Summer Reading

The sun is shining, the water is inviting, who wants to be inside? Finding the right book is so important! Here are some suggestions for the intellectuals, the beach readers and those who think they hate fiction. First, most schools make available reading lists for AP courses, English classes and other classes that incorporate extensive reading. Using the summer for a first read of required books can take some of the pressure off of the experience. Unless you have been given a specific assignment, as with an AP English class, read the book for fun. It doesn't matter if you don't "get it" the first time. Sometimes we forget that reading can be pleasurable because we only read with an analytical eye to complete class assignments. Just get lost in the book. Persevere. Don't let vocabulary, style or characters intimidate you. No one is grading your summer reading! I personally enjoy Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers. Romance, political intrigue, friendship, patriotism, bravery; it has something for everyone.


Those of you looking for good beach reads, vampire fiction series are plentiful. Richelle Mead's Vampire Acadamy series has a new release this month. One of my favorites! There are some great series that are NOT vampire or romance for my male readers or those who enjoy more realistic fiction. If you enjoyed the Bourne book or film series, try Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series. As an added bonus, filming begins this summer for the movie version.

Hate reading novels? Then don't. Yup. You heard me. It's your summer! I still want you to read, but fiction isn't the only genre that counts. Biographies and memoirs are increasingly relevant for teen reads. Some of my picks include:

• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
• Tweak (definately edgy and explicit-recommended for older teens)
• Smashed: Memoir of a Drunken Girlhood
• Three Cups of Tea
• The Glass Castle

Last, don't forget your digital reading. Find an interesting blog written by an expert in the area of your passion. Post interesting articles to your facebook or myspace page for interesting discussions with your friend.  Barnes and Noble has a free e-reader application that that can be dowloaded to your iPod to purchase e-books, newspapers and articles. It includes a free dictionary, as well as some classic novels. Personally, I will be reading cheesy romance, award winning YA fiction, as well as professional literature. There's nothing like floating in the pool with some good reading on a sunny day to let you know that summer is here.

Have a reading suggestion to add to the list? Let me know.

Time to Get Real

Today I am presenting a professional development seminar called "Time to Get Real". The reality of our classrooms will be evident as I can't access Blogger from the room I'm presenting! This often happens to teachers. We attend training and are excited about the possibilities of implementing Web 2.0 into our classrooms. Some of us even go home and spend time getting together a great lesson only to find out when we reach school that our resources are blocked.

I am hoping (have been told!) that the laptops have a different firewall. If this is true, then the attendees may actually be viewing the blog. Here is what I would like you to do:
1.Take the following quiz @

2. Leave me a comment. What have you tried to implement in your classroom? How did it go? What would you like to try (but are scared, can't acces, etc.)? What is stopping you from implementing Web 2.0 in your classroom (access to computers and tools, time, etc.).

Happy Web 2.0!

Thanksgiving

An important part of the library media specialists responsibility is to continually analyze the collection for accuracy and relativity. I am always reminded of the importance of this task at Thanksgiving as I consider the historical accuracy of material vs. the American myth that is perpetuated, with many good intentions, in our schools and homes. While this topic can be sensitive on both sides, I contend that we sell our children short by not allowing them to consider history in the context of cultural, social and moral obligations. Learning that mistakes have been made will allow the future to move forward with thoughtful consideration. In order to compete globally we need forward thinking citizens that are analytical problem solvers. We cannot create this citizenry without promoting critical thinking in our classrooms. What better place to start than with our history? My challenge this time of year is to review your Thanksgiving and native history material in your classroom and media center. I don't think that it is necessary to get rid of most material, especially when it can be used as great examples of historical perspective, accuracy and bias. Students will see for themselves the discrepancies that can lead to great teachable moments.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Debbie Reese, a native educator who provides thought-provoking commentary on the library listserve, LM_NET. Debbie is able to respectfully continue to challenge accepted thinking and practices in regards to native history and education. Her blogspot, http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com, is a great place to begin your new research. As I write this blog there is a great posting by a native educator describing her children's experience with historical inaccuracies in the curriculum.

My second recommendation is the official website of the historical villiage, Plimoth Plantation. The main page of the site provides an excellent description: bicultural perspective in a modern context. There are many interactive features, including a young historian role-playing activity that allows children to learn about the Wapanoag and Pilgirm children in a historically accurate setting. Lastly, National Geographic worked in cooperation with the Plimoth Planation to create a beautifully photographed story. 1621, a New Look at Thanksgiving, is available in hard- and softcover through most book retailers.

Debbie Reese's blog provides many suggestions for additional titles as well as resources for examining native issues in children's literature. What are your favorites?

Teen Read Week

This morning we begin the week long Teen Read Week celebration in the library media center. The library science students have put together some quick, fun daily trivia for students to answer. Students with the correct answer will entered into the daily prize contest. Prizes (very important if you actually want the teens to participate) include a student athletic pass for the 2009-2010 school year (thank you Mr. Thiede!), a gas card, 30 day gym membership, free pizza coupons and books. I would love to think that the teens are just so excited about Teen Read Week that they will be lining up outside the door to get a chance at the trivia contests. The reality is: the good prizes bring them in.

