This Week’s Tweets and Pins

November 22, 2013November 22, 2013 | Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts this week that I hope you find interesting:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Buggy History of One Book Cover by Sarah Albee | Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/1gYxDw4 #kidlit #publishing

Children’s Books on World religions – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1hVoki6 #kidlit

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author Jeff Kinney talks about his astonishing success http://buff.ly/1h2L7Hb #kidlit

Exotic creatures – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/18Nkq14 #kidlit

The gender bias in children’s books http://buff.ly/1aDVDjf #kidlit

Green Eggs and Ego: Reviews of New Celebrity Children’s Books | Vanity Fair http://buff.ly/1aEfE99 #kidlit

Harry Potter Roamed Around Penn Station Looking for Platform 9&3/4| Underwire http://buff.ly/18PJ8xZ #kidlit

How Hans Christian Andersen Revolutionized Storytelling | Brain Pickings http://buff.ly/1bJmf3p #kidlit

Jessica Ahlberg’s top 10 family-themed picture books | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1h5Lm4m #kidlit

Modern children’s picture books are works of art in their own right | From the Beacon | The Island Packet http://buff.ly/1gYSCz3 #kidlit

Moon Themed Books for Kids : PragmaticMom http://buff.ly/1hUVkqC #kidlit

Native Americans Children’s Books – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1hVoje1 #kidlit

Neville Longbottom is the Most Important Person in Harry Potter—And Here’s Why http://buff.ly/18PLZ9Z #kidlit

Sally Gardner’s top 10 fairy tales | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1bJl9Vt #kidlit

Sam Angus’s top 10 war books | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1h2yGv0 #kidlit

SLJ to Reveal 2013 Best Books on Twitter | School Library Journal http://buff.ly/185ZnfM #kidlit #yalit

Why Picture Books Are Important by Hazel G. Mitchell http://buff.ly/HXj5ha #kidlit

LIBRARIES

Louisiana parish votes to save library after commissioner’s rant about ‘teaching Mexicans how to speak English’ – http://buff.ly/19zTm4J

RT @HistoryInPics: A man browsing for books in Cincinnati’s cavernous old main library. The library was demolished i… http://buff.ly/185ZlVb

Stockholm’s Tio Tretton Library Gives Tweens a Space of Their Own | School Library Journal http://buff.ly/18PUim6 #libraries

TECHNOLOGY

11 Dropbox Tricks You Didn’t Know About http://buff.ly/1h2ZPhu

The Daily Dot – Yes, everything you post on Facebook can be put in an ad http://buff.ly/1aDPqUe

Silicon Valley Nerds Seek Revenge on NSA Spies With Coding – Bloomberg http://buff.ly/HRTo1M #privacy #nsa

Which Companies Are Encrypting Your Data Properly? http://buff.ly/18PBZgV #privacy

TEEN READS

2014 Contemporary YA Books to Get On Your Radar http://buff.ly/1bRHX5p #yalit

Author Sherman Alexie Talks Young Adult Fiction And Banned Books | StateImpact Florida http://buff.ly/186eGVJ #yalit

Best YA Novel of All Time? EW Staff Pick: ‘The Earthsea Cycle’ | Shelf Life http://buff.ly/18PTLAN #yalit

Best YA novel of all time? The final four | PopWatch http://buff.ly/1h2ReLB #yalit

The Girl Myth in YA Fiction (And Beyond) http://buff.ly/185ZaJE #yalit

Guide to Angels in YA Literature | The Hub http://buff.ly/18Q4KKo #yalit

How Does ‘Lord of the Flies’ Fit Into Common Core? | MindShift http://buff.ly/1h2OXA3 #reading #yalit

How ‘Hunger Games’ and YA lit are re-shaping the Hollywood blockbuster – Movies Blog – Digital Spy http://buff.ly/19zTNMx #yalit

‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Writer and Director Talk To TIME http://buff.ly/1gYgxhU #yalit

M.T. Anderson Reflects on Where We Are, Years After His Iconic Book, Feed | The Hub http://buff.ly/1aGNsm4 #yalit

Marcus Sedgwick on his new book and literary nfluences | The National http://buff.ly/1hUV4rx #yalit

The Millions : Time for Teen Fantasy Heroines to Grow Up http://buff.ly/18PKLf4 #yalit

San Diego’s First Couple of teen fiction http://buff.ly/1gYy6P0 #yalit

Stacked: Feminism in Contemporary YA Fiction: Guest Post by Trish Doller (Where the Stars Still Shine) http://buff.ly/1aDWRuG #yalit

Why I Wrote an Action-Driven Disaster Novel by Matt de la Peña | Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/185Z1FS #kidlit

Hunger Games Catches Fire Online

November 21, 2013 | Tasha

If you have looked at almost any news today or yesterday, you will see reviews and commentary on the new Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie. Here are some links to learn more about this second film:

From Salon: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Whose revolution is it?

There’s a naiveté to the politics of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” the second movie chapter, that’s simultaneously appealing and troubling.

From USA Today: Hunger Games: Catching Fire gets spark from Lawrence

Whether on the runway or shooting an arrow, Lawrence is powerfully convincing.

From the LA Times: Review: Hunger Games: Catching Fire burns bright with fiery Katniss

Jennifer Lawrence gives her all as the fight-to-the-death teen, elevating the thrills in the ‘Hunger Games’ sequel

From Slate: A Textual Analysis of The Hunger Games

Why might a reader take a shine to one series and not the other? The content, of course, differs considerably: Twilight is filled with fantasy romance, Hunger Games with fantasy violence. But what about the authors’ approach to writing?

