School Library Journal talks to publishing's brightest stars.
Jean Craighead George Turns 90 By Rocco Staino - 06/29/2009
Long before Chappaqua, NY, was home to a former president, a secretary of state, and myriad investment bankers, stockbrokers, and media moguls, its most notable resident was Jean Craighead George. More
Upper West Side Story: An Interview with Rebecca Stead By Rick Margolis - 07/01/2009
Twelve-year-old Miranda is receiving mysterious notes, one of which says, “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” To make matters worse, the sender seems to know exactly what’s going to happen before it occurs. How did you come up with the idea for When You Reach Me? The idea came from an article in the New York Times about a guy who was walking around in D...
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Ghosts of War By Donna Liquori - 06/23/2009
Army Reservist Ryan Smithson was only 19 when he went to Iraq as an engineer, and the experience haunted him for years. Smithson ended up writing a college essay about one of his first missions there, which not only impressed his professor—but also led to Smithson’s first book, Ghosts of War: My Tour of Duty. (HarperTeen, 2008).
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Like Far Out By SLJ Staff - 06/15/2009
Award-winning author/illustrator Shaun Tan was already a star in his native Australia before he first gained nationwide attention in the U.S. with his brilliant wordless graphic novel, The Arrival (2007). Tan follows up with 15 extraordinary illustrated stories in Tales from Outer Suburbia (2009, both Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks.).
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Kitty Boitnott on 21st-Century Learning Skills By Rocco Staino - 06/08/2009
Kitty Boitnott, a media specialist at Chamberlayne Elementary School in Henrico County, VA, has spent the last year as president of the 60,000-member Virginia Education Association (VEA), the largest and oldest professional organization serving public schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Father Knows Best: An Interview with Fran Cannon Slayton By Rick Margolis - 06/01/2009
When the Whistle Blows follows the adventures of Jimmy Cannon, a boy growing up in a rural West Virginia railroading town. Jimmy’s family has worked on the railroad for generations, and that’s what he dreams of doing. But the times are changing, and the town’s old way of life is in danger of disappearing.
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Fearless: An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson By Kathleen T. Horning - 06/01/2009
It’s hard to believe that only 10 years have passed since Speak (Farrar) was published. Laurie Halse Anderson’s edgy first novel for teens was immediately recognized as groundbreaking, and its little-known author was praised for her ability to write artfully about tough topics such as date rape.
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Librarian Koren Stembridge: Forgive and Forget By Donna Liquori - 05/27/2009
When Koren Stembridge heard that kids in Boston’s public schools avoided the library because they had late fines or lost materials, the programs and youth services manager for the Boston Public Library helped launch “New Start,” a mass amnesty campaign for the 57,000 kids with outstanding fines. It worked. Many of Boston’s youth came back.
BookExpo America 2009: SLJ's Day of Dialog School Library Journal held a Day of Dialog in conjunction with the annual BookExpo America on May 28, 2009 at the Brooklyn Public Library. Full story: bit.ly/1a0G7o
2008 National Book Awards Nominees in the young people's literature category graced the red carpet on Awards night Nov. 20, 2008.
The Buzz Nov. 2008 So the economy’s gone south, you still need your gadgets.
Folktales from Around the World: The Bear Prince. DVD. 11:56 min. with tchr’s. guide. Prod. by Colman Communications. Dist. by 100% Educational Media (schoolvideos.com). 2008. $39.95.
K-Gr 4–While this animated Mexican fairy tale will be new to most viewers, the story contains familiar elements from such popular tales as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Puss in Boots.”
Let them eat cake! Library aide Shanta Ramkhelawan (left), librarian Camina Raphael, and Colleen McCrea, head of the children's library, served delectable dessert to more than 130 people celebrating the 85th anniversary of the historic Robert Bacon Memorial Children's Library in Westbury, NY. Upon opening its doors in 1924 it was only the third children's library in the world.
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