Downton Abbey Recap: Episode 4

Melanie and I are such big fans of Downton Abbey and we're having a blast recaping the episodes each week and discussing what happens. Be sure to check out our Downton Abbey Episode Four Recap over at Melanie's blog this week!

And if you haven't watched Downton Abbey yet-what are you waiting for?

Tween Tuesday: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and add your link below.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Historical

Release Date: 1/10/2012

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About the Book: May has been sent to a neighbor's homestead to help out. It's only for a few months and it's a way her family can earn some extra money. Plus, it's not like she's doing much in school anyway-she's having trouble reading, so why does she need school? The neighbor's new bride isn't liking life on the Kansas prairie and she needs help cooking and cleaning. But when a tragedy leaves May alone as winter approaches, May must rely on her wits to survive.


GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: May B is a book that appeals to my tween self. If I had read this as a tween, I would have devoured and loved. I was obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder and living on the frontier (of course it was much more glamorous in my mind!) so this book was right up my ally.

May's story is told in verse which packs a powerful punch to May's journey. It works well because for most of the novel, May is alone, trapped in a snowstorm and trying to survive. I tend to not like books with little dialogue and with May on her own for most of the story, there's not a lot of dialogue happening in this book. But the verse format worked well for the story. It shows the seriousness of May's situation-she is alone and trying her best to survive.

I felt May's emotions and related to her more with the verse poetry. Each poem was like a glimpse into her thoughts instead of reading one long passage of her internal narration. I'm probably not describing it very well, but it worked wonderfully to help tell this story!

There's also a storyline that deals with May's dyslexia. May dreams of growing up and becoming a teacher, but she can't read. She's always had trouble in school and she had one teacher who has encouraged her dreams and one who has not. May has a difficult time trying to figure out who to believe and if she should hang onto her dreams of teaching. The nice thing is that her struggle with dyslexia isn't laid out all at once and told to us. We're shown slowly throughout the novel that May is struggling in school. This works well because we come to discover May's dyslexia by it being shown to us instead of being told.

The frontier aspect of the story will have lots of appeal to fans of historical fiction. May describes the household, the landscape and her struggle to survive in beautiful historical detail. Seriously, my frontier loving tween self would have loved this. I would have finished this book and immediately started planning what I would do if I were trapped in the snow! I would hand this book over to readers of Little House on the Prairie who I'm sure would love it. 

Book Pairings: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Unsigned Valentine by Johanna Hurwitz, Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from galley copy recieved via Netgalley

ALA Midwinter

Over the weekend, there was lots of discussion about drama at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. I feel as though my thoughts wouldn't add anything new, especially when two bloggers/librarians have written excellent posts. If you haven't already, read Kelly from Stacked  and Jennie from Biblio File posts. I think a discussion needs to happen about conference etiquette and the fine line between bloggers and librarians. I find this discussion fascinating, since I'm a blogger and a librarian. And be sure to comment-both have great discussions happening!

I did want to talk a bit about what I did at ALA Midwinter Meeting (and yes, it was a meeting for me-I had so many meetings it was crazy! One day I had meetings and publisher events from 7AM to 10PM! It's a lot of work, but it's a ton of fun and totally worth it!)

This January, I finished up my second term on Fabulous Films for Young Adults (FFYA). I can't tell you how many times over the course of my two years on this committee that I heard "what do movies have to do with libraries?" A lot actually! Did you know that libraries have movies available for check out? And that lots of libraries also check out TV Shows? Did you know that libraries even host movie programs? Sometimes it's a chance to catch a movie you may have missed on the big screen on another big screen (or at least a medium screen-we show ours via our Auditorium Projector. I also love the Kansas City Public Library Main Branch-the library was a bank before it was a library and the library converted the vault into a small theater perfect for movie showings!) Or what about libraries who show movies and host movie discussions or book to movie discussions? And even libraries who host family movie events including sing-a-longs of popular films!

