Author Archives: Sally Snyder

“Library Links”

Every day I am in the office I read the emails from YALSA-BK, a mail group sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association of ALA.   Last month the Batavia Public Library of Illinois shared a terrific family program with us.  Last year they held a miniature golf tournament inside the library!  Visit their web page to see photos of their event and it can get you started on ideas for your own family golf program.  Theirs is obviously a Halloween event, but you could hold it anytime that works for you.  Another library shared their Flickr account photos of their event, too.  They used some different objects to guide the players through the course.  Maybe your local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and/or 4-H Clubs can come up with some good ideas for you.  Looks like fun!

More by I. C. Springman is a picture book that has a few words on each page combined with the extraordinary illustrations by Brian Lies to give readers the concepts of “more” and “less,” and maybe a bit of a lesson about greed.  The magpie continues to gather more and more shiny things until it is too much.  Then the mice step in to help him out of his mess.

(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.)

I Love Libraries – A new website from ALA!

Here is something to share with your patrons.  The American Library Association (ALA) has launched a new website “for the public, designed to keep America informed about what’s happening in today’s libraries” as stated under “About Us” on the new page.  Visit here and explore the various sections.  My favorite section so far is “Library Quotes” which you can find on the list going down the left side of the page.  You can explore it to find new quotes to share and you also can submit one you love if your favorite quote is missing.

The nonfiction book for teens titled Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery is amazing, because Temple is amazing!  This well-written biography of Temple Grandin will give readers insight into how at least some people with autism see the world, and why we should learn about and value their perspectives.  It is also the story of how one girl became the leading authority on feed lots and slaughterhouses.  Temple shares her understanding of cattle, and other animals, and how their lives can be much better with a few changes. Inspirational.

(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 Comparison of Teen Book Covers of 2011

Visit this site to see one author’s compilation of book covers.  As stated at the beginning of the post, the complier notes this is not a scientific study, just a look by an individual at the titles published as “young adult” in 2011.  It is frustrating to see such a discrepancy between the book covers and the ethnicity of the United States.  Clearly we have a very long way to go to represent all teens in the books they read, and on the covers of those books.

She examines several topics in her post, starting with the colors on the cover, then moving to minority representation on the covers. Beyond that she notes that 20% of “YA covers featured a model whose head was mostly/completely missing.” (Personally, I hope this trend is about over.)  And maybe the most alarming: “6.6% of 2011 YA covers featured characters who appeared to be dead or dying.”  Book covers have always been interesting to me and it was enlightening to visit this web site for the compilations of cover types.

I recently finished Dumpling Days by Grace Lin (and it made me hungry).  Pacy Lin, the middle child, dreads the idea of spending a month visiting relatives she doesn’t know in Taiwan for her grandma’s birthday.  But she and her sisters, Lissy and Ki-Ki, are soon on the plane with their parents.  Culture shock slowly gives way to enjoyment of her relatives and the many different things to do in this new place, and a love of dumplings.  A celebration of family, customs, home, and acceptance.

(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.)

IBBY Books Awards Announced May 1!

The 2012 Independent Publisher Book awards have been announced.  There are 72 categories, mostly for adults, still there are several for children and teen titles: Children’s Picture Books (7 & under), Children’s Picture Books (all ages), Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Juvenile-Teen-Y/A Non-Fiction, Multicultural N-F Juv-Teen-YA, Multicultural Fiction – Children’s.  Take a look at the variety of categories and titles that won a gold, silver or bronze award here.  You may find some titles to add to your collection. I need to borrow some copies from the library, since there are titles here I haven’t seen.

I recently read Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska’s WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple.  This was something I did not know happened until I read this book.  With more than 12 pages of source notes, this is a well-researched account of the well-kept secret of Japan’s invasion of the Aleutian Islands during WWII.  Illustrated with maps and photos from the time, teen readers will learn about the suffering of the Aleuts, both from the Japanese and from the American forces.  The American efforts to force the Japanese out were heroic, in light of the fact that the almost constant bombing of the Japanese was made through continuous fog and bad weather.  Adult readers interested in titles about WWII may also want to take a look at this 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.)

We have lost another giant in the children’s literature field.  Jean Craighead George, author of more than 100 books, had passed away.  She died  at age 92 on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 from complications due to a stroke.

