Written in free verse, this book tells a semi-autobiographical story of a ten-year-old Vietnamese girl in 1975. Her family must decide what to do with the impending coming of the Communists to their home in Saigon. Their lives change forever, and the reader gets to see the emotional impact of these real events through the eyes of the young girl. I highly recommend this book which treats the serious subjects of war and refugees in an relatable way. It is a quick read too; it took me only about ninety minutes to get through. The author notes at the end of the book that the situation of the family, as well as many specific anecdotes, were straight from her own life.

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This novel, written by Patricia MacLachlan (author of Sarah, Plain & Tall), I recommend highly for children who are beginning chapter book reading, as well as adults. MacLachlan does an excellent job of treating serious family concerns(absentee fatherhood, pregnancy) through children’s [and pets'] eyes. William and Elinor’s father leaves his family (again) and their mother decides to take corrective action by adopting four dogs and a cat. The family readjusts, and the reader sees, through William’s perspective, the conflicted emotions of being a child in a broken family. MacLachlan not only writes with poignancy, but with a sense of whimsy as well, when the children find out that their new pets can speak to them (Elinor hears first, since all four-year-olds can hear magic, according to the littlest dog). “Waiting for the Magic” is a sweet story that grapples with serious issues with a tone that isn’t ominous, and offers an uplifting message about the endurance of the family. Amy June Bates’ occasional black-and-white sketch illustrations support the text and help the reader to visualize each individual member of the family, human and otherwise.

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In this spoof of the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, Homer, Bart, and a gang of Springfieldians plot to “gang-write” the next tween fantasy publishing sensation  so that they can strike it rich.  Featuring guest voices of Neil Gaiman and Andy Garcia, this episode layers laugh-out-loud YA lit references on top of the familiar heist setup from Hollywood.  In an all-too-real subplot, Lisa Simpson endeavors to write her own novel, but can’t get past the procrastination temptations of online word games and CD re-organization (NaNoWriMo much?)  This episode should be required viewing for anyone involved in YA lit who likes to laugh.  Two thumbs up!

Write your favorite moments in the combox below.

—-
Homer: (After finishing writing the book) I just hope we put in enough steampunk…whatever that is.

I was in a ____ literature course, and a particular day was focused on [fictional books on a controversial topic, one in which I differ in personal opinion from most of the vocal members of the library profession].  We discussed our reflections on the reading choices as a class.  Although I cringed at hearing some of the storylines, I would, of course, support the inclusion of these titles  in a collection, pending age-/review-/balance-/budget-appropriateness.

My gut was very uncomfortable with this discussion, not only with the vision of some of these books (which were contrary to my own worldview, but I’m used to that), but largely with the fact that most of the library profession seems to think that it is the only way to see the world, and that other points of view are [adjective describing unacceptability].  Sadly, the professor and fellow students seem to perpetuate the notion that a character or theme of a book must agree with their set of values, especially within this controversial topic.

This smells awfully similar to the 180-degree opposite intolerant mindset that the same people complain about.  Woe.  The best I can do is stick to my beliefs in my personal life (a luxury which in some fields is being eroded), defend intellectual freedom, and make sure that my future library welcomes all points of view, not just the ones in vogue.

For more information about Intellectual Freedom, check out ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Library Bill of Rights.

I haven’t used this with teens yet, but feel free to use it in a library if you’d like.

Life isn’t easy on greasers, and greasers aren’t easy on life.  These teens throw punches at their friends for fun, and pull out switchblades and guns on their rivals, the rich kids in their town.  Ponyboy, yes that’s his real name, lives with his two older brothers, and the greaser life is all they know.

Late one night, a chance encounter with the rich kids will leave one rival dead, and two greaser friends on the run from the law.  Can Ponyboy handle the tough life, and can his brothers keep him safe?  To find out more about how these boys laugh at danger and live to tell the tale, read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

The fall semester just started, and I’m settling in nicely to my new place.  This semester, I’m taking three courses:  management of school library media centers,  resources for the school curriculum, and young adult literature (this one with a particularly prominent player in the field).

