tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60758903611932305832024-03-16T00:56:06.442-05:00GreenBeanTeenQueen<blockquote>A Children's, Tween and Teen Librarian's thoughts on books, reading and adventures in the library.</blockquote>
GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.comBlogger1401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-51703071619296884372018-09-12T06:00:00.000-05:002018-09-12T06:00:06.277-05:00Bedtime Books for the WearyToday I'm over at the <a href="https://wp.me/p5Z0QG-4YA" target="_blank">ALSC Blog talking about some of my new favorite bedtime-themed books!</a><br />
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-58014533736587357062018-04-24T07:00:00.000-05:002018-04-24T07:00:02.998-05:00Girl Power Graphic Novel Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There's nothing like girl power mixed with graphic novels to kickstart a return to blogging! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">First Second has long been one of my favorite graphic novel publishers, so when they asked if I wanted to be part of a special tour highlighting girl power graphic novels, I couldn't say no. They have some great new releases and some older favorites that you must add to your collection if you have graphic novel fans at your library-or at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I first read <i>Giants Beware! </i>when it came out a few years ago and I loved it! </span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317068387l/12159923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317068387l/12159923.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My original review from 2012:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><strong>About the Book:</strong> Claudette dreams of being a giant slayer. But her village has no threats from giants since a giant slayer years ago. Claudette doesn't believe the stories though and she believes it's her duty to find and slay the giant that lives beyond her city. Along with her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess) and her brother Gaston (a pastry chef in the making), Claudette sets out on a fantastical journey to slay the giant and become a hero-so giants beware!!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><strong>GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: </strong>If your library tweens are anything like mine, they are always asking for the graphic novel series Bone. Giants Beware is the perfect graphic novel to hand over to those readers who like humor mixed into their adventure fantasy. It reminded me of Bone crossed with The Princess Bride with a touch of the adventure from Amulet.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The full color illustrations make this graphic novel fun to read. There is a lot of detail in the artwork, which I always enjoy and I felt as though I really got to know the characters. Claudette is strong and very spunky-she will get her way no matter what! She's a bit selfish and thinks of herself first, but she learns the importance of her friendship with Marie and Gaston along the way. And how could you not love Gaston and Marie? They both have dreams that might seem silly to anyone else, but they fully believe they can make them come true and you can't help but cheer them on. The three together make a delightful group that you would want to tag along with you on any adventure.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The supporting characters all felt fleshed out-from the townsfolk to Claudette and Gaston's father-each character was fully realized, even if they only appeared briefly. In many ways this graphic novel read like an animated film-the illustrations, the jokes, the characters-all could transition easily to the big screen which could make a nice selling point to readers.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Add this one to your graphic novel collection and I'm sure it will fly off your library shelf. While the story wraps up, there are some loose ends that leave a possibility of a sequel (or several) featuring Claudette, Marie and Gaston and I'm really hoping this isn't the last we've seen of them!</i></span></div>
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<i style="clear: left; color: #666666; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410982362l/22718678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong>Book Pairings:</strong> How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell Bone by Jeff Smith, Amulet by Kazu Kabuish</a>i</i></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497044171l/34637632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497044171l/34637632.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />In my review, I had mentioned how much I had hoped there would be more to this series and I'm thrilled to say there are more! <i>Dragons Beware!</i> and <i>Monsters Beware! </i>are hilarious adventures featuring these memorable and lovable characters. If your library is anything like mine and you can't keep graphic novels for middle grade on the shelf, you have to tell kids about these books-and I think you can even sell adults on them with the <i>Bone </i>mixed with <i>The Princess Bride</i> feel. My four-year-old was so interested in the covers he wanted to read them all. We made it through a few panels, mostly to look at all the bad guys, and he loved the art. I'm looking forward to when he's older and I share these awesome stories of standing up for yourself, being who you are, and girl power. </span></div>
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-47872102028940971022017-06-21T07:00:00.000-05:002017-06-21T07:00:17.516-05:00LibraryCon Year 2: Revenge of the Con: Geeky Storytime<span style="font-family: inherit;">With LibraryCon 3 only two months away, it's about time I wrote about last year's event! Sheesh! But I'm back with lots of LibraryCon notes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can read about <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2017/03/librarycon-year-2-revenge-of-con-part.html" target="_blank">planning LibraryCon Year 2 here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought I would devote an entire post to Geeky Storytime at LibraryCon since it's one of the things I get asked most about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Toddler GreenBean as Batman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have tried hosting Geeky Storytimes as a special evening storytime before (I wrote about those <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2013/11/fandom-starts-early-storytime.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2014/10/geek-storytime-part-2-return-of-fandom.html" target="_blank">here</a> and the <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2015/08/fandom-starts-early-storytime.html" target="_blank">LibraryCon 1 edition here</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For year 2, we decided to utilize our StoryHour Room as a tabletop gaming room, which meant we needed a new spot for Geeky Storytime to kick off LibraryCon. We opted to host it just outside the children's department, as we have an open area there, we could fit more people, and we hoped we could draw more attendees this way. All of that worked out perfectly and just as we had hoped!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I started off the storytime with welcoming everyone to LibraryCon and Geeky Storytime by playing Hedwig's Theme. This worked great as drew people to the area and let them know something was going on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then I had the kids join me in a geeky rhyme I wrote just for Geeky Storytime (feel free to use in your Geeky Storytimes too!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am geeky</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes it’s</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">true</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am geeky</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How about</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">you?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">many things</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love to</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">do</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And no</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">one can tell me</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They are</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">not cool </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So stand</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">up proud</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And shout</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">hooray</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For all</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the geeky things</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ll do</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">today!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I had a hard time deciding what books I wanted to read as I wanted fandom based stuff, but also general fantasy/science fiction stuff too. I opted to go with a newer title, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25689017-a-unicorn-named-sparkle?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>A Unicorn Named Sparkle</i> by Amy Young</a> as I wanted something new that my audience had most likely not read yet. </span></div>
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Then it was time for a song. I tried to get the kids up and moving with <a href="http://www.thelearninggroove.com/we-are-monsters" target="_blank">We Are Monsters by The Learning Groove</a>, but most of my crowd wasn't interested in getting up and dancing. So I might cut out more action oriented songs next time as they were feeling a bit shy. </div>
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Next, I read one of my new favorites, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29058898-bedtime-for-batman?from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>Bedtime for Batman</i> by Michael Dahl</a>. This one was a huge crowd pleaser. Since it had just been released right before LibraryCon, I knew my audience would be delighted to discover this book and they loved it. I had several parents comment about how much they enjoyed this book and wanted it for their kids. (I'm happy to say Mr. Dahl has continued the series with <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31311458-good-morning-superman?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Good Morning, Superman</a> </i>and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34139162-be-a-star-wonder-woman" target="_blank">Be a Star, Wonder Woman</a>) </i></div>
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Rhyme time again! I used <a href="https://storytimekatie.com/2014/04/15/superheroes/" target="_blank">Did You Ever See a Superhero from Storytime Katie</a>. </div>
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Since 2016 was the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, we decided to hold special TrekTalks throughout the day. I wanted to included something Trek related in Geeky Storytime too, so I created a flannel for Star Trek: The Next Generation and made up a Five Little Crewmen Jumping on the Bridge Rhyme in which Picard of course calls Doctor Crusher for help. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/83142930/star-trek-inspired-quiet-book-pattern" target="_blank">Pattern from Julie Bell-Etsy</a>)</span></div>
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Sadly, I don't think I had any kids that even knew the characters, but the adults had a good laugh. The kids thought Worf was Chewbacca and Troi was a princess. But hey-this is why I do Geeky Storytime! We need to fully educate our future geeks!</div>
