#ALAMW12 - Dallas, January 20 - 24, 2012 (Meetup Details)

If you didn't already know, Texas rocks! Not only do we have one of the largest library associations, TLA, and the best conference we also get to host #ALAMid12. Join us in Dallas on January 20-24, 2012! All of your favorite vendors and book exhibitors will be there. Here is some info:

Dallas Convention Center
Exhibit Hall pass - $25

Exhibit Hours:
Friday, January 20th, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Saturday, January 21st, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday, January 22nd, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Monday, January 23rd, 9:00am - 2:00pm

LIST of authors

Youth Media Awards: The 2012 award winners will be announced at 7:45 a.m. CT, Monday, January 23rd.

ALAMid12 on Facebook and Twitter
Get your blog buttons HERE

What happens at ALA? Check out my blog posts from ALA Annual HERE and HERE.

TX author related events:
Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels - Reception at booth #1102 in the Exhibit Hall. Saturday, 3:00pm - 4:00pm. Attending are Jessica Lee Anderson, P.J. Hoover, Jo Whittemore, K.A. Holt, and Jeanette Larson.

YA panel - Wild About YA Romance - in the PopTop stage on Sunday from 12:30pm -1:45pm, hosted by RWA. The panel will include Heather Burch, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Rachel Hawthorne, Sophie Jordan, and Trinity Faegan. There'll be a booksigning afterwards.

If you are attending, we would love to see you! We will be meeting FRIDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 20th at Campisi's at 1520 Elm Street - 8:30pm. (exhibit hall closes at 7:30pm that night). This is an all ages location that serves alcohol. Let us know if you want to meet up. Feel free to bring a partner or friend.

*UPDATE* 
There are currently 70 people who have RSVPd. Don't worry, they know we are coming and I have a room set up for us. Just say ALA, TX Bloggers, or "I'm with that big party." Bring your business cards and get ready to mingle with bloggers, authors, publishers, and all around book lovers. 

Also, I hope you bought your YA Saves shirt from Maureen Johnson so you can sport it on Sunday during ALAMid. That is the day John Green is speaking in the auditorium. What is #YASaves? Catch up here. All of the proceeds from the sales will be going to Reading Is Fundamental. The Freedom To Read Foundation is hosting John Green on Sunday at the Dallas Public Library. Make a donation to attend. Details HERE

See you soon!

ALA Giveaway - Winners

Congratulations goes to....

Carina - ARC of Stick by Andrew Smith

Rachel B. - Clockwork Prince sampler & tee

Erin L. - swag pack

You have all been emailed and I have your addresses. Thank you all for entering!

#ALA11 Wrap-up (+Giveaway)

I've been home from ALA for a week now and I am still smiling. I really can't tell you how much fun I had. I hope the pictures below show just how much of a good time we had with authors, publishers, and friends. I must say, I was very happy with the turnout from Texas! I've been blabbing and begging for about 9 months wishing and hoping Texas bloggers would show up - they did! You all better make plans to be in Austin for Austin Teen Book Fest in October and then ALA Midwinter in Dallas in January! *TX rulez*

Stephanie and I drove down to Houston on Wednesday to pick up Cari and Michelle and attended the Ally Carter's signing at Blue Willow. We snapped a cute picture while Ally was signing. 

Kristen, Sarah, Stephanie, Me, Christin, Joy Preble, Michelle

The next morning we packed up and hit the road for NoLA! The rain didn't slow us down and thankfully, the window paint stayed on the car! We painted our Twitter handle on the windows in case anyone wondered cared who we were. We had a lot of folks stare at us! We stopped off at the New Orleans welcome center and took some pictures. 

ALA#11 Roadtrip

We hit New Orleans, made Michelle push the cart full of bags and food up to our room then focused on our mission for a Po Boy! Here are some shots of our day out and about. We took the street car and toured the Jackson Square area. And of course, we had our share of beignets. 

