Florida Offers Online Schools for Fulltime K-8 Students By SLJ Staff - 11/16/2008
Starting next fall, thousands of Florida students will be able to roll out of bed and attend school in their very own homes as a result of a new law that requires every school district in the state to set up an online school for fulltime kids in grades K-8. More
Tough Love: An Open Letter to Kids' Book Publishers By Diantha McBride - 07/01/2009
Dear Publishers: I'm a school librarian. During the past 30 years, I've worked with children and young adults from ages 3 to 18 (not to mention teachers, families, administrators, lecturers, and visiting authors), and I've read a lot of books. Because there are so many kids' books being published these days, I'm not expecting total perfection.
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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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Lookin’ for Trouble: An Interview with K. L. Going By Rick Margolis - 04/01/2009
You excel at creating teen troublemakers—Troy Billings in Fat Kid Rules the World, Iggy Corso in Saint Iggy, and now Liam Geller, a kindhearted, drop-dead gorgeous guy who’s a first-class screwup. Growing up, you were a straight-A student and thought seriously about joining the Peace Corps.
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For the Love of Art: The Road to Fame Was Long and Hard for Some of the Best Artists By Kathleen Baxter - 04/01/2009
The words “starving” and “artist” are a too-familiar pair. Some creators are willing to suffer whatever it takes. But the grit and sweat that challenge artists also make them fascinating, compelling, and unforgettable. Children in grades 2–5 will be charmed and intrigued by a trio of stunning author biographies.
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Saint in the City: An Interview with Francisco X. Stork. By Rick Margolis - 03/01/2009
Marcelo is a bright 17-year-old who works with therapy horses, is wild about religion, and stumbles humorously into his first romantic relationship. You once lived at a home that was part of L’Arche, a faith-based community in which so-called normal adults live alongside those with developmental disabilities.
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Remembering Kate and Kathy: Two Passionate Youth Librarians Leave Behind a Lasting Legacy By Vicky Smith - 03/01/2009
For children’s book lovers, the world was infinitely glorious on Monday, January 26, 2009, as the winners of the American Library Association’s (ALA) awards were announced at the midwinter meeting in Denver. But two days later, a drunk driver slammed into a taxicab, killing two children’s librarians as they were on their way to the Denver International Airport, and suddenly ou...
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It’s Good to Be Gaiman: A Revealing Interview with Newbery Winner Neil Gaiman By Roger Sutton - 03/01/2009
Neil Gaiman has been a busy boy. I caught up with him by phone at his Wisconsin home, to which he had returned the night before from the film premiere of Coraline in Portland, OR. The movie hoopla, of course, was but a footnote to his Really Big News, winning the 2009 Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins, 2008).
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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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