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Since I had mostly Star Wars fans, and the local Garrison cosplayers were at LibraryCon, I had to do a Star Wars song too. I took the tune of BINGO and changed it to "V-A-D-E-R" <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMbLf9gEvQ_FKTVLQVxk5Pq3liE_9yRe3kSHn8wxzggY-kUd7JNcxvnyApW6SxjFcMuQIL7pYNfq-VeuIu7CEOBqrgUwGMfvQ3-inGSjp-bmdzLFEYRSK9Q_w7weazU8RhUOwtaibBhDt/s1600/IMG_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMbLf9gEvQ_FKTVLQVxk5Pq3liE_9yRe3kSHn8wxzggY-kUd7JNcxvnyApW6SxjFcMuQIL7pYNfq-VeuIu7CEOBqrgUwGMfvQ3-inGSjp-bmdzLFEYRSK9Q_w7weazU8RhUOwtaibBhDt/s320/IMG_0777.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was a Jedi</div>
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Who turned dark</div>
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And Vader was his name-o</div>
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V-A-D-E-R</div>
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And Vader was his name-o</div>
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I used the white board pictured above to spell out Vader and on the other side was a picture of Darth Vader to signify when to clap that letter. The kids of course loved this one.<br />
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Since LibraryCon 2 was happening shortly after Pokemon Go had just been released, my amazingly creative husband wrote a parody version of <i>Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See</i> with <i>Pikachu, Pikachu What Do You See</i></div>
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I added his words and some pictures of each Pokemon to some cardstock and created big flashcards to sing along with. This was another very popular one, especially since we had some cosplayers for Pokemon and many kids catching Pokemon in the library. </div>
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To finish our very special Geeky Storytime, I brought out of huge parachute and tossed the TARDIS around to the Doctor Who theme. </div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-4830264758189388562017-03-20T07:00:00.000-05:002017-03-24T13:56:19.582-05:00Celebrating The Very Hungry Caterpillar DayToday is The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vpGlUc8neQiXO7Sn0DMC6UZEHedi59yhe9oEkz7Yj193VV766N-2voPTprVEsLUhf4pxo110vvTN8iE2yogrsdov_6IvSyB6WgvdXW65XDRQ6gFOveRoVjXlYX-T64KnCP2bFPlg3g3f/s1600/vhc+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vpGlUc8neQiXO7Sn0DMC6UZEHedi59yhe9oEkz7Yj193VV766N-2voPTprVEsLUhf4pxo110vvTN8iE2yogrsdov_6IvSyB6WgvdXW65XDRQ6gFOveRoVjXlYX-T64KnCP2bFPlg3g3f/s320/vhc+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't say enough good things about the beloved book by Eric Carle. I loved it as a child, I loved it again as a librarian, and I love it even more as a parent. </div>
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<i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i> is such a great storytime book. There are so many ways to use it! Of course, I love reading it and even adding music and singing as the caterpillar munches his way across the pages. But my most favorite way of telling this story is through our Very Hungry Caterpillar sock puppet. </div>
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I'm not sure where the sock puppet idea came from originally at my library as it was made before I started there, but you can see an example of one at <a href="https://busycraftingmommy.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/very-hungry-caterpillar-sock-puppet-for-flannel-board/" target="_blank">Busy Crafting Mama </a>who shared one for Flannel Friday a few years ago. The idea of the storytelling puppet is that you wear the caterpillar sock on your arm and add the various foods as you tell the story and move the food up your arm and then end with a beautiful butterfly!</div>
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It doesn't matter what age group I use the caterpillar puppet with-it always has the same effect. The kids, and often the parents, are just in awe of the magic of storytelling and there's an excitement in the room after the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. It's one of my most favorite moments as a librarian and it happens every time I tell this story or read this book-it never gets old. </div>
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I also learned to love <i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i> even more as a parent. It was one of the first books BabyGreenBean learned to "read" and his stuffed toy caterpillar was a constant companion during his first year. He had the stuffed caterpillar before he read the book and one day, when he was about one, I brought the book home from the library to read to him. I pulled it out of my bag and his eyes lit up with recognition-it was caterpillar! It was such a great moment as a librarian mama! Now he knows the story well enough he "reads" the book and re-tells the story himself with his Very Hungry Caterpillar lacing cards. He loves Eric Carle's books and loves finding caterpillar hidden in The World of Eric Carle logo as well as sorting all his Eric Carle books together because he recognizes the illustrations. Seeing him love the book makes me fall in love with it even more.</div>
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In honor of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day, Penguin Young Readers has a giveaway!</div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327878225l/4948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327878225l/4948.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.6667px; padding-left: 36pt;">
Enter for a chance to win one (1) of five (5) copies of <i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i> by Eric Carle (ARV: $21.99 each).</div>
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2105404997" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">12:00 AM</span></span> Eastern Time on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2105404998" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">March 20, 2017</span></span> and <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2105404999" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">12:00 AM on March 27, 2017</span></span>. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2105405000" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">March 29, 2017</span></span>. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.</div>
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-82107554453005173632017-03-17T07:00:00.000-05:002017-03-17T07:00:01.268-05:00LibraryCon Year 2: Revenge of the Con-Part One-The PlanningWell, I finally have time to sit down and type up all my thoughts about LibraryCon Year 2, or as I lovingly called it, Revenge of the Con!!!<br />
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LibraryCon 2015 was such a huge success we knew we had to repeat it. (You can check my posts about our first year here: <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2015/07/library-programs-librarycon-part-one.html">Part One</a>, <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2015/07/library-programs-librarycon-part-two.html">Part Two</a>, <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2015/07/library-programs-librarycon-part-3-what.html">Part Three)</a><br />
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Yet even with that success (400+ in attendance, great feedback from attendees and participants), we realized after the fact that we forgot all about marketing and promoting the Library itself. We figured people would walk into the Library, but with nothing to draw them there and with the entire event being held in our main concourse and meeting rooms, no one actually entered the Library. So the first item up on our planning agenda was to figure out how to promote ourselves.<br />
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The first suggestion was for us to have a table ourselves. We collected various swag from conferences (with multiple staff attending ALA Annual, we were able to talk to comic publishers there and pick up lots of posters, bookmarks, and other giveaways.) We also contacted various publishers for promo items and we received some amazing stuff! In addition to all the giveaways at our Library table, we wanted lots of items to promote the Library and all of our upcoming programs as well as various services we provide that we thought would appeal to our crowd. Dobby served as our table mascot:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Credit: LibraryCon Facebook Page)</span></div>
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We also helped our gift shop set up a sidewalk sale of geeky items like buttons, mugs, bags, stickers, etc. Our gift shop is right next to our front entrance so it got tons of traffic and was another way to promote the Library-and give money back to the Library since the shop is run by our Friends group.<br />
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Since attendees failed to enter the Library last year and we didn't want to crowd everyone into the concourse, we decided to bring some of the guests and vendors out into the Library. We created an "author's alley" just outside of the teen area which brought people into the Library. It also helped promote our science fiction, fantasy, horror and comic areas both in teen and adult since the tables were set up near the stacks. We also used the story hour room as an all day tabletop gaming room, which was a huge hit and busy all day long! And we moved things like the illustrator draw-along and Geeky Storytime into an area outside of the children's department so it was more centrally located in the Library.<br />
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In year one, we weren't sure what the response would be like and planned long breaks between each panel-and we only had three panels. We heard from attendees they wanted more and we realized we didn't need to worry about breaks, attendees would plan their own. So we added more panels and more consecutive things happening to hopefully help with crowd control. Giving attendees more options of things to do at one time helped with people not getting bored or restless with the con.<br />
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I am always trying to promote librarians as experts and try to promote that we excel at reader's advisory. Since this is a group of people who were likely readers and who were interested in genre fiction, I recruited a group of co-workers and some of my staff members to kickoff our panels with a panel presented by librarians. We titled our session "What Geeks Should Read Next: What's New in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror and Comics"<br />
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The staff that participated are all pretty geeky readers themselves, so it was lots of fun putting together a list and really hard to limit ourselves to just four-five titles to talk about! We also had a great mix of age range among the panelists as well as what we read, so we were able to cover multiple genres and age ranges from middle grade, young adult, and adult. I asked all the panelists to focus on titles that had either been released in the last six months of were upcoming in the Fall 2016 or Winter 2017. We also gave away lots of book swag at this panel. It was a great way to promote the Library and our staff as experts in what to read next. We heard from many attendees that this was their favorite panel of the con-yes!<br />
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As far as promoting the event, we had fliers with a full agenda and a Facebook event page made in addition to our regular promotion in our programming guide, newspaper listings, and Library website and Facebook. The Facebook page was the best promotion we got as our guests and vendors could share it with friends and fans and post teasers about what they were bringing-several artists did this! It was also a great way for us to answer questions people had about the event (Was it free? Yes. Open to all ages? Yes. Registration? No. Family friendly cosplay welcome? Yes.) We also posted about giveaways and other tidbits to get people excited leading up to the event.<br />