New Orleans

While I loved getting all of the rad books and spending time with people who I love and admire, ALA was about my big presentation on Sunday. I stayed up late finishing up tiny details and many times during the day I had little freak out moments. My roommates were supportive and kept me from crying myself to sleep every night. I am happy to report that everything went fine and it was standing room only! I won't go into incredible detail but my partner and I talked about the fundamentals of educational television and how you can apply that to your storytime. Turn out, those folks at PBS an Nick Jr. know what they're doing. The hour and half flew by and we had a lot of great feedback. I hope to present at TLA in Houston next year. #fingerscrossed

The week was full of parties and get togethers. Special thanks to Katherine Tegan for the Divergent dinner with Veronica Roth. What fun and probably (hands down) the best meal I had in NoLA! Also, Egmont, Candlewick, and Tor for letting me bring my crew and providing awesome skyline views, food, and drinks. Lastly, Parajunkee and YA Highway for gathering up all of the bloggers and providing an opportunity to meet in person. Great to meet you all! 

The trip ended with an hour long packing job - I still can't believe we fit everything in the #ALA bus! We met up with Jess and Lety at the Texas Welcome Center for some fun pics. This was such a cute place and we had fun chillin' with the raccoons. So cute!

Props to the American Library Association for a totally smooth and stress free convention. I must say that I didn't hear of any caddiness and craziness that I might have heard with another book convention earlier this year. Also, the bus drivers were awesome and even dropped us off in places not on the route. ;)

All in all, I had a brilliant time! I think my awesome roommates have something to do with it. We laughed about anything and everything. I even learned some awesome curse words in Spanish that I might put to some good use.

As promised, a giveaway! Macmillan and Simon & Schuster were kind enough to offer up some lovely things for all you that were #ALAleftbehind. Here is what I have:

ARC of STICK by Andrew Smith

Clockwork Prince sampler & size large tee

Swag & bookplates

*giveaway closed*

In My Mailbox - ALA Edition

Look for a BIG ALA wrap-up post tomorrow, but for now....here are all of the great books that I was happy to get! I will definitely be sharing them with you through tours and giveaways.

All in one shot

Signed stacks

Unsigned stacks

Love swag!

Gun from Random House party & name plate

from Divergent dinner with Veronica Roth

I am most happy about Triangles by Ellen Hopkins, Crossed by Ally Condie, Every You, Every Me by David Levithan, the Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, and my signed Kate DiCamillo books. My daughter just loved Tale of Despereaux. 

Look for an ALA giveaway tomorrow! 

Reminders:

Freedom Hop ends 7/7

Luminous review this week

ALA - New Orleans Bound!

In just TWO DAYS I will be heading to NoLA for ALA. It's like the mother ship calling me home! If you can't tell....I'm excited! I am a bit nervous, I will be presenting a paper this year. The panel is called: "Learning from Elmo, Blue and Dora: Applying the Science of Children’s Educational Television to Storytime" and we will be discussing just that - the science of Ed TV and how you can apply that to your storytime. It's fascinating stuff!

If you haven't been to a major library conference or even a major book convention, here are a few tips that I feel are important:

I Read Banned Books Top 10 Tips for ALA

1. Wear comfy shoes, fashion is almost out of the window. Almost - keep the Crocs at home unless you over the age of 55.

2. Do not take bags with wheels! It is so not fun to trip over these walking the floor and plus you look silly if you under the age of 55. Most places have a bag check or post office for you to check in or ship books.

3. Do not cut in line unless you ask the immediate people behind you to save a space while you exit for emergencies. Emergencies would be restroom issues, not book issues. If you don't follow this tip, be prepared to have your name blasted on Twitter. Just saying.

4. Keep the trash talking to an all-time low. You never know who knows who and who could be listening! Plus, you look like a spoiled brat face when you can't keep your trap shut. Wait to unload on your hotel roommates or do like the Oprah do, journal it!