The goal of FFYA is to provide a selection tool for librarians and teachers as well as a program guide. Each year the committee chooses a theme. Nominations are accepted from committee members as well as the general public. Anyone can fill out the nomination form and nominate a title! (This is true for most YALSA committees, so get your nominations in this year!) This year's theme was Song and Dance. Throughout the year (from February to December) the committee takes nominations, watches and discusses the films. At the Midwinter Meeting, our committee met over two days to discuss and narrow down our list of films to 25 (we had over 100 films nominated!) If we wanted to watch part of a film, we could do so if we felt we needed a refresher. We also had the option to watch films at the meeting if the majority of committee members hadn't seen a nominated title. Our committee did a ton of work throughout the year, so we had a majority vote on all of our films! We did do a lot of refresher watching though.

We started off with an initial vote-yes or no and counted maybe's as yes. We then had the opportunity to discuss each film with each member who wanted to say something having the chance. Then we would vote again. And again, and discuss, and vote and discuss, and vote until we had our final list of 25 Fabulous Films for Young Adults.

This year the committee decided to create read alikes and listen alikes that we will be sharing throughout the year. I really like this idea of tying films together with books and think it help librarians as they plan programs.

I loved my time on FFYA! It was a fun committee to be on (you get to talk about movies!) and I got to hang out with some very cool people! Seriously, our committee rocked! If you're looking to get involved in YALSA, I highly recommend FFYA-it's a fun committee and great way to get started in committee work. If you're not a member of YALSA, you can still contribute to FFYA by nominating titles. I wish this year's committee the best of luck!

Didn't I get a chance to do anything else but have meetings at Midwinter? Yes, I did. I got to attend three different publisher breakfasts which not only are a great way to network and eat yummy food, but also to find out about upcoming titles for kids and teens. I love these breakfasts because I come away with lots of notes about books to order and tell my staff about. I also love hearing the publisher comments about titles, especially the it's this meets this blurbs they give. I also attended Random House's publisher preview which wasn't a breakfast, but a fantastic preview anyway without the food!

I got to catch up with my wonderful ILOAs (my fabulous network of librarian friends who are the most brilliant, creative and supportive librarians I know!) We had several meals together and late evenings of talking and catching up which was a blast, especially since I only get to see them twice a year!

 Photo Credit: Kelly

And of course, a trip to the exhibit hall was in store opening night. It was crazy and I left early-it was a mad house! Last year's Midwinter was much more laid back and this year seemed so much crazier and it wore me out very quickly-plus I had a committee meeting to get to!

Bright and early Monday morning I attended the Youth Media Awards!

Photo Credit: Kelly

This was my second YMAs to attend live and it was a blast. I love cheering with everyone in the audience and hearing the surprise gasps when something unexpected happens (like the Schneider award not being given out for a picture book this year)

I also did lots of networking and talking with fellow librarians who I know only online and talking about books library programs, and YA services. If you're a librarian who has never been to ALA or hasn't been involved in ALA, I highly, highly recommend it! There's nothing better than getting together with other librarians and talking about what you love and coming back to your library with new ideas. ALA is always an exhausting few days, but it's well worth it!

YA Movie News

-Melanie at Melanie’s Musings and I have been blogging and discussing about Downton Abbey Season 2. Be  sure to catch Melanie’s recap of what we both agree was the best episode so far this season!

--Jandy Nelson’s debut novel, The Sky is Everywhere, has a big name star attached to the movie adaptation. Selena Gomez is attached to produce the film and most likely star.

-The Michael Buckley tween series, Nerds,  is heading to the big screen thanks to Elton John’s production company, Rocket Pictures. 

--From Cynopsis Kids, ABC has approved a one hour drama titled 666 Park Ave, based on a series by Gabriella Pierce. The series is from Alloy Entertainment who also produce The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle and Gossip Girl. The series is about a Midwestern couple who relocates to NY and find themselves in a building where the residents have made deals with the devils. I think this one could have teen appeal for sure!

-According to Diablo Cody, her adaptation of Sweet Valley High for the big screen may end up being a musical. 

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-Six of the nine Academy Award nominees for Best Picture have been adapted from books,  including two middle grade novels, Hugo (from The Invention of Hugo Cabret) and War Horse (from the book War Horse).  Early Word has a great round up of all book to movie nominees in all categories. I think an Academy Award Book Club would be a great library program!

ALA Youth Media Awards

Monday morning bright and early. ALA announced the youth Media Awards. I was at ALA so I was up early and part of the crowd there to hear the annoucements live! Of course, my predictions were pretty much wrong, which is part of the fun! I'm sure if you follow kidlit and YA, you've already read about the winners, but I wanted to share my thoughts and hear yours!

