Simply the Best: How to Use What's New and Cool in Children's Literature
MLA Fall Conference October 2008
Presenters
Jocelyn Baldwin Julie Beukema Lisa Mulvenna Laurie Slagenwhite
Who is the Mitten Committee? How do they choose their winner?
Tween Reads
Night of the Howling Dogs By Graham Salisbury
•Themes: natural disasters, bullies •For fans of: survival tales, fast-paced adventures •Discussion questions:
www.sjjtitans.org/web/main/academy/S ummerReadingQs.doc
•Author spotlight:
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers /authors/results.pperl?authorid=26744
How to Steal a Dog By Barbara O’Connor
•Themes: conscience, homelessness, snap judgments •For fans of: realistic fiction, dog stories •Discussion guide:
http://www.barboconnor.com/teacher/r g_steal.pdf
•Journal of Children’s Literature article by Barbara O’Connor:
http://www.barboconnor.com/pdf/articl e.pdf
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller By Sarah Miller
•Themes: disabilities, teachers, Helen Keller/Anne Sullivan •For fans of: history, strong female characters, anything Helen Kellerrelated •Readers’ Guide for Book Club:
http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/Read er_Guide___Miss_Spitfire.doc
•More about the book:
http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/spitfi re.html
•Teaching guide (discussion questions, cross-curricular ideas):
http://www.simonsays.com/content/boo k.cfm?tab=4&pid=535439&agid=21
The True Meaning of Smekday By Adam Rex
•Themes: humor, cross-cultural understanding •For fans of: sci-fi/fantasy, humor, mixed-media tales, aliens •http://www.smekday.com/ •Interviews with Adam Rex:
http://lkmadigan.livejournal.com/106873.ht ml http://www.philadelphiastories.org/interview /rex_a.php
•Discussion questions:
http://www.dcfaward.org/Activities/200809%20Reviews%20and%20Discussion%20Q uestions.htm#SMEKDAY
I Am Not Joey Pigza By Jack Gantos
•Themes: ADD, forgiveness •For fans of: humor, dysfunctional families, realistic kids •Author website:
www.jackgantos.com
•Podcast interview about the book:
http://www.bookexpocast.com/authorsstudio/2007/06/25/i-am-not-joey-pigza-by-jackgantos/
•Jack Gantos on Journaling (video, etc.) – good for writing workshop:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/spec_athr.cgi?pid =1163&a=1
•Discussion Guide for Book Club:
http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/teachersguides/97 80374399412TG.pdf
Sci Fi/Fantasy
George’s Secret Key to the Universe By Lucy and Stephen Hawking
•www.georgessecretkey.com •sequel to come out in 2009 George and the Cosmic Treasure Hunt •would work well with a space program
Night Tourist By Katherine Marsh
•greek mythology - pair with Percy Jackson and the Olympians series •sequel: Twilight Prisoner (April 2009) •Universal studios has purchased the movie rights
Starcross: A Stirring Adventure of Spies, Time Travel, and Curious Hats By Philip Reeve
•sequel to Larklight •described as Victorian space opera
The Alchemyst By Michael Scott
•has a sequel that's out - The Magician •~3rd book to come out in May of 2009 - The Sorceress (there will be 6 total in series) •http://www.randomhouse.co m/teens/catalog/display.pperl?i sbn=9780385733571
•mythology and folklore
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians By Brandon Sanderson
•5th through 7th grades
•5 books total in series •action adventure with some fantasy
Great Nonfiction
Sneeze! By Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel
• Program Possibilities: Allergies, Five Senses, Magnification • Learn about each of the authors www.alexandrasiy.com and www.andrewlost.com/dennis_kunkel_k1.htm
• All sorts of interesting health info
kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/sneeze.html • All sorts of magnified pictures www.denniskunkel.com
• NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading & Sharing • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best • NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Selector's Choice • Bookbuilders of Boston New England Book Show Winner
Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion By Loree Griffin Burns
• Program Possibilities:
Earth Day, Recycling, Oceans, Tides • Meet the Author http://www.loreegriffinburns.com/ • Author Interview on NPR (only the first 13 minutes feature Loree) http://www.here-now.org/shows/ 2007/04/20070423.asp
•Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book •IRA Children’s Book Award in Nonfiction •ALA Notable Book for Children •SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books Finalist •Orbis Pictus Recommended Books (NCTE) •John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers •Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year •Boston Authors Club Highly Recommended Book •Junior Library Guild Selection
