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We all have one...even if we keep it a secret. A favorite book, of course. One that we persist in loving despite its never having received an award, never making it onto a list, and maybe never even getting any critical acclaim. Check out your colleagues' favorite overlooked titles in "The Ones that Got Away." Then join in the fun and add your favorite forgotten book (providing it was published between 2001 and 2006).
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| Interview |
| SLJ Talks to Peter Milbury, Cofounder of LM_NET, about Retiring |
 Among school librarians, Peter Milbury is a household name. But you'll be seeing a lot less of him. That's because Milbury, 65, retired as the media specialist at California's Chico High School last June. And he was having such a blast with more free time that he decided to hand over the reins of LM_NET, the popular school librarian discussion group that he cofounded 15 years ago with less than 100 members. Now, it boasts more than 10,000 members.
SLJ spoke to Milbury about how LM_NET came about, why media specialists love it so much—and what he plans to do now that he's not officially working.
Was it difficult for you to hand over your baby, LM_NET, to a new crew?
I started enjoying retirement from school. And about three months ago, I started thinking, "Oh, I could use some more time. And there are other things I want to do." I have a part-time consulting job with the California Learning Resource Network—they review and post their reviews of electronic learning resources and electronic learning assessment resources—and that's about as much energy I have for work now. I've got all these retirement kinds of things I want to do and I'm doing some volunteer work at my church, so I thought it was just time to turn it over to somebody else. read more... |
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| TechTrends |
Virtual College Fair Attracts Teens
ADVERTISEMENT |
Teens looking for the inside scoop on universities assembled in Teen Second Life (TSL) last month for its first Virtual College Fair.
As if attending an event from the comfort of your own PC wasn't good enough, this event also offered free (virtual) T-shirts.
More than 176 students meandered the 20 or so booths set up on Eye4You Alliance, an education island inside the teen portion of Second Life, the virtual environment run by San Francisco-based Linden Lab. Students could meet with representatives from various colleges, including Penn State, the University of Kentucky, and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. There were also speakers representing a range of employers, from NASA to Amazon.com, who chatted about life—and work—after college. read more... |
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 BOOKS
 The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
From SLJ November 2007
Gr 4-8–Where does one begin when asked to write a five-page essay on the meaning of Smekday?... |
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 VIDEO/DVD
The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance
Gr 9 Up–Few lesson plans could teach high school students the horrors of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands as dramatically as this documentary.... |
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 AUDIO
Skulduggery Pleasant
Gr 4-8–Every once in a while a story comes along that is pure unadulterated fun. This tale (HarperCollins, 2007) by Irish screenwriter Derek Landy is one of those gems.... |
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| News and Views |
| The South Leads the Nation with Poor Kids in Public Schools |
| For the first time in more than 40 years, the South is the only region in the nation where children of low-income families make up a majority of public school students, says a new report.
"A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South's Public Schools" found that in the 2004–2005 academic year, 50 percent of the South's school kids became eligible for free and reduced lunch, and the following year that figure rose to 53 percent. This year, the region's low-income student population climbed to a record high of 54 percent, with 11 out of 15 states in the South having a majority of poor students, the report says.
read more... |
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| Celebrate the Centennial of William Steig's Birth |
If your students are into Shrek, now's the perfect time to celebrate the 100th birthday of William Steig, creator of the loveable ogre, along with many other award-winning children's books and brilliant cartoons for The New Yorker.
Your students may be surprised to learn that before Shrek made it onto the big screen, there was a book called Shrek! (Farrar, 1990), illustrated by Steig. As part of the artist's centennial birthday celebration, the Jewish Museum in New York City is presenting a major exhibit of his work, including more than 190 original drawings, many of which have never been on display. The show, "From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig" is on view now through March 16, 2008.
read more... |
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| Parents Playing a More Active Role in Their Kids' Lives, Report Says |
For school librarians who wish parents would support—or more strongly support—their children's education, here's good news: newly released U.S. Census data reveal that parents are taking a more active role in the lives of their kids than they did 10 years ago.
The Census report, "A Child's Day: 2004," released on October 31, surveyed the families of 73,000 children and found that 68 percent of three- to five-year-olds had limits placed on their television time, up from 54 percent in 1994.
read more... |
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| Remarkable Reads |
| Going to the Dogs |
Kids identify immediately with cute, clumsy, earnest, messy, wriggly dogs! Set up a day for them to bring in a stuffed animal or picture of their favorite kind of dog, or arrange for a guide dog visit at storytime. Every title below is a sure bet for emerging readers, especially those who are already crazy about canines.
CLEMENTS, Andrew. Dogku. illus. by Tim Bowers. S & S. 2007. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-689-85823-9.
PreS-Gr 2–Clements delights readers with his wit and true understanding of his audience, and this story told entirely in haiku is no exception. Everyone will fall in love with the mutt that comes into the home of a loving, yet hesitant, potential family. A read-aloud that you (and the kids) will want to do more than once.
read more... |
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| Librarian's Internet |
| Who Were the Pilgrims? |
| www.pilgrimhall.org/ |
Kids make art projects of turkeys, pumpkins, Indians, and Pilgrims every Thanksgiving, but when asked who the Pilgrims were, most have no idea. This nifty site is chock-full of information that will teach kids (and their parents) exactly who the Pilgrims were and why they came to Massachusetts to establish a settlement. "The Pilgrim Story" provides a detailed history. Click on "Thanksgiving" to learn about the holiday and check out 14 online exhibits. Also worth a look are the "New Exhibits," which provide insights into life around the Plymouth colony.
For more information about the Pilgrims and pictures of the Plymouth settlement, click here. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Don't let this one go by without finding out more about the folks who first celebrated it.—Gail Junion-Metz
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| Youth Services Department Head |
Meridian Library District
Meridian, Idaho
Meridian Library District, Meridian, ID seeks a Youth Services Department Head to direct the Children and Teen departments of our busy public library. To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
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