VOYA’s 2006 list of recommended poetry books for teens Pure Poetry is their 8th annual list. There are some real drool-worthy titles on the list that I will have to take a look at. I’m not sure I’ve read any of them yet!
Month: April 2006
Gossip Girl Read-Alikes
YALSA has a new booklist of Books for young adults who enjoy ‘Gossip Girls’ series:
Bauer, Joan. “Rules of the Road.” [and sequel: “Best Foot Forward”]
Brashares, Ann. “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” [and sequels]
Cohn, Rachel. “Gingerbread.” [and sequel: “Shrimp”]
Dessen, Sarah. “This Lullaby.” [and “The Truth About Forever,” same author]
Kantor, Melissa. “If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince?” [also: “Confessions of a Not It Girl,” same author]
Lockhart, E. “The Boyfriend List” (15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs,and me, Ruby Oliver)
Mackler, Carolyn. “The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things.”
Maxwell, Katie. “The Year My Life Went Down the Loo” [and subsequent titles]
McCafferty, Megan. “Sloppy Firsts” [and sequel: “Second Helpings”]
Rennison, Louise. “Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging” [and subsequent titles]
D Is for Dragon Dance
D Is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Yongsheng Xuan is a picture book about Chinese New Year that follows the alphabet and shows many aspects of the celebration. The format, the text and the illustrations are all very child-friendly. The illustrations are stylized and filled with bright primary colors. Each page features textural Chinese letters behind the paintings, adding another level to the illustrations. There is also a cat on every spread that reacts to each new letter and item. This one is sure to draw all children into the holiday and give them a lot of information as well.
Boys Lag in Reading
The Phildelphia Inquirer has a great article, “In reading, Dick lags far behind Jane” that speaks of the gender gap in reading, college education and advanced placement classes. It gives several of the theories of why this gap is happening as well as some remarks from boys themselves. Important information for all of us working in reading with children.
Thacher Hurd Article
Scripps Howard News Service has an interesting article on Thacher Hurd, the child of two children’s book authors who has finally embraced his family’s trade.
Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Awards Shortlist
The 2006 Shortlist for Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards has been announced. One award is given to picture books and the other for a yound adult or middle book. The award winners are selected by two juries of schoolchildren. Here are the titles that made the shortlist:
Picture Books
* Caramba written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay
* Forever: The Annual Hockey Classic written by Roy MacGregor, illustrated by Brian Deines
* Gretzky’s Game written by Mike Leonetti, illustrated by Greg Banning
* The Nutcracker written by Karen Kain, illustrated by Rajka Kupesic
* Shi-shi-etko written by Nicola I. Campbell, illustrated by Kim LaFave
Young Adult/Middle Reader Books
* Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby
* The Crazy Man by Pamela Porter
* The Gravesavers by Sheree Fitch
* Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
* Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
VOYA’s list of the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is something I look forward to all year long. The 2005 list has some of my favorites like Rebel Angels by Libba Bray and Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud. But it also has so many titles that I haven’t read! Hurrah!
Teen Authors
The Los Angeles Times has an article “In Their Own Words” that talks about the trend of young adults writing books for teens. One of the books featured is The Notebook Girls, a nonfiction title compiled from a series of notebooks passed between four friends. There are also several other titles mentioned. Now this is a much better trend than celebrity picture books!
The Little Red Hen
The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney will be released in May 2006. Pinkney takes the classic story of the little red hen and keeps its timeless feel. Pinkney’s art transforms the story, as his art always does, into something even more marvelous. I enjoy his slight changing of the animals who refuse to work so that the hen has an exact reason to pressure each animal to do a specific job. Still they refuse, of course. The pictures will project well to a group of children, allowing librarians, parents and teachers to share this classic tale. This is a lovely addition to the stable of Little Red Hen books out there. Purchase it if you need a new one, don’t already have a copy, or need a version that will work well with a group.
Waking Brain Cells 