BOOKSHELVES
An unexpected side effect of the great digital migration: bookshelves that are made to hold… not books. Click here to read.
*UPDATE* Not so says IKEA
WRITER’S HUT NEEDS MOVING: $760,000 PLEASE
Efforts are underway to move Roal Dahl’s famous writer’s hut (I posted about said hut a couple years back) to a nearby museum. Dahl’s granddaughter is ruffling some feathers by putting out a 760K plea to complete the project. Click here to read.
A SEPTEMBER BLOG ENDORSEMENT
Have you been reading your Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast lately? Julie Danielson consistently puts out amazing posts. This week brings an excellent (and wonderfully visual) interview with Barbara Lehman and a subtle call for Jack Gantos to be our next Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (if you consider making t-shirts subtle, which I do). One of the best children’s lit blogs in the biz. Click here to visit.
NETFLIX FOR BOOKS = LIBRARIES, RIGHT?
When I saw that Amazon is planning to launch a “Netflix for Books”, I recalled a video I posted a while back in which NBC’s Brian Williams addressed the concept (and is pretty funny about it):
(Skip to the :40 mark)
But as I learned more, I started to get a little nervous for libraries. Click here to read.
SCIENCE: TOO HOT FOR AMERICA
What happens when a kids book about evolution is deemed too hot for U.S. audiences? Hello, Canada! Good ol’ Kids Can Press. Click here to read.
Let’s take a moment to welcome four new entries in the New York Times Children’s Bestseller lists:
Picture Books (click here for entire list):
#6) BEAR’S LOOSE TOOTH, by Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Jane Chapman.
#7) MOO, by Matthew Van Fleet. Photographs by Brian Stanton.
Chapter Books (click here for entire list):
#7) WILDWOOD, by Colin Meloy.
#9) HADES, by Alexandra Adornetto.
This one’s for the school librarian-types out there. The AASL recently released a statement on labeling books by reading level (in brief: it’s bad). A good article to keep in your back pocket. Click the image above to read.
@philnel points the way to this CNN article on the fall of the book giant.
Is there a more joyful expression of the love of reading than that of 4th grade teacher Colby Sharp in this video? During the first week of school Mr. Sharp goes all Dead Poets Society on his class, climbing tables and giving an impassioned endorsement of reading. Part motivational speech, part book talk, fully awesome.
About Travis Jonker
The AASL position statement could not have come at a more appropriate time at my school. AR is dying a slow and painful death at our school only to have Lexile leveling coming in close on its heels. Now librarians in my district are considering leveling the entire library with Lexile level stickers on the books. GAH! Can’t we just let them read books???