It's already Week #2 of AudioFile Magazine's SYNC free summer audio book program—two free audio books each week. Details here.

Download now. Listen whenever. Keep forever (or 98 years anyway). 

Two new books every Thursday. Go get 'em!

Free Comic Book Day!

Free Comic Book Day #FCBD is tomorrow. You've got all day to locate your nearest comic book shop (if you don't already know it) and make plans to visit tomorrow.  Don't miss it!

 

BTW, if you're a librarian, did you know that in June, ALA announced the creation of a new official round table, the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT)?  If you're already an ALA member, round table membership is very affordable—$5 for students/support staff and $15 for librarians. If you're not an ALA member,  you can  join the GNCRT Facebook group for free. Check us out!

SYNC Free audiobooks summer lineup

 It's here!  The annual season of free audiobooks. 

SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens. Returning April 25, 2019, SYNC will give away two complete audiobook downloads a week - pairs of high interest titles, based on weekly themes. Sign up for email or text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com.

Remember, these are completely free with no strings attached.   Download now, listen whenever, keep forever. You can't beat that!

The complete lineup with available dates is below.

  

National Library Week

It's National Library Week. 

 I Love Libraries offers this timely advice:

 "There’s no better time than #NationalLibraryWeek to share what you love about your library. Use #MyLibraryMyStory in your post for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card. Promotion ends April 13 at 12pm CT." http://www.ilovelibraries.org/national-library-week

Follow I Love Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.

ALA Youth Media Awards are today!

Today's the big day!  Be sure to tune in at 11:00 am EST to watch the announcements for the ALA Youth Media Awards!

Here's the link to the live webcast: http://ala.unikron.com/  or follow #ALAyma on social media platforms for live updates.

CYBILS Awards Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction

I hope your new year is off to a great start!  I can't comment on any of these books while we are judging them, but below is a slide show of the 2018 CYBILS Awards finalists in the Elementary/Middle-Grade Nonfiction category.  I'm reading as fast as I can.

Winners will be announced on February 14, 2019.

If you have trouble viewing the slideshow, you can find it on Riffle

Standing Up For Each Other

In the wake of the mass murder at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Association of Jewish Libraries has created a series of book lists for young readers.  Their hope is "to grow readers' understanding of the Jewish religion and its people."

The first list in their Love Your Neighbor series is "Standing Up For Each Other." A PDF version of Love Your Neighbor Book List #1: Standing Up For Each Other is available at this link.

I have not read every book on the list, but I can say that The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick, 2015) and Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser and Claire A. Nivola (HMH Books, 2010) are two of my favorites.

I encourage you to explore the AJL book list and to make every effort to incorporate these and other diverse books into your classrooms, story time programs, and interactions with your own children.  The more we explore the lives of people from other cultures, the more we discover our commonality.

An article describing the inspiration and creation of the Love Your Neighbor book list project may be found at Tablet Magazine.

Happy Labor Day!

If you are one of the many U.S. workers enjoying a day off with pay today, please take time to remember the sacrifices of union leaders and members who struggled to make your work life better and better-paying.

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day!

Photo source: U.S. Department of Labor

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

There are many great nonfiction children's books for studying the impact of women on the labor movement. Two of my favorites are:

• Fannie Never Flinched: One woman's courage in the struggle for American labor union rights by Mary Cronk Farrell

• Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel

Image and quotation source: United States Department of Labor

Free audiobooks from SYNC - time is running out

It's hard to believe that the summer is passing by so quickly!  Tomorrow will begin the final week of SYNC Audiobooks for Teens free summer audiobook program.  Today is your final day to get your copies of The Scarlet Letter and How to Hang a Witch. Get them today and check back at SYNC tomorrow for The Lost World and Monstrous Beauty. Hurry!

What Is Free Comic Book Day?

Just a friendly reminder that Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday!

National Library Week

 From the American Library Association website:

The National Library Week 2018 celebration will mark the 60th anniversary of the first event, sponsored in 1958.

Celebrations during National Library Week

• Monday, April 9: State of America's Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2017.
• Tuesday, April 10: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. #nlwd18
• Wednesday, April 11: National Bookmobile Day, a day to recognize the contributions of our nation's bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities. #bookmobileday2018
• Thursday, April 12: Take Action for Libraries Day, a national library advocacy effort observed for the first time in 2017 in response to proposed cuts to federal funds for libraries.#fundlibraries

ALA Youth Media Awards

Tomorrow morning, I'll be watching the live stream of the American Library's Youth Media Awards.  I am a proud member of ALSC, whose members make up many of the awards committees.

You can watch the ALA YMA live beginning on February 12, at 8:00am MT.

http://ala.unikron.com/2018/index_home.php

I'm afraid that I may have missed reading many of the award winners this year, so tomorrow morning, I will be placing holds and adding to my TBR pile!