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More to come on how all our planning took shape and what year 2 turned out like!<br />
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-25009804720957899172016-12-02T07:52:00.002-06:002016-12-02T07:52:54.360-06:00ALSC Blog: Winter themed books for Storytime<br />
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Today I'm over at the <a href="http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2016/12/new-winter-themed-books-storytime/">ALSC blog </a>talking about my new favorite winter themed storytime books. Please join me!<br />
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-70045854509446926242016-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:002016-11-02T06:00:22.131-05:00Blog Tour: Journey's End by Rachel Hawkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Genre: Mystery/Contemporary</b><br />
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<b>Release Date: 10/25/2016</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18296902-journey-s-end?from_search=true"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></div>
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About the Book: Nolie is spending the summer in Scotland in a small village with her scientist dad. He's there researching the Boundary-the mysterious fog at the edge of Journey's End. The fog seems to be moving closer but the town can't take any warnings of danger too seriously-the fog is their livelihood and tourism depends on it. Especially for Bel's family who runs a tour boat out to the Boundary. When Nolie and Bel strike up a friendship the two become entangled in the mystery of Journey's End the fog that may be making it's way to devour the town. When Albert appears, a boy who went into the fog in 1918 to light the legendary lighthouse, Bel and Nolie know something strange is happening in Journey's End it's up to them to save the town and stop the fog from claiming more lives. </div>
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<b>GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: </b> <i>Journey's End</i> is a bit mystery, a bit of a friendship story, a bit of a spooky ghost story, and a lot of fun. I'm so excited to see Rachel Hawkins writing middle grade and she gets the voice and tween turmoil just right. In the midst of a mysterious fog creeping into town, this novel is about friendship and forgiveness. Bel is working through her hurt from her best friend growing up and ditching her for a new girl. Nolie is dealing with her parent's divorce and how that has changed her. The girls friendship with each other helps them find understanding and forgiveness. </div>
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Add in some mysterious fog and a missing boy coming back 100 years later and you've got a very readable and likable mystery for middle grade readers. </div>
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The mystery element is part paranormal, part legend, part ghost story and I think readers who enjoy ghostly happenings that aren't too spooky will enjoy this novel. Things never get too scary and there's also a good dose of humor from Nolie who likes to joke around and from Albert, adjusting to life in the twenty-first century. </div>
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I listened to this book on audio and I loved the narrator's accents for each character. A bit southern for Nolie's Georgia accent, Bel's Scottish accent, and Albert's thicker brogue. I also liked that the audiobook added to some of the humor and upped the tension in certain scenes. I would suggest this in book and audiobook format to my interested readers. </div>
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As part of the tour, I thought I would give my top reasons to check out<i> Journey's End</i>. </div>
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My top three reasons to get your hands on <i>Journey's End</i> are:</div>
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1. It's the perfect read for a cold, foggy, wintery morning. Nothing better than reading about some creepy fog while you can look outside and see eerie fog yourself!</div>
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2. It's a ghostly story that's tame enough for readers looking for something gentle. I promise you won't be scared! But you may think twice about the weather!</div>
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3. It's ToddlerGreenBean approved! I had my print copy of this one sitting on the couch and every time it was out, ToddlerGreenBean would pick up and want to read it to me. Something about the cover fascinated him and I think he'll be enjoying this one in a few years! </div>
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Be sure to keep Journey's End in mind if you have readers looking for light mysteries. It's a nice mix of stories I think it will find many fans. </div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-58231059036083511072016-10-11T08:17:00.001-05:002016-10-11T08:17:28.307-05:00MLA 2016 Booklist-YA (and MG) Lit UpdateFor those of you that attended the Missouri Library Association Conference last week (or for those that missed it!) here is the booklist of titles I talked about. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them and if you have any favorites of 2016!<br />
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<b>Trends</b>:<br />
Origin Stories & Retellings (fairy tales, classics, history retold, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland)<br />
Sequels and Series<br />
Contemporary Fiction continues to rise<br />
Creative formats (<i>Replica </i>by Lauren Oliver, <i>Between Worlds</i> by Skip Brittenham)<br />
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<b>Middle Grade/Young YA:</b><br />
<i>Ghost </i>by Jason Reynolds<br />
<i>Ghosts </i>by Raina Telgemeier<br />
<i>The Girl Who Drank the Moon</i> by Kelly Barnhill<br />
<i>The Inquisitor's Tale</i> by Adam Gidwitz<br />
<i>It Ain't So Awful, Falafel</i> by Firoozeh Dumas<br />
<i>Pax </i>by Sara Pennypacker<br />
<i>Save Me a Seat</i> by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan<br />
<i>Shadow Magic</i> by Joshua Kahn<br />
<i>Raymie Nightingale</i> by Kate DiCamillo<br />
<i>Some Writer!</i> by Melissa Sweet<br />
<i>Wolf Hollow</i> by Lauren Wolk<br />
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<b>Young Adult:</b><br />
<i>And I Darken</i> by Kiersten White<br />
<i>Exit, Pursued by a Bear</i> by E. K. Johnston<br />
<i>Girl in the Blue Coat</i> by Monica Hesse<br />
<i>The Girl From Everywhere</i> by Heidi Heilig<br />
<i>The Great American Whatever</i> by Tim Federle<br />
<i>Highly Illogical Behavior</i> by John Corey Whaley<br />
<i>Holding Up the Universe</i> by Jennifer Niven<br />
<i>If I Was Your Girl</i> by Meredith Russo<br />
<i>The May Queen Murders</i> by Sarah Jude<br />
<i>Passenger </i>by Alexandra Bracken<br />
<i>Rebel of the Sands</i> by Alwyn Hamilton<br />
<i>The Reader</i> by Traci Chee<br />
<i>Salt to the Sea</i> by Ruta Sepetys<br />
<i>The Sun is Also a Star</i> by Nicola Yoon<br />
<i>The Unexpected Everything</i> by Morgan Matson<br />
<i>We Are the Ants</i> by Shaun David Hutchinson<br />
<i>When We Collided</i> by Emery Lord<br />
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-36701739930936717152016-09-18T13:37:00.003-05:002016-09-18T13:37:55.218-05:00Celebrating Roal Dahl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>2016 is the 100th birthday of Roald Dahl. The publisher of his books, Penguin Random House, has set up a special blog tour to celebrate the occasion. </i><br />
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When I was in fourth grade, we read <i>James and the Giant Peach</i> by Roald Dahl. I had always been a reader but something about this book made me really fall in love with it. I loved it so much that I wrote a letter to Mr. Dahl telling him how much I enjoyed the book and probably other fourth grade things like about what I liked to do, that I loved to read, and all that kid letter writing stuff.<br />
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I didn't realize that Roald Dahl had passed away just a year before and I'm not sure my teacher did either. She sent my letter along to the publisher. Several weeks later I received a package at school that was full of Roald Dahl goodies-bookmarks, posters, a mobile (I think for <i>James and the Giant Peach</i> but I don't remember!) and other book swag. The publisher wrote me back and said they were sorry to let me know that Roald Dahl had recently passed away but they were so happy that I loved his books and they wanted to share some special things with me since I was a reader and a fan.<br />
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I was always an incredibly shy kid. I felt more comfortable with books and didn't like to talk much at school. I didn't have a lot of friends and never really felt like I fit in in elementary school.<br />
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Yet when that package of book swag arrived, I was suddenly the most popular girl in my class. Reading was cool. Everyone wanted to share in the excitement in hearing back from the publisher. We had read the book as a class and everyone was excited to see what I got. Since I took the initiative to write the letter to the author and share my love of the book, I was the hero of the class.<br />
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My popularity didn't last forever and I was OK with that. I didn't want it to. But I always remember the feeling that Roald Dahl and his US publisher gave shy fourth grader me. I felt like my love of books mattered. That I wasn't odd for loving to read and visiting the library every day I could. That it was cool to be a fan of an author and to write to the author and tell them how much you liked their books. The day I opened that box of swag all about Roald Dahl, I felt like being a reader was my super power.<br />
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I think that moment may have been one to put me on the path to librarianship, even if I didn't realize it at the time. Now I get to share the wonderfulness of Roald Dahl's books with numerous readers and help them discover their own reading super powers. His books are some of my forever go-to choices for reading aloud. There have been many fantastic audiobooks produced of his titles as well that I suggest for family listening. His books are classics and reach across generations and I believe they will continue to do so. He never spoke down to children and I think that's something children of any year and time period want-to be respected and to be heard. I know when I received that package in fourth grade, I felt as though I had been heard.<br />
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Thank you Roald Dahl for all of your wonderful contributions to children's literature and for making me feelGreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-61656330049845360772016-09-06T07:00:00.001-05:002016-09-06T07:00:23.405-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Alcatraz Series by Brandon Sanderson</b><br />
<b>Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Adventure</b><br />
<b>Release Date: 9/6/2016</b><br />
<b><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765381408">To Purchase</a></b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18714787-the-dark-talent?from_search=true">Add to Goodreads</a><br />
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<b>About the Book: </b>(from publisher) <i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Dark Talent</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> is the fifth action-packed fantasy </span>adventure in the Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series for young readers by the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. This never-before-published, fast-paced, and funny novel is now available in a deluxe hardcover edition, illustrated by Hayley Lazo.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Alcatraz </span>Smedry has successfully defeated the army of Evil Librarians and saved the kingdom<br />