For those not working in schools, let me tell you the reality of putting this together. Two weeks prior I met with each of my library science classes, explained Teen Read Week, assigned creating a trivia contest and gave them a day to brainstorm as well as an additional day to write up the contest questions for approval. Two weeks later, all we needed to do was pull out the questions, clean them up and print them. Right? Wrong! First, only 2 contests could be located. Students could not wrap their brains around providing written contest instructions for the participants. Four exhausting days of proofing and rewriting later (we're only talking 3 or 4 questions per contest!) we were ready to print. New glitch. The media center printer that worked 1st hour on Friday will no longer print. Work order submitted. Try each hour to print. No deal. Monday morning: printer still not working. Fine. Allow students to sign in on my computer and print to the office. 1st contest-printed copied and ready to go. We're on a roll! 2nd contest.....printer has a jam. NOt supposed to touch the printer. Tech has to take care of these issues. Principal (being the GREAT guy he is) saves the day, clears out paper jam, printing resumes. Bell rings, class is over, student sent print job to printer that no longer works. Needed the contest copied for Tuesday a.m. As of 3rd hour, no students have participated (although only 2 have laughed at me!). I think (hope) the students just aren't awake yet.

Teen Read Week is annual YALSA sponsored celebration. This year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality". While the official promotional materials focus on alternate realities or other worlds, sciefi and fantasy, at AHS we are also thinking about how our reality as residents in the small Michigan town of Algonac compares with the reality of people living elsewhere in terms of culture, race, religion and geography. How will you "Read Beyond Reality" this week?

Blog Action Day 2009

Blog Action Day inspired me to dust off the old blog and begin posting. According to www.blogactionday.org this is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. How fun! This year the topic is climate change.

So my question became how does the issue of climate change relate to the school library media center? I could discuss how we strive to be good stewards of our resources, limiting print materials when electronic while suffice, recycling old paper, etc. Doesn't sound very progressive. Instead, I'll share how research went this week with a class that was researching climate change. No, this isn't a set-up. They were already scheduled for research days BEFORE I found the topic!

First, the issue gave me a chance to introduce the class to a new database from Gale: Global Issues in Context. This amazing database gathers Gale print reference material, topic overview essays, news, podcasts, magazine articles, etc. from around the world, providing a global viewpoint of topics (exactly what Blog action day is supposed to do!). For instance, if you are researching H1N1 the topic portal provides podcasts from Great Britain, video and images from China and Mexico, news article from Africa and Egypt, as well as statistical data and encyclopedia articles on influenza. I can think of no topic more globally connected than the issue of climate change, so off we went.

After a brief introduction to the resources students were off and running. The teacher required that each question needed to be answered using 3 different resources (triangulating data is an important research concept, especially when web searching). It was great to see the students enganged in the information seeking process as well as the discusion that followed.

One student was particularly interested to note that the statistical information provided on the geocraft website (www.geocraft.com/WVfossils/greenhouse_data.html) raises the question of how much of the "greenhouse effect" is caused by human activity. Statistical, the debate is weather water vapor is used in the calculating the equation. IF it is NOT used, than the human contribution is significant. If water vapor is used in the analysis, human contribution is negligable. My only concern as an information specialist is that the data provided on the website is from 1998-early 2000's.

I'm sure that this will help fuel the climate change debate!

Vampires...the new Harry Potter

Just when we were starting to wonder what to do with our Harry Potter teens, with the 7th and final book published and the movie postponed until Spring, along came Bella and Edward. I'm not sure that there is anyone that spends time in a library or with teens that hasn't heard of the Twilight series, but in case there are some out there, this is a must read. Like the Harry Potter series, it connects with males and females. The four book (publication of the 5th is another posting!) series features an INTENSE teen romance between Bella, a human girl and Edward, a vampire. The series feels like realistic fiction, but it has the fantasy vampire twist. Bella's story has everyone scrambling for the books, from low-level readers to college bound students, males and females (the teachers don't have a chance at getting their hands on a copy!)

As a result of this new reading craze, all things vampire and paranormal are very popular. Destiny Quest on my Destiny Library Management system lists 8 out my top 10 titles as vampire books. Here are some additional titles that I have in our library:
1. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (sequeal is Frostbite)
2. Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz (Masquerade is the sequel -3rd book released 10/28)
3. The House of Night series by Cast (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen)
4. Wicked Lovely by Parr (sequel Ink Exchange)
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Care (sequel City of Ashes)

Unlike the Twilight series, the above all contain more sexually explicit content. There are no explicit details, but some reviews classify them as racy. I would rate them as interesting enough to hold teen's attention without teaching them something that haven't heard about or experienced! All of the series have a different twist on the vampire story. The House of Nighseries has a pagan theme with salt circles and moon ceremonies, while the Blue Bloods has the Mayflower ancestors as vampires hiding from the fallen angels that would separate them eternally from God. (There is an interesting explanation for the lost Roanoke Colony, they were also a colony of vampires!)

I don't like all of the new vampire fiction and not all of it is great literature. But the reading it inspires! Makes a librarian :)!

English teachers and library media specialists may enjoy the discussions regarding Twilight on the social network site for book lovers: www.Shelfari.com. Teachers have discussed the role of Bella as a female role model. Very interesting. I say, you can't judge Bella before you finish the 4th book. Like all teens, she is a work in progress, maturing and learning as she goes.