5. Bring business cards and get ready to smile! Introduce yourself to everyone and anyone. You know, it's like Six Degrees of J.K. Rowling. Hand out your cards and follow up on the Twitter follows and emails.

6. Bring mints and leave your gum at home. No one likes to watch you chew for hours on end.

7. Bring CASH! Just when you think you have enough cash, bring more. Cab rides, snacks, books..it all adds up.

8. Bring your camera and a phone charger. With Effbook and Twitter, phone batteries run down fast. Bring your charger and find an outlet if you can. I have charged my phone in all sorts of unique places.

9. If you don't want a book or don't need a book, leave it for someone who does. I always need to remind myself of this one.... In a sense, leave your greedy hands at home.

10. ALWAYS say please, thank you, and excuse me.

So, there you have it, my tips on ALA.

There are several parties and meet-ups and I hope to meet you all somewhere, somehow! I have a super fun event Friday night and every time I think about it, I want to tear up so I am out of commission that night. More on that later...Saturday, Parajunkee and gals are hosting a get together at Acrme Oyster House at 5:30pm and YA Highway is hosting at Tommy's Wine Bar at 8:00pm. I plan on being at both for a bit so please say hello! Details of the two events are below.

I will be truckin' it down with my literary PIC Stephanie and Michelle to Houston this Wednesday to pick up Cari and attend the Ally Carter event at Blue Willow. Then Wednesday, we are NoLA bound!

The bloggers that are attending ALA 2011 will be meeting up after the Saturday, the 25th conference. Everyone is welcome to join, we just need a head count.

When: Saturday, June 25th
Where: Acme Oyster House
When: 5:30 pm

If you are joining us you are more than welcome to post this on your own blog. I know we all have different followers depending on genre and friends. It would fun to meet as many as possible and maybe take over Acme.

Everyone travel safe and make the most our of your experience!

Interview with YALSA Award Committee Member Jeanette Larson

Like millions of other book lovers, I was glued to my computer watching the ALA Youth Media Awards Monday, January 10th. To my surprise, I recognized your name! Readers, Jeannette Larson was one of my professors in library school! In fact, I took her Youth Programs class during my last semester. She was fantastic! Welcome Jeanette, and thank you for walking us through the awards process!

Have you served on an awards committee in the past?
The first award committee I served on was Notable Recordings for Children. This is an ALA committee that selects the best audiobooks and music recordings for kids. It was a lot of fun and got me really involved in listening to audiobooks. I also served on two Newbery Award committees, the Texas Bluebonnet Award committee, Best Books for Young Adults, and several other awards committees.

What are the beginning steps to being on an awards committee? Are you asked? Do you sign-up?
It depends on the committee. Many ALA awards committees have both appointed and elected committees. A good first step is to sign up on the volunteer form BUT understand that the biggies like the Newbery will go to people who have served on other committees. The chairs and chair-elects who make appointments are always looking for "new blood" so start by saying you are interested in a "lesser" committee like the Carnegie Award (for film). To be elected, you need some name recognition that comes from being involved in the professional associations. Also look at state and regional awards as a place to get started. For example, the Texas Bluebonnet Award or the Lone Star Reading List may be easier to get on but provide valuable experience that prepares you for national awards.

What drew you to the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award committee?
I love nonfiction but don't always make the time to read young adult nonfiction. The award is new. This was the second year for it to be given and the first year where committee members were elected by peers. I had previously served on the Morris Award Committee for YALSA (which honors a new YA author's work) and thought this committee would be fine. I also liked that the committee develops a shortlist of finalists. That is different from most other awards committees.

At what point in the process does the committee get started?
Again it depends on the award. For the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award we started in January 2010 when we met to get acquainted. We read books that were published from November 2009 through October 2010. We each read individually and suggested books that we should all consider.

How often did the committee meet?
Our committee met in person three times--at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting, the 2010 Annual Conference, and the 2011 Midwinter Meeting. But we also used ALA Connect and email to communicate.