Her writing reflected her love and concern for wildlife and the environment.  My Side of the Mountain (1959) was named a Newbery Honor book.  She received the Newbery Medal in 1973 for Julie of the Wolves.  Her last book created with illustrator Wendell Minor, The Eagles Are Back is due for release in March 2013.

Her books connected with young readers, as evidenced by the Letters About Literature written to her.  To quote one such reader, “My Side of the Mountain literally changed my life.  Ever since I first read the book in fourth grade I’ve loved the outdoors. I used to sit inside, play video games, and watch television. But, now I love going outside and stay out there for hours and hours, especially in the summer.”  I’m sure Ms. George was pleased to know another child had discovered her beautiful outdoors.

Pottermore Now Open for All!

If you have Harry Potter fans, or are one yourself (like me) you are now able to sign up and explore J. K. Rowling’s site: Pottermore.  I have only just begun to look through the site.  It says there are new writings by J.K. Rowling that can only be found on the site, so I definitely want to take a look at those.  You are also supposed to look for hidden items that will be useful as you go along.  This looks like a fun way to revisit the books and learn more about how Rowling set up Harry’s world and events.

Not too long ago I read Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins.  A prequel to the first book, Toys Go Out, this title tells how StingRay first came to the house, and her efforts to fit in.  Readers will also learn, among other things, how Lumphy joined the family and how Sheep lost her ear.  Endearing tale of toys learning to care for each other.  The wonderful illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky add life to the characters.

(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.)

Maurice Sendak died Tuesday, May 08, 2012, of complications from a stroke.  His accomplishments in children’s literature are numerous.  As the article in the May 8, 2012 New York Times  noted, he “wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche,” changing the world of the picture book forever.

He received the Caldecott Medal in 1964 for Where the Wild Things Are.  The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) presented him with the 1970 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration.  The ALSC division of ALA presented him with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1983.  As noted on the web page “The Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

He has one more book to be published; it will come out next February, titled My Brother’s Book.

Teen Novel Readers Belong to AARP?

I recently read a brief article in the February/March issue of AARP: The Magazine.  The “What’s New” section had a piece called “50 Going on 15” and the author talks about how young adult titles are being read by people from “ages 17 to 70.”  (And younger than that, too.)  My own observation is that movies also are more and more often being made from young adult titles.  Maybe the next display in your adult fiction area should highlight some teen books.  Your adult readers may be surprised at how good they are!

The picture book Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Little Dog Named Baltic by Mônica Carnesi is described by Booklist as a “dramatized version of a true story.”  Children will certainly be worried about the dog and what may happen to him.  Off the coast of Poland, in the Baltic Sea, people noticed a little dog trapped on the broken ice.  He had traveled 75 miles down the river on the ice and people tried to reach him, but couldn’t.  A ship came to the rescue and soon adopted him.  A good lesson about the dangers of ice gently told in with a happy ending.

(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 Evolve Project…

Well, this isn’t exactly reading, but I am amazed at what Brian Pichman and Dave Hesse of the Digital Innovation Department at the Mokena (IL) Community Public Library District have been doing with their Evolve Project.  I encourage you to take about an hour and see for yourself.  You may not have the resources they do but you might come up with some new approaches to draw children and families into your libraries.

Go here and click on “Archived NCompass Live Sessions” and then click on: “NCompass Live: Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: The Evolve Project” which aired on April 25, 2012.

Visit their web page, too, to find out how they went about putting this project together.  Who knows what kind of ideas will pop up in Nebraska!

I recently checked Carl Hiaasen’s new book, Chomp, out of the library.  Fans of Hiaasen’s humor and environmental viewpoint will enjoy this one, which is aimed at the middle school age crowd.  Wahoo and his dad, Mickey, are hired to provide animals for the reality TV show “Expedition Survival!” and it is soon clear how fake this particular reality show is.  The star, Derek, is a clueless ham forever getting himself into danger.  When he decides things should go from controlled (on Wahoo and Mickey’s property) to the real, wild Everglades, and then disappears in the middle of the shoot, it is clear Derek could end up really dead.  Loyalty, family love, and courage are spotlighted, along with another look at the Everglades and how fragile it is.

(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.)

