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Category Archives: Nonfiction

Breaking it up

03 Jun

BreakingItUp

One of the discussions that occurs each time a readathon is on the horizon is about diversifying the book stack– not in terms of representation but format.

Do you have an audiobook so you can take a walk? A few short story or essay collections stacked alongside Harry Potter. For the basic reason that even though reading is exercise for the mind, our bodies need some if we sit too long reading and that reading the same thing might get a little boring. So add some stimulus with a graphic novel. Change the brain chemistry by switching from truth to fiction and back again.

So while I have a large committee commitment to read fiction– if I stuck solely to fiction for this entire year, my brain would explode or worse yet, seize up. I need change like the four seasons of upstate New York where I reside. I spend my lunch reading middle grade nonfiction or a sunny summerish day in the backyard with an adult biography.

Here were some recent non-YA fiction that I’ve read recently

  • The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein
  • Liberty Arrives!: How America’s Grandest Statue Found Her Home by Robert Byrd
  • Caught!: Nabbing History’s Most Wanted by Georgia Bragg
  • High: Everything You Wanted to Know About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction by David and Nic Sheff
  • Sea Sirens by Amy Chu
  • A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade

If you’re feeling like you’re in a rut, when was the last time you read something just for you? Or outside of your comfort zone? Or reliving the good old days and reading a picture book. Consider diversification to keep it fresh.

 
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Posted by on June 3, 2019 in Adult, Authors, Childrens, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Story, Verse

 

The joy of author visits

09 May

JoyofAuthorVisits

I find myself writing a post yearly if not more after coming down from an author visit high. But as I walked with Dashka Slater to the car at the end of her visit with us at our high school, I said that my co-librarian and I know it’s a successful visit when we’ve teared up: over a student comment or powerful statistic or thoughtful interaction with a kid. Slater can check that box.

The New York Times writer, journalist, author of young adult narrative nonfiction and picture books just spent four days in our area visiting three local high schools and one elementary school. Programming looked different at each of our schools, but all were changed by her visit. At our school, programming was a visit to our alternative high school program, lunch with a book group, an open presentation for any interested students, then a teacher-focused after school session about a topic addressed in The 57 Bus: restorative justice. No one walked away without something to ponder. Plus her personable nature and presentation style endeared her to everyone “on stage” and off. How flexible and Swiss-Army is she that she can speak with a group of 2nd graders in a snail costume after discussing institutionalized racism or helping freshman understand the myriad of terms in the LBTQAI+ community the day before?

Do I wish more students and staff attended? Absolutely. Learning is never-ending and relationships are integral to a healthy society. When we bury ourselves in being busy/hectic educators and over-scheduled teenagers, we don’t see the opportunities that are right in front of us, myself included.

But what are the joys of an author visit? I will count the ways.

  1. Student response– everything from “I got to meet a real live author!” to “Man, you wrote that?” Or the doodler who shares his sketch of them while they’re speaking and they ask to keep it.
  2. Adding to school climate and culture– we want our students to love reading and we promote that every day and use author visits judiciously.
  3. Books! The authors wrote the books then readers get to read them.
  4. Seeing the culmination of planning and preparation– I’ve been thinking about this visit for a year. Others not so much. But as much as visits create sleepless nights and nervous energy, they bring so many groups together.
  5. Did I mention student response? It’s all about them whether they become “Insta famous” being on an author’s Instagram story or take a selfie because again, they met a real live author!

Then all that’s left are the emotions of the day, the pictures, and the personal, lasting memories.

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2019 in Authors, Events, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Peek behind the curtain: the teenage brain

18 Jan

peekbehindthecurtain

The last several years, I’ve been increasingly interested in expanding my knowledge about the teens I work with. My own children are elementary-aged, so it’s preparation for their own teenage years, but in the meantime, it’s is exactly right for my job working as a high school librarian.