The social media hashtag for the event is #ALAyma

National Park Service Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 15, 2018, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I hope that you will find a way to honor the day in a way that has meaning and purpose. For those of you who enjoy the great outdoors, and particularly for those who live near one of the national historic sites dedicated to the Civil Rights Era, consider heading to a National Park Service site tomorrow. Admission to ALL National Park Service locations will be free.  Enjoy your freedoms and your free admission.

Details for National Park Service Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

NPS Photo

 

See you next year!

I'll be talking a holiday hiatus to vacation with family.

Best wishes for a a joyful and peaceful end to your year. May the new year be filed with hope, promise, and good books! 

 Cheers!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

 

I'll be traveling with Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire (Harper Collins, 2017).

#BannedBooksWeek

Don't forget—Banned Books Week starts today!

"Every year, there are hundreds of known attempts to remove books from bookstores, libraries and schools.  That’s thousands of lost opportunities to explore ideas that fuel understanding. Words have power and access to diverse ideas makes all of us more powerful. Celebrate the freedom to read by reading your favorite banned book during Banned Books Week, September 24 -  30.  Visit your local library for more information."

If you haven't created anything for your library yet, be sure to check out the #BannedBookWeek resources at the American Library Association website. [www.ala.org/bbooks].

Easy things that you can use right away include:

• Words Have Power coloring sheet
• Bad Kitty Reads Banned Books coloring sheet 
• Fortune teller inspired by This One Summer  (the most challenged book of 2016)
• numerous audio PSA's, BBW profile pics, Facebook and Twitter covers, infographics, etc., including this great GIF, courtesy of New York Public Library:

Finally, I've posted this before, but Dav Pilkey's video contains my favorite words of wisdom on the topic of banned books. I hope you agree. 😊

Hurricane Irma

I am part of the mass exodus of people from vulnerable cities in Florida. No posts from me until I'm safely back home (or whatever is left of my home) on the Florida coast.

Some upcoming dates to celebrate at your library

I know that every librarian checks a copy of Chases Calendar of Events, but just in case these have slipped your mind, here are a few dates that are coming soon:

• September 23—Batman Day (or is it Harley Quinn Day? She turns 25 this year.) You can download your Batman Day event kit here.

• Also on September 23—Museum Day Live! Free admission to museums!  Check with your local museums to see if they are participating, or check this interactive map of Museum Day Live! participants.

• September 30—National Public Lands Day Grab your friends and family and head to the park!  Admission is free for all federal lands and many state parks on this day. Follow @NEEFusa on Twitter or

• October 4-10—World Space Week The U.S. in under-represented in the celebration of this commemorative week, but any excuse to promote space is a good one in my book!

• October 8-14—Fire Prevention Week Enlist the help of your local fire department to obtain materials or a visit from Sparky, the fire dog to your school or library.  Anything we can do to avoid a preventable tragedy is worth doing. 

Of course, don't forget that it's Library Card Sign-Up Month! 

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list - just what happens to be on my radar. 

Feel free to add anything I may have missed.

Wonderstruck - the movie!

I don't know how I've missed this news, but Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 2011) is going to be a movie this fall!

You can read by review of Wonderstruck the book and watch a video with author Brian Selznick here.  [http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonderstruck-review.html]

#Wonderstruck the movie

 I do hope they do a good job of it!

Enjoy the trailer.

Nonfiction Audiobooks slideshow

I created a slideshow of the nonfiction audiobooks that I've reviewed recently for Audiofile Magazine. Enjoy!

And don't forget to download your free audiobooks each Thursday from SYNC YA!  This week's two free audiobooks are available from June 22 – June 28

• THE WITCH'S VACUUM CLEANER AND OTHER STORIES by Terry Pratchett, Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt (HarperAudio)
• THE WITCHES: SALEM, 1692 by Stacy Schiff, Narrated by Eliza Foss (Hachette Audio)

Short - an audiobook review

Short
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Read by Tara Sands
Listening Library, 2017

I recently had the opportunity to review Short for AudioFile Magazine.  A link to my complete review of Short is available here. [http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123871/short-by-holly-goldberg-sloan/] It's a realistic fiction chapter book featuring Julia, a young girl whose mother insists that she try out for a summer community theater production with her younger brother.  Because of her small stature, Julia is chosen (along with her brother) to play a munchkin in "The Wizard of Oz," hardly the way she wanted to spend her summer. 

Please read my review for AudioFile for more details, but if you don't have time right now - keep this kernel of information in mind:  If you have a customer, child, parent, or patron seeking a book that includes adult little people, this is the book for you. 

#WeNeedDiverseBooks


 
A personal note:
 
I do not want to post medical information about a family member, however, I'd like to mention that one of my children has suffered a life-changing accident, only as a reason to explain my lack of blog posts.  It is the latest of many changes in the last year including a move to Florida, a new job, a hurricane, and now this - the most impactful of events.  I will be posting posting sporadically while I help my child heal and recover.