The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2011 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the titles which were released in January 2011 during the ALA Midwinter meeting in San Diego,…

This article presents a list of ALSC's notable children's books for younger readers, middle readers and older readers. It also presents a list of YALSA 2011 best fiction for young adults. Great graphic novels for Teens are included.

To say that immigration is currently a controversial issue would be an understatement. The media is rife with misinformation and does a very poor job of making the critical distinction between legal and illegal immigration. Because of this, it is vitally important that libraries provide students with clear and unbiased material on the topic. In…

This article presents a list of ALSC and YALSA Book Picks 2010. The list includes (1) ALSC Notable Children's Books; (2) YALSA Booklists; (3) Best Books for Young Adults; (4) Great Graphic Novels for Teens; and (5) the Top 10 Quick Picks.

Steam-powered machines, anachronistic technology, clockwork automatons, gas-filled airships, tentacled monsters, fob watches, and top hats--these are all elements of steampunk. Steampunk is both speculative fiction that imagines technology evolved from steam-powered cogs and gears--instead of from electricity and computers--and a movement that…

Five years ago, when the author transferred from a local elementary school to her current position, she took one look at the dismal circulation figures and knew she had her work cut out for her. One of the first things she did was create a graphic novel section to attract young male readers. She also began stocking up on guy-friendly adventure and…

There's no doubt about it--paranormal fiction is hot right now. The author's shelves are full of vampires and werewolves, faeries and zombies. As a fan of all things supernatural, she is thrilled about this explosion of the immortal, the unknown, and the mythological. And yet, it feels like people missing the eternal constant in this renaissance:…

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2010 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the list of titles that were released in January 2010 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston,…

While historical fiction by Jean Fritz as well as titles like Robert Lawson's "Ben and Me" (1939) or "Mr. Revere and I" (1954) and Esther Forbes's "Johnny Tremain" (1943) are widely known classics that bring this period to life, recent years have yielded a wealth of new offerings--many of which are accessible picture books or read-alouds. These…

Fanfiction is a world wherein fans create stories using characters, settings, and events from their favorite books, movies, or television shows. In fanfiction, all offstage events are possible, whether they take place before, during, or after the established action. There's no denying that fanfiction has a bad rep in some schools. For starters,…

Just a couple of years ago, it was tough to find good graphic novels for the K-4 crowd. Sure, there were some standout selections, such as Andy Runton's "Owly", Jimmy Gownley's "Amelia Rules!", and Jennifer and Matt Holm's "Babymouse", but they were lonely exceptions in a barren landscape. Things quickly changed when publishers realized that the…

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2009 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the titles that were released in January 2009 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver,…

This author has been a "reader girl" since the third grade, when she first read "Trumpet of the Swan" on her own. Fourth grade brought C. S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, and Joan Aiken. Fifth grade was Cynthia Voigt, Anne McCaffrey, and Robin McKinley. And so it continued with Ellen Raskin, Patricia McKillip, and L. M. Montgomery, a veritable battalion…

Street lit is controversial stuff. Even though street lit is a huge hit with today's teens, one will not find the semiautobiographical novels of Vickie Stringer and Nikki Turner, the grandes dames of urban fiction, on many (if any) high school reading lists or, for that matter, on some public libraries' shelves. That's because street lit (aka…

Presents an interview with science-fiction writer and 1999 winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, Anne McCaffrey. Discusses other awards and honors, how science fiction has changed in 30 years, inspiration for characters, writing for young adults, discovery of science fiction, research, writing habits and dealing with writer's block, and the…