Beside running a professional development course with the book Brain Literacy for Educators and Psychologists by Virginia W. Berninger and being able to apply the science to several books I have read recently (Proust and the Squid: The Story of Science and the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf– which has an update on my TBR list called Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World.) Then, there’s the book that I’m recommending to parents of teens, parents who WILL have teens soon, and those that work with teens in any capacity. As with many of the nonfiction titles I read because I’m curious about the topic, the Post-it count was high. I should really buy stock in the company.

inventingourselvesTitle: Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain

Author: Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

Copyright: 2016, then re-printed in 2018 by PublicAffairs

Relevance: As I said above, if you have teenagers (or will soon) and/or work with teenagers, books like these remind us of our own teenage selves, provide scientific research and snapshots of studies with conclusions we can use to better inform our interactions with teens. And it’s not all negative. We need to continue to learn about the brain as science speeds forth and isn’t what you knew during teacher training programs or even that book from twenty years ago when you just started out.

Ah-ha! Post-it note: Synaptic pruning occurs voraciously during adolescence and embodies the motto “if you don’t use it, you lose it”, which is being investigated as a cause of the education slump that occurs around middle schools years (at different points for everyone in their development process) in which grades and performance dip for a short period of time.

Memorable quote or fact: The brain takes of 1/5 of the energy used by the body.

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2019 in Adult, Nonfiction

 

Top 10 of 2018: Adult edition

26 Dec

Copy of Top10of2018

Clearly I read a bit more young adult and middle grade titles than adult titles because my job is working with teens, but as I get older I enjoy taking the time out to read some adult titles. You’ll probably notice a bit of a theme, like the stuff in my Netflix queue, so if you didn’t get to read any of these titles when they were published this past year, put them on your list for 2019.

Top 10 of 2018- Adult Edition

  1. A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong: Detailing a 2008 rape report by Marie after a man broke into her apartment, the writers share the circuitous way in which a man was finally brought to justice after a long hard traumatic road.
  2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones: From it’s superb cover to the dynamic storytelling of Celestial and Roy’s relationship after he’s imprisoned is a slow burn that is full of frustration, love, resentment, and loyalty.
  3. Bingo Love written by Tee Franklin and illustrated by Jenn St. Onge: A queer love story with rich illustrations and a painful yet sentimental relationship about two women, Hazel and Mari who after meeting years ago were apart yet find their way back together decades in the making.
  4. How to be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery: Featuring thirteen animals who had an impact on her life and are reflected in the dozens of books she’s published for teens and adults over the years, it allows all of us to pause and reflect on how animals affect our lives from their presence to their absence.
  5. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara: True crime fans will likely have already bought this the day it came out and it was made more superb by the fact that the Golden State Killer was literally identified not too long ago after McNamara’s quest to identify him over years of her life. We’ve all been sucked into a project that won’t loosen it’s grip and this is evidence of one woman’s true obsession.
  6. Impossible Owls: Essays by Brian Phillips: I picked this one up after seeing it on a best list for 2018 since I’ve also been reading more essay collections. Phillips is a dynamic storyteller and makes the most mundane fascinating but also allows readers to peek behind the curtain of activities like the Iditarod and seeing tigers in the jungles of India.
  7. Not that Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay: Gay’s strong voice is a lightning rod of thoughtful observations that go without saying.
  8. Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth edited by Kate Farrell: The compilation of stories about menstruation is a worthy read for everyone because they are honest, emotional, beautiful, and empowering. Let’s change the dialogue.
  9. Saga Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: Now they’re taking a break after that ending? Gut-wrenching! But this space opera is the most creative and original work featuring star-crossed lovers and their journey filled with imaginative characters including Alana, Marko, and their daughter, Hazel.
  10. Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures by Nick Pyenson: He’s probably biased because he’s a Smithsonian researcher on whales and I’m probably biased because I love whales and marine life in general. From digging up bones and to understanding their immensity, it’s also a message to humans inhabiting this planet that we must take care of all creatures and not hunt them to extinction.

