WEST OF THE MOON by Margi Preus is a unique combination of traditional folktale and historical fiction. Set in the mountains and forests of Norway, a young girl seeks to escape to America to join her father. The author masterfully weaves together traditional folktales and a young girl’s dreams into a rich story of determination and a quest for a better life. The prose is beautifully written and fits perfectly with the story’s themes.
This dark story for middle grade children shows the harsh reality of hunger, child labor, and cruelty often glossed over in the folktales found in picture books. Preus skillfully examines the difficult decisions that must be made in desperate situations. The book provides a wonderful opportunity to talk with students about folktales along with the stark reality of the immigrant experience. Often our social studies curriculum explores the lives of immigrants without providing the context of their lives prior to their decision to seek a new life in another county.
This well-research work includes an excellent Author’s Note at the end of the book. This section connects the story to the author’s family heritage. It also provides insights into some of the historical aspects including topics such as rickets, tetanus, cholera, and charm books. Finally, it discusses the many folktales references in the book. Youth will have fun connecting the specific folktales with incidents in book.
The unique combination of myth and reality makes WEST OF THE MOON a book to revisit as you put together your “best of 2014” list.
With recent interest in stories related to the Brother’s Grimm, this book is one that may expand this interest into other regional folklore.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.margipreus.com/
ARTSEDGE is an educational program providing lessons, activities, how-to’s, and resources related to the arts including dance, theatre, music, and visual arts.Sponsored by The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of Education, the website contains sections for educators, families, and students.
The Collections area allows users to search by art genre, time period, place, and big idea such as STEM or global cultures. Or, enter a topic of interest.
The Multimedia Finder provides access to images, audio stories, music, video clips, and interactives. In addition to a text search, users can search by art genre or media type.
The Educators section users to search for lessons and how-to guides. It’s also possible to search based on the National Core Arts Standards. By registering at the website, teachers can store and organize their favorite resources for easy access.
The Arts Days app provides a full year of events connecting the arts to inventions, artists, and milestones.
To learn more, go to http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/arts-days/id622294390.
24/7 SCIENCE is an engaging online resource from The Lawrence Hall of Science that combines hands-on science activities with online tools and interactives. Apps are also available.From building bridges to picking the best beak, learners are encouraged to design, experiment, and test out ideas through engaging hands-on science experiments.
The games and activities section of the website contains web-based interactives related to earth and space science, nano technology, and other areas of science.
Some activities are now available as free apps. The DIY Sun Science app focuses on investigations related to the sun, while the DIY Nano explores nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.
To learn more the activities, go to the 24/7 website at http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/.
To download the apps, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-lawrence-hall-of-science/id462994550
HOPSCOTCH is one of a growing number of apps build to teach programming to children.The app is a visual programming language designed to help children develop a sense of computational thinking. Youth apply skills in logic and critical thinking to design simple games, animations, and stories.
Inspired by MIT’s Scratch, HOPSCOTCH is the first program designed for mobile devices such as the iPad. Students drag and drop colorful blocks of code to build simply programs. Recommended for children 8 and up, it’s particularly useful for young children who lack advanced reading and typing skills needed for traditional programming.
The free version has limited characters and options. A School Edition of the program is available with these features unlocked.
To learn more about the program, check out the FAQs at http://gethopscotch.com/faq.
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629.
To download the school version, go to https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/hopscotch-school-edition/id901455276
PLASTIC AHOY! INVESTIGATING THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH by Patricia Newman tells the story of scientists investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The narrative unfolds as a mystery being solved by a team of scientists lead by three female researchers.
Written for grades 4-8, this highly illustrated work of nonfiction contains photographs, diagrams, and a map to help readers understand the science behind the exciting research project. Up-close photos show scientific experiments in action. “Trash Talk” sidebars provide important insights into the the scientific method being employed and the problem of plastic pollution. The book concludes with ideas for how youth can take action in their own community. Notes and ideas for further reading round out this excellent educational resource.
Similar in style to the SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series popular with older children, this book is a great way to introduce younger readers to the world of science and scientists. It will be a popular addition to the school library collection.