of Mokia. Too bad he managed to break the Smedry Talents in the process. Even<br />
worse, his father is trying to enact a scheme that could ruin the world, and<br />
his friend, Bastille, is in a coma. To revive her, Alcatraz must infiltrate the<br />
Highbrary—known as The Library of Congress to Hushlanders—the seat of Evil<br />
Librarian power. Without his Talent to draw upon, can Alcatraz figure out a way<br />
to save Bastille and defeat the Evil Librarians once and for all?<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">“Like </span>Lemony Snicket and superhero comics rolled into one.” –<i>Publishers Weekly</i>, starred review<br />
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<b style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">GreenBeanTeenQueen Says:</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"> I am so, so, very excited about this book release everyone! About nine years ago, not long after I first started working in the library, I came across a new book called </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">. I was looking for books for tween readers, especially books to suggest after Harry Potter, and this one just sounded so fun-a boy who has a talent of breaking things, a grandfather who shows up late to everything, and librarians who have an evil plot to take over the world? I couldn't resist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I read the first Alcatraz book and I loved it. In fact, you can read my original review of <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2009/11/tween-tuesday.html"><i>Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians</i></a> I posted not long after I started this blog! Since then, this series has been one of my go-to suggestions for tween and adult readers looking for a great series. I suggest it when they're looking for humor, fantasy, or just a good book. It's especially great as a family read aloud-there's something for everyone and I can really pull in adult readers with the fact that many are familiar with Brandon Sanderson's adult fantasy titles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">My patrons and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the fifth book in the series-book one starts with an epic opening preview that we haven't gotten to see yet. I am so glad Tor Books was able to release all five of the Alcatraz series in beautiful new hardcover editions that are illustrated. I can't keep these books on my library shelf and I love having these new editions to hand to patrons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">If you haven't discovered the Alcatraz Smedry series, you must do so! I know you won't be disappointed. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Of course, I can't tell them if I'm really an evil librarian or not, but if I was, I wouldn't be telling you to read this ridiculous fiction (or would I?)</span><br />
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-30908384374931198282016-09-05T14:00:00.000-05:002016-09-05T21:17:27.195-05:00Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;"><b>Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi </b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><b>Release Date: 8/30/2016 </b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre: Fantasy/Adventure</b></span></div>
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<b>About the Book:</b> Alice was born in the magical world of Ferenwood but doesn't have any magic herself. In a land where color is magic, Alice is the lightest of all and doesn't fit in. The only person who ever made her feel special was Father-but he disappeared three years ago leaving Alice with her uncaring Mother and her three brothers. When Oliver Newbanks, an old nemesis, tells Alice that he needs help completing his task (the magical undertaking all children of Ferenwood must complete) and that he knows where Father is and can bring him home, Alice is faced with a tough choice. Oliver's magic lies in deciet and Alice is never sure if she can trust him but she wants Father home more than anything. The journey will be dangerous and take her into the odd land of Futhermore where nothing is as it seems and time must not be wasted. In a world filled with strange creatures and rules. Alice must find herself and her magic to bring Father home. </div>
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<b>GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: </b>There's been a trend lately in middle grade fantasy with more books appearing for this age group that are quirky, magical, Alice in Wonderland-types. <i>Futhermore </i>firmly fits into that category. With a magical land that never quite makes sense, things are measured in time, twisting rules that you, numerous villages with various quirks and citizens who want to eat up visitors for their magic, <i>Furthermore </i>is quite a twisty read. </div>
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Alice's story is a fine one for readers who enjoy this type of twisting and somewhat confusing and creative fantasy. But I can also see more sophisticated readers getting frustrated as well. The author can easily get characters out of various escapades by adding some new revelation. There are multiple asides from the author/narrator as well, but these don't always work and instead some of the humor that is supposed to be there falls a bit flat. The narrator interjections are inconsistent. It also takes a long time for more explanations of the world building, but once you get there I thought it was well done if a bit convenient at times. </div>
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Alice's story takes awhile to get going and once we get to her adventures in Furthermore, the story is fun and there are lots of unique adventures that Alice and Oliver have. But I was very let down by the ending which felt too quickly wrapped up. It felt like we went through a lot of meandering and adventure only to have it solved in an instant. It was as though someone said "hey, this book is getting too long-wrap it up now and stop writing!" It felt too abrupt and too clean an ending and answer for such an epic adventure. After multiple chapters and pages of a journey, everything was wrapped up in about twenty pages, so I was left with little closure and this was a bit of a let down. </div>
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I do think <i>Futhermore </i>would be a good choice for readers who enjoy Wonderland-esque tales and I think some readers will very much get into Alice's adventures and the wondrous world of <i>Furthermore</i>. It's an engaging enough read and I think young readers will enjoy it and I think it may have some limited reader appeal-at least from my experience with the fantasy readers at my library. I just wish there had been some tighter writing and more depth to the novel. I had higher hopes for this one and while I enjoyed it, I can't say it will be memorable for long after I read it but I had fun while reading.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Full Disclosure: Reviewed from purchased ebook from personal library</span></div>
GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-10551967119550393602016-07-21T07:00:00.000-05:002016-07-21T07:00:10.263-05:00Blog Tour: The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne AUTHOR GUEST POST<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Please welcome author C.C. Payne to GreenBeanTeenQueen! She's here to talk about her latest novel, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272417-the-thing-about-leftovers?from_search=true">The Thing About Leftovers</a></i> and her favorite books featuring food.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>About the Book:</b> (From Goodreads): Fizzy is a good Southern girl who just wants to be perfect. And win the </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Southern Living </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">cook-off</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">. </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The being perfect part is hard though, since her parents’ divorced and everything in her life has changed. Wary of her too-perfect stepmom and her mom’s neat-freak, dismissive boyfriend, she’s often angry or upset and feels like a guest in both homes. She tells herself to face facts: She’s a “leftover” kid from a marriage that her parents want to forget. But she has to keep all of that to herself, because a good Southern girl never yells, or throws fits, or says anything that might hurt other people’s feelings—instead she throws her shoulders back, says yes ma’am, and tries to do better. So Fizzy tries her best, but it’s hard to stay quiet when her family keeps getting more complicated. Fortunately, the </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Southern Living</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> cook-off gives her a welcome distraction, as do her new friends Miyoko and Zach, who have parent issues of their own. </span><br />
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<u>My Top Five Food-Themed Books:</u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>1.)
<em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Thing About
Leftovers</span></em> by C. C. Payne (that's me!): In the South, we love you
with our food. In this novel, 12-year-old Fizzy Russo does just that<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>attempting to
love her parents, new stepparents, and new friends with fried chicken, cheese
grits, Kentucky Hot Browns (an open faced sandwich with Texas Toast,
turkey, ham and bacon, covered with Mornay sauce, smothered in cheese,
topped with a slice of tomato and baked until gooey and browning at the edges)
and the like, and to win their love in return<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>not
to mention The <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Southern
Living</span></em> Cook-Off. Fizzy believes that winning the cook-off that will
cause everyone to forgive her and love her more. (I listed my
own book first because if you stop reading here, I hope it's to
go buy my book, and because I can't yet afford to be the kind of author who
humbly never mentions her own work<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>but I TOTALLY aspire to be
that kind of author, so please buy the book!)<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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2) <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Close to Famous</span></em>
by Joan Bauer: 12-year-old Foster McFee is making the world a sweeter place one
cupcake at a time! She makes some unlikely friends with her fabulous cupcake
creations (I told you food is love!) including a retired, reclusive movie
star, a would-be documentary filmmaker, and the folks down at Angry Wayne's Bar
& Grill who sell her cupcakes for her. I love the way Foster overcomes,
pushing herself, practicing, and persevering . . . in baking and in life. <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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3) <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ramona Quimby, Age
8</span></em> by Beverly Cleary: I wouldn't dare make a list without including
this classic, Newbery Honor Book. Most chefs say they can tell a lot about another
chef simply by what he or she does with an egg. And so it is with Ramona
Quimby, who cracks an egg on her head in the school cafeteria. Plus, the food
at her family's favorite restaurant, Whopper Burger, sounds delicious<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>I'd
definitely like to have my next birthday party there!<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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4) For a younger
crowd, I recommend <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs</span></em> by Judi Barrett because .
. . mashed potato snow? Hamburger storms? Pancakes floating down from the sky?
