SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

October 27, 2014 by Travis Jonker

Too Big for Their Britches: Books That Can’t Keep Their Covers On

October 27, 2014 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

If you’re around books a lot, you know there are certain titles that just have a hard time keeping it together. I’ve found that the worst offenders have:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • High page counts
  • Glossy pages
  • Large trim sizes

Which kinds of books have all of these? Your Guinness, your Ripley’s, your LEGO.

Add in frequent circulation and you have a perfect spine-breaking storm. Pictured above is The Smart-O-Pedia – a great book that has reached its breaking point more than once.

How do you handle this? Take preventative measures? A particular binding that’s unbreakable? Book acupuncture?

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2022

2022 Books from American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

Ditched Dewey? I Have an Oddly Specific Question for You

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

'This crap really fires me up' FRED GETS DRESSED Gets Challenged

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

2022 Books from APAA Winners

by Travis Jonker

April 2022

Book Vandalism or The Most Deeply Appropriate Thing I've Ever Seen?

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who (#167)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

My Little Pony | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

Many May Suggestions: First Quarter Mock Newbery Possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Middle School Angst in the Sunshine State, a guest post by Nina Moreno

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

Farewell From The Classroom Bookshelf

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Grant Snider Visits The Yarn!

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

45 Superb Works by Rachel Isadora, Christina Soontornvat, & Candace Fleming | Starred Reviews, May 2022

9 High Stakes Survival Stories for Readers of 'Hatchet'

Time to Refresh the Canon: Here Are Our Picks

29 Books that Celebrate All Aspects of Jewish Life | Jewish American Heritage Month

11 Nonfiction Titles for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stacy Dillon says

    October 27, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    Pre tape it and then post tape it. Then tape it again!

  2. Rosalyn says

    October 27, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    I’m 70 now, retired librarian, and started as a library page when nearly 14. After school I shelved books and then moved into the workroom to mend. Do you all still mend the way we did? That book above should have all surfaces that shouldn’t be exposed brushed with white glue, and then the secret is waxed paper tight up into the binding so no glue touches where it shouldn’t. Close book tight with rubber bands and wait until “after school” the next day. Then do all the preventive taping you want.

  3. Betty says

    October 28, 2014 at 11:40 am

    Bound to Stay Bound! If they come apart, they will replace for free!

  4. JENNY BLAYLOCK says

    October 29, 2014 at 11:12 am

    We still mend books as much as possible! Glue and tape still work great and I love the book mending glue. It makes many a book just like new. Hate the spiral bound books. We avoid them.

  5. Sara Ralph says

    October 29, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    Really good glue from Demco has helped with this problem.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2022


    COPYRIGHT © 2022