Go the Five Gyres Institute at http://5gyres.org/ and the NOAA Marine Debris website http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/ for lots of background information.
For more visual information about the garbage patch, do a Google Images Search to locate dozens of visual containing maps and infographics such as the one at Visual.ly at http://visual.ly/great-pacific-garbage-patch-0. Ask students to pick the visual that they think best represents the problem and explain why.
To learn more about the book’s author, go to http://www.patriciamnewman.com/. Her blog contains lots of book extension ideas. Go to http://www.patricianewmanbooks.blogspot.com/.
Publisher ARC used for review
GOORU is a web-based resource that contains over 70,000 collections of free, K-12 web resources. The mission of GOORU is to provide personalized learning for teachers and students. The website allows users to FIND standards-based learning materials, REMIX the resources to create custom collections, SHARE collections, and MONITOR student use of online materials.
Built-in, online tools make this a unique environment for librarians to collaborate with classroom teachers. Educators can create pathfinders and even design questions for students to address.
A dedicated webpage can be created for classes that can be used to build and manage assignments. Images, handouts, and slides can be added to enhance the learning environment.
Begin with a search for a topic such as “erosion” or “American Civil War”. It’s possible to narrow a search by resource format, subject, grade level, standard, publisher and mode. The search returns interactives, lessons, and other web-based resources. Each resource also indicates whether it’s “mobile friendly.” Users can then examine any Gooru collections that contain the resource. In many cases these collections contain a gold mine of ideas and additional resources.
The Gooru iPad app is easy to download and use for school with iPads.
To learn more, go to http://www.goorulearning.org/
TOONTASTIC is an award-winning app that encourages children to create their own animated, puppet show-like stories.What makes Toontastic particularly appealing to educators is the use of a story arc for storytelling. Designed for ages 5-10, creators identify turning points in their narrative related to the story arc elements of setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution.
Children begin by choosing from among a variety of settings, then pick their characters. They can edit their characters using paint and draw tools. Finally, creators animate the scene by moving around their characters and adding audio narration. The final step in the process is to add background music. The projects can be saved and shared online at ToonTube.
The Toontastic Jr. edition helps young children design stories with a beginning, middle, and ending. The free download includes 12 animated start starters.
The app is available in both an individual edition for free and a school edition at a small charge. The School Edition includes hundreds of additional characters and dozens of extra backgrounds.
A teacher’s guide and common core aligned lessons are also available.
To learn more about the app, go to http://www.launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/.
For a teacher’s guide, go to http://www.launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/parent-teacher-guide/.
For lots of example projects, go to ToonTube at http://toontube.launchpadtoys.com/.
The NATIONAL ARCHIVES features key Congressional Documents of interest to young history scholars. Did you know that the first Federal Congress passed a resolution recommending a day of thanksgiving in 1789? Or, that in 1941 Congress established a fixed-date for the holiday? The National Archives contains dozens of digitized documents associated with the holiday of Thanksgiving.
These documents are a fun way to focus on primary source documents throughout the year. Create a bulletin board featuring a different document every few weeks. Whether remembering the anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 to celebrating the Civil Rights Act of 1942, primary source documents can bring history alive for students.
To locate the Thanksgiving documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/
For a list of featured documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/
For many more ideas for using primary source documents in the classroom, go to http://docsteach.org/
BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson has been named the 2014 National Book Award winner for young people’s literature.Written in verse, this inspiring memoir traces Woodson’s life as an African American child growing up during the turbulent 1960s and 70s. From her experiences with the Civil Rights Movement to her religious upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness, readers get a glimpse into the life of an ordinary child that will grow up to be an extraordinary voice for a generation.
Through short powerful poems, readers become immersed in Woodson’s world. Many children will empathize with her struggles with reading and writing.
BROWN GIRL DREAMING would be a wonderful addition to a literature circle exploring the lives of well-known authors. It would also be an excellent shared experience for a class exploring the genre of autobiography, biography, and memoir.
This three-time Newbery Honor author has written some extra-ordinary books for young people. Use this memoir to jumpstart an exploration of all her works such as LOCOMOTION, FEATHERS, and AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/. Her website contains a useful research guide providing helpful hints for conducting inquiries related to the topics associated with her books.