Sign me UP for that! This imaginative picture book, with detailed, delightful
drawings, and great humor, remains a fave in my family<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>it's
one that you truly never tire of reading aloud.<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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5) For older readers, I
recommend <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Eat
Cake</span></em> by Jeanne Ray, because when the going gets tough, the tough
get baking! Ruth's first step to dealing with any problem is baking a cake<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>"sweet
potato bundt cake with rum-plumped raisins and spiced sugar glaze" or
"apricot almond pound cake" and the like. And she shares her
recipes<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>as well as humor, warmth, and wisdom<span style="background: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">—</span>as
she deals with her teenage daughter, college-student son, out-of-work husband,
live-in mother, estranged father, and financial strain. <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-22143492211311316282016-07-12T12:01:00.000-05:002016-07-12T12:01:01.753-05:00Libraries & Pokemon GoToday I'm at the <a href="http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2016/07/pokemon-go-libra%E2%80%A6fect-partnership/">ALSC Blog talking about why Pokemon Go and libraries are a perfect partnership. </a>Come check it out!<br />
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-70227926449559052392016-04-05T07:58:00.001-05:002016-04-05T07:58:09.898-05:00Flawed by Cecelia Ahern Blog Tour PLUS Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM4A282-oosnf9-US1Pnv0CsLB0Zqs_n9wA6SRgH0DlN3Zg_aXObnJ_XoXbhNr5CifO0rQjAjZBSU7YkPeA_HwcTfCJy-U7XmKg46aDR5B2njJXwf8mhK0iOa3eFBmwKtIHuAMW5Y53kr/s1600/Flawed+Blog+Tour+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM4A282-oosnf9-US1Pnv0CsLB0Zqs_n9wA6SRgH0DlN3Zg_aXObnJ_XoXbhNr5CifO0rQjAjZBSU7YkPeA_HwcTfCJy-U7XmKg46aDR5B2njJXwf8mhK0iOa3eFBmwKtIHuAMW5Y53kr/s400/Flawed+Blog+Tour+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQy2igc_z7dqYslJKopog8vFF1XW4elP-6_IcWYnrYfGBozwLFpa2olqoY38zDo8JJLzkN-AOe-GQGz9G7zhsNI1F-pcJU0zutf7gPn0vJWIN2b8g8WNPxTswAxamRXu1CH69yioJrAEK/s1600/Flawed_cover+reveal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQy2igc_z7dqYslJKopog8vFF1XW4elP-6_IcWYnrYfGBozwLFpa2olqoY38zDo8JJLzkN-AOe-GQGz9G7zhsNI1F-pcJU0zutf7gPn0vJWIN2b8g8WNPxTswAxamRXu1CH69yioJrAEK/s200/Flawed_cover+reveal.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23438288-flawed?from_search=true&search_version=service">Add to Goodreads</a><br />
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Join in on social media with #perfectlyflawed</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Visit Cecelia's <a href="http://www.cecelia-ahern.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">website</a> and follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/Cecelia_Ahern?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/official_ceceliaahern/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>!</span></div>
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<b>About the Book: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED. I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">n her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything.</span><br />
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I am so excited to be participating in the blog tour for Flawed, Cecelia Ahern's YA debut. Cecelia is one of my favorite authors, so of course I jumped at the chance to ask her a few questions about her new book! </div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="color: #274e13;">You've published many novels, but this is your
first for YA. What inspired you to make the jump to young adult fiction? Is
writing for YA different than writing for adults?</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>I had no grand plan to
write YA, what I did and what I always do is to write whatever story is most
powerful in my head at the time. My novel THE BOOK OF TOMORROW was
seen as a crossover book for YA and adult and I have had younger readers ever
since I wrote PS I Love You so I didn't feel like I was taking a great leap or
that I had to adjust my writing. What was different was the concept of the
story, the pacy thriller like feel, the fact that it is saying a lot about the
society that we are living in while maintaining the same feel as my other
novels. I didn't have to adjust anything about my writing, I just got into the
head of my character Celestine and saw the world from her eyes. I wrote the
first draft in 6 weeks, it just flowed from me, I wrote it with passion
and rage and with so much heart. This book had to be written, I had no choice
in the matter! My heart was pounding the entire time, it was an overwhelming
story to write from start to finish. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br />
Is there anything in your dystopian world that was inspired by current events?
What gave you the idea to create this word?</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>I was inspired by the
fact I believe we live in a judgemental world, one that is quick to publicly
shame people, to finger point and hold people accountable for their mistakes,
or for their decisions that society deems to be a mistake. Society mocks
and judges, and the opportunity for second chances is rare.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Flawed is not set in
the future, it is today, it is our modern world, contemporary society. It is
everything we say and do to each other now, we already label people so I took
it one step further by creating an actual morality court where The Guild and
its 3 powerful judges reside.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Angelina Tinder was
found Flawed because she travelled to a country where Euthanasia was legal and assisted
her mother's death. The Guild branded her in her home country despite the fact
she carried it out legally. This mirrors the abortion situation in Ireland
where 12 women a day travel to the UK for abortions but it is illegal in
Ireland. In the famous X case, the court stopped a 14 year old girl who was
raped, from travelling to the UK for an abortion.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Flawed at Birth
children are taken from their flawed parents at birth. This is similar to
aboriginal children in Australia who were forcibly removed from their parents
in order to "dilute the gene pool" and we had a similar case in
Ireland where children were taken from single unmarried mothers and raised in
state institutions.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>A famous footballer
who cheats on his wife is brought to a Flawed court but his wife becomes the
media target as it's discussed why he cheated, whose fault it is, as I believe
is the case in reality. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Celestine's mother is
a famous model who judges people by their appearance, as do many people. She
feels she can't trust people who have any physical flaws and I fear there is a
great pressure on teenagers, and all ages, to have a certain flawless
appearance which is impossible & unattainable naturally.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Parents are found
Flawed for removing their son who has cancer from hospital and trying to find
alternative methods. This is based on a real case where parents of a boy were
arrested for taking him from hospital. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Of course the most
obvious comparison is World War 2. The Flawed rules are similar to the anti -
Jewish decrees and the Penal Laws in Ireland.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Everything I write
about in Flawed is real. What's terrifying is reading this novel thinking how
awful it would be and then realising these things have happened in our past,
are happening in our present. You don't have to look far in this world to find
regimes like that in Flawed.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;">Your first book was published when you
were 21. Has your writing process changed as you've published more novels?</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Flawed is my 13th
novel and of course there's been a real growth in my writing, as you would hope
for and expect over 13 years. I think they're deeper, darker and better. They
are still emotional journeys about people going through difficult dark moments
in their lives, with hope and humour.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">You've written novels, short stories,
plays and for TV. What do you enjoy about writing in different formats and
styles? Do you think one comes more naturally than another?</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"><i style="color: #222222;">Writing novels is my
first love. I have such freedom in my novels to go wherever I want. I can work
alone and truly create my own world. I enjoy the challenges that TV and film
bring, the main difference being that they are collaborative processes and I
work to a network's brief even if the network say they don't have a brief. They
always do!! </i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">What were some of your favorite novels
as a teen?</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>I don't remember the
book choices being as ripe and plentiful as they are now but I did read a huge
amount. I don't recall YA specialised sections in book stores so I just took
what appealed to me from adult shelves. Early in my teens I read Sweet Valley
High, the Babysitters Club, the Famous Five, then moved on to novels like Cane
River by Lalita Tademy, John Grisham. The Diary of Anne Frank is my most read
novel. I also loved Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon McKenna. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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One of the things I really enjoyed most about reading <i>Flawed </i>was how much it made me think about our current culture. How much time do we spend judging others or worrying about what people will think of us? Our culture is full of gossip, rumors, reality TV, and social media and each of those carries with it a way to form opinions on everyone and share our thoughts in a very public forum. Celestine is thrown into the middle of a battle and she's seen as the face for both sides-is she a hero for standing up to the Flawed or is she a catalyst for change? There is a lot to discuss and I think Flawed could make a great book discussion title!<br />
<br />
Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, one lucky winner will receive a copy of Flawed as well as some swag from both sides of the pond!<br />
-Contest open to ages 13+<br />
-US/Canada address only<br />
-Contest ends 4/12<br />
-One entry per person<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uZPUltb4BUHOBLH-XQZkW1kdyxIEvTmRHp7fdGEAWJA/viewform?embedded=true" width="760">Loading...</iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Follow the tour for more chances to win and to find out more about Flawed!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5- <a href="http://nitelitebookreviews.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nite Lite Book Reviews</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5- <a href="http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Two Chicks on Books</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5- <a href="http://www.greanbeanteenqueen.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Green Bean Teen Queen</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5-<a href="https://lunaslittlelibrary.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"> Luna's Little Library (</a>UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5- <a href="http://writing.ie/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Writing.ie</a> (Ireland)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">April 5- <a href="http://www.overflowinglibrary.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Overflowing Library</a> (UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606946" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>- <a href="http://www.iceybooks.