I love animals, can’t you tell? I like true crime but you figured that out too. And a well-drawn and imaginatively well-written graphic novel, check. Let’s celebrate the diversity and creativity of the books that were published in 2018 and tip our hats to the authors continuing to hone their craft and new writers that will bring that much more for 2019.

 
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Posted by on December 26, 2018 in Adult, Authors, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction

 

Top 10 of 2018: Young adult and middle grade edition

19 Dec

Top10of2018

I’ve been thinking making a list and checking it twice for my picks for the best YA and MG titles published in 2018 (in addition to my shout out below of the finalists for the 2018 William C. Morris Award Committee of which I was a part).  In alphabetical order- the books that I shouted from the rooftops about:

  1. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol: This fun romp is a reminder that we were all awkward growing up and nervous about making friends. Special appearance by the local convenience store, Stewart’s, makes this an especially lovely local story!
  2. Chasing King’s Killer by James Swanson: I continue to be blown away by the quality of Swanson’s research and his aptitude to bring history to a younger audience. He truly makes history sexy.
  3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: Ironically this published at the beginning of 2018 and I’ve already read the ARC of The Wicked King and give that five stars too. Black knows how to create an intense atmosphere in a faerie land.
  4. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland: Sign me up for more alternative history. This mixes zombies, the Civil War, and race relations and allows a kickass heroine to shine with her sassy attitude.
  5. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka: A graphic novel memoir that began from Krosoczka’s TED talk about his childhood and allows our authors to be human and teaching empathy.
  6. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee: I stayed up past my bedtime to finish Lee’s book in one sitting. This companion focuses on Monty’s sister Felicity with a penchant for medicine and no outlet to practice in a man’s world.
  7. Lu by Jason Reynolds: There is nothing sadder than the end of a beloved series. Reynold’s Track series was an instant hit and each story with their vivid covers and realistic characters shone like the North Star guiding young readers about right and wrong, healthy relationships, and the meaning of community.
  8. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: The coloring of this graphic novel compliments the emotions and story of a prince who loves to wear dresses and his relationship with his dressmaker keeping the secret… until it’s not one anymore.
  9. Seafire by Natalie Parker: Every female empowerment anthem plays when I see the cover and remember my feelings reading this book that mixes the best of Lumberjanes with seafaring and the ultimate fight against evil. These ladies have my heart.
  10. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown: I immediately finished this sequel and ordered both for my elementary-aged sons. This sentimental story about Roz, a robot now living on a family farm who longs for the freedom she once had on an island caring for a gosling. Heartfelt science fiction adventure at its best.

Top 10 of 2018_ Young Adult and Middle Grade Edition

In addition, January 2019 finishes my term as a member of the William C. Morris Award Committee through YALSA, which means I read a lot of debut novels besides my usual cache of books. With all of that reading, our committee came up with the five finalists announced last week and we will vote on the winner next month that will be announced at the Youth Media Awards in Seattle, Washington. Here were the finalists:

  • Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
  • Check, Please! #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
  • Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  • Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
  • What The Night Sings by Vesper Stamper

2019 Morris Award Finalists Feature Slide

Cheers to the reading you did in 2018 and all of the books to be read in 2019 and beyond!

 

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2018 in Authors, Blogging, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction, Verse, Young Adult

 

Sandwiches! Stick a fork in it

26 Nov

SandwichesPutaForkInIt

This post was first published on the Times Union Books Blog

When I say sandwich, which one do you think of first?

2018-05-05 08.02.35On May 20, 2018, my family and I embarked on a journey of epic proportions inspired by the Alison Deering book illustrated by Bob Lentz called Sandwiches!: More Than You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Making and Eating America’s Favorite Food. The book landed in our high school library and over my own lunch I began reading, giggling, and nerding-out over the hundreds of factoids about famous sandwiches and the hypnotizing illustrations that accompanied them.

Soon after drooling over the entire book, I started to talk about the useful (and humorously useless) information shared but also in how neatly the information was presented. On the left, a graphic of the complete sandwich with a brief introduction surrounded by dates, biographies, and scientific notes related to the sandwich. And on the right, a manual for putting together the sandwich with additional information if you wanted to make certain items from scratch or if you wanted to level it up with additional items.

