NEWS
 President Obama Proposes Eliminating Federal School Library Funds
President Obama has delivered a slap in the face to school librarians. In his FY2011 budget proposal to Congress on Monday, he completely eliminated the Improving Literacy for School Libraries grant program, designed to boost academic achievement by providing students with access to up-to-date school library materials.
“I’m shocked,” says Cassandra Barnett, president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and a media specialist at Fayetteville High School in Arkansas. “On one level, I’m angry, and on another level, I’m highly disappointed. This is a real morale killer.” more » » »
 Illinois Third Grade Teacher Wins 'SLJ' IRA Sweepstakes
Patti Key, a 25-year third-grade teacher, is heading to the International Reading Association’s (IRA) 55th annual convention in April—as the grand prize winner of the SLJ IRA Sweepstakes.
“I feel great about winning,” says Key, who works at Poplar Grove Elementary in Poplar Grove, IL. “I’m a big fan of children’s literature, and I also like to have a variety of genres in the classroom, from nonfiction to biography.” more » » »
WATCH AND READ
 “It’s Hero Time”: Ben 10: Alien Force
Ben 10, an animated television series produced by Cartoon Network Studios, first burst onto the scene in 2006. The show centers around Ben Tennyson, a boy who finds a mysterious watchlike device (known as the Omnitrix) that attaches permanently to his wrist and allows him to transform into 10 different alien forms, each possessing unique abilities. With the help of Grandpa Max and his cousin Gwen, Ben uses these incredible superpowers to aid others and protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats.
In 2008, the show was succeeded by Ben 10: Alien Force, a series currently airing on Cartoon Network that features a more mature protagonist and more complex plotlines. Five years have passed and Ben, now 15, has removed the Omnitrix and is content to lead a normal teenage life. more » » »
WHAT ARE THEY READING FOR FUN?
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 What Are They Reading for Fun? Independent Schools Edition
Realistic fiction and memoirs
Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX:
In our city of “cowboys and culture,” upper-school students at TVS have diverse reading interests, lately centered around realistic fiction such as L.K. Madigan’s Flash Burnout (Houghton, 2009), Deborah Davis’s Not Like You (Clarion, 2007), and Peter Cameron’s Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (Farrar, 2007). Memoirs like Alice Sebold’s Lucky (Scribner, 1999) and Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant (Free Press, 2006) also have a following. more » » »
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Never assume anything. President Obama released his FY2011 budget proposal to Congress yesterday and shocked us all—he got rid of the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries grant program.
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