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Icey Books</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606947" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>- <a href="http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Supernatural Snark</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606948" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>-<a href="http://cuts-of-paper@blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"> Paper Cuts Blog</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606949" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>- <a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Serendipity Reviews </a>(UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606950" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>- <a href="http://www.bleachhouselibrary.ie/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bleach House Library </a>(Ireland)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606951" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 6</span></span>- <a href="http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bart's Bookshelf</a> (UK)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606952" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>-<a href="http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"> Forever Young Adult</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606953" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bumbles and Fairytales</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606954" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://rainydayramblings.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Rainy Day Ramblings </a>(US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606955" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/%22http://www.swoonyboyspodcast.com%20%22" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Swoony Boys Podcast</a> (US)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606956" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://daydreamersthoughts.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A Daydreamer's Thoughts</a> (UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606957" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://www.booksandwritersjnr.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Bibliomaniac</a> (UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606958" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://kirstyes.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kirstyes</a> (UK)</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_748606959" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">April 7</span></span>- <a href="http://wrathsqueensbooks.blogspot.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Wrath Queen's Books</a> (UK)</span></div>
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-21078845220233560622016-03-25T07:00:00.000-05:002016-03-25T07:00:14.251-05:00ALSC Blog: Library Town<br />
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Today I'm over at the ALSC Blog talking about our recent <a href="http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2016/03/librarytown/">Spring Break program, Library Town. </a>Come join me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYR602W8BwOBg_J7mqXdrMKZZbI8-AOpC0RUljnCmhKLo4KB479oSq98LskbSiU-gE9jC26H0bsA7M-9gwz6riKKFV4ihlltzfYRkTfY55PVSbkJU7TEGsPveWT9YXNrEBTQW1REldBWF/s1600/HPIM1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYR602W8BwOBg_J7mqXdrMKZZbI8-AOpC0RUljnCmhKLo4KB479oSq98LskbSiU-gE9jC26H0bsA7M-9gwz6riKKFV4ihlltzfYRkTfY55PVSbkJU7TEGsPveWT9YXNrEBTQW1REldBWF/s320/HPIM1835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-18944276688152379812016-03-22T07:00:00.000-05:002016-03-22T07:00:20.835-05:00Dear Books: Please Update Your LibrariesThere is nothing worse than coming across a book you are really enjoying only to be pulled out of it because of some outdated and incorrect library reference. I know that authors and illustrators will not always get everything 100% accurate, but I when I read books that show a very dated stereotype, or something that is just so incorrect, I always wonder why. I feel like authors and illustrators should know better! And it's not just older books-it happens in new books too!<br />
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I recently read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25893607-a-big-surprise-for-little-card?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>A Big Surprise for Little Card </i>by Charise Mericle Harper and illustrated by Anna Raff. </a><br />
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I absolutely loved this book! It's a creative look at libraries through the eyes of a library card. It's perfect for my outreach visits and storytimes about the library and promoting what value there is in a library card. Anna Raff gets major points for illustrating a very cool and hip librarian as well!</div>
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But the librarian tells card to shush and is a bit annoyed when he shows up. And then library card helps his new owner stamp across all his books and stamp dates to return them. There's also mostly talk about how you can check out lots of books at the library-but libraries are so much more than books! We have computers, movies, music, devices, toys, databases, downloadable content, programs, meeting spaces-so much to offer!</div>
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Sure, there are small libraries that still may use stamps-but most libraries don't. I feel like for an new book it could provide an updated view on libraries. </div>
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And what about books that clearly violate a library policy? Most libraries I know have some sort of policy about unattended children. Libraries have an age limit to where children can be left alone. Yet in two recent picture books, the parents tell the kids "I'll be in the adult area-be back soon. Have fun!" leaving the kids alone. </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27272478-the-not-so-quiet-library?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>The Not So Quiet Library</i> by Zachariah OHora </a></div>
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Sure, it's fiction, it's fun, and I wanted to love <i>The Not So Quiet Library </i> but the librarian in me just couldn't take the Dad leaving the son (who appears to be pretty young!) alone in a multi-level library. It's a public building!!! My librarian self just couldn't get past it. I would be chasing him down explaining our unattended children policy and reminding him he needs to be with his child. Sigh...</div>
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I know, I know-let it go. But then it happened again! And this time in a book that's not a silly story but a book intended to teach readers about the library:</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785753-library-day?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Library Day </i>by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell</a></div>
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OK, maybe you can convince me that the boy in <i>The Not So Quiet Library</i> is old enough to be on his own but not true for the boy in <i>Library Day</i>! Especially when his Dad drops him off for storytime and leaves him there by himself! NOT OK! Not to mention how incredibly outdated this one is in its many references and illustrations of the library. This came out this year but it feels like it was written twenty years ago. I'm not the only one who has this problem-<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785753-library-day?from_search=true&search_version=service">Goodreads is full of librarians who feel the same way.</a></div>
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And I hate when books show illustrations or photographs of a librarian reading a book at storytime, only they are holding the book the wrong way and not showing the pictures! That's not how you do it! That's not storytime! It's so frustrating!</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(So this picture is really for no storytime happening, but I like it as an example of this is how you don't read your books in storytime! Show those pictures!!!)</span></i></div>
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Have any books shown libraries or librarians in a good light-or more realistic light-lately? Kwame Alexander gets the award here for the best representation of a librarian in recent literature. </div>
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The school librarian in <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25897953-booked?from_search=true&search_version=service">Booked</a> </i>is smart and funny, a bit nerdy and a bit cool (like many librarians I know!), is always encouraging the kids to read and try something new and is always searching for a book they will like. He cares about his students, is happy to have them in the library and encourages them to use the library and all its resources. </div>
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Do you get frustrated with libraries in librarians in books? Any recent bad (or good) representations of libraries and librarians you've read recently? </div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-22123523500605931592016-03-02T08:00:00.000-06:002016-03-02T08:00:08.640-06:00Picture Book Review: Dig In by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, illustrated by Mary Peterson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Dig In!</i> by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, illustrated by Mary Peterson<br />
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Release Date: 3/1/2016<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13260548-dig-in?from_search=true&search_version=service">Add to Goodreads</a><br />
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As a librarian who does toddler storytime, I am always on the lookout for great new toddler books. It feels like I repeat the same books over and over with my little ones. So I get very excited when a book like <i>Dig In! </i>comes across my desk.<br />
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<i>Dig In! </i>is a child's exploration of playing outside in the dirt. From digging in the dirt to finding worms, snails, rocks and then water to make messy mud, each page takes a new experience or discovery and presents in from a young child's view. The text is simplistic enough that young children can follow along and the overall book is engaging and exciting. It's short enough to be read aloud in toddler storytime even with antsy toddlers.<br />
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The illustrations, which according to the book were created using linoleum block prints on paper with some digital touch ups, are bright and colorful. They really pop on each page which makes them great for a crowd. The block prints help everything have it's defined space and it adds a bit of texture to the dirt, which I think young readers will find especially engaging. It's almost as if you can reach your hand out and touch the dirt on the page.<br />
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As Springtime approaches, <i>Dig In!</i> is a great new choice to add to storytime. It's perfect for a messy storytime where you get to play in the mud and it's a wonderful encouragement to families to get outside and play.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Full Disclosure: Reviewed from copy sent by publisher for review</span>GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-74005106517484212892016-02-29T07:00:00.000-06:002016-02-29T07:00:08.248-06:00Yes We Crab Reading Challenge: Final Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's the end of February which means the end of Yes We Crab! I wanted to read 20 books this month and post once a week. My blogging goal failed, but I did make my reading goal of 20 books-yay!</div>
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Here's what I finished the month up with:</div>
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<img border="0" height="168" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455051950l/25614238.jpg" width="200" /> <i style="text-align: left;">My Dog's a Chicken</i><span style="text-align: left;"> by Susan McElroy Montanari, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf</span></div>
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When a young girl isn't allowed to get a dog, she decides she'll turn a chicken into a dog. A pretty cute picture book for the K-2 crowd.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442603402l/25893607.jpg" width="186" /> <i>A Big Surprise for Little Card</i> by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Anna Raff</div>
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-My new favorite book to read at Library-themed outreach events and storytimes! This is a unique look at libraries through the eyes of a library card. And it's adorable!</div>
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<img border="0" height="179" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1444158996l/25893615.jpg" width="200" /> <i>Swap</i>! by Steve Light</div>