YALSA’s 2012 Teens’ Top Ten Nominations   

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) recently announced the 2012 nominations list for the Teens’ Top Ten.  As stated on their web site, “The Teens’ Top Ten is a ‘teen choice’ list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country.”  Teens ages twelve to eighteen are encouraged to read titles from the nomination list this summer and vote online for their favorite in August and September.  The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, Oct. 14 – 20.

There are ideas on the website for promoting the Teens’ Top Ten (TTT), a PDF of a toolkit for it, or you can download the toolkit in Word.   To find out more about Teen Read Week, or to register to participate, visit this site.  The theme for 2012 is “It Came from the Library!”

I have been reading a lot of teen titles lately, in preparation for the YART Spring Meeting on April 14.  A slightly older title (c2011) made its way onto my list because I thought it was really great.  Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach …Felton Reinstein (15), who is usually called “Squirrel Nut” (as an insult) then later “Rein-stone” (respectfully), recounts his life so far.  When he was 5 he found his father, dead in the garage.  Last November he began growing hair, height and muscles like crazy.  His voice has dropped and now the jocks are talking him into working out over the summer to get ready for fall football.  This summer has turned crazy, he is getting huge; his mother has shut herself in the bedroom and now ignores Felton and his younger brother, Andrew.  Felton is befuddled by his rapid growth and bodily changes, his mother’s retreat, his best friend gone for the summer, a new girl in town, and the jocks’ interest in him.  Told with humor and pathos, we find Felton struggling, with little help, to learn who he has become and find a way to deal with his mother.

(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.)

Fabulous Films for Young Adults: an ALA/YALSA list coming for the first time in 2013!

The first nominations for Fab Films 2013 are now up! The theme for this first year is Survival (think external conflict like weather, war, zombies, etc).  There is a nice variety of titles already nominated, you can view them here:

You also are welcome and encouraged to submit a field nomination. There is no date limitation beyond that is has to be on DVD by the time nominations close on Dec 1st. DVDs also have to be widely available for purchase. The nomination form is available here.   More information about the committee and criteria can be found here.

I recently read One Foot Two Feet by Peter Maloney.  This picture book has a die cut square in the center of every other right side page to help introduce words that do not use “s” to make a plural.  The first page states, “one foot” with the illustration inside the square, turn the page and you have “two feet” and see the entire illustration. The book is also a counting book of sorts, each page start with “one mouse” or “one goose” but goes on to state “three mice” and “four geese” as it counts to ten.  It is a fun and clever approach to a possibly confusing topic.

Sorry I have been on the road so much in February and March I didn’t get “What’s Sally Reading?” up on our home page during that 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.)

“Geek Out @ your library” for Teen Tech Week!

March 4 – 10 is Teen Tech Week brought to you by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of ALA.  Take a look here  to find Toolkits and to register before Monday, February 13. You can glean ideas from the “Photos” on the main page. Under Toolkits, look for “25 Easy Tips for Teens” – you do not have to register or be a member to access this list of ideas for your teens.  Hope you have a great week!

I recently finished The Lost Stories by John Flanagan.  Fans not ready to say good-by to Will, Halt and others of the “Ranger’s Apprentice” series have this one last chance to read more about them.  Set up as an archeological discovery in 1896, these final ten stories are the verification that the Ranger Corp did once actually exist.  Bravery, loyalty, and humor are again hallmarks of this popular and incredible series.

(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.)

Livability.com has announced their list of the Top 10 Children’s Libraries in the country.  The Lied Scottsbluff Public Library was named number four on that list.  Congratulations to the library, staff, and community!  If you get the chance, stop in to visit the library and take a look at the children’s area.

The Top 10 Children’s Libraries
1. ImaginOn – Charlotte, NC
2. Tulsa City County Library – Tulsa, OK
3. Vancouver Community Library – Vancouver, WA
4. Lied Scottsbluff Public Library – Scottsbluff, NE
5. Iowa City Public Library – Iowa City, IA
6. El Paso Public Library – El Paso, TX
7. Laramie County Library – Cheyenne, WY
8. Brentwood Public Library – Brentwood, TN
9. Birmingham Public Library – Birmingham, AL
10. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County – Cincinnati, OH

To see more information about Scottsbluff’s wonderful children’s area on Livability.com, go here.