Do you read every book nominated?
ABSOLUTELY! I also read many good books that were not nominated.

What is the length of time it took you to read the nominated books? I assume months...
The committee reads all year. Since the books for the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award can be published from November 2009 through October 2010, it's important to keep up with what is coming out so you don't fall behind.

Was there a process of narrowing it down (top 12 etc...) or did you pick a winner?
For this award we voted throughout the year on books that we really liked. That narrows the list down. In December we voted for the top 5--a short list--before the final vote at ALA Midwinter.

What was some of the criteria for picking a winner?
The criteria varies by award but for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award it includes that the book is designated as being for young adults by the publisher and that the book must include excellent writing, research, presentation and readability for young adults.

When was a winner chosen, how long did you have to keep it a secret?
The winner for this award was chosen on Saturday, January 8 at around 4:30 p.m. We had to keep it a secret until the press conference on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m.

 Non-fiction winner: 

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel

Who were you most excited to meet at ALA this year?
This was actually a brief ALA for me as I was only there for 2 days so I did not get to meet as many people as I would have liked. I was really excited to meet Tim Wynne-Jones and have dinner with him. I also had the first signing for my new book, Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas, so I was excited to meet birders and librarians who love bird books.

You have a new book coming out this year, tell us about it.
Oh, I jumped the gun! The book is a mix of facts and folklore about hummingbirds. These fascinating creatures only exist in the Americas and many first nation people have pourquoi stories. In addition to the typical facts about hummingbirds you would expect to find in a book--what they eat, where they migrate to, their anatomy, etc.--I retell stories that give more insight into them. The book is illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks in her trademark fabric art. The fabric art adds to the beauty of the book and makes it a good choice for birders of all ages.

Adrienne and I have been friends for a long time and I worked with her on Quilt of States. We really wanted to do a book together so, contrary to all the conventional wisdom that states the author doesn't get to select the illustrator, we took the idea for hummingbirds to Charlesbridge together.

Thank you, Jeanette!

Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas

Jeanette will be singing her book Saturday, February 5th at 2pm at Barnes & Noble in Round Rock, TX 

You can find Jeanette on her website and also over at the Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels

For more information about the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults go HERE.

Happy Reading!

ALA - Youth Media Awards 2011

On January 10th, ALA announced the top books for children's and young adults. Here is a partial list of winners;

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature

"Moon over Manifest," written by Clare Vanderpool, is the 2011 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children

"A Sick Day for Amos McGee," illustrated by Erin E. Stead, is the 2011 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Philip C. Stead, and is a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

"Ship Breaker," written by Paolo Bacigalupi, is the 2011 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults

"One Crazy Summer," written by Rita Williams-Garcia is the 2011 King Author Book winner. The book is published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults

"Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave," illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the 2011 King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award

"Zora and Me," written by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, is the 2011 Steptoe author winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States

"The True Meaning of Smekday," produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, is the 2011 Odyssey Award winner. The book is written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.

Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award is given annually to English-language children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.

"Almost Perfect," written by Brian Katcher, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc. is the winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award. 

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens

"The Freak Observer," written by Blythe Woolston is the 2011 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

Take this opportunity to branch out of your reading comfort zone. Who knows, you may find your new favorite book!

To see a full list including Honor Books, please go HERE

Happy Reading!

2011 William C. Morris Award - Shortlist

The nominees have been narrowed down. Here is the shortlist:

William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. YALSA will name the 2011 award winner at the Youth Media Awards on Jan. 10, during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.

The 2011 finalists are:

Hush by Eishes Chayil, published by Walker Publishing Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
Growing up in her insular Chassidic Jewish community has always made Gittel feel secure and given her a sense of belonging. But when her best friend, Devory, hangs herself after being sexually abused, her faith in the group is challenged and only gradually does she find ways to express her desire for the community to deal with the issue. 