Even though I’ve just begun the semester, I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of teen reads of note recently:

-The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins was phenomenal.
- The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, author of my beloved Shadow of the Wind, was alright but largely disappointing.
-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, one of the new classics I somehow missed during adolescence.
-Monster by Walter Dean Myers is shaping up to be the first audio book I’ve really enjoyed.  Most other audio books I’ve felt forced to finish, scarcely desiring to change the CD in my car.  This one, however, is most engaging.

For the YA Lit course, every week is dedicated to a different genre, and I get to choose the trade books I want to read from a list of a half dozen or so for each genre.  I like being able to choose what I like, especially in some genres that may have pronounced variation within them.  I plan to write miniature book talks for each, in order to remember what I liked best about them.  More to come soon….

For more information, including book discussion resources, the author’s biography, etc, visit the official website here.

The Handbook begins with a rationale for the importance of reading aloud to children, and cites statistics and case studies that show the benefits it offers to literacy, family togetherness, child development, and more.  Then, Trelease walks the reader through some practical techniques as well as beginning reading suggestions for every age and interest.

Based on his experience as a father and grandfather, and his familiarity with many anecdotes from other parents, Trelease tells us (p. 4) that there are some major advantages derived from reading aloud to [your] child:

• Associating reading with pleasure in the child’s brain
• Establishing background knowledge (ie, what animals live on farms, what a bulldozer looks like, what a fiddle is).
• Building vocabulary (Children’s picture books are meant to be read to a child not by a child because their vocabulary and structure are too sophisticated.)
• Provide a positive reading role model (YOU!)

Although I’m only about halfway done reading The Handbook, I’ve skimmed the final sections that contain a plethora of reading recommendations of every sort.  I highly recommend The Read-Aloud Handbook to parents, teachers, librarians, and any other professional that works with children.

Here’s a link to the author Jim Trelease’s home page that contains book lists, lecture downloads, and excerpts/major points from every chapter of his book.

For my MLS technology course, I was assigned to compose a paragraph briefly explaining my professional goals, for my ePortfolio.  Did I hit all the points, folks?

I’m eager to begin my career as a librarian and I am building a full repertoire of skills and experience that will enrich my professional practice.  I expect to earn my MLS by 2012, with a School Media Specialist certification, but I’m open to working in a public or school library setting.  My undergraduate specialization was in education and I have many teaching experiences, so I already know how much I enjoy helping children and teens to make the most of the resources available to them and to appreciate the importance of the written word.  As I predict my professional life as a librarian, I see myself working on the front lines of a reference desk or information literacy classroom every day and interacting with different people.  I will learn from my patrons as much as they learn from me, and I will be thankful every day for the blessing of getting to help people in a vocation I love.

PS – Sorry I’ve been MIA for so long.  I get way too caught up with school, work, and life, and I’ve strayed too far from my home[page].  I’ll be posting more often, and hopefully include some reviews of recent reads.

Bad Kitty series by Nick Bruel

Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, I discovered this delightful little series of picture books and illustrated children’s chapter books that center around the life of a very, very bad, bad kitty.

In the original picture book, Bad Kitty, the kitty is loathe to find out that he’s been temporarily restricted to a vegetable diet.  Fortunately, his hazardous protests throughout the house won him back his omnivorous cat food.  The book, and its sequel, Poor Puppy (in which the kitty is introduced to an over-friendly new housemate), incorporate the alphabet and counting, and are devilishly funny and random in their choice of vocabulary.

Additionally, Bruel wrote illustrated chapter books about specific aspects of the kitty’s life, including Bad Kitty Gets a Bath. In this hilarious volume, the kitty’s owner explains the dangers involved in attempting to clean a cat, including injury, death, and pants-wetting.  The book even gives a detailed illustration and explanation of the escalating levels of cat anger as expressed through different hisses.  Any cat-lover (or cat-hater, even) will recognize the high-strung attitude of kitty, something common to many of our feline friends.  I highly recommend these books, to adults and childen.  The picture books are a longer read than most, so keep that in mind when reading with those with shorter attention spans (adults and children included).

Here’s a link to Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty series: click here.