Submit a Nomination for an Amazing Audiobook for Teens,

YALSA is requesting suggestions for audiobooks published in 2011 or 2012 that you believe are outstanding.  If you listen to audio books, or if your teens are enthusiastic about a title or titles, go here to complete the suggestion form.  The committee is asking for librarians to submit more suggestions for this annual list.  Any title included on the most recent list, found here, is not eligible for next year’s list.

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld will be a good picture book choice for the upcoming summer reading program.  It is a poetic look at various machinery working at a construction site.  Four pages each tell of a particular machine and its work on the building, then that it is time for sleep.  Clever illustrations show a cement truck with a blanket only covering a part of his drum, and a bulldozer snuggling into the piles of dirt that look like a bed.  Sure to be a hit at 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.)

Here are the award winners and honor books as announced this morning by ALA.

ALSC Awards (Assication of Library Services for Children):

John Newbery Medal:
Award: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Honor:
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin’s Nose  illustrated & written by Eugene Yelchin

Caldecott Medal:
Award: A Ball for Daisy illustrated & written by Chris Raschka
Honor:
Blackout illustrated & written by John Rocco
Grandpa Green illustrated & written by Lane Smith
Me…Jane illustrated & written by Patrick McDonnell

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award:
Award: Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider
Honor:
I Broke My Trunk by Moe Willems
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
See Me Run by Paul Meisel

Robert F. Sibert Medal:
Award: Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade written & illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Honor:
Black & White: The Confrontation of Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene “Bull” Connor by Larry Dane Brimner
Drawing From Memory written & illustrated by Allen Say
The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson
Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster  by Rosalyn Schanzer

Mildred L. Batchelder Award (honors the publisher of a book originally published in a language other than English.)
Award: Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak
Honor: The Lily Pond by Annika Thor

Pura Belpré Award: (co-sponsored by ASLC & REFORMA) celebrates the Latino culture
Illus. Award: Diego Rivera: His World and Ours  illustrated & written by Duncan Tonatiuh
Honor:
The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/ Marisol McDonald no Combina  illustrated by Sara Palacios and written by Monica Brown

Author Award: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Honor:
Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller written and illustrated by Xavier Garza
Hurricane dancers: the first Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle

YALSA Awards (Young Adult Library Services Association):

Micheal L. Printz Award:
Award: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor:
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

YALSA Excellence for NF Award:
Award: The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
Finalists:
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science by Marc Aronson & Marina Budhos
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
Music was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin

William C. Morris Award:
Award: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor:
The Girl of Fire & Thorns by Rae Carson
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

Margaret A. Edwards Award: (Significant and lasting contribution to Young Adult literature.)
Susan Cooper

Other ALA Awards:

Coretta Scott King Awards:
CSK Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award: (lifetime achievement presented every 2 years for lasting …)
Ashley Bryan  (Let It Shine,  Beautiful Blackbird, and more )
He was the first African-American to both write and illustrate a children’s book.

Illustrator Award:
Award: Shane W. Evans for Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom (illustrator and author)
Honor: Kadir Nelson for Heart & Soul (illustrator and author)

Author Award:
Award: Kadir Nelson for Heart and Soul
Eloise Greenfield for The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Patricia C. McKissack for Never Forgotten

Schneider Family Book Awards:
Children – the committee chose not to select a title, no submission was deemed worthy
Middle – selected two titles for this group:
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Teen – The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Stonewall Childrens & YA lit award:
Award:  Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
Honor:
A+ e 4ever by Ilike Merey
Money Boy by Paul Yee
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
with or without you by Brian Farrey

Andrew Carnegie Medal (excellence in video for children):
“Children Make Terrible Pets” by Peter Brown

Odyssey Award (best audio produced for children or teens) administered by ALSC & YLSA
Award: “Rotters” written by Daniel Kraus
Honor:
“Ghetto Cowboy”
“Okay for Now”
“TheScorpio Races”
“Young Fredle”

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award:
2013 lecture delivered by Michael Morpurgo

(I’m sorry, I missed the announcement of the Alex Awards while trying to log in to the streaming video.)

YALSA Video Academy is free to librarians!

