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February 4, 2009

It's no secret that loads of kids love street lit. But how popular is the controversial genre with librarians? Four library school students boldly set out to answer that question—and discovered some intriguing answers. Check out their story, and don't forget to take advantage of our Talkback option and add your own stories about street lit and teens. We'd love to hear them.—Dodie Ownes, editor

IN THIS ISSUE

• What Librarians Say About Street Lit
  As librarians who work in big cities with teens, we know that kids are crazy about street lit. But as we were researching the genre for our collection-development class at Pratt Institute, in New York, we wondered how other librarians felt about street lit. Is it offered in most libraries across the country? Do teens in rural communities also crave street lit? Do most librarians tend to shelf these titles in the teen section or in the adult section? more » » » 
• Helping Teens Get Published
  Help classroom teachers looking to inspire emerging authors and poets by promoting writing contests. Librarian Kathy Fester at The Shelton School thinks these are just the ticket for inspiring reluctant authors. more » » » 

• The Insiders' Guide to College
  Time to select a school? Traditionally, college-bound students have turned to guidance counselors, catalogs, and popular magazine lists. But since the experts aren't actually attending classes and interacting with profs, they often can't pinpoint the best schools for kids. That's why Jordan Goldman founded Unigo.com, a free Web site that offers prospective scholars college reviews and videos written and produced by students, for students. more » » » 
• Quick Picks for Detainees
  Kudos to all the members of the YALSA Quick Picks committee for putting together such a terrific list for 2009. Since many librarians serving detention centers can’t all bring in hardbacks and purchase everything on the list, incoming committee chair Amy Chaney from Alameda County Library, Fremont, California, has created a subgroup of titles that will work best in juvenile detention centers, broken down by paperback and hardback. more » » » 

Jen 2.0 – Tech Tips for Today

• Edit photos like a pro—without the pro price
  You work for an organization with a small budget? These days, we all do… even those of us at big organizations. When you can’t afford to buy expensive software solutions, you start looking for something comparable and cheap, or even better, free. Photoshop is a great photo-editing tool but it’s expensive. So I went online looking for a free photo editor. more » » » 

Teens Know "Best" - Book Reviews by Young Adults

• Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo In The Real World. Arthur A Levine Books. March 2009. ISBN: 978-0545054744. Gr 10 and up.
  Marcelo is a boy with an autism-like “cognitive disorder” who works at his father’s law firm for the summer to gain practice for the “real world.” He starts to learn about life, love, and suffering as he adjusts to the new, real world. The concept of the book was really interesting; I had never read a book written from a perspective like that. more » » » 
• Rich, Naomi. Alis. Viking. Feb. 2009. ISBN: 978-0670011254. Gr 7 and up.
  Set in a somewhat confusing past where no one spells their name correctly, Alis centers on the titular Alis, a girl living in a strict religious community, appropriately referred to as “The Community.” It is decreed that Alis is going to marry the old minister guy. Not entirely thrilled with the concept, Alis runs away. more » » » 
• Esch, Ben. Sophomore Undercover. Hyperion. Feb. 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4231-1303-4. Gr 7–10.
  All I have to say about Sophomore Undercover is that the story in it itself may have potential but the author needs to work on hooking the reader from the beginning. more » » » 

Media Mania: Book Tie-ins to High-Interest Movies, TV Shows, and More

• From Chick Lit to Chick Flick
  Is shopping the cure for a broken heart?  He's Just Not That Into You and Confessions of a Shopaholic arrive in the movies this month, translated from the page for the silver screen. more » » » 

Opportunities

• Walter Dean Myers’s ‘Dope Sick’ Is Online
  Coinciding with the February 10 release of Dope Sick (Amistad, ISBN: 978-0061214776), Walter Dean Myers’s latest title, the entire book will be available online for free reading at AdLit.org. An entire section devoted to writing endeavors, related activities and online resources for teachers, parents and students is also available. more » » » 
• Fund Your Dream Essay Contest
  Know teens that are working hard to overcome tough obstacles? If they can tell you how they do, and can address it in 500 words or less, have them enter the “Fund Your Dream” essay contest! Lisa McMann, author of paranormal romantic novels for teens, will choose a winner who will receive $1,000 toward meeting his or her life goals. more » » » 
• Go Green, Change the World, Win $$ and Prizes
  The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is encouraging middle school students to kick off 2009 by “going green” and implementing environmental change in their local communities. The Website for this online challenge is host to lots of kid-friendly activities such as virtual interactive labs, an eco-footprint game, an environmental IQ quiz, online journals, video clips, plus many more resources for both students and adult advisers. more » » » 

MAD Magazine Goes Quarterly

Teen Tech Week, March 8-14

Generation X Solidly Online

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