GreenBeanTeenQueen

Will you be attending ALA Annual in Chicago this year? If so, check out the YALSA Blogger's Summit Preconference happening Friday afternoon from 12:30-4:00. Here's what the preconference is about: A must-attend event for YA lit bloggers! Take your blog to the next level by participating in a discussion of the state of YA lit and networking with bloggers, reviewers, publishers and authors. Topics such as leadership, marketing, tech help, review writing, ethics and copyright will be covered. You’ll leave with new contacts in blogging and publishing and a clear vision for how to make a positive mark in the vibrant world of YA lit. Authors participating include: Holly Black, Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Gene Luen Yang. I don't know how I got added to such a cool list of people, but I'll be there speaking about blogging as well! I'll be joining by the awesome Gretchen and Emily to talk about blogging and being a librarian and how it all w

Everyone who had been on committees before me warned me of this: the feeling of not wanting to read another book after your committee year is up. Committee work is hard-it's filled with long days (and evenings) of reading, non-stop re-reading and note taking, and so much analyzing and discussing of books, it's no wonder it wears you out as a reader. I thought I was prepared. I had been told to expect this. I even read outside my typical YA genre that I read so much of for Printz and read more middle grade and adult titles after my committee work was up. I listened to audiobooks nonstop. But now, it's happened. I'm in that post-committee reading slump. Maybe it's not even a reading slump, but a too worn out to read mindset. I have piles and piles of books I can't wait to read and that I've heard great things about, but I just can't bring myself to read them. If you're a reader of the blog, you've probably noticed my posting has been down a

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Humor Release Date: 2/5/2013 Add to Goodreads Audible Audiobook Preview About the Book: Thirteen-year-old Nate is from a small town in Pennsylvania and he dreams of being on Broadway. When his best friend Libby tells him of an open audition of ET: The Musical,  Nate and Libby devise a plan for Nate to run away to New York City and audition. Will this be Nate's chance to move out of his small town and become a star? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I heard it booktalked at ALA. I love musicals, I love show tunes, I love Broadway. I spent every summer from fourth grade into college attending and working at a fine arts summer camp. I was a drama and choir kid all throughout my school years. I knew Nate and I would become kindred spirits. And I was not disappointed one bit. Nate is a kid that I would love to have in my library and we would talk Broadway and it would be awesome. I love Nat

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April. Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here . So I did two storytimes with this years winner, but silly me forgot to keep my full plan for Week 14. That week I introduced the winners from this year and read Green  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger , Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett , and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds . My group was a little young, so I abridged some of Extra Yarn . I also wasn't sure if they really liked Creepy Carrots , but we made our own carrots for a craft and after I heard them playing in the department saying "my creepy carrot will get you!" so it must have been a hit! For Week 15, I saved this year's winner for last. It was lots of fun and a great way to end our Caldecott series. Here's what I did: Open : Where Is Thumbkin and Shake My Sillies Out by The Wiggles Read :  Swimmy by Leo Lionni  -A couple of the kids new this one because they had rea

I love this photo of Nedd Stark warning everyone that Summer Reading is coming! It makes me laugh every time. So Summer Reading is coming! I love learning how libraries run their summer reading programs, so I thought this summer I would do a weekly breakdown of what exactly it is librarians do during the summer. I've learned that my non-librarian friends have no idea how much time and effort goes into summer reading-and it's a ton of work and also a ton of fun. So after giving my summer reading spiel to thousands of kids over the past few weeks, now I'll give it you! (Sorry, this will be a long post!) About Summer Reading Program: -Kids can read anything they want! Books from home, school, library, bookstore, friends, etc. ANYTHING! We let them read various formats as well-fiction, nonfiction, comics, ebooks, audiobooks, reading aloud to someone, being read aloud to-all that counts for summer reading. -We count hours, not books. Each level is four hours of readin

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Graphic Novel Release Date: 5/7/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Nate and Charlie have an unlikely friendship. Nate is the president of the robotics club and Charlie is the popular basketball captain. The two friends find themselves pitted against each other in a student council election-and it's war. The cheerleaders, including Charlie's ex-girlfriend, want money for new uniforms and the robotics club want money to attend a robotics competition. Only one can win-and it's up to student council to decide who gets the money. And what will happen if the two decide to team up? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love a fun graphic novel and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong is a very fun graphic novel! The premise is hilarious and unique-when have you seen robotics club represented in YA and when have you seen robotics teams partnering with cheerleaders? It's a heartwarming and laugh out loud funny story of friendship and the unexpected with hi

