Seriously Neglected

I have neglected this blog too long. My new school year resolution is to do a much better job of keeping it up to date. This summer I have spent time reading and preparing podcasts for the books chosen for the 2011 Sequoyah High School Masterlist. Students who read at least three of the books will be eligible to vote for the book they liked best in March 2011. Books from many genres are on this list and I am feel confident readers will find books that will appeal to them. Check out the podcasts at http://podcast2.mid-del.net/users/saustin/

Summer Reading for Young Adults

Summer is the time to catch up on extra reading. Read at the beach, at the pool or in the car traveling to your vacation destination. Here are some good choices for teens from YALSA. This is a list of nominated books from which the Top Teen Reads List will be chosen in late summer. The voting will take place between August 25 and September 18. Read a few and be sure to vote at your school library.

2009 Teens’ Top Ten Nominations

Cashore, Kristin. Graceling
Lady Katsa is born with a Grace (super talent) of killing and her uncle, the king, makes
her his brute squad. When she meets Po, a rival kingdom's Graceling, she becomes more
powerful as a woman of justice, self knowledge, and romance.

Cast, Kristin & P.C. Untamed
At finishing school for young vampyres, Zoey makes a shocking discovery about the
school's leader, but no one will listen to her as her undead friends and 3 boyfriends turn
against her. Loyalties are strained, truths are revealed, and an ancient evil is awakened in
Cast's fourth House of Night novel.

Clare, Cassandra. City of Ashes.
The second in the Mortal Instruments trilogy, this volume continues the saga of Clary and
her best friend Simon as they struggle to find their place in a magical world parallel to
their NYC home. Demon-fighting shadowhunters, vampires, warlocks, werewolves,
faeries, and a master villain named Valentine provide a heart-pounding backdrop as Clary
uncovers secrets about her past.

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games.
To save her young sister from competing, Katniss Everdeen takes her place in the annual
Hunger Games, a televised competition in which only one person, the winner, survives.
By turns an adventure, a love story, and a futuristic thriller, this is the first in a planned
trilogy.

Fukui , Isamu. Truancy
In the totalitarian society that Tack lives in, a rebel group called the Truancy is fighting
for freedom. But Tack vows revenge on the Truancy when someone he loves is killed
accidentally during one of their attacks on the government.

Fukui , Isamu. Truancy: Origins
Umasi and Zen, adopted and raised in a life of privilege, are horrified to discover that
their father is behind the restrictive policies of their city. One brother will be driven to
rebellion.

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book
When a toddler wanders away from his home just before assassins slay his family, he
ends up in a graveyard. Named Nobody Owens, the ghosts and other denizens of the
cemetery adopt him and teach him important skills he will need to survive.

Green, John. Paper Towns
When they were little, Margo Roth Spiegelman was Q’s best friend. Now, a month before
high school graduation, she disappears after taking Q on a night of pranks involving dead
fish and a depilatory, sending him on a quest to find her.

Harris, Joanne. Runemarks
Maddie is shunned by the town because of the mysterious rune mark on her hand. This
same rune mark will shatter her dull existence as it propels her into the center of a war
between the new controlling religious government and the Norse gods of old.

Hopkins, Ellen. Identical
Identical teenage twins, Raeanne and Kaeleigh, respond in totally opposite ways to the
abuse and abandonment from their parents. One twin finds bulimia and cutting eases the
pain and helps her to maintain her passivity, while the other, more rebellious twin sinks
into the world of drugs and sex.

Lockhart, E. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
When Frankie's boyfriend joins a secret society that she isn't supposed to know anything
about, she surprises everyone—including herself—by trying to beat them and become the
biggest prankster of them all.

Marriott, Zoё. Daughter of the Flames
Zira bears scars from the battle that left her orphaned and in the care of the Ruan people.
When a tyrant king threatens her home, Zira seeks help from an unlikely romantic
interest and uncovers the truth about her past.

McMann, Lisa. Wake
Going to sleep isn't a big deal for most of us, but for Janie, falling asleep means getting
sucked into other people's dreams. The supernatural ability she's always considered a
nuisance quickly becomes a nightmare when she blunders into a dream and witnesses a
murder.

Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn
In this, the fourth and final installment of the Twilight Saga, Bella’s new life as the wife
of vampire Edward Cullen is wrought with unexpected obstacles, difficult decisions, and
potentially overwhelming outcomes.

Moran, Katy. Bloodline.
In the brutal world of Dark Age Britain, Essa fights for his life, his identity, and the lives
of those he loves. Paolini and Tolkien fans will be drawn in.

Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go
Dangerous secrets can even be hidden in a world where all men and animals hear each
others' thoughts. Because all women died shortly after he was born, Todd Hewitt is the
last boy left in his town. When he learns a dangerous secret, he runs for his life with his
dog and finds something even more surprising: a girl!

Noёl, Alyson. Evermore
Her life ripped apart by a tragic accident that killed her family, Ever struggles with her
newfound ability to hear people’s thoughts. Enter Damen, the new boy who seems the
perfect distraction — except he doesn’t eat or drink, and soon Ever discovers a
supernatural new world of which she is now part.

Palmer, Robin. Geek Charming.
Dylan’s middle name is “crisis.” It seems to follow her wherever she goes. First she
catches her boyfriend staring at another girl. Then her beautiful designer bag takes a
swim in a fountain. However, along with crisis comes opportunity, and Dylan's Beverly
Hills world is about to be turned upside-down.

Pierce, Tamora. Melting Stones
All life, both plant and animal, on the Battle Islands is mysteriously dying. Stone mage
Evvy responds to the islander’s call for help. They need her magic to solve the mystery.
Accompanied by her friend and mentor, Luvo, she uncovers the deep secret revealed by
the stones and the volcano. Will it be in time to rescue the children?

Scott, Elizabeth. Living Dead Girl
Alice was kidnapped when she was young and is forced to pretend to be a little girl to
please Ray. She could never escape and wishes for death. Soon her wish will become
true, as she had become too old and now she must find Ray a replacement for her.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Eternal
Zachary, a guardian angel has, against all rules, fallen in love with his charge. When he
sees Miranda sleeping in the shadow of death, his attempt to save her hurls her into life as
a vampire princess and exiles him from heaven.

Smith, Sherri L. Flygirl.
Because she wants to fly and to support her soldier brother, 18-year-old Ida May Jones
passes for white amidst obstacles of race and gender and joins the Women Airforce
Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II .

Weingarten, Lynn. Wherever Nina Lies.
Two years after 16-year-old Ellie's older sister, Nina, disappeared, Ellie pieces together
clues to her whereabouts and heads out on a road trip that leads to murder and mystery
with her hot new boyfriend, Sean.

Werlin, Nancy. Impossible
This gentle story details young teen Lucy's rape and subsequent pregnancy, with an
amazingly supportive cast of a faithful boyfriend and loving parents. A fairy tale set in
the present, with flashes of realism and romance.

Yee, Lisa. Absolutely Maybe.
Maybe (short for Maybelline, her mother's favorite mascara) leaves home and heads to
California on a mission to find her biological father, and avoid her mother's planned
wedding number seven.

This past year I had the pleasure of serving on a reading team for the first ever High School Sequoyah Book Award. Our team was drawn from public and school librarians as well as an academic advisor and a member of ODL. Meeting each month to discuss and vote on the books was something to look forward to with satisfaction. As we got to know each other we found out more about different areas of the state as well as the backgrounds of the members. By the end of the year we could almost sense which books would be liked by one and not another. The experience of reading and determining which books are the best of the best in a certain year is a daunting task but an enjoyable one. It causes you to bond with the others on your team in a way that is hard to describe. I have served on the children's reading team before and the members on that team became some of my closest colleagues. We look forward to seeing each other at our annual conference. It is a such an exhilarating experience when you complete and sign off on the list. The next best thing is seeing an author accept the award for one of the books that you deemed to be worthy of inclusion on the list.

