Product Description
This biocritical review focuses on Karen Hesse, whose work, Out of the Dust, won the Newbery Medal in 1998, and was awarded a _Genius_ fellowship by the MacArthur Foundation - one of only two such fellowships ever given to writers for children or adolescents. It includes interviews with Hesse and her publisher, as well as considerable detail on how she writes, researches, creates book topics and characters, and weaves real-life experiences into all of her stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike other books that "pair" classic and contemporary books, this one provides readings and specific analysis of the Shakespearean influence underpinning many young adult novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review from librarian
In this interesting and informative book, Isaac explores how today's YA literature is influenced by the classic stories found in Shakespeare's plays.Citing the fact that many of the plays have teenage characters andthat they feature universal themes of love, sex, death, humor, andfamilies, Isaac compares several plays side-by-side to modern novelswritten for teens.Hamlet, for example, is paralleled to KatherinePatterson's Bridge to Terabitha and to Lois Duncan's Killing Mr. Griffin. Such parallels are not always obvious at first, but Isaac presents acarefully thought out and well-written comparison for her selections.Thebook also takes a brief look at young adult life in that time period, anddiscusses several YA novels that are set in the Elizabethan era. Intended for English Literature teachers, this book will make entertainingreading for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare or just a love formodern YA fiction.I was familiar with the plays discussed but not withall of the corresponding novels, and I found Isaac's summaries andcomparisons remarkably informative and understandable.This is a veryinteresting look at the common, timeless themes in literature, and Isaacdoes a marvelous job of presenting and explaining her choices forcomparison.Highly recommended, essential for librarians working inschools where Shakespeare is a strong focus in English classes. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of fourteen essays which address major issues related to significant works of African-American young adult literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Provides quick, concise info for yalibrarians and teachers
A much-used title in our vocational high school library, every teacher whohas checked it out wants their own copy.It has provided quick referencefor the student who asks for the "thin" book--whether the bookreport is due tomorrow or the because the reader has difficulty with longertexts. I wish every young adult title came with this kind of information! ... Read more

Product Description
Woodson's seventh grade English teacher returned her first short story to her with the comment, _You are the real thing_ (1). Jacqueline Woodson: _The Real Thing_ explores how Woodson became _the real thing,_ why she deserves to be acknowledged as one of the finest writers for young adults today, who her literary mentors have been, and how her family history has helped to shape her as an artist, beginning with the success of her first novel, Last Summer with Maizon. ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Cart is probably the most prominent spokesperson and authority on young adult literature in the U.S. He is the past president of both YALSA and ALAN, teaches YA Lit at UCLA, writes a literary criticism column, Cart Blanche, for ALA Booklist, and travels and speaks widely. This book is a collection of some of his favorite essays that will appeal to students and teachers of adolescent literature courses as well as to fans of his writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Young Adult Literature is an in-depth literature survey that also models how to teach literature and reading to middle school and high school students. The first three chapters familiarize teacher candidates with the reading process of teens, discuss teen attitudes toward reading, and examine their interests and reading abilities. The genre chapters (Chapters 4-13) discuss genre characteristics and themes, survey young adult literature within the genre category, and examine relevant young adult literature in terms of style and structure. Each of the genre chapters also includes selections to illustrate methods for teaching reading to all learners - including methods that focus on writing skills - and provides the teacher candidate with additional resources in the field of young adult literature. ... Read more

Product Description
This anthology of poems introduces readers to an eclectic mix of new and established Latin American poets. The beautifully illustrated collection from 19 Latin American countries features traditional pre-Columbian work that is represented alongside contemporary poetry, and a significant portion of the book comes from the indigenous community. Divided into four groups — Magic Recipes, Traditional Songs and Cooings, The Cricket Sings in the Mountain, and Words and Books — the poems range from celebrations of nature and nonsense to musings on politics and magic. The book includes the work of Roque Dalton, Humberto A’kabal, and Emilia Gallego. ... Read more

Product Description
The past few years mark a growing scholarly interest in African children's literature in the United States. Several books on the topic have been published, and the number of articles has also increased. Recent publications have been moving away from general country surveys or studies of publishing conditions to works that analyze literary structures, themes, and illustrations or that apply Marxist, feminist, or postcolonial theories to interpret the literature. The essays in this volume either approach colonial African children's literature from a postcolonial or revisionist perspective, or discuss books published after decolonization. ... Read more

