INTERVIEW

• Running Wild with Michael Morpurgo
  Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo talks about his latest book Running Wild, his passion about the world’s natural habitats, and why he’s throwing his weight behind MySchoolBookClub.com.
  
  Your latest book Running Wild is set in a jungle. Did you always want to write a jungle adventure?
  I have loved [Rudyard] Kipling’s books since my mother read them to me when I was young. I wasn’t a great reader, but The Jungle Book was one of those rare books I felt I was actually living as I read it. So in the back of my mind, ever since I began writing books, I have always harbored the idea that one day I might try to write a story about a boy lost in the jungle and living wild, perhaps with an elephant as a companion. more » » » 

Blogs

• ShelfTalker: A Children's Bookseller's Blog
  Diane Roback, Children's Book Editor,
  What's on Your Nightstand?
  I'm curious what everyone is reading right now. Currently I'm reading two books: The Maze Runner and The Demon's Lexicon. I don't normally read this much fantasy, especially concurrently, but bot...
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• A Fuse #8 Production
  Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Street
  Press Release Fun: I Don't Usually Mention Giveaways, But This One's Special
  Y'all like free books and I like debut authors. Two great tastes that taste great together then. Take note fellow librarians: The YA and MG authors of the 2009 Debutantes are giving a...
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• Good Comics for Kids
  Snow Wildsmith, ,
  Review: Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novels #1-2
  Geronimo Stilton, editor of the Rodent Gazette and writer of adventure stories, is now a comic book creator as well. In his first two graphic novel adventures, he is sent back to the past by his good ...
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• A Fuse #8 Production
  Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, Children's Center at 42nd Street
  Librarian Preview: Harper Collins (Spring 2010)
  It's all about self-published authors and flowers this year. I will endeavor to explain. Eventually. Yes, it's that time once again. Time to sit back, sip your orange juice, and r...
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NEWS

• KY Library Fires Circ Staffers for Refusing to Check Out Graphic Novel
  Two circulation staffers at the Jessamine County Public Library (JCPL) in Nicholasville, KY, have lost their jobs for refusing to let an 11-year-old girl check out a book in the graphic novel series "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Their reasoning? She was too young.
  
  “Circulation to children cannot be judged or denied,” reads the library’s employee handbook, provided by Ron Critchfield, JCPL’s director, who cited it as the cause for termination. more » » » 
• Roanoke Schools Temporarily Removes ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’
  Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (MTV, 1999) is in trouble again—and this time it’s been removed from shelves as it goes through the review process outlined by Virginia’s Roanoke County Public Schools.
  
  “At this point, the review process is still underway,” says Chuck Lionberger, community relations specialist for the school system. more » » » 

REMARKABLE READS

• Life During World War II
  Though textbooks are full of facts about World War II, historical fiction often offers up more teachable moments. By the time students get to middle or high school, many have been introduced to World War II and the Holocaust through The Diary of Anne Frank. Expand their knowledge of this global conflict and tragedy with these titles that look at the war from a variety of perspectives. more » » » 

LIBRARIAN'S INTERNET

• Flu Info for Kids and Parents
  kidshealth.org/Features.jsp?lic=1&feature=30
  
  With both the Swine flu and various strains of seasonal flu hitting schools hard these last couple of weeks, it’s definitely time to make sure kids and parents have up-to-date information about how to protect themselves from the flu, how to help stop it from spreading, and what to do if they or a family member comes down with it. more » » » 

JOB OF THE WEEK