Author Archives: Sally Snyder

Refresher for Series Reading

The Recaptains website reminds you what happened in a book to get you ready to read next book in series.  As it states on their web page, “Yay! The next book in your favorite series is coming out soon! But hey, wait a second… what was it that happened in book 1 again? Did they kiss? Did they beat the bad guy? Did they have to run for their lives and was there a Cliffhanger with Capital C?”  Now you can find out quickly and easily what happened in the previous book.

It contains Goodreads summaries and with a click on “read more” you can access more detailed information.  There it includes an “In Short” paragraph, a “What Went Down” bulleted list of actions that occurred in the book, and “How Did It End.”  I just read through the information on The Diviners by Libba Bray since I plan to read the sequel Lair of Dreams this weekend.  It did a great job of reminding me who the characters are and what events happened in the first book.  It doesn’t cover everything, I just searched for Terry Pratchett and he is not on their author list, still I’m going to be using this site often.

My highlighted book this time is Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff; I heard the author speak at the Norfolk Public Library’s 21^st Annual Literature Festival held on July 25, 2015, which is a great opportunity to hear authors talk about their writing processes and get a book signed!  (Their next Festival is scheduled for July 30, 2016.)

In the book, Jack’s 7-times great grandfather was the famous Jack the Giant Killer and this Jack wants to imitate him, except that there are no giants.  But then two giants come down from the sky and take everything – the entire town – and Jack is soon up in their land to find his father and slay some giants.  Things are not that easy.  Full of adventure this twist on the fairy tale is logical and fun – with a bit of a message about greed.  Fans of her book Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin (one of the Golden Sower nominees for 2015-2016) are sure to grab it.  This book is written for grades 3-6.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Booktalk Database

If you are interested in book talks but don’t have time to write them all yourself, visit Nancy Keane’s website.  Click on “New This Month” on the left and you will find ways to search the database on the left.  You can choose searching by author or by title, as well as a subject list.  If you are more interested in seeing what is new to the site you can click on the month by month listing in the main area of the page.  She welcomes everyone to contribute a book talk and to use any that are there.  Some books have several book talks written by different people.  There are plenty of titles, picture books on up to young adult choices.

The Library Commission owns several titles about booktalks by Joni Richards Bodart, the first person to write about booktalking, including Booktalk!,  Booktalk! 2, and the more recent Booktalk! 5, about how to write booktalks and how to present them as well as having samples if you are looking for something to help you get started.  Good luck!

In Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, the Bunny family finds a basket on their doorstep with a wolf cub in it.  Mom & Dad are thrilled.  Daughter, Dot, exclaims, “He’s going to eat us all up!” but the parents continually ignore her.  Finally, one day at the market, it looks like her prediction is coming true (by this time Wolfie is wearing a pink bunny suit) but instead it is bear who wants to eat Wolfie.  Dot to the rescue!  Sibling rivalry, cleverness and courage, and family love are at the heart of this story.  This picture book will capture readers’ attention, especially when the bear appears!

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Get to Know the Nominees for Teens’ Top Ten 2015

The Hub has begun a four-part The Hub to highlight the 24 titles on the Teens’ Top Ten list for 2015.  The books were published between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.  You can see the entire list here if you want to check and see how many your library owns.  Teens from all over the country can vote for their favorite title beginning on August 15, 2015 and continue through Teen Read Week (October 18-24, 2015).  The ten titles receiving the most votes will be named the Teens’ Top Ten list for 2015.  I hope your teens will want to participate!

Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon, who wrote the Dragonbreath series, introduces readers to new characters and setting, which could become a series as well.  Castle Hangnail has been without a master for far too long, and the main caretaker is worried it will be decommissioned.  Then Miss Molly, a 12-year-old witch arrives to claim the castle.  She does have an invitation (one of many sent out) but she seems so unorthodox, she’s nice (usually) and considerate, but she can do some magic.  She has four tasks to complete in order to claim the castle, maybe everything will work out.  Then, the sorceress who was the actual recipient of the invitation appears at the door; and she is nasty, just as the master of the castle should be.  But the minions in the castle rather like Miss Molly, what should they do?

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Malinda Lo’s Four-Part post of “Perceptions of Diversity in Book Reviews”

Take some time to read and think about the things Malinda Lo has to say to us all.  You will have to scroll down to read the posts in order since the web page has them lined up with the fourth post first and so on.  While she is specifically addressing phrasing in book reviews, her message is well worth consideration.  I intend to reread this often as I write my blurbs for presentations on recent books I recommend to Nebraska librarians.  I am certain that in the past I have made similar assumptions and I hope to stop it completely.  If you are interested in following Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon on their blog, it is located here.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla  by Katherine Applegate is a nonfiction picture book that tells the story of Ivan, who was the main character in the author’s Newbery Medal winning title, The One and Only Ivan.  Here she tells of his capture in Africa and travel in a crate with another baby gorilla named Burma.  The man who owned a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington had paid for their capture in 1962.  He eventually put him on display at the mall and Ivan was there for 27 years until a protest by the people of the area convinced the owner to send Ivan to Zoo Atlanta.  There he once again walked on green grass and met other gorillas.  A two-page spread at the back of the book tells older children and adults more about Ivan and has a couple of photographs.  This book is great for kindergarten through third grade children.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

A Few Web Sites on Reading Aloud …

Here are some web sites with helpful information to share with parents.