I brought it home to share with my elementary-aged sons who also began pouring over the spreads and thus was born the quest to make EVERY sandwich in the book- all 52 of them. It’s November 26, 2018 and last night we noshed on the last one which couldn’t have been eaten any time before as it’s The Gobbler- the quintessential post-Thanksgiving sandwich where all of the dishes end up in one pile between two slices of bread. We actually also kicked it off in style too as I was hosting a longtime friend who appreciates a good meal so we started the journey with the hummus sandwich, chips, and a beer for the adults.

On my personal blog, I have shared three posts, Sandwiches! Part I, Sandwiches! Part II, and Sandwiches! Part III about the food adventures along the way. Let it be known that this is the final installment: Sandwiches! Part IV where I highlight the final few not because we did them in order per se and they were at the end or that they were the “hardest” to make, but simply that’s how we crossed them off our list of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert sandwiches. The last few included the Banh Mi, the Po’ Boy, and the Italian Beef among others but not before trying out one that is the author’s own non-traditional favorite without a real name.

Few books have had an impact like this one has on trial and error, experimentation, and conversation. I have friends and family who have kept tabs as I’ve posted pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #makingallthesandwiches or made one for them. But the most fun was in what my kids thought and what ended up being their favorite even as we tried things like the spaghetti sandwich and the mac and cheese sandwich. Again, not that these are new sandwiches (as my husband lamented plenty of times), they just remind you of regional items, cultural elements, and history. He’s had a long history with sandwiches, but who hasn’t? Our small, old kitchen was put to the test along with our stomachs, but it’s been one heck of a seven-month journey.

What are your favorite classics or do you have one that’s all your own that you want to share? Maybe if Alison Deering hears about it, she’ll put it in her next book.

Gobbler

#drippinggravy

 
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Posted by on November 26, 2018 in Authors, Cover Love, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction

 

Four for Friday

28 Sep

FourForFridayCanva

With school being back full-swing, I’m still reading plenty but finding the time to sit down and share some of them hasn’t happened… until now. So, here’s four fantastic books for a Friday night!

FourforFriday

Number one: Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives by Gary Younge picks one day, November 23, 2013 and researches, interviews, and writes about the lives of ten young people aged 18 and under and how they lost their lives to gun violence with a side of commentary on guns in America- so raw and emotional with plenty of thoughtful, discussion-worthy sidebars.

Number two: Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World by Mackenzi Lee has the best feminist voice to share a nonfiction story collection of these 52 women from across the globe from all time periods. Lee’s humor and contemporary lens might make it dated years from now with her vocabulary and word choice, but it’s an unforgettable and beautiful collective biography with no shortage of combined entertainment and research.

Number three: Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison is visually stunning and as she states, it started with sketches she did during Black History Month and took on a life of it’s own and then eventually became this gem. Highlighting historical and contemporary black women and how they led the way is through an illustration and one-page biography for the two-page spreads.

Number four: Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden keeps the classic story alive. And while it took a few pages to get used to our carrot-topped Anne with an E and Matthew’s long hair it finds its pace and story and pays homage to Green Gables and those that live (or come to live) there.

Go in to the weekend knowing you have some books to put on hold. Or if you can’t wait, purchase!

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2018 in Adult, Childrens, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Five for Friday

08 Jun

Five for Friday

Last night was the last book group meeting of the year that I facilitate through a local cooperative. With the size of the group and timing, we can usually share 1-3 books each, but I realized I’ve read so many fantastic books lately that I had a hard time choosing. So, it’s perfect for a five for Friday (and the last Friday of the school year with only one more school day left)!

