Youth Source

‘Tis the Season

The staff of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books has created the 2009 edition of “Guide Book to Gift Books:  An Annotated List of Books for Youth”.  The free download gives brief annotations for over 300 of the best books for giving this holiday season, which are divided into recommendations for the very youngest listeners up to young adult readers.  This guide will help your patrons find just the right book for the people on their shopping list.

SLJ's Scare Tactics

Planning for Halloween events in the library?  School Library Journal (10/1/2009 - online) has recommended ghost stories for teens and tweens.  In "Scare Tactics", Saundra Mitchell shares her favorite haunted books.  It's a boo-tiful list of titles. 

Need stories ready to tell in the dark of Halloween night? Spooky stories ready for telling are featured at American Folklore's Scary Ghost Stories page.  Some stories include a podcast version for instant listening. 

 

Reading aloud to children and teens

 ALA Editions, the publishing imprint of the American Library Association, has released  “Reid's Read-Alouds: Selections for Children and Teens” by Rob Reid. Inspired by Reid’s popular column in “Book Links” magazine, this time-saving resource includes plenty to engage audiences and reinvigorate programs.

SLJ Announces 2009 Book Prices

School Library Journal announces average book prices each March to help librarians plan their budgets.  For 2009, prices are up slightly (about 1%) from 2008 levels.  The price survey is compiled by Albert Greco of Fordham University Business School, an expert on the book industry.  The 2009 data is based on the assumption that the recession will begin to subside in the 3rd quarter of 2009.

Here are the prices for  the children's categories.  Pricing for additional categories is available on the SLJ website.

Children's and YA Titles: 
  Hardcovers:   $21.36
  Trade Paperback:  $11.45
  Mass market paperbacks:  $7.12

School Library Journal announces average book prices each March to help librarians plan their budgets.  For 2009, prices are up slightly (about 1%) from 2008 levels.  The price survey is compiled by Albert Greco of Fordham University Business School, an expert on the book industry.  The 2009 data is based on the assumption that the recession will begin to subside in the 3rd quarter of 2009.

YALSA names 2009 Outstanding Books for the College Bound & Lifetime Learners List

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the 2009 Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifetime Learners list. Revised every five years, this list is intended as a tool for several audiences: students preparing for college, parents, educators and librarians. The 2009 list was produced by a YALSA committee made up of public, school and academic librarians, in collaboration with the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

Bluestem Award

The Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) is sponsoring the creation of a new book award.  “The Bluestem Award: Illinois’ 3-5 Children’s Choice Award”, designed for students in grades 3-5, will have an annual reading list that may contain non-fiction, timeless classics as well as current titles, biography,  and  other diverse and varied content titles appropriate for this age group.

The committee is in need of title nominations (by June 15, 2009) and volunteer readers.  Reading will be done during 2009-2010 with the first Master List to be released for the 2010-2011 school year.

See the ISLMA web site for forms and more information.

2010 Caudill List Announced

The newest list of nominees – the 2010 Master List – is available on the Rebecca Caudill Website. A few dates to remember: Voting for 2009 must be postmarked by February 28. Nominations for 2011 must be received by April 15, 2009.  The strength of the list depends on the nominations, please make an effort to participate in this part of the award program. Only registered participants may vote, nominate, or order promotional items.Happy Reading!

2009 Scott O'Dell Award

The winner of the 2009 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, published by Simon & Schuster.
Established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, the annual $5000 Award is given for a distinguished work of historical fiction for young people.  The book must be published by a U.S. publisher, the setting must be South, Center, or North American and the author must be a U.S. Citizen.
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction site provides a complete listing of all winners.

Get boys interested in reading!

ALA Editions, the publishing imprint of the American Library Association, is pleased to announce the release of the new title: "Connecting Boys with Books 2: Closing the Reading Gap" by Michael Sullivan. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Sullivan shows how to reinvigorate the sense of excitement that boys felt when they first heard a picture book being read aloud.

In his hugely successful "Connecting Boys with Books" (2003), Sullivan delved into the problem that reading skills of pre-adolescent boys lag behind those of girls in the same age group. In this companion book, Sullivan digs even deeper, melding his own experiences as an activist with perspectives gleaned from other industry experts to help you

Horn Book Fanfare

More in the line of "Year's Best" listings.  Horn Book Magazine has just released it's FANFARE listing for books published in 2008.