All posts by Theresa

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Celebrate Teen Read Week!

TRW14_lowreslogo

It’s coming up fast: Teen Read Week!  It’s year number seven of the national celebration, and teen bloggers have been added to the mix!

Teen Read Week was created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 1998 to encourage teenagers to be regular readers and library patrons.  2014’s Teen Read Week is scheduled for October 12th through the 18th, and the theme for this year is ‘Turn Dreams Into Reality’!  Libraries are encouraged to use this theme “to spotlight all the great resources and activities they provide to inspire teens to succeed in school and beyond” (Teen Read Week main site).

YALSA is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), but you don’t need to be a member of either organization to take advantage of the program or its services.  You can find official products, such as posters and bookmarks, to use to promote Teen Read Week at your library!

Additionally, be sure to let your teens know they can vote for YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten!  Voting is now open and continues through Teen Read Week.  YALSA says, “The Teen’s Top Ten is a ‘teen choice’ list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year.  Readers ages twelve to eighteen will vote online,” and winners will be announced on Monday, October 20th.

As another way to celebrate Teen Read Week, YALSA announced 31 winners of its Teen Read Week Blogging Contest last month.  The bloggers, listed here, “will blog about various young adult literature topics throughout the month of October on YALSA’s young adult literature focused blog, The Hub, in celebration of Teen Read Week.”

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Explore Minnesota with the Minnesota Writers Map

MN Writers MapThe Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the organization that runs the annual Minnesota Book Awards, has an interactive map of Minnesota writers!  The map highlights writers from all over the state, and there is also a separate map for just the Twin Cities.  Laura Ingalls Wilder, F Scott Fitzgerald, Jon Hassler, Louise Erdrich, and Charles Schultz are just some of the great Minnesotans on the map.  Is your favorite MN writer on it?  Click on the author’s icon to see a brief biography of the writer, where you’ll find links to more information.  Perhaps some of April’s Minnesota Book Awards winners are on the map. . .

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Reading Lunch: Guess the Book by the Meal

Lunch & ReadingNeed an extra lunch break?  We’ve got you covered.  Check out this quiz from Buzzfeed, Can You Guess Which Books Inspired These Fictitious Food Scenes?  The quiz features photographs of meals described in classic novels.  The photographs come from the book Fictitious Dishes by Dinah Fried.  Now we’ve taken food to the literary level – who knows what’s next?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mvzzp26, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Announcing the Third Annual Star Wars Reads Day!

Star Wars Reads Day III

“With the debut of our new animated series Star Wars Rebels launching on Disney X D this Fall, and the upcoming theatrical release of Episode VII in 2015, our third Star Wars Reads Day comes at an exciting time.” -Carol Roeder, Director of Lucasfilm Franchis Publishing, Disney Publishing Worldwide (StarWars.com)

Saturday, October 11th marks the third annual Star Wars Reads Day.  Last year saw over 2,000 Star Wars Reads Day events held around the world – and your library can be a part the celebration!  You can find all you need to know from StarWars.com – their post contains links to free activity packets, a newsletter, and their Facebook page (where they encourage you to go with any questions); as well as information about the participating publishers and authors.

StarWars.com tells you how simple it is to hold a Star Wars Reads Day event: “All you need to do to stay informed as a participating location is sign up for our newsletter, which will put you on the official mailing list, and will keep you in the know of exclusive access to giveaways and marketing, promotional, and activity ideas that will help enhance your event.”  Is your library closed on Saturday?  No worries – school libraries can hold their events on Friday, October 10th.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recommended App: Brian Cox's Wonders of Life

Wonder of LifeRecently, the AASL came out with their 25 Best Apps for Teaching & Learning for 2014.  The apps were chosen because they foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.

One of these apps is Brian Cox’s Wonders of Life.  AASL says that Brian Cox “will appeal to young students and he presents the information in a way that makes you just sit and watch.  You become mesmerized.”  The crisp images and 3D capabilities will hold the attention of students while learning science, math, and social studies concepts.

The app is only available for iOS at $4.99 and is recommended for 3rd through 12th graders.  Check out the promotional video:

For more apps, check out our 2014 Recommended App archive!