We just write and edit this stuff. You guys decide what’s really interesting. And this month, our top articles include “Love at First Bite," a 2005 interview with Stephenie Meyer; “If You Like the 'Bluford' Series," a list of read-alikes for fans of those popular books; and our interview with Jamie Lee Curtis.
School Library Journal caught up with English author Brian Jacques while he was completing a book tour for Doomwyte (Philomel, 2008), the 20th novel in his bestselling “Redwall” fantasy series, first published in 1986. Keep an eye out for The Sable Quean, scheduled for release in Autumn 2009.
The Redwall series is entering its third decade. What’s the secret to its longevity?
I have always written for my audience. My audience is children, and they haven’t changed in the last 20 years. There will always be the magic of childhood. I also think it helps that each book is a completely separate story. You can put all the "Redwall" books into a sack and pull one out and read it without having to read any of the others. more » » »
Friends, This Is Our Turn: The Year in Nonfiction What did you love -- and since we are content people, why? What did you not love -- why? Our focus is younger readers, but if you saw somethi...
While I love so many of the feeds in my RSS aggregator, I always look forward to my weekly LII updates. They are fertilizer for my pathfinders. Normal 0 ...Read More
It's a week of the usual releases this time. Archie, DC Comics, Gemstone and Marvel. Doctor Who Classics starts up again, picking up where first series left off. Sonic the Hedgehog s...
Half the discoveries I mention on this blog come about through incessant self-Googlization (note: find better term for this). For example, the other day I saw that my blog was on the...
Emboldened by the way President-elect Obama has promised to change how the administration interacts with its citizens, Lessig, founder of Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society and a cadre of others have proposed three principles they believe will bring both transparency and trust, as well as invite participation within the country.
Their ideas? Eliminate any legal and technological barriers to sharing content and make sure the government stays neutral in the way information is made available. For example, if the White House holds a news conference for television news channels, a feed should also be available for online downloading and sharing. To Lessig and his group, this is the optimum environment for creating digital freedom. more » » »
Before there was the enormous LCD TV, coffeehouse, and scattered comfy couches, the library at Chelmsford High School in Massachusetts was a run-down mess. The bright yellow paint was peeling. The furniture was outdated. The carpet was frayed—and everyone kept tripping over the duct tape that helped keep it down.
But the place had one thing that kept kids coming back: librarian Valerie Diggs. more » » »
Reading isn’t just for girls. It’s cool. It’s very cool. In fact, at Spring Lake Park High School in Minnesota, all the boys know that real men read.
It’s hard to miss this slogan while walking through the school’s hallways. There you’ll find 35 large posters of men enjoying a good read. And these role models aren’t celebrities or authors—they’re real men who the students encounter every day. more » » »
Walt Disney Pictures’ Bedtime Stories (PG), a live-action family comedy with a touch of fantasy, will premiere in theaters on December 25, 2008. Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler), the handyman for the swanky Sunny Vista Nottingham Hotel, has always dreamed of running the business, but this aspiration is starting to look more like a fairytale than a reality. However, when he reluctantly agrees to look after his niece (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew (Jonathan Morgan Heit) for a week, his life begins to transform. more » » »
Many teenagers experience vivid dreams and look for ways to interpret them. Others suffer from sleep deprivation or disorders that can adversely affect their ability to function in their waking hours. Give readers the opportunity to discover more about the activity that occupies one third of their lives.
ABADIE, M. J. Teen Dream Power. Bindu Bks. 2003. pap. $14.95. ISBN 978-0-89281-086-4.
Gr 9-11–Teens who want to understand symbols and imagery in their dreams will keep this title at their bedsides. more » » »
Melville Dewey, one of the most famous librarians in the world, helped establish the American Library Association, cofounded Library Journal, and established the world’s first library school. However, he's probably best known for the Dewey Decimal Classification System, which he invented when he was only 21.
As library folks, we find facts like the ones above pretty interesting, but most of the kids in our library begin to yawn when we start talking to them about the DDC. Next time you try to teach kids about Dewey call numbers, use this wonderful PowerPoint presentation designed for middle schoolers—it will make it much more fun. Another way to bring the DDC alive is to have kids play around with the “Deweyized” version of the KidsClick Web index at www.kidsclick.org/dewey.html. Don't miss it!--Gail Junion-Metz
If you are looking to live life to its fullest in a warm climate with miles of beaches and a wide variety of neighborhoods including a growing high-rise metropolitan community and you are looking for an outstanding professional opportunity in a growing library system the Jacksonville Public Library is the place for you!
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