Mem Fox & her “Ten read-aloud commandments” also her talk about books and television, to name only two of the valuable things one her web page.  Her book Reading Magic is in the Commission collection for loan to librarians.

Nebraska has its own group, Read Aloud Nebraska, which offers occasional workshops by nationally known speakers, the opportunity to sign-up to be a Read Aloud Community or a Read Aloud School (sign-up will begin again on April 1), and then the chance to ask for books free to you to give to the students or children who come into your library.

Read To Them is a national organization that currently is promoting the great idea of “One School, One Book.”  Families read a chapter a night at home and students answer the trivia question(s) about it the next day.  Everyone talks about the same book!

Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk:  Juna and her best friend Hector take her kimchi jar to the park every day and find things to put in it.  A caterpillar, rocks or bugs.  But one day Hector and his family have moved away.  She then has a series of adventures with the different things she puts in her jar.  Her older brother bought her a fish, and Juna swims with it in the ocean that night.  The night she rides a cricket she caught, they stop at Hector’s new house, and she sees he is all right—then she is happy.  This is another good read-aloud for Story time.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Amelia Bloomer Project Announces the 2015 Booklist

As part of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association, the Amelia Bloomer Project focuses on feminist books for readers age 0-18.  Each year the committee creates a booklist to recommend to librarians and others.  The 2015 list also includes a Top Ten list selected by the committee.  I hope you all have a few of these titles in your collections, and maybe you will find another one or two to add.

Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya is a good picture book choice for the upcoming summer reading program.  When the wolf tricks Roja into picking some flowers for her grandma, he sneaks off with her red cape to visit grandma.  Can Grandma and Roja handle a wolf and save the day?  The sprinkling of Spanish words are understood within the context of the story, and the author has included a pronunciation guide and translation of each in the front of the book.  Watch the pages for the Three Blind Mice and a couple of tiny troublemakers:trickster elves.  A good read-aloud for Story time, and a 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Read Across America Day is March 2!

Sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA) Read Across America Day is usually held on March 2, in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, but you can choose a day that works for you and your community to celebrate.  Visit the NEA for some artwork and downloadable items you can use, as well as fact sheets and media tips.

If you are planning to celebrate Read Across America Day, you may want to take a look at the Central Plains Library System’s Pinterest page with plenty of different ideas!  I took the Dr. Seuss Trivia Quiz and only missed a few!  And thank you to Denise Harders for sharing the ideas she found.

Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin tells of Arcady (12) who lives in an orphanage in Soviet Russia for children of people declared to be enemies of the state.  Miss Hannigan is a push-over compared to the director and guards of the orphanage.  It is the late 1930s, Arcady can earn an extra piece of bread if he defeats several other children, one at a time, with his soccer skills.  He is unbeatable.  But when he is adopted by a gentle man he begins to call “Coach” he finds himself lost in a world he doesn’t know.  A look at another place and time, this title is aimed at grades 5-8.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

The Hub is “the literature blog for YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association.”  Starting today, The Hub is challenging all who wish to participate to read or listen to 25 titles off of the eligible title list.  A PDF of the list is available here.  Their rules state you must read the 25 books during the challenge period: 2/9/15 – 6/21/15.  Be sure to read all the rules and register if you are going for the prize.  If you complete the challenge within the time period and fill out a completion form, you will be eligible for the grand prize drawing for a tote bag filled with 2014 & 2015 YA titles!

If you, like me, want to participate in your own way, that’s great too!  I am going to try to read all of a couple of the lists, but am not going to compete for the grand prize.  Join in and blog or tweet about how you are doing on you own challenge.  Hope you enjoy it!

Finding Upcoming Titles

Recently I was asked for some suggestions of how to find out about titles that are soon to be published, including subsequent titles in series.  Here is a good start: Naomi Bates wrote a blog posting about different sites that help readers keep up with teen lit, including recommendations and series.  Take a look at the sites she included, you may find a new favorite!

Two sites mentioned in the comments section of her blog posting are FictFact; you can click on any day on the calendar to learn which titles are being published that day.  This web page appears to focus on teen titles in series.   Also mentioned is Recaptains, which gives a summary of the action in each title in an included series, great for reminding you what happened in book 2 before moving on to book 3.