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey, published by Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group
Seventeen-year-old Ellie Spencer is just trying to make it through her last year of high school, but a chance interaction with the school's weirdo, Mark Nolan, puts her on a very different path filled with Maori legends come to life.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride, published by Henry Holt

Sam thinks his life working in a fast food restaurant is awful. But when he's confronted by a powerful necromancer, he learns that everything he thought was true about his life — isn't.

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber, published by Margaret McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon &Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

In the 1920s, Iris' emotionally distant father sends her to rural Missouri to act as a companion to an elderly woman while he heads to Kansas City with his fiance. Iris' mother died when she was five, and it takes her some time to learn to care for Mrs. Nesbitt and see her own future with optimism.

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston, published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group

Loa, a strong, intelligent, hardworking sixteen-year-old experiences a year of loss: the death of her sister who was born with a genetic disorder, her lifelong friend who was killed in an accident, her best friend who has gone to Europe, and even her dog. While trying to take care of her family and make it through school she ponders the laws of physics and tries to understand what can never make sense.

Okay...confession time, I haven't read any of them. The good news is that I've at least heard of them. The last two, not so much. Have any of you read any?

2010 - Winner: Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Finalists: Ash by Malinda Lo, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, The Everafter by Amy Huntley, and Hold Still by Nina LaCour

2009 - Winner: A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Finalists: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne, Madapple by Christina Meldrum, and Me, the Missing, and the Deadby Jenny Valentine.

For more information on the William C. Morris Award go HERE 

Teen Read Week 2010

Teen Read Week was initiated by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) in 1998. The purpose of Teen Read Week is to encourage and inspire teens find Bookjoy! It is a great way for libraries to promote thier library by having free, fun activities, programs and reading sessions for teens. This year's Books with Beat @ your library®," which encourages teens to read poetry, audiobooks, books about music, and more.

Here is author and poet Nikki Grimes where she explains the role of the library in her younger years. She is a wonderful author and an inspiration to all! 

Teen Read Week has a great Wiki page full of ideas. Here just a few of my favorites I found:

2010 Theme ideas:

Read Beat (Audiobooks)

It's Got a Beat (Music and dance)

To the Beat of a Different Drummer (Iconoclasts)

The Beatdown (Awareness about bullying, abuse, and violence)

Beat Generation (Beatniks and poetry)

On the Beat (Crime, detectives and mysteries)

A Beating Heart (Love and romance)

Check Your Heartbeat (Medicine and health)

We Can Beat 'Em (Sports and Athletics)

These are great ideas, and I can picture the displays! 

51 Ideas for Teen Read Week

by Pam Spencer Holley (reprinted with permission)

1. Extended library hours

2. Addition of lots of paperbacks

3. Open House with food and volunteers to explain teen activities

4. Set up a Suggestion Box, then post suggestions with responses

5. Establish a Teen Advisory Group

6. Design and set up a website/blog/MySpace location

7. Collect and post teen reviews [offer some instruction in review writing]

8. Amnesty Week to coincide with TRW

9. Sleep-in with teens reading all night, followed by breakfast

10. Books to Movies festival

11. Laugh-In film festival with lots of old funny movies

12. Stand-up Comedy Night

13. Pizza Tasting Contest

14. Ice Cream Sundaes Contest

15. Night/afternoon of gaming

16. Sponsor a Battle of the Bands

17. Redesigned book jacket contest

18. Anime/Manga Character contest

19. Self-defense training session

20. Salsa dancing [or any other dancing style--hire an instructor]

21. Teen photo contest [ex. Potentially Funny Situations]

22. Talent Show

23. Program on being a clown

24. Book giveaways

25. Karaoke night

26. Scavenger Hunt

27. Duct-tape or other crafts

28. Murder Mystery Night [rewrite to murder a comedian]

29. Librarian Challenge [offer something silly in exchange for # books/pages read]

30. Free rentals of DVDs, VHS, audiobooks during TRW

31. Teen-produced Public Service Announcements

32. Partner [school and public library]

33. Family Activity--teens read to younger kids at library

34. Which book would you save from a fire?

35. Trivia contests [about comedians perhaps]

36. Contest to create new Knock-Knock jokes

37. Display photos of teens reading

38. School-wide read-in [during the day; after school; at a mall, etc.]

39. "Sock It to Reading"