 

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Shamblers aka zombies are being made out of the Civil War dead in an alternative history where African Americans are still oppressed. Jane is at a combat school for African American girls where she will learn to use the tools of combat to keep people safe from shamblers. But her cheeky attitude to “remaining in her place” gets her into trouble with the powerful leaders and she’s sent away to a town out west that is off. It’s her job, along with a band of others, to discover the truth and take down these leaders while searching for answers about her mother and Red Jack. It’s an adventurous, action-oriented, imaginative story that is as intense as it is funny, ambitious, and unique.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer with Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano (illustrator)

The graphic novel format does justice to the story of a fictional boy, Ebo, who along with his brother leave their homeland to cross the desert and eventually the Mediterranean to find their sister and peace. Colfer and Donkin’s storytelling and Rigano’s artwork create an emotional platform for sharing an immigrant’s journey with several scenes eliciting the same response I had to several scenes in Don Brown’s Drowned City about Hurricane Katrina. Multiple copies on order for it’s future release.

Be Prepared by Vera Brogsol

So, quick story: I’m currently doing the Book Riot Riotgrams challenge for June and Thursday’s post needed to be “ice cream/sweet treat”. Literally the day before, I read and adored Brogsol’s new graphic memoir, Be Prepared, in which she includes the Stewart’s Shops sign as she’s driving to summer camp. Stewart’s is a community-minded convenience store in our area that has amazing ice cream. So, what was a librarian to do?

2018-06-07 15.20.44

Go to Stewart’s, get a seasonal flavor (Mounds of Coconut) ice cream cone, and ask a Stewart’s employee to take a picture of me with the ice cream, Brogsol’s book, and the Stewart’s logo in the background. Mission accomplished (and the ice cream was delicious). But the book itself is everything that is right with sharing the universal experiences of tweendom. The awkwardness of making friends. The prospect of not having them and how we earn them, and who is worth our time, all while sharing pieces of her Russian culture as a Russian summer camp. The olive-toned colors bring out the story in a way that makes the expressive characters pop and readers enjoy the beauty of nature.

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

Hearing him speak this past week about the experience of writing his life’s story and turning it into a graphic novel was powerful. And while I have yet to watch the TED talk that inspired the graphic novel, it details his upbringing with his grandparents after they took him from his heroin-addicted mother (he never knew his father until later) and how he became an artist with their often tumultuous support. Yet, my favorite scene is when he pays homage to Jack Gantos (who I adore and we had the pleasure of hosting in our schools) as an impetus for his own craft. It’s raw and really real.

Teen Trailblazers: 30 Fearless Girls Who Changed the World Before They Were 20 by Jennifer Calvert and Vesna Asanovic (illustrator)

Add this to the stack of new informational nonfiction that highlight the stories of women who have accomplished something great in their lives in order to recognize the value of women throughout history. While some of them are starting to blend together, Calvert’s focuses on women who accomplished this even before they turned twenty years old is themed. The easy-to-read format features little-known and well-known women that inspire the next generation of kids to take charge in changing the culture when and where it’s needed. And it’s currency cannot be neglected since one of the women featured is Emma Gonzalez from Parkland High School in the aftermath of the school shooting in her school just several months ago.

Which one are you picking up first?

 

 
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Posted by on June 8, 2018 in Authors, Childrens, Cover Love, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Upcoming Releases, Young Adult

 

Over the moon for To the Moon!

29 May

OvertheMoonforToTheMoon.jpg

IMG_0349While I absolutely enjoy my adult fiction and nonfiction as an adult reader, my teen audience is what I think about most when reading. And after enjoying the Memorial Day holiday with plenty of books and outdoor reading (an indoor reading due to the rain), I find myself appreciative of publishers who adapt adult novels for teen audiences who will eventually grow into readers of the adult novels too.

Though, I daresay that these young reader adaptations are done so phenomenally well that a reader may never need to read the adult version. This is true of Malala Yousafzai’s story, The Boys in the Boat, and Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. I’ll add one more to the list: To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by Jeffrey Kluger and Ruby Shamir whose adult novel by Jeffrey Kluger is Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon.