The Newbery Winner:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

-I have not read this book and honestly, it wasn't really on my radar before the Newbery. Of course I'm on hold for it now at my library! If you're read it, I'd love to know what you thought!

Newbery Honors:

-Inside Out and Back Again by Thannhha Lai-I've read this one and I really liked it a lot! I also really love seeing award love for verse novels!

-Breaking Stalin's Nose by Euguene Yelchin-Another one I'd heard of but was hardly on my radar.

Caldecott Winner:

A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka

-I'm a big dog lover, so of course this book made me have an awww moment at the end. It's so adorable! But can I share something? I don't know if I think the artwork in this book is my favorite. It's very good, but there was something a bit blurry to me. I still adore the book and I'm happy to see it honored, I just don't know that it would have been my pick, which is one of the fun parts about these awards-you never know!

Caldecott Honors:

-Blackout by John Rocco-This one I predicted and I'm so, so happy it got an honor! I love the artwork-it's just beautiful!!

-Grandpa Green by Lane Smith-Another book that I think has expectional artwork-I'm happy with this pick as well!

-Me...Jane by Patrick McDonald-Can you believe I haven't read this one yet? We recently got it in at my library, so I'll be reading it soon!!

Printz Winner:

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

-I actually read this book over Christmas but haven't reviewed it yet on the blog. I wish I had reviewed it sooner-now I'll feel like I'm jumping on the review bandwagon! This is a book that has so many brilliant storylines that feel like there's no way they can connect and yet somehow they do. It's masterfully done and I'm so excited to see what's next from John Corey Whaley! I'm also thrilled he not only won the Printz Award, but won the Morris Award as well! He was at ALA for the Morris reception and it was so cool to be able to congraulate him in person. I'm fully expecting John Corey Whaley to be the next big rock star author in YA!

Printz Honors: (of which I have read none! I need to read reading ASAP!)

-Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

-The Returning by Christine Hinwood

-The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

-Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

I'm also thrilled that Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson got illustrator love with a Coretta Scott King illustrator honor, but author love with a Coretta Scott King author win. And I love, love, love the illustrator win for Underground by Shane Evans!

I also love that Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick was a Schneider Family Book Award winner!

And I also am very happy for Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, which was a Morris finalist and the Pure Belpre author winner!

What were favorite award winners? Any moments of disappointment:?







Sharing A Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle In Time Facebook Page

50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Blogs Tour

I can't believe that one of my alltime favorite books, A Wrinkle In Time, is celebrating it's 50th Anniversary! To celebrate, Macmillan Books has 50 blogs writing about the book and I'm honored to be participating! Macmillan Books is excited too-so much so they released an amazing new edition of the book:

And it's not just a pretty cover. There are lots of features included that make it a great choice for longtime fans:
The 50th Anniversary Commemorative edition features:

•       Frontispiece photo*†
•       Photo scrapbook with approximately 10 photos*†
•       Manuscript pages*†
•       Letter from 1963 Caldecott winner, Ezra Jack Keats*†
•       New introduction by Katherine Paterson, US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature  †
•       New afterword by Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter Charlotte Voiklis including six never-before-seen photos †
•       Murry-O’Keefe family tree with new artwork †
•       Madeleine L’Engle’s Newbery acceptance speech

* Unique to this edition                † never previously published

I'm telling you-if you love A Wrinkle In Time, you need to get a copy of this edition!!

I've mentioned it several times before, but A Wrinkle In Time is one of my favorite books from my childhood. For me, A Wrinkle In Time is a book that stays with you and never lets you go. It's a book I still think about as an adult. From the first words, "It was a dark and stormy night" you can't help but be pulled in and want to escape into the pages. Growing up, I was much like Meg Murray. I felt like I didn't fit in, I had a terrible temper problem, and I felt a bit lost. Reading about Meg made me feel better. Meg could go on amazing adventures, save her father, and even win the affections of Calvin O'Keefe. If Meg could do it, so could I. And yes, I had a crush on Calvin-really, who didn't?