• Very cool animation showing the “trash vortex” and movement of trash through the ocean. www.greenpeace.org/international/n ews/trashing-our-oceans/ ocean_pollution_animation?12
Spiders By Nic Bishop
• Program Possibilities:
Bugs, Spiders, Photography • Author’s website nicbishop.com • Great info about Nic’s Photography
nicbishop.com/nic_bishop_home_page_016.htm
• 2008 ALA Notable Book • School Library Journal Best Book of 2007 • Book Links Lasting Connection • NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing • 2007 Kirkus Editor’s Choice • 2008 Robert F. Sibert Informational Award Honor Book • 2008 Orbis Pictus Honor Book • 2008 Gryphon Honor Book
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella Written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Julie Paschkis
• Program Possibilities: Folktale, Multiculturalism, Fairy Tales, Shoes • Author’s website www.paulfleischman.net • NY Times Notable Book 2007
• 2007 Book Sense Children’s Pick • NYPL 100 Best Books of 2007 • Kirkus Best Book of 2007 • NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts • California Book Award, Silver Medal, Commonwealth Club of California • IRA Notable Children's Book for a Global Society
Reluctant Readers
Diary of a Wimpy Kid By Jeff Kinney
•Journal writing
http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html
•Activities-author interview, journaling, etc.
http://school.familyeducation.com/readingfun/drawing/38387.html
•Discussion Questions
http://www.dcfaward.org/Activities/200809%20Reviews%20and%20Discussion%20Que stions.htm#Diary_of_a_Wimpy_Kid
Sequels include:
•Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules •Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (1/09)
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff Written by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Elicia Castaldi
•Book Discussion
http://www.atpe.org/resources/Educato rs/bookClubQuestions/marMSWorseTha nMeatloaf.pdf
http://www.dcfaward.org/Activities/200 809%20Reviews%20and%20Discussion %20Questions.htm#Meatloaf
•Journaling
Jack Plank Tells Tales By Natalie Babbitt
•Folk Tales •A great read aloud!
Lawn Boy By Gary Paulsen
•Discussion Questions
http://www.atpe.org/resources/Educato rs/bookClubQuestions/LawnBoy.pdf
•Investing
http://www.younginvestor.com/kids/inv estIt/
Robot Dreams By Sara Varon
•Wordless picture books •Make your own graphic novel
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/craf ts/books/comicbook/
•Discussion Questions
http://www.dcfaward.org/Activities/200 809%20Reviews%20and%20Discussion %20Questions.htm#ROBOT_DREAMS
Picture Books
How to Bake an American Pie Written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Raúl Colón
•From the author:
http://www.karmawilson.com/books/ot her/american-pie.htm
•Suggested activities for this book and other books with a patriotic theme:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/fea ture.cfm?feature_id=3780&tab=22
Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories By Laura Vaccaro Seeger
•This book lends itself to puppet show dramatization •SLJ interview with Seeger:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/art icle/CA6456396.html
•Author bio:
http://www.studiolvs.com/website_root /StudioLVS_Home/About.html
•Video drama by Seeger’s son:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RY MwRqc9ww
•Don’t miss the sequel: Dog
and Bear: Two’s Company
Grumpy Bird By Jeremy Tankard
The Perfect Nest Written by Catherine Friend and illustrated by John Manders
Fred Stays with Me! Written by Nancy Coffelt and illustrated by Tricia Tusa
• Possible Programs: Divorce, Dogs, Moving
• • • • • • • Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book Kirkus Starred Review Horn Book Starred Review School Library Journal Best of 2007 Kirkus Best of 2007 Miami Herald Best of 2007 ALA Notable Book
Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly Written by Alan Madison and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
• Program Possibilities:
Butterflies, First Grade, Youngest Siblings • Fun Illustrator Page www.kevinhawkes.com • Listen to Kevin explain how he was doomed to become an illustrator and his love of libraries. www.justonemorebook.com/2007/11/12/int erview-with-kevin-hawkes •Teacher’s Guide includes cute butterfly song for storytime & fun crossword puzzle www.randomhouse.com/catalog/teachers_g uides/9780375835971.pdf
• 2007 SLJ Best Book of the Year
A Good Day By Kevin Henkes
•Bird Story Time
http://www.misterandersons.com/pdf/st ory_time_guide_bundle.pdf
http://www.plcmc.org/Services/Storytim es_To_Go!/pdfs/Birds.pdf
•What makes a good day?