Product Description
In Animals in Young Adult Fiction, Walter Hogan examines several hundred novels and stories to explore the ways in which animals are represented in these works. ... Read more

Product Description

What book follows Philip Reeve's Larklight? How many titles are in Jennifer Holm's Boston Jane series? Which fantasy series are suitable for grades 6 through 9? Are there good series featuring computers? These are just some of the questions that challenge middle and high school librarians as the popularity of series fiction continues to grow. Series are not always easy to manage. Many do not have a series title and the component volumes can be hard to identify. This updated and expanded edition gives librarians and their patrons a handy guide to the best and most popular series, making it easier to satisfy readers' desire to read all the books in a given series and then to find similar series to enjoy.

Product Description

Bring your children's collection up to date with this supplement to the eighth edition of the classic guide that includes nearly 4,500 new titles that helps you to identify the right books for your patrons and to create theme- and genre-based reading lists. The thematic organization, concise annotations, and complete bibliographic data plus review citations make this volume equally useful for reader's advisory, research, and collection development. Books in series and award winners are noted.

This supplement to the 8th edition (2006) of the classic guide to children's books incluldes nearly 4,500 new in-print titles recommended for children in grades PreK-6. The thematic organization, concise annotations, and complete bibliographic data plus review citations make this volume equally useful for reader's advisory, research, and collection development. Books in series and award winners are noted.

Product Description

Here's an exciting new edition of a work that helps you to encourage independent reading skills in children ages 4 to 7, to develop your collection of first readers, and to plan thematic, literature-based programs. With a new user-friendly organization, this guide profiles some 3,750 of the best first readers published mostly within the past decade (with a few classic and benchmark titles included as well). These books feature lively interaction between text and illustration, and cover topics and themes with true kid-appeal. Every entry offers bibliographic information, a brief plot summary, and critical comments that help you make informed selection and programming decisions. Detailed indexes of titles, illustrators, series, and reading levels, in addition to the subject index, provide easy access to the books. PreK-3.

Here's a brand-new, extensively revised edition of the classic guide to first readers. Use it to encourage independent reading skills in children ages 5-8, to develop your collection for this age group, and to plan thematic literature-based programs.

With a user-friendly, subject-based organization like its companion guide to picture books, A to Zoo, this annotated volume profiles some 3,750 of the best books for emerging readers. First readers feature lively interaction between text and illustration, and cover topics with true kid-appeal.

Entries cover titles published mostly within the past decade (a few classic and benchmark titles are included as well). Each entry offers bibliographic information, a brief plot summary, and description of illustrations and other features to help you make informed selection and programming decisions.

A list of outstanding first readers, chosen for their exceptional language and treatment of subject, makes collection development easy, and four indexes - title, illustrator, series, and reading level - provide additional access points. Lexile levels are given where available, making this volume particularly valuable for reading teachers as well as for librarians and parents, and children in kindergarten through the beginning of third grade who are starting to read independently. A boon to librarians, teachers, and parents. PreK-3.

Customer Reviews (1)

An essential and comprehensive addition
One of the primary tasks of teachers, librarians, and parents is to facilitate the transition of young children from picture books to more sophisticated reading materials so that reading skills can continue to expand and improve. Now in a thoroughly updated and expanded third edition, "Beyond Picture Books: Subject Access To Best Books For Beginning Readers" continues to be the ideal reference for developing reading lists and library collections that will encourage independent reading skills in children ages 5 to 8. The collaborative efforts of Barbara Barstow (the retired Head of Youth Services, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio), Judith Riggle storyteller, former children's librarian, and retired director of the Avon Lake Public Library (Ohio), and Leslie Molnar (Youth Services Assistant Manager and Selection head at Cuyahoga County Public Library and former chair of the Association for Library Service to the Children's Notable Children's Books Committee), "Beyond Picture Books" is a 645-page compendium packed from cover to cover with succinctly descriptive entries of recommended titles. Beginning with a brief preface laying out the selection criteria used, followed by the history of the Gesisel award and a listing of the winners for 2006 and 2007, and a roster of 200 titles currently in print and deemed especially outstanding, "Beyond Picture Books" provides a 116-page Subject Guide; 402-pages of Annotated Bibliography; a 30-page Title Index; a 30-page Illustrator Index; and concludes with a 34-page Series Index. Clearly, "Beyond Picture Books" is an essential and comprehensive addition to school and community Children's Literature reference collections for librarians, classroom teachers, and parents working with children preschool through third grade.
... Read more