Publisher ARC used for review
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is an outstanding source for informational reading materials. In addition to the print magazine, readers can also access thousands of articles at the National Geographic website without a subscription.
This week, be sure to enjoy the “First Thanksgiving” article. It provides an excellent overview to the history of the holiday including dispelling myths. Links are provided to related articles.
A search of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS website provides numerous articles on many topics making it a great resource for informational reading activities. The short articles generally include high-quality photos to engage readers. In addition to articles, the website also includes games and other interactive content.
The app version of the magazine contains rich opportunities for reading as well as engaging interactive content for subscribers. Print subscribers get complimentary access.
There’s also a National Geographic Kids YouTube channel. With both free and subscription-based content, this video resource is a great way to stimulate an interest in animals, adventure, and science
To read the First Thanksgiving article, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/kids/en_US/explore/history/first-thanksgiving/
To go to the first page of the website, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/national-geographic-kids/id436482773
To explore the YouTube channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/NatGeoKids
THE LUCK UGLIES by Paul Durham is one of the books you may have missed earlier in the year with the spring flood of new offerings. With the second book in this popular new middle-grade fantasy adventure trilogy coming out in March 2015, it’s time to catch up!
With elements of mystery, adventure, and monster thrills, tweens will quickly become absorbed in this fantasy world set in a medieval-style village. Both boys and girls alike will enjoy the intelligent writing and engaging characters. The short chapters move quickly as the story builds to an exciting climax that involves intriguing monsters and a mysterious secret society.
Not your typical “good vs evil” storyline, this book will appeal to young readers who are beginning to explore the layers of life, power of secrets and fear, and the fine line between hero and villain.
Fans of Holly Black, Rick Riordan, and Brandon Mull will all enjoy this fantasy trilogy.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.pauldurhambooks.com/.
Check out the book trailer at http://youtu.be/vTEUX8JzRhc.
GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE is an astounding online resource focusing on art, history, and world wonders. It even contains powerful tools for creating online galleries and exhibits.The Art Project section includes art collections from around the world. Users can browse the exhibits, zoom in for an up-close examination, and take virtual tours of art museums. Artwork can be searched by creator, medium, event, place, person, media, and date.
The Historical Moments area contains online exhibitions focusing on significant moments from human history. Exhibits represent the photos and historical artifacts of museums and personal collections. Historical materials can be browsed or searches. Don’t miss the new First World War and World War II: D-Day exhibits.
The World Wonders section brings both the modern and ancient world heritage sites to life using Google Street view. Like the other exhibits, the materials can be searched or browsed.
Tools allow users to share, compare, and save the collections. Those interested in building their own collections can “request an invite” to participate.
To learn more about the exhibits, go to https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute.
To build your own exhibit using their powerful online tools, go to https://www.google.com/opengallery
THE BIODIGITAL HUMAN is an outstanding 3D human anatomy interactive. Available as both a website and app, it’s an excellent way to explore the human body and health topics. Although a premium version is available, the free version is all most students will need. The free version contains over 1000 anatomy and health condition models, detailed descriptions, editing tools, and interactive quizzes. The premium version contains more models, tools, and customization.
Increasingly, library computers and iPads are offering a cluster of high-quality, subject area references and resources. This visually rich informational resource is perfect for middle school and high school science students.
An iPad version is available through iTunes.
To learn more, go to BioDigital Human at https://www.biodigital.com/.
GLORY O’BRIEN’S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE by A.S. King is a thought provoking young adult novel with a fantasy twist. A touch of magical realism turns this starkly realistic coming-of-age story into a provocative exploration of the past and future. Glory is a fascinating and intelligent narrator with a wonderful streak of dark humor. Focusing attention on a wide range of issues including suicide, feminism, and activism, King does an outstanding job balancing Glory’s everyday struggles with a compelling exploration of a troubled future. From Glory’s tormented father to her long-time friend, King is a master at developing authentic characters.
Little things can make a big difference in YA literature. King’s use of very short chapters with brilliant titles, alternating chapters building the backstory of the future, and engaging, humorous dialogue reflect the exceptional skills of this popular author.