I am so excited to part of this lovely blog tour promoting Start With a Book . When Amy at Show Me Librarian asked me to be part of this tour and talk about this great resource, I jumped at the chance. Start With a Book is a great resource for parents, librarians, educators-really anyone who wants to read with a child! As a librarian, I know the value of having storytime and reading to kids. Reading at all ages is important! It's a great way to develop skills that kids need like growing their vocabulary, learning how stories are told, hearing the rhythm and sound of words, and beginning to recognize letters and words and start to read. Not only that, but it's a fun way for adults and kids to share in an activity that will help them bond. Nothing is more fun than sharing a book with a child. Even if a child can read on their own, they still should be read to! I've been out doing summer reading promotion at area schools and each class I visit-even high school-I ask if

In Missouri, we have a state book award for fourth-sixth grade called the Mark Twain Award. This year my library has partnered with seven area elementary schools for a program we call Chat & Chew. Each month we meet with a group of fourth & fifth graders to talk about a selected book from the Mark Twain list (chat) while the kids eat lunch (chew). It's been a lot of fun and the kids have had lots of great feedback about the books we've read so far. I posted about the first half of the year in January  and here's our second half round up: Drizzle Hide and Seek Half Upon a Time The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson - -"It started off with a lot of action and it made me want to keep reading." -"It has something for everyone-adventure, action, animals, magic." -"It was the best book-it's going to win!" (I thought so too, but our winner ended up being Out of My Mind ) -"I was surprised by the

I am a huge fan of Simone Elkeles, so I can't wait for her new series Wild Cards which is coming out this October. I'm even more excited to share another piece of the cover-if you're a reader of Simone Elkeles, you know her books are not only awesome, but her covers are amazing-and I don't think Wild Cards will disappoint! The full cover will be revealed on Friday on the Bloomsbury Teen Facebook page , but here's a sneak peak at the cover: About Wild Cards :   After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama. Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Graphic Novel Release Date: 5/14/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book:  Theodora loves everything to her way. She has everything planned out just the way she likes it. She has a perfect swimming routine, she has perfect exercises, a perfect routine for running her errands. When Chad moves in next door, Theodora notices that Chad is a bit odd. His house is a mess,  his feathers are dyed strange colors, and he makes lots of noise with his art projects. Theodora is sure she and Chad will not be friends? But can the two ducks find a way to get along? And is either one really that odd? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says:  Go get a copy of this book right now-I'll wait. Got it? Good-because you'll love it! I read Odd Duck and then I had to read it over again because that's how much I fell in love with Theodora and Chad. This is a book that will make you laugh, cherish friendships, and even think about your own odd duckness in a way that is so completely 

I'm doing Caldecott themed storytime for preschool storytime in January-April. Check out all my Caldecott Storytime plans here . Theme : Making friends Open : Shake Your Sillies Out by The Wiggles Skill : Tell Stories  Read:   Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets -I opened this book by asking the kids if they ever wanted to play with animals. I told them about how the little girl in this book just wanted to make some new friends, but the animals would run away or hide. As I read the book, one little girl kept repeating after each page "but she just wants to play!!" She got the rest of the kids giving a call and response as well and they loved the book because of it. Song : These Are My Glasses by Laurie Berkner Read :  Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni -I opened this book by talking about measuring and talking about how the inchworm was very small and made very small movements. The kids really liked this one too, but I did have to point out wher

I love watching trends in YA. The Girls in Sports trend has been around for awhile-there's always been some books out there featuring female athletes. But it seems like this year there are even more girls in sports novels being released-or maybe I'm just noticing them more. After Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen Series, Miranda Kenneally is becoming my go-to author for books that feature female athletes. She's also gaining quite a fan base with the teens at my library. Ms. Kenneally has written previous novels that feature girls playing sports and her upcoming novel, out in December, features a girl  training to become a jockey: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally Girls and horses go together! This novel features a girl who wants to become a Catch Rider (show rider) and works training horses: Catch Rider by Jennifer H. Lyne After horses, tennis seems to be a popular sport this year: The Academy: Game On by Monica Seles   (This one