Product Description

This title's easy-to-use format provides access to the sometimes difficult-to-find resources for youth written by Latino authors. The author has included complete bibliographic information for a variety of titles in various genres including novels, chapter books, short stories, folklore, drama, poetry, and nonfiction. A list of additional resource materials, as well as publisher information and an index is also included. For each book, complete bibliographic information is included, as well as a list of editions, a summary, interest and reading levels, test availability in Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts, awards and a list of reviews. Library media specialists and teachers can use Latino-authored literature to enrich the learning process in individual classes and to engage others in cross-curricular lessons that encourage broader thinking and critical thinking.

Product Description

Covering everything from the American Revolution, slavery and abolition, and World War I to women's rights and a horse named Seabiscuit, Literature Links to American History, K-6: Resources to Enhance and Entice connects a broad range of genres and formats—including fiction, biography, graphic novels, CDs, and DVDs—to American history. Books are arranged chronologically according to the time period they cover, beginning with North America before 1600 and ending with a chapter entitled "Since 1975."

Listed titles are in print and were positively reviewed by major journals or are widely held in library collections. They were chosen because they each offer a different perspective or overview of historical events or personages in American history that will enrich readers and entice them to explore additional sources.

Product Description

Everything you need to create compelling booktalks featuring outstanding young adult novels that are mainstays in library collections. For each of the 100 titles selected, there is background information on the book and the author, a list of principal characters, a detailed plot summary, critical comment and notes on suitability, material on key themes and subjects, passages for booktalking, and selected titles that link these classics to contemporary titles.

Everything you need to create compelling booktalks featuring outstanding young adult novels. The authors have chosen 100 classic YA titles published over the past 30 years based on literary merit, continued popularity, and availability (all titles are in print); and have categorized them into broad genres (Teen Life, Adventure, Sports, etc.). For each title, they provide an introduction that gives background information on the book and the author; a list of principal characters; a detailed plot summary; critical comment and notes on suitability; material on key themes and subjects, passages for booktalking; and references to sources of more information on the book and the author. Entries also feature selected titles that link these classics to contemporary titles. Building on previous volumes in the Juniorplots and Seniorplots series, this is an information-packed and lasting guide; it is a must-have for librarians who serve teens. Grades 6-12.

Product Description

The author has selected books, videos, CD-ROMs, and Web sites (about 400 total, extending through 2004) that deal with war and peace, and presented them in thematic chapters—war as history, hope and glory, costs and horrors of war, terrorism and 9/11, home front, anti-war movements, peace, and resources for adults. Detailed annotations are accompanied by full bibliographic information and guidelines on effective use of these materials in the classroom and as a method of increasing students' understanding of the issues involved. The strengths and possible educational or program applications for the titles are highlighted. This guide is useful for collection development, programming support, reader's advisory, and research, as well as for teaching and curriculum development.

Grades 4-8.

Product Description

This comprehensive and practical guide to the influential Newbery and Printz awards for children's and young adult literature provides information on each year's winners and honor books, as well as on the awards themselves and the librarians for whom they are named. For each award-winning book, there is a plot summary, list of characters and themes, background on the author, incidents for booktalking, related reads, and fresh ideas for introducing the book to young readers.

A comprehensive guide to the influential Newbery and Printz awards for children's and young adult literature, providing information on each year's winners and honor books, and on the awards themselves and the librarians for whom they are named. For each award-winning book, there is a plot summary, list of characters and themes, background on the author, incidents for booktalking, related reads, and fresh ideas for introducing the book to young readers. For honor books, there is a summary of the plot, important characters, and primary themes. This valuable reader's advisory tool builds on the previous Newbery Companion (2nd ed., Libraries Unlimited, 2001). It covers all Newbery Medals from 1922 through 2006 and all Printz Awards from the prize's inception in 2000 through 2006. All entries from the previous volume have been revised as needed, often adding new Related Titles and new information to the About the Book and About the Author sections.