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf Written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by J. Otto Seibold
•Fairy Tale Tea Party •Manners for Kids
http://www.emilypost.com/emilysevery day/kids/kids.htm
An Oprah.com Kids Reading List selection NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Mitten Finalists
The top 12 books from everything published in 2007.
Elijah of Buxton By Christopher Paul Curtis
•Underground Railroad
http://www.undergroundrailroadconduc tor.com/
•City of Buxton history
http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/index. htm
•Book Discussion Guide
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/coll ateral.jsp?id=31061_type=Book_typeId =4743
2008 Coretta Scott King Award 2008 Newbery Honor
Skulduggery Pleasant By Derek Landy
• Program Possibilities: An entire Skulduggery program!, Skeletons, Fantasy, Girls Who Kick Butt
• Explore the world of Skulduggery!
www.skulduggerypleasant.com/us
• Super cool video featuring Skulduggery
www.skulduggerypleasant.com/us/extras/video.aspx • Interviews with Derek and Skulduggery himself www.skulduggerypleasant.com/us/author/audio.htm www.skulduggerypleasant.com/us/world/interview.htm
• Warner Bros. owns the film rights; film expected in 2010 • Sequel is Playing With Fire, 2008
• • • • • • ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults Publishers Weekly Best Book 2008 Doncaster Book Award Winner 2008 Notable Children's Recordings 2008 Odyssey Honor Audiobooks 2008 Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults
The End By David LaRochelle
•great for dialogical reading (1 of the 6 early literacy skills) •have a backwards party! •see www.davidlarochelle.net
The Talented Clementine Written by Sara Pennypacker and illustrated by Marla Frazee
•Themes: the value of every child •For fans of: Ramona, functional families, Marla Frazee •The perfect prelude to a talent show •Intro video to Clementine:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/media.jsp ?id=683
•Discussion questions:
http://kidsreadcmpl.blogspot.com/2008/08/tal ented-clementine.html
•Author interview:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA 6430169.html?q=fruits+of+her+labor
Pssst! By Adam Rex
•The obvious: a zoo-themed story time •Activity ideas (good for a ‘Tween writing group!): http://margodill.com/blog/ (scroll down for Pssst!) •Interviews with Adam Rex:
http://lkmadigan.livejournal.com/10687 3.html http://www.philadelphiastories.org/inter view/rex_a.php
The Mysterious Benedict Society By Trenton Lee Stewart
Knuffle Bunny 2: A Case of Mistaken Identity By Mo Willems
•Have a stuffed animal story time! •Put on a Knuffle Bunny Too event.
http://www.hyperionchildrensbooks.co m/KnuffleBunnyToo_event-kit.pdf
No Talking By Andrew Clements
• Program Possibilities: Communication, Battle of the Sexes, Contests, Dares, •Author’s Website www.andrewclements.com • Other Novels by Andrew Clements:
Frindle The Landry News The School Story Things Not Seen The Report Card Lunch Money Room One-A Mystery or Two The Janitor's Boy The Jacket A Week in the Woods The Last Holiday Concert Things Hoped For
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos By R.L. LaFevers
• Program Possibilities: Museums, Ancient Egypt, Turn-of-the-Century (1900), London • Author’s Website www.rllafevers.com • Theodosia’s website – tons of fun stuff www.theodosiathrockmorton.com • Junior Library Guild Selection • Booksense Summer Pick
Wednesday Wars By Gary Schmidt
•Newbery Honor book 2008
•Semi-autobiographical
The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Brian Selznick
• Themes: loss, family, dreams, creativity For fans of: art, historical fiction, darn good stories Official site: http://www.theinventionofhugo cabret.com/index.htm -- loads of stuff, including a slideshow of the first few pages of the book Al Roker’s Book Club page:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/1833056 5/
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A Crooked Kind of Perfect By Linda Urban
•Discussion questions
http://www.dcfaward.org/Activities/200 809%20Reviews%20and%20Discussion %20Questions.htm#CROOKED_KIND_O F_PERFECT
Mark your calendar!
Linda Urban will be at Spring Institute in 2009. Spring Institute will be held April 15-17, 2009 in Lansing.
To view this presentation online, please visit:
http://www.mla.lib.mi.us/
Web links from this presentation are available at:
http://delicious.com/LisaMulvenna