seattle serves a diverse population of kids from throughout the city. “Twilight” (Little, Brown) mania is ebbing, and science fiction is heavily in demand, especially titles with a survivalist or adventure bent. Top of the list are James Dashner’s The Maze Runner (Delacorte); Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan (S & S, both 2009); and, of course, Suzanne Collins’s “Hunger Games” books (Scholastic). more » » » 

JOB OF THE WEEK