Readers who enjoy King’s new book should be reminded to revisit her other outstanding works including REALITY BOY, ASK THE PASSENGERS, EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, and PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ.
This one is going on my Printz short list.
To learn more about the author, go to http://www.as-king.com/. Discussion guides are also available at King’s website.
Publisher ARC used for review
DIGITALLITERACY.GOV is a U.S. government initiative providing resources to assist practitioners including librarians in delivering digital literacy training. This interagency project is intended for all age groups and stages of learning.
The “Find Educator Tools” area provides a quick way to search for resources by skill, topic, or keyword. The “Learn the Basics” section contains an overview of basic technology skills. The section on Child Online Protection links to dozens of quality, online resources on topics including cyberbullying, privacy, and other topics related to child safety. The “Learn Job Skills” provides practical resources related to finding a job, career exploration, creating a resume, and other valuable information.
To learn more, go to http://www.digitalliteracy.gov/
Christopher Paul Curtis provides a wealth of literature that connects historical fiction with fact.
THE MADMAN OF PINEY WOODS by Christopher Paul Curtis is an outstanding followup to the award-winning ELIJAH OF BUXTON. While both are set in Ontario Canada, Curtis’ latest work of historical fiction takes place in 1901 forty years after the first novel. The story follows two children one African Canadian and the other Irish Canadian living in nearby towns. After a chance encounter, the boys become friends and ultimately connect with the mysterious man living in the woods.
Like ELIJAH OF BUXTON, Curtis’ latest work weaves together a series of short adventures connecting the themes of friendship and family. Humor is used to bring these anecdotes to life for readers, while elements of intrigue keep readers engaged.
Although the two books can be read separately, youth will have a more rounded experience by reading both books while exploring the history of the area. The region is known for it’s involvement in the Underground Railroad and abolitionist movement of the early and mid 19th century. Also during this time period, many immigrants arrived from Ireland to escape the Potato Famine. This history lays the foundation for this turn-of-the-century story.
The areas of Buxton and Chatham Ontario play an important role in this story. Use Google Maps to visit this area online. Find the Buxton National Historic Site. Visit their virtual exhibits at http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/
To learn more, explore the Scholastic Discussion guide at http://goo.gl/XY4ovp.
Publisher ARC used for review
Professional development doesn’t require a costly workshop or expensive consultant. Instead, look to new books across disciplines for ideas to help you grow as a library professional. FIZZ: HARNESSING THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING TO DRIVE BRAND GROWTH by Ted Wright explores the promise and pitfalls of using conversations between customers to promote products and services. Although aimed at the business community, this book has lots of implications for librarians too. Let’s explore the book chapter by chapter.
Influencers. Seek out influential users and provide them with a powerful message to share. In the case of libraries, think about how to get your key youth in each social group and teachers sharing that message. Where influencers lead, others will follow. They need the right story at the right time. Wright provides lots of suggestions for identifying and making use of these key people.
Two-Ounce Culture. Wright suggests providing samples and freebies to draw interest. In other words, you need to get books into the hands of teachers and youth. If you can get people to visit your website to find a cool new resource, they’ll return on their own. Get them to try something new like your iPads, then reintroduce them to your traditional resources.
What Makes You Talkable. A product or services needs a story that can be shared. What makes people love the library? How can you turn this into a story that people will want to share? Wright suggests that the story needs to be interesting and authentic.
Strategic Corporals. Wright suggests that you need to recruit and train brand ambassadors who will share your story. Wright suggests looking for people who are interested in new things, like to share stories with friends, and are intrinsically motivated. Who hangs out in your library? Who attends your book clubs? These are people who make great ambassadors.
Patience. Once everything is in place, Wright notes that it take patience to wait and watch for word of mouth marketing to work. In addition, it’s important to measure the impact of this type of marketing.
Big Data. Rather then just relying on local marketing efforts, Wright suggests looking at big data. In the library setting this means following national research from organizations like ALA and PewInternet. He suggests looking for patterns in the data and comparing this to what’s happening locally.