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) revealed their new Video Academy project on January 17, 2012.  Right now there are twelve You Tube videos on topics ranging from “Twitter Basics” to “Running a Mock Printz Program” with times varying from 1 minute to 7 minutes long.  Go here to view the topics.  YALSA encourages you to watch them at your convenience and at no charge.  They also suggest librarians create and submit videos to add to the selection.  If you are interested in creating a video, start at their FAQ.  Just so you know, because these videos are so short, you will not be able to earn CE credit for them (the video or training must last at least 20 minutes to receive CE credit) but they will certainly be helpful to you.  However, if you create a video you could earn CE credit, talk to Laura Johnson.

Yesterday I finished reading Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray.  Linc is 12 and just started junior high. His earlier schooling was as part of the Ho-Hos: Home-Away-From-Home School taught by a retired professor.  His father died when he was seven, and he and his mother live next to the town cemetery.  The Adopt-a-Grave class assignment is the catalyst for all kinds of trouble (and revelations) that mires Linc in several messes.  His theft of a crypt key to impress another student is his worst move.  Linc finds navigating junior high; and changing relationships with friends, former friends, and family are a lot to take on in his first fall at a public school.  This title will appeal to readers in grades 4-7, and the real epitaphs from tombstones that start each chapter could result in readers trying their own hands at it.  This title will also work well with the 2013 summer reading program topic: underground.

(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.)

ALA Book Awards will be announced January 23, 2012!

Awards from the Association of Library Services for Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are always announced on the Monday of the ALA Midwinter meeting.  That will happen on January 23^rd this year.  You can watch the announcement live online.  Details are here.  Afterwards, if you wish, you can share your thoughts on the winners by posting or Tweeting (please use #alayma and #bestofyalit).  I can’t wait!

Stars by Mary Lynn Ray is a fun title for next year’s summer reading program.  The joy of stars is celebrated in this appealing picture book.  While children cannot put a real star in their pockets, they can cut one out of shiny paper.  They can find stars in the garden (strawberry blossoms) in the woods (moss on a tree) and in winter (snowflakes).  Marla Frazee’s amazing illustrations convey the beauty and wonder of stars.

(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.)

Walter Dean Myers was sworn in on Monday, January 10, for his two-year appointment as the country’s next National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.  He was interviewed Monday on National Public Radio and said his theme will be: Reading is Not Optional.  He hopes to encourage parents, relatives, friends to read aloud to very young children to help them get a good start in life.   To listen to the interview or read a transcript of it, go to this site.

Graphic Novel collections in libraries, a nonscientific survey.

Last month Robin Brenner, creator and editor of No Flying, No Tights web page, posted a survey to learn more about what type of graphic novel collections public libraries currently have.  Responses came from libraries in the U.S. and Canada.  Visit her report on this survey here.  She does mention that other types of libraries also responded and she will post again about those, so you may want to keep an eye on her site.

Today I read a library copy of Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor.  It looks like a picture book, but School Library Journal and I agree that it is aimed at about grades two to four or five.  It is a lyrical look at the determination and courage Amelia Earhart demonstrated during the first flight across the Atlantic by a woman (and only the second nonstop flight at that time!)  Illustrations dominate the pages with text in black or white, as needed.  A quote from the book, encasing a quote from Amelia Earhart, “And now she must cross this dark and seething ocean.  Why? Because ‘women must try to do things men have tried.'”

(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.)

Best Book lists for 2011 are popping up all over!

Best Books of the year lists are starting to sprout up all over.  Kirkus recently placed their choices online.  Go here for their list.  The list of the best according to School Library Journal can be found here.   The New York Times also has their list up on their web site.  I’m sure more will be showing up soon!

And, not coincidentally, you can look at my list of books for 2011 (with some 2010 titles included), presented at the NLA/NEMA conference on October 7, by going to the “handouts” page on the Library Commission’s web site, or view the archive of my presentation on “NCompass Live” from December 21.

I recently finished 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel (divided by) 1 Dog = Chaos by Vivian Vande Velde and illustrated by Steve Björkman.  (If anyone knows where to find the division symbol in Word, please let me know, I sure didn’t see it anywhere.)  Twitch, the squirrel living outside the school is chased by a dog and runs into the building one late afternoon. The story is told alternatively by the different class pets in each room Twitch runs into looking for help. A rollicking tale of pandemonium and near disaster.  Frequent illustrations add to the fun in this early chapter book of 68 pages.

(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.)