I was a shy reader and every time I went to the library, all I really wanted was for a librarian to tell me about a great book to read or talk to me about books. But I was too shy to talk to them first. I knew where and how the books were shelved, I knew how to search the catalog, and I knew how to browse for exactly what I wanted, so I never approached the children's desk. And the librarians never really approached me.

Now I work as a youth services librarian and it's my goal every day to reach out to those kids who are wandering in the stacks. They may already know about great books, but I know they're looking for more. I always love it when I come across that special reader who I can share a secret with-"have you read A Wrinkle In Time?" It's one of those books that you have to find the perfect reader and I feel it's a special book to share with my avid readers who are ready for this journey. It's a book for readers who are looking for something new and exciting. They have to want to journey with Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace. They need to be able to accept new worlds and ideas of the tesseract. They must make new friends in Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. A Wrinkle In Time is a very special book that deserves a very special reader. I love finding those readers and realizing that they, like me, are like Meg, or even Charles Wallace or Calvin. They will read the book and clutch it to them and reread it again after finishing. I love when they come back to the library and ask if there are more and I happily tell them that yes, the story isn't over yet!

Sharing my childhood favorites with readers and reaching out to kids who I know need A Wrinkle In Time make my job the best job in the world. I hope I can continue to share Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin's journey with many readers to come.

How will you be celebrating A Wrinkle In Time's 50th Anniversary?

Storytime: Colors!

For toddler storytimes we decided to start the new storytime season off with concepts. The first concept storytime I did was colors. Here's what I planned:
Opening Song: We always open toddler storytime with Finger Poppin by Georgiana Stewart. It's a bit annoying, but the kids love it and I see them walk into storytime popping their fingers, so I can never get rid of it!

Literacy Skill: We recently rebranded and renamed our early literacy program, so our skill was Talk and Read (or vocab, if you're on the old Every Child Ready to Read language)

Book: Freight Train by Donald Crewes-my library has a big book copy of this one, which makes it more fun to read. The toddlers love the big books and the simple text and colors of this one make it perfect for this age group.

Song: These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner-I sing this every week and it's so fun to watch the kids learn it!

"These are my glasses"-(make circles with your hands around eyes)

"And here is my book"-(make hands into closed book in front of you)

"I put on my glasses"-(lift circles with your hands around eyes)

"And open up my book"-(open palms into a book)

"And I read, read, read, and I look, look, look"

"Then I take off my glasses"-(move circles with your hands down from eyes)

"And whoops, close up the book!" (close palms into book in front of you)

Book: Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean-one of my favorite storytime books and great for colors!

Action Rhyme: If You're Wearing Red Today (to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man)-source: Storytime Katie

(I changed it from wearing to holding, since I have around 25-30 kids in storytime and didn't want to have to sing every color they were wearing! I cut out pieces of paper in red, green, blue and yellow and passed them around the room." This rhyme was fun and easy to do and the parents helped the younger ones stand up when it was their turn.

If you're holding red (blue, green, yellow) today,

Red today, red today,

If you're holding red today,

Stand up and say "hooray!"

Flannel Board: Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd-I made a flannel board (my first one!!) for Dog's Colorful Day using a pattern from the book Toddler Storytimes 2 by Diane Briggs.

Action Rhyme: Driving In My Little Red Car (To the tune of 'Ten Little Indians")-Source: Storytime Katie 

(I used the papers from the previous rhyme for our colored cars for the kids to "drive" They loved this one rhyme too and had lots of fun singing it!)

Driving in my little red (blue, green, yellow) car,

Driving in my little red car,

Driving in my little red car,

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.

Dance With Scarves-Song: Rainbow Connection from For the Kids

-I love using scarves-it's basic movement and music skills, you can dance fast or slow, shake them up or down, side to side, and you can use whatever music you like! I love the For the Kids CDs-great songs for kids and it's not annoying for parents!

Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr, illustrated by Eric Carle-what's a storytime about colors with Brown Bear, Brown Bear? Instead of reading this one, I sang it to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Song: If You're Happy and You Know It

Book: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle-I end all my storytimes with this book because I love how interactive it is!

Closing: Skinamarink



Overall this was a fun storytime and the kids all really enjoyed it. The action rhymes were easy enough for the parents to learn (I wrote the words on the whiteboard so they could sing along) and the books were all a good length.