The last section of the book explores topics such as ways to saving money, dispelling marketing myths, and ideas for talking to administrators about marketing.
Although not specifically aimed at the library profession, Fizz contains some great ideas for using word of mouth marketing regardless of the setting. While most of the strategies aren’t particularly new, they are presented in a way that’s enjoyable and easy to follow.
NetGalley ARC used for review
SHAKESPEARE IN BITS from MindConnex is an engaging way to immerse young adults in the plays of Shakespeare. Titles include Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Teens will be impressed by the hours of high-quality animation, professional audio, and easy-to-follow, unabridged play text. Built-in tools provide in-line translations to help students understand difficult words and antiquated phrases.
The depth of content is outstanding including plot summaries, detailed analysis and study notes, character and relationship data, and other resources.
Keep in mind that these apps aren’t designed for children. They’re created for high-school students. The apps contain the violence, sex, drinking, and language of the original plays.
The apps are available in different purchase options including single and multi-user versions. The content can be accessed on both computers and mobile devices.
To learn more, go to http://www.mindconnex.com/.
The DK READERS app is aimed at getting children excited about reading. Users can browse through a library of ebooks by reading level. The app is free to download and a few books are free, but over 100 books are available for purchase at $1.99 to $2.99 each.
Designed for children aged 6-8, dozens of leveled books are available on a wide range of topics including the popular Star Wars and LEGO books. Like the print versions of the DK books, the works are identified by one of 5 levels from learning to read to proficient readers. Individual accounts can be set up for different children with specific reading needs. eBooks show up on virtual shelves by reading level.
The eBooks look identical to their print counterparts. Readers swipe to turn the pages forward or backward. One advantage of the DK READERS eBooks for beginning readers is the read-aloud audio option. Users click the words to begin reading. The word being read aloud turns red making it easy for children to follow along. Readers can click pages in the index to access particular pages. Pages can also be accessed through thumbnail images.
Parents often need help selecting books at the right level for their children. This app makes it easy by organizing offerings by reading level. The large catalog of option provides many choices. Finally, the eBooks are much less expensive than paperbacks making it a cost effective choice for parents.
An increasing number of school libraries are offering tablets for student use in the library or classroom. Although each app is stand-alone, the option of organizing books on virtual shelves by level for specific users may be useful for students with special needs or classrooms dividing children into reading groups.
Available for iPad at the App Store at http://goo.gl/ORxUsr
Available for Android on Google Play at http://goo.gl/WTwHQc
UNBROKEN: AN OLYMPIAN’S JOURNEY FROM AIRMAN TO CASTAWAY TO CAPTIVE by Laura Hillenbrand is part of trend toward young adult adaptations of popular adult works. Based on the award-winning novel, UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION, the book traces the real-world experiences of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who becomes a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II.
Both the original nonfiction narrative and the adaptation chronicle Zamperini’s life by highlighting key events including his time as a high school runner, Olympian, bombardier, crash survivor, and prisoner. The use of a series of short, focused narratives keeps the reader engaged. More than one hundred photographs from the time period along with personal photos from the Zamperini family collection immerse readers in the story.
Although the adaptation lacks some of the depth of the original, it maintains the emotion of this breathtaking odyssey. While some of the beauty of Hillenbrand’s writing style is lost in the book’s attempt at brevity, the feelings of desperation, suffering, and hope still ring true. Background information woven through narrative help young readers understanding the context of story.
While many high school history teachers focus on the European Theatre, this book provides a wonderful opportunity for educators to explore the war in the Pacific Theatre. Consider offering both the adult version and the adaptation as options for student readers.
Teens enjoy making connections between books and movies. The movie version of the book titled UNBROKEN rated PG-13 opens December 25, 2014. To learn more about the movie, go to http://www.unbrokenfilm.com/. The movie website encourages visitors to add their own stories of resilient heroes. Learn more at http://www.iamunbroken.com/.
To learn more about the author, go to http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/.
An interactive map shows Louie’s Journey, go to http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/interactive-map/
Although Zamperini died recently, his memory will live on through all three versions of his story: the original book, the adaptation, and the feature film.
Publisher ARC used for review