Our team began in June with a list of over 300 books to read. Because this was the first committee, a list was compiled by doing a search for 2 or more positive reviews from professional journals which yielded an overwhelming consideration list. The list for next year will be smaller because all of the members will be perusing the reviews before adding to the list. We pared the list down to 15 by February,2009. Now the promotion begins. Booktalks, displays, podcasts and reader's theatre will be used by media specialists and young adult librarians across the state until the voting takes place in March 2010. Which book will win? I already have my choice picked out as do most of the other committee members I am sure. Will the high school students across the state like the books as much as we did. Here's hoping!

I would certainly recommend, that if offered, you take the opportunity to serve as a member of the Sequoyah Award Reading team. It does involve a lot of reading but the rewards are great. You will know more about the books being published in those years than you ever did before or ever will again and you will have such a sense of accomplishment!

Reading

As I was updating my shelves on Goodreads.com and Shelfari.com I found myself wondering what determines our choice of books. The type of books we enjoy make us even more unique as humans. That which makes a book a great read for some is too boring or too depressing for others. In a recent article about ebooks there was a discussion about book design influencing what one reads. Layout and font choice as well as the book cover make a difference in book selection. I always check the covers out but the blurb is more important to me than the cover. I am not going to be buying a kindle or an ebook very soon. I love the good old fashioned way of reading. I reserve the right to change my mind however. So what else determines what readers choose for their pleasure reading. Many readers love the romance genre. They can escape the realities of life and enter a world of glamour and exotic places. Others like a good mystery in which they can immerse themselves in finding out who dunnit. Adventure and intrigue are the choice for many while some only read nonfiction. When I read I want to learn more about lifestyles, areas of the world, or events that have effected us over the years but I want fiction rather than nonfiction. In my opinion the little tidbits that a good author uses in describing the setting of the novel or introducing you to the characters add to ones general knowledge. The plot may contain tidbits of information that one may or may not have known before. But back to the question of what is it that initially determines what a reader enjoys. I'm not sure we will ever know the answer to that question but I do know that with Google, Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari and good librarians everywhere, someone looking for a good read ought to be able to find a book just right for them.

Inventory

It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. Inventory. It means the end of school is at hand. An inventory can be done at any time of the year but May just seems to be a very good time for it. Inventory is the worst of times because it means trying to get all of those delinquent books back in and having to say no more check out to those students who love to read. The alternative to the book lovers is that we have an excellent library system in our area. All students should have library cards and use them regularly. The Metropolitan Library System has an excellent teen summer reading program planned. Back to inventory though. I do love scanning the books. It's almost cathartic. Of course there is the weeding that takes place as you scan, as well as planning for those areas of the collection that need to be supplemented. I never make it very far before finding a book or two that I really want to try to read this summer. Of course if I took those books off the shelf as I came to them, I would have a cart full very quickly. Too many books, so little time... Yes inventory is a time of shutting down but it is also a time of planning and gearing up for that new year that will be here oh so fast.

Digital Citizenship

There has been a lot of discussion among some of the teachers in our school district about digital citizenship. In fact several of the high school teachers, coordinators and librarians are planning a workshop for parents in the fall. Will an hour or even two-hour workshop be enough to get across the nine elements of digital citizenship as outlined by Mike Ribble on his Digital Citizenship site? I am glad that we are addressing this concept which has been thrust on us as educators by rapidly growing technology. As usual though we always seem to be rushing to catch up. I am afraid a workshop for high school student's parents will barely touch the surface of this dilemma. Digital citizenship needs to be taught from an early age just like we teach our children to say please and thank you, take turns on the slide, and chew with their mouths closed. A big problem as I see it is that more and more parents are leaving even the teaching of those skills to their day care providers. If this is indeed the case then we as teachers will need to pick up the slack.

Counselors in the elementary school teach lessons using Netsmart but those are taught out of context in short periods thoughout the school year. Middle schools may address digital citizenship during keyboarding and when computers are being used in research. High schools are probably touching on it when doing research with computers but there is no consistency. The teaching of digital citizenship is reliant on the technology level of the teachers, computer lab techs, and library media specialists who are working with these students and there is a wide variation in the technology skills within the school district. This is a real dilemma and this dilemma will continue to grow as technology escalates. This dilemma will no be solved easily.

Entry to Carl Albert High School.