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-I just love Steve Light's pen and ink illustrations. Did you ever play that game where you started out with something small then had to go all around to try and upgrade and swap your item for something bigger? That's what this reminded me of-only with pirates.</div>
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<img border="0" height="184" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428556251l/25325557.jpg" width="200" /> <i>Whoops</i>! by Suzi Moore, illustrated by Russell Ayto</div>
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-A new pick for storytime. Three animals who can't make any sounds seek out a lady with a spell that might help-only things keep going wrong. This is a perfect read-aloud with a hilarious ending.</div>
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<img border="0" height="197" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455049919l/25332014.jpg" width="200" /> <i>Peep and Egg I'm Not Hatching </i>by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Joyce Wan</div>
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-A very cute tale about having courage perfect for the preschool set. Plus it's illustrated by Joyce Wan so you know Peep and Egg are adorable.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454864393l/25785736.jpg" width="160" /><i> No, No, Gnome!</i> by Ashly Anstee</div>
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-Who can resist gnomes? I love them! This is a nice gardening tale with a gnome twist. I'm saving for when I get all the requests for Spring/garden/planting books. </div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434189243l/25489475.jpg" width="166" /> <i>Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) </i>by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Tim Miller</div>
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-Move over Mo Willems and Bob Shea! Perfect for fans of books that break the fourth wall and have a great sense of humor. I'm planning on writing more about this one-it's a great storytime option and read aloud!</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1450302509l/26030737.jpg" width="132" /> <i>The New Guy (And Other Senior Year Distractions)</i> by Amy Spalding</div>
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-Contemporary YA Romance. Reviewed for Booklist</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442417395l/25431146.jpg" width="126" /> <i>A Tiny Piece of Sky</i> by Shwan K. Stout </div>
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-Historical MG-a great read for middle grade to compare historical events (thoughts and actions towards German-Americans in 1940s) to now. Reviewed for AudioFile.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438371540l/25320766.jpg" width="132" /><i> Love, Lies and Spies</i> by Cindy Anstey</div>
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-Regency YA romance-a tounge-in-cheek look at the regency era. Reviewed for Booklist.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446751148l/25937866.jpg" width="140" /> <i>Raymie Nightingale</i> by Kate DiCamillo</div>
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-Another Kate DiCamillo novel-and it's brilliant! More to come soon when I write a longer review!</div>
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How did you do on your Yes We Crab Goals? Any great reads you found this month?</div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-14016752774830190822016-02-16T07:00:00.000-06:002016-02-16T07:00:02.900-06:00Yes We Crab Reading Challenge Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, we're halfway through the <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2016/02/february-reading-challenge-yes-we-crab.html">#YesWeCrab reading challenge</a> that several of my friends and I decided to do for February. I'm doing OK-not reading as much as I wanted and not posting what I wanted at all, but that's fine-I can catch up!</div>
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You can see what <a href="http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2016/02/yes-we-crab-update.html">Abby the Librarian</a> has been reading as well-she's got a great update! And you can follow the hashtag #yeswecrab on Twitter and see what others are up to!</div>
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Here's what I've read so far this month:</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416429594l/22295304.jpg" width="138" /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22295304-shadowshaper?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Shadowshaper </i>by Daniel Jose Older</a></div>
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-I listened to the audio version of this one and it was fantastic! A magical anthropological fantasy-such a great combination and so unique! I loved the characters and it made me think about cultural appropriation in the name of research which was fantastic. </div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446749751l/20983362.jpg" width="131" /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20983362-passenger?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Passenger </i>by Alexandra Bracken</a></div>
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-Another audiobook, this time for review for AudioFile. Perfect for time travel fans-I loved the thought and detail put into the time travel elements in this one. Also be warned the cliffhanger is a doozy!</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1448596179l/25893582.jpg" width="131" /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25893582-tell-me-three-things?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Tell Me Three Things</i> by Julie Buxbaum</a></div>
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-A great contemporary YA debut from an adult author. Reviewed for Booklist. </div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414032825l/23437630.jpg" width="128" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437630-faking-it?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Faking It</i> by Gabrielle Tozer</a></div>
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-New Adult-ish sequel to The Intern, reviewed for Booklist.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1440992973l/25785628.jpg" width="155" /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785628-freedom-in-congo-square?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Freedom in Congo Square</i> by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrations by R. Gregory Christie</a></div>
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-A fantastic picture that is non-fiction told in a poetic verse. The illustrations are beautiful and the author's notes and endpapers add to the reading experience making this one accessible to a wide range of ages. This is a book to watch come award season. </div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1445790207l/26778924.jpg" width="167" /> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26778924-a-baby-s-guide-to-surviving-dad?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>A Baby's Guide to Surviving Dad</i> by Benjamin Bird</a></div>
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-A cute "field guide" for newborns. This one came across on the new cart at work and I had to look at it. It's sure to make any new parent laugh and smile. There's also a "A Baby's Guide to Surviving Mom" which I haven't seen yet, but I'm sure both can be added to the baby shower arsenal. </div>
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451843156l/25785554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451843156l/25785554.jpg" width="190" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785554-hop?from_search=true&search_version=service"><i>Hop </i>by Jorey Hurley</a></div>
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-Once again, Hurley's illustration style and minimal prose create a perfect preschool storytime book, this time about the day in the life of a family of rabbits. I got nervous when the fox started to come after the rabbits, but thankfully the circle of life is just hinted at and no rabbits are harmed-phew! I could not have handled Jorey Hurley's adorable rabbits being eaten!</div>
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-A pig who wants to wear shoes? Elizabeth Rose Stanton has the perfect quirky sense of humor in both her text and illustrations to pull it off. Plus, there's a pig pooping which equals instant storytime classic.</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443938153l/25027836.jpg" width="200" /> <i>Worm Loves Worm</i> by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato</div>
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-There's going to be a wedding, but they're worms! Who's the bride and who's the groom? Does it matter? Such a cute book that can have broad appeal-from science tie-ins to marriage equality to just plain fun. I mean, how cute are those worms?</div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-50075655535410743102016-02-01T11:24:00.000-06:002016-02-01T11:24:10.595-06:00February Reading Challenge: Yes We Crab!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Caldecott is over, family birthdays are over for a few months, and life is starting to get back into a routine that doesn't include piles of picture books every evening. (Well, at least picture books to take notes with-Toddler GreenBean ensures we have piles of picture books to read every night!!)</div>
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I really want to get back to reading for fun and reading chapter books again, but I feel so overwhelmed and I don't know where to start! Enter my wonderful friends and our February Reading Challenge-Yes We Crab!</div>
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Five years ago I met these lovely ladies at ALA Midwinter: <a href="http://fatgirlreading.com/">Angie</a>, <a href="http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/">Abby</a>, <a href="http://storytimekatie.com/">Katie</a>, <a href="http://stackedbooks.org/">Kelly</a> and <a href="http://www.bookblather.net/">Drea </a> I often tell people that our fist meeting was like going to summer camp, meeting your best friend, and then having to go back home. Luckily, we get to see each other at least once and sometimes twice a year at ALA and we keep up with each other via Twitter, Email, Facebook. We are always sharing program ideas, library talk, and what we're reading. So when the others all said they wanted to do a reading challenge, we all jumped at the chance and Yes We Crab was born.</div>
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It's easy to join in! All you have to do is set a goal for yourself and follow along. Post your progress on Twitter with the hastag #yeswecrab and we'll cheer you along! Your goal can be about reading, about keeping up with blogging-anything! </div>
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<i>My Yes We Crab Goal: Read 20 books (and yes, picture books totally count!!!!) and write a blog post at least once a week. </i></div>
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What's your February Reading Goal? Can we do it? Yes We Crab!</div>
GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-39376640080462730662016-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:002016-01-20T06:00:09.866-06:00My 2016 Caldecott Journey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.hbook.com/2016/01/blogs/calling-caldecott/tell-us-what-you-think-of-the-winners/">Horn Book</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Just over a week later and I am still reeling from my amazing Caldecott year. Now comes the fun part of celebrating and sharing our winning titles! I had a wonderful time being part of the 2016 Caldecott Committee. Everyone was so kind, thoughtful, and caring and we really listened to each other as we shared and talked about books-and that made such a huge impact on me and my committee experience.<br />
<br />Our committee really bonded and even though we've only met in person a handful of times, I have had some of the best discussions about books with them and they are people I will always love and respect.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Rachel Payne</td></tr>
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Being on the committee is a lot of work. Some people have asked me if it was easier or harder than when I was on Printz, and it's hard to say. In some ways, I felt I was reading more and getting more done with picture books-several pages of picture books also can mean several books whereas several pages of a chapter book can sometimes barely be a dent at all. But Caldecott was a completely different thing-analyzing art and illustration over the text which was very new to me. I cherish the experience and conversations I had with my fellow committee members-it's really made me look at picture books in a new way and I feel like I'm a better librarian because of it. I also truly believe that being on a committee helps you trust the process even more! </div>