40. Bulletin board filled with book title suggestions from teens

41. Teen Book Column in local newspaper; teen reviews

42. Teens read books to kids at hospital, day care centers, etc.

43. Paperback and/or Comic Book swap

44. Media Swap

45. Joke Swap

46. Tickets to a concert for readers

47. Contest to select teens for TV PSA [local station]

48. Radio talk show interview--teens and reading

49. Write a letter to your favorite author

50. Read-a-thon of teen writings

51.   Podcast teens reading scary short-stories and put it on the internet

What can YOU do to celebrate Teen Read Week? Me...I'm off to volunteer at Austin Public Library! 

Happy Reading!

The Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and runs from Friday to Sunday. The Hop is a fantastic way to get your blog noticed, and visit some other blogs that you didn't know about before. Head over and sign up and see what you can find!

Each week a different question will be added to the hop in order for conversations to occur, and for your followers to get to know you better. Here we go!


"When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

My thoughts: Great question! For me, it all depends on the book. If this is a highly publicized book that has received some good reviews, I will stick it out. If it's a book that I randomly choose out of my TBR pile, I will probably put it to the side. It is possible that I will try again later. One book that comes to mind that I did not finish was Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It received many awards and was flying off library shelves. I gave it a try and struggled through the first 50 or so pages. I gave up and never picked it up again. My reasoning? I am not a high fantasy reader anyway, and the language, characters, and setting had me lost....fast! I constantly had to look at the map in the back. It annoyed me. I told my daughter's elementary librarian that I felt bad about not liking it, and didn't want to give up. She told me I was crazy, and that I had every right not to finish. Later (many years later), I would learn about ALA's Reader's Bill of Rights. The are:

The right to not read.

The right to skip pages.

The right to not finish.

The right to reread.

The right to read anything.

The right to escapism.

The right to read anywhere.

The right to browse.

The right to read out loud.

The right not to defend your tastes.

Every time I struggle to finish reading a book, I remind myself of the above. I also remind myself that I have loved books that others thought missed the mark. C'est la vie. Do you have a book that you just couldn't finish, but it seemed that everyone loved? 

Happy reading, and head on over to the next blog: Book Noise

Don't forget to enter the Austin Teen Book Festival Swag GIVEAWAY - there are signed things!

Great News!

I was informed yesterday that my Professor from TWU, Dr. Maria Cahill, and I have been accepted to present a paper and host a panel discussion at the American Library Association's annual conference in New Orleans next June! We will be discussing the fundamentals of storytime and how they are implemented into quality children's television. Can you believe it? I *almost* can't! We have been waiting months to hear back, and we are both a little shocked to be accepted. This is like the Mother Ship calling us home!

What's ALA? Don't even get me started....

“The object of the American Library Association shall be to promote library service and librarianship.” The stated mission is, “To provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” ~ ALA Constitution

Competency #2 - Top Ten Challenged Books of 2008

Libraryland Roundup is a great blog for "collection managers, reference providers, reader's advisors, the technically inclined, and other denizens of libraryland." It was easily accessed using blogsearch.google.com

The ALA’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2008: April 26, 2009

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

2. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman

3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle

4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz

5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen

7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von

8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen

9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper

These titles were challenged due to such themes as homosexuality, satanism, offensive language and religious viewpoints etc. For a comprehensive list click the link below.

http://librarylandroundup.blogspot.com/2009/04/top-ten-challenged-books-2008.html

Photo courtesy of Library Roundup