Quest by Aaron Becker is a wordless picture book and a follow-up to his 2013 title, Journey.  In Quest the girl and boy, each with their special crayon, encounter a king who also has a special crayon.  He gives them a map and some unusual items before being pulled back through a door.  The children follow and  they journey through this land trying to help the king.  Beautiful artwork and the solving of a puzzle will appeal to the intended audience of Kindergarten through grade 3.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

Monday, February 2, the American Library Association, Youth Media Awards were announced and once again, there were some I have not read (yet).    A few of the awards are listed below, to see a list of all the winners, go here.

The Newbery medal was awarded to The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Two honor books were named.

The Caldecott Medal was awarded to The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend illustrated and written by Dan Santat. Six honors books were named.

The Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustration went to Christopher Myers for Firebird. Two honor books were named.

The Coretta Scott King Author Book Award went to Jacqueline Woodson for Brown Girl Dreaming. Three honor books were named.

The Printz Award went to Jandy Nelson for I’ll Give You the Sun. Four honor books were named.

The Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award went to Yuyi Morales for Viva Frida. Three honor books were named.

The Pura Belpré (Author) Award went to Marjorie Agosín for I Lived on Butterfly Hill. One honor book was named.

The Best Fiction for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and other lists are now available here, scroll down to “Selected Book & Media Lists.” If you are getting ready for The Hub Challenge (more on that Monday, February 9, 2015), these lists will be necessary.

ALA Youth Media Awards will be Announced on February 2, 2015

The awards ceremony will be broadcast at 8:00 a.m. CT on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibition in Chicago.  You can join them live via your computer if you have the time.  Go here to find the link to join their live webcast.  If you prefer, you can follow I Love Libraries on Twitter and Facebook instead.  I will be clicking on the “webcast” link hoping I can be added to the many people joining via the Internet.  If you click the link now, you will see a countdown clock for the event.

I will send out the list of winners and honor books as soon as I receive the press release, so if you are unable to attend you will still learn about the awards not long after the video announcements.

Creature Features: Twenty-Five Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.  Their newest title looks at 25 animals with unusual features and explains why they have them.  For example, the leaf-nosed bat uses its unusual nose to direct sounds to its ears.  Art dominates each page with a brief question and answer, readers will be intrigued.  The art always shows the animals head and face from the front, and not much of the rest of their bodies.  Readers may be curious enough to go looking for complete photos or illustrations of the named creatures.  This title is great for preschool through second grade.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

<>Journals Reveal Their Choices in Best Books:

Three journals have presented theirs lists of best books of 2014 giving us all a good chance to look and see what we may have missed.   Kirkus listed the hilarious early chapter book Let’s Get Cracking by Cyndi Marko, first title in the “Kung Pow Chicken” series and perfect for next summer.  Booklist includes Kenneth Oppel’s Boundless on their list.  And  as I mentioned in my last post, the School Library Journal  list is here.  They include one of my favorite nonfiction titles of the year: Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What we Eat by Gail Jarrow.

I hope you have fun perusing the lists, happy that you have already purchased some of the titles, and deciding which other ones you will add to your collection. My “to read” list just doubled.

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell is a terrific read-aloud for story time.  The main character, Louie, is happily skipping along, but when you turn the page you see he was headed for a splat of jelly someone spilled on the book.  His story becomes completely derailed as more damage is found.  Kids will love his reaction to the mess and while there is one page that is dictatorial about how to treat books, they will enjoy the message.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

School Library Journal Announces Their Choices for the Best Books of 2014

School Library Journal has placed their current list on the Internet, take a look here and see what title or titles you may want to add to your library’s collection.  I just put one title on reserve at the library, El Deafo by Cece Bell.  Cannot wait to read it!  Hope you find something wonderful too!

Another title on my 2015 Summer Reading Program booklist is Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

The 2014 Teens’ Top Ten titles were announced!

Take a look at the results of voting by teens for the best titles of 2014.  Visit here for both the video of the announcement and, just below it, the list itself.  You can also click on a link to the list with descriptions.  Nebraskan Rainbow Rowell tops the list this year with Eleanor & Park so teens across the country chose it as their favorite book!

One of many titles on my 2015 Summer Reading Program booklist is How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

National Book Award Long List Announced!

The list for Young People’s Literature is included with the other categories on the National Book Award web page.  I notice one of our recent “Friday Reads,” Redeployment by Phil Klay, posted on August 8, 2014, is on the Fiction list.  Though I spend most of my time reading children’s and teen books, I do enjoy taking a look at lists of titles for adults that I might someday read.

At this point I have read one title on the Young People’s Literature list, though several are on my “to read” list and now I need to add a few more to it.  How many do you have in your library, and are the children or teens checking them out?  The Finalists will be announced on October 15.

Adventure, steampunk, and possible war are included in the 2013 One Book for Nebraska Teens, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.  Look for book club kits on the Commission’s list.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)