Favorite characters: Of course, they need to be the real-life astronauts who took the mission when preparing for a later mission that left them in space during Christmas 1968. Each astronaut: Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman all shined with their personalities through Kluger’s adept writing and research with a particularly telling scene at the end when Kluger describes an epilogue of sorts after Apollo 8 and what the men went on to do: Borman smacked the pod they had just returned to Earth in and walked away, never looking back while the two other men went on to continue in the space program.

Favorite scenes: Each scene where Kluger skillfully describes the mission control station or training facility. I was particularly struck when he explains how you can tell the success of the mission based on the smell, look, and temperature of the food sitting alongside the NASA employees during the missions. In contrast or relationship to their faces and conversation when things go right and when things go wrong. It is thrilling to feel like a reader is working on the mission too.

Earthrise_Anders_ToTheMoonRefFavorite quote image: I had to look it up because I knew that it wasn’t the “blue marble” image, but when Kluger explains Anders’ shot of Earthrise, I had to bring up the image to get the full scale of some of the captivating images that they would have seen and excitingly, captured for us earthlings to see. It demonstrates the importance of not only space travel but the undying power of an image to put us in our place– in history, geographically, emotionally.

So while I can’t put my finger on one thing that made this story great, it was a confluence of all of the pieces of great storytelling. Narrative nonfiction chronicling the space race, astronauts and the sacrifices they and their families make, the inherent danger, the dreams we all have to be bigger than ourselves, but told in a way that the everyday person can understand it and be along for the ride. Who wouldn’t want (as Marilyn Lovell knows) to be gifted with a Christmas Day present from “the man in the moon”?

And in closing, back to my appreciation for young readers editions, here are a few others I’d like to see adapted for a younger audience: Jane Goodall’s In the Shadow of Man, Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, Bill Schutt’s Cannibalism, and Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus.

 
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Posted by on May 29, 2018 in Authors, Cover Love, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Research, Young Adult

 

#PresentationMode

18 May

PresentationMode

Yesterday was a good day. An early morning run, then a walk with the dog. A new dress for a presentation with a group of fabulous ladies: two school library system directors, one reading specialist and professor, and two school librarians (me included). It was a day designed to discuss books and empowering our readers at every level.

With a keynote that shared how our varying perspectives of how we interpret what we read and what we seek out is usually a very conscious decision. We bring an experience to any book we read that is different from the person sitting next to us and we should be conscious of that and respect the reader. And the message of her keynote led perfectly into my presentation that went next about young adult books since I chose to focus on names: who we are as individuals and striking up a conversation simply by getting to know someone by asking their name.

I covered names of my author crushes (James L. Swanson, Caitlin Doughty, Rae Carson to name a few), fabulous names for books (The Hate U Give, Dumplin’, Puddin’), moms (Allegedly, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter), dads (The Inexplicable Logic of My Life, My Brother’s Husband), girls (The Nowhere Girls, What Girls Are Made Of), boys (The Prince and the Dressmaker, Words on Bathroom Walls), and a whole lot of series, niche student readers, and popular titles with my students. Could I have talked the whole day away? Of course, but there were wonderful conversations interspersed in my my presentation about topics and challenges presented in books, getting books in the hands of readers using their subtopics as a way to diversify their options, and why series books are magic. You can find my presentation and the booklist here.

And once I was finished, the day was just warming up because then it moved on to middle grade titles and then elementary titles. But I’m at the high school, why would I need to hear about middle grade and elementary titles? Librarians should always know what’s new, popular, and discuss-able at every level in part because librarianship means finding the right book for the right reader or the reader’s needs. It might be a teenager wanting a book to read with their cousin, it could be a teacher wanting to use a picture book in their middle school classroom, and any host of possibilities in between.

It’s no secret that readers advisory is my favorite part of librarianship so a day like yesterday was just as good as spending the day booktalking. The next opportunity to share about books to professionals will be with the effervescent Stacey Rattner, my partner-in-crime aka The Leaping Librarian, in July and our theme is #getbooked.

 
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Posted by on May 18, 2018 in Authors, Childrens, Events, Fiction, Graphic novels, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Story, Verse, Young Adult

 
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