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The things that made such an impact on me in our committee discussions are also things that I think can help make an impact on any book discussion. Listen openly and listen to everyone, read, read, and read some more and take lots of notes, and learn to let go. I wish more book discussions could follow these practices-I think we would go far if we did! Even outside of book discussions, these are things that I plan to really focus on and practice at work-listening to everyone and learning to let go. I think doing so can make me a better manager and help me to serve our patrons even more. Who knew committee work had such broad implications on our lives? :)</div>
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I am so proud of our group and the work we did. If you haven't already, head on over to <a href="http://www.hbook.com/2016/01/blogs/calling-caldecott/the-2016-real-committee-weighs-in/">The Horn Book, where our amazing chair Rachel shares about our winners</a>. I am so excited to share our books with the world and with the kids in my library. I'm already planning storytimes and outreach using these books and I hope you do too! If you do, I would love to hear about it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Elise Katz<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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After lots of reading and discussing, we eagerly got up early Monday morning to make our calls. Our phone calls were so incredible! Our illustrators cried, we cried, we cheered-it was joyous. I will never forget that moment when we told Sophie Blackall she was the 2016 Medal Winner and I broke down in tears as we cheered (and she cried on the other end of the phone-a surefire way to make sure the committee cries along with you!) I can't wait to be with my Caldecrew again in June at Annual-this time with our illustrators along with us to celebrate our hard work! <div>
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To future award committees-you can do it! It will be a journey of a lifetime and savor every moment! To my Caldecrew-you are all amazing! Thank you for a wonderful experience that I will never forget! Thank you for letting me make 14 wonderful new best friends who I can't wait to see again and share books with! And to our five fantastically talented illustrators-thank you for creating beautiful art to share with the world. You make being a librarian the best job in the world!</div>
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-14895438295137006692015-12-31T12:52:00.000-06:002015-12-31T12:52:58.005-06:00Where Have You Been? My blog has really suffered this year-but for a good reason!<br />
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I have been spending my time working on the 2016 Caldecott Committee! We're getting down to the wire now with our meetings starting next week, so this past month has been incredibly hectic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9C8rdvRFqsnZgPVIGPylQm5mMnUFVqgRWTalQUtA6GHALeRRqD9S4bTsXXaq6tow90i0t2jH2rMK-b4Rjc3SN2JrhH10bXCMD2lkTPoN-MvuoX3EclDPuof65g84iMRSMOMDRbMQgEEE/s1600/Reading+Pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9C8rdvRFqsnZgPVIGPylQm5mMnUFVqgRWTalQUtA6GHALeRRqD9S4bTsXXaq6tow90i0t2jH2rMK-b4Rjc3SN2JrhH10bXCMD2lkTPoN-MvuoX3EclDPuof65g84iMRSMOMDRbMQgEEE/s320/Reading+Pile.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Nope, no Caldecott eligible titles in this photo-this is my son's giant to-read pile, but you can use your imagination and pretend to understand the amount of reading I've been doing this year!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">So, what is it like to be on an award committee? Well, it's lots and lots of reading. And then lots and lots of note-taking. Luckily, I've had some help in that area:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl9bx5Apb9Vuy0qOiQnihtuf92-jdHr7ezZ9iPpL1sqbJwLCkikS9SD9gQAbdLVKnNCwxQ1DZFns2kp_y8xAfvOOb9Ca8zl7TbKGHce8TfTiBgSpsNBg_ceKSy22IeCIjbZj-JSLlIw_D/s1600/Taking+Notes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl9bx5Apb9Vuy0qOiQnihtuf92-jdHr7ezZ9iPpL1sqbJwLCkikS9SD9gQAbdLVKnNCwxQ1DZFns2kp_y8xAfvOOb9Ca8zl7TbKGHce8TfTiBgSpsNBg_ceKSy22IeCIjbZj-JSLlIw_D/s320/Taking+Notes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now that Midwinter is getting closer, there's even more reading, note-taking, reading again, reading what others have said in their nominations and preparing your notes for what you want to say in all of your discussions. </div>
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That's where I've been and what I'll be up to over the next couple weeks. There most likely won't be many new blog posts until Midwinter is over. I can't wait to see what all the other committees award at the Youth Media Awards Announcements! Here's to a great year of reading!</div>
GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-70855952129320356812015-12-09T08:49:00.004-06:002015-12-09T08:49:42.777-06:00ALSC Blog: Back to BasicsToday I'm over at the <a href="http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2015/12/back-to-basics/">ALSC Blog</a> talking about how we're getting Back to Basics at my library.GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-64723063236749749722015-11-14T07:47:00.000-06:002015-11-16T10:22:22.245-06:00Voyagers Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Voyagers: Project Alpha</i> by D. J. MacHale<br />
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<b>About the Book: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Earth is in danger! Without a renewable source of clean energy, our planet will be toast in less than a year. There are 6 essential elements that, when properly combined, create a new power source. But the elements are scattered throughout the galaxy. And only a spaceship piloted by children can reach it and return to Earth safely. First the ideal team of four 12-year-olds must be chosen, and then the first element must be retrieved. There is not a mistake to be made, or a moment to lose. The source is out there. Voyagers is blasting off in 3, 2, 1…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23463177-voyagers?from_search=true&search_version=service">Add to Goodreads</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: </b>I was thinking the other day about trends in middle grade lit and I realized that science fiction and stories set in space are becoming more popular. Add that to the multi-platform trend of middle grade books written by various authors (think <i>39 Clues,</i> <i>Spirit Animals</i>) and you've got a winner. I know that I have an audience of readers ready to go crazy over <i>Voyagers</i>. I mean, what's more exciting than the idea that only kids can save the world and they have to go into space and have adventures in order to do so? In some ways, <i>Voyagers </i>could be likened to Star Trek for tweens if kids were sent on a mission. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The books are action packed, part mystery, part science fiction, part adventure and they are lots of fun. The cast of characters is also diverse. I really love Piper, who is in a wheelchair, yet demonstrates that that won't stop her from traveling in space and being part of the team-she can do what everyone else can. (If you're a savvy reader, you'll figure out from the cover of book 1 who gets chosen for the mission, but there are still surprises along the way, so don't worry!) </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The additional elements on <a href="http://voyagershq.com/">VoyagersHQ.com</a> are engaging and fun. I love the videos of the possible candidates and the quiz-kids really get a chance to feel like they're part of the Voyagers mission. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The series is fun and exciting and sure to be a hit with middle grade readers who are fascinated by space-and can also be a good intro into science fiction for young readers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Want to win The Voyagers Experience prize pack?</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">THE VOYAGERS EXPERIENCE prize pack<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Get the full Voyagers experience! One (1) winner receives:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The first two books in the series;<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.5pt;">·</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Branded iPhone6 case and home GadgetGrip button to deck out your device while experiencing the Voyagers app.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Giveaway open to US addresses only.<u></u><u></u></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Prizing and samples provided by Random House Children’s Books.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">FIll out the form below to enter! One entry per person. Contest ends 11/22</span></i></div>
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GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075890361193230583.post-45866354032320814452015-10-30T07:00:00.000-05:002015-10-30T07:00:06.990-05:00Flannel Friday: Buddy and the Bunnies by Bob Shea<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;"></span><br />
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Flannel Friday is a weekly roundup of posts about storytime and flannelboard ideas. You can visit the <a href="http://flannelfridaystorytime.blogspot.com/">website here</a>.<br />
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Librarian confession time-I am not a crafty librarian. Crafts for me mean fingerprints or play-dough. I wish I could knit cute puppets to use in storytime, but if I'm lucky, I can make an ok paper bag puppet. And my flannels just aren't pretty-so I rarely make them. (I'm more of a print it off from <a href="http://www.kizclub.com/">Kizclub </a>and use magnets type of librarian!)<br />
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But I wanted a way to tell <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17899644-buddy-and-the-bunnies?from_search=true&search_version=service">Buddy and the Bunnies by Bob Shea </a>so that the kids knew who was talking. I'm reading the book, puppets weren't going to work. And since this is one of our state picture book award nominees, I'm planning on reading it a few times. In the past, the kids have had trouble knowing which character was speaking. So I made Buddy and Bunnies. While reading, I'll point to each character and move them on the flannel board to help the kids visualize who's speaking.<br />
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So here's my Buddy and Bunnies:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoFJ6gLfKDz57hqqGNnF99Hs5Poxo200AWE6Y7k8zlzuztTFE9hPiTKfr0R9LOh5UwiHDT9vTc0Ptw-HIaYSy0bNghbIotBrw1v9xoVTEsUZxxzoNtg3x68AMpAa4RWNZZ_pvDClklWr5/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoFJ6gLfKDz57hqqGNnF99Hs5Poxo200AWE6Y7k8zlzuztTFE9hPiTKfr0R9LOh5UwiHDT9vTc0Ptw-HIaYSy0bNghbIotBrw1v9xoVTEsUZxxzoNtg3x68AMpAa4RWNZZ_pvDClklWr5/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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"I will eat you Bunnies!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-tb4lRuiX_0g1AMrO93DLr_ifwJzGHxJS7b8yp3ADNhyphenhyphen0XqfxVR4Lr0Czfz9OQBWgQbKMDzWHg2UNoXox8q7Uvo-SglBTm5JWHm1wlH78b3M-Fpyd-1UFNyR9ynjgn6mMnMUKiQEgtCD/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-tb4lRuiX_0g1AMrO93DLr_ifwJzGHxJS7b8yp3ADNhyphenhyphen0XqfxVR4Lr0Czfz9OQBWgQbKMDzWHg2UNoXox8q7Uvo-SglBTm5JWHm1wlH78b3M-Fpyd-1UFNyR9ynjgn6mMnMUKiQEgtCD/s320/IMG_1328.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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My first Buddy was a bit scary, so I had to make a happy Buddy too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXe7dXbhDrggu2a2NqtETaCds526fxbCpXmjBlRF7tyVZLdmNCp9uanVb0wmM1ThDkgOpmEwtZlzjaIGwY7KIy4zn_bz3DsDDMLllWDeU_v3HRh71RXfZ35i-bGVX0u9L91xsbV2FRxGT/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXe7dXbhDrggu2a2NqtETaCds526fxbCpXmjBlRF7tyVZLdmNCp9uanVb0wmM1ThDkgOpmEwtZlzjaIGwY7KIy4zn_bz3DsDDMLllWDeU_v3HRh71RXfZ35i-bGVX0u9L91xsbV2FRxGT/s320/IMG_1329.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The whole set. (Yes, I know the bunnies multiply by the end of the book, but I stuck with the original three to keep it simple) </div>
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<br />GreenBeanTeenQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08708155058381407531noreply@blogger.com0