And finally, something funny!

From The Week: The Hunger Games: Watch the 11 funniest parodies

…there are plenty of good spoofs of the dystopian teen franchise to be found — and we’ve collected some of the best for your perusal.

2013 National Book Award Winner

November 21, 2013November 21, 2013 | Tasha

The National Book Awards were announced last night. The winner for Young People’s Literature is one of my favorites of the year:

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata. Hurrah!

Geography Club – The Movie

November 20, 2013 | Tasha

Thanks to Lee Wind for sharing the trailer of The Geography Club based on the book by the same title by Brent Hartinger. Looks amazing!

Review: Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer

November 20, 2013 | Tasha

Little Fish: A Memoir from a Different Kind of Year by Ramsey Beyer

This graphic novel takes real journals, collages, lists and drawings to show the author’s transitional first year of college. Ramsey grew up in very small Paw Paw, Michigan. She was an artist from a young age and worked very hard at it, earning a spot in one of the top art schools in the country. This meant moving to Baltimore and making new friends for the first time since she was a young child. It also meant that she would no longer be the best artist around, she would be challenged as an artist in her classes, and she would have to find her own way in this new setting. Beyer’s novel shows the difficulties and triumphs of a freshman year of college, and is sure to encourage other little fish to try their luck in the big city.

Beyer’s use of her own personal real-life work that comes directly from that time in her life makes this entire novel work. It carries a weight that it would not have without that honest voice of youth at its core. The mixed media format also makes the entire book compulsively readable. Since you never know what is on the next page or what format it might be in, there is a constant desire to find out more and read longer.

Beyer’s art is done entirely in black and white in the book. She plays with light and dark throughout, capturing both the loneliness of the first days at college and also the dynamic friendships and love interests that come later. Her work is humorous and yet poignant.

This is a very strong, dynamic look at the first year of college. Teens will enjoy looking into their own future plans with a little laughter and lots of optimism. Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from library copy.

Charlotte Zolotow Dies

November 20, 2013November 20, 2013 | Tasha

Charlotte Zolotow has died at age 98. She was an author and editor of children’s books. She wrote more than 70 picture books, including Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present and William’s Doll. She worked as an editor at Harper & Row with her own imprint, Charlotte Zolotow Books. The New York Times has details of her life and work.

Review: Wild Berries by Julie Flett

November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 | Tasha

Wild Berries by Julie Flett

Clarence has gone berry picking with his grandmother since he was a baby. Now he is big enough to carry his own bucket as they walk and sing. The two of them pick the berries, Grandma looking for the sweet ones and Clarence for the bigger, sour ones that pop. They pick the berries and eat the berries. Then Clarence looks around the woods and sees different insects, spiders, and a fox. It is time to go home, they say thank you and walk back home together.

This book weaves Cree into the story, separating the words out and providing pronunciation information at the end of the book. Even these few Cree words evoke a different feeling, a new rhythm that is powerful. Flett tells a very simple story here about going out to pick berries in the forest. Yet it is a timeless story, one the embraces wildlife, the environment, and giving thanks for the bounty of nature.

Flett’s art is a beautiful mix of cut paper collage, texture and painting. She manages to show the depth of the woods without darkness. She uses bright colors that pop on Grandma’s red skirt and the red sun in the sky. The grass is drawn in individual blades and the tree bark varies from paper art to marker lines. Put together, it is a rich and beautiful book.

Simple, powerful and honest, this picture book celebrates Cree and nature together. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge

November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 | Tasha

How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge

Whenever you think of dinosaurs, they are like the one on the cover of the book. Huge, green and either placid plant eaters or ferocious meat eaters. This nonfiction picture book takes a look at dinosaurs that are quite different. There is the microraptor who is the size of a chicken. The long-named Leaellynasaura stood as tall as an emperor penguin and lived in that same climate. Of course there were bigger dinosaurs too. The akylosaurus stood as tall as an SUV. There were dinosaurs with huge claws that ate plants, ones with armor and still others with odd parts of the body that no one understands yet.

Judge carefully chooses her dinosaurs in this book. Understanding that the littlest dinosaurs lack the vibrant punch of the huge ones, the book quickly changes to the more imposing creatures. She shares just enough about each dinosaur to make the book readable. In fact, this is one nonfiction picture book about dinosaurs that could be shared at a storytime or aloud in a unit. Judge packs lots of fascinating facts into the book. It ends with the science behind figuring out what dinosaurs used to look like and a fold-out page with all of the dinosaurs in the book shown next to each other with lots of numbers and facts.

Judge’s playful illustrations are great fun. Throughout the book, she uses humans to show the scale of the dinosaurs as well as other animals. The humans don’t just stand next to the dinosaurs, they interact and react to them. I particularly enjoyed the image of the woman batting at a dinosaur with a broom. It’s those little touches of humor that suit this book so well.

Readable, fun and filled with science, this book on dinosaurs will be a welcome addition to those crowded shelves. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Winter 2013-2014 Kids’ Indie Next List Top Ten

November 18, 2013November 18, 2013 | Tasha

The American Booksellers Association is offering a preview of their next Kids’ Indie Next List. Their website offers not only the top ten, but also an additional 42 titles listed by age range. The lists are created by nominations from independent booksellers across the US. Here is the Winter 2013-2014 Top Ten: