GreenBeanTeenQueen

Dear Committee Member- On the eve of the youth media awards and your committee announcements, I offer you some words of advice from someone who has been there before. Your choices are amazing. You have done a fantastic job and worked the hardest you have ever worked over the past year. You have read, and re-read, and re-read yet again, taken notes, analyzed, and discussed titles in more depth than you ever thought possible. Your hard work is appreciated. When the announcement happens and your choices are known, just remember that your titles are amazing. You know why you honored the books you did and now you get to share those amazing titles with the world. You get to watch as others read them and discuss them and discover the intricacies in the plot, setting, characters, and voice that you did. Be proud that you get to share these titles with readers everywhere. Be proud that you have honored an author for their incredible work. Be proud that you get to highlight literary excell

The Killing Woods About the book:   “A gripping, heartbreaking, emotionally substantial look at [the] allure of danger.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review Fatal attraction, primal fear, survival in the forest: From the author of the Printz Honor Book STOLEN, the highly anticipated thriller about deadly games played in the dark. Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd's dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl's broken body. "Gone," he says, then retreats into silence. What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent -- isn't he? Before he's convicted, she's got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee's charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her -- the kinds of games that can kill? I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway for Lucy Christopher's latest book! Ms, Christophe

He's arrived! Baby GreenBean arrived on Tuesday and he's already a reader! Of course I would expect nothing less from my little guy!  So of course you understand if I take a short blogging break over the next few weeks. There may still be some posts but they will be more sparse for awhile . I need to spend time reading to Baby GreenBean and hopefully getting some sleep! I'll be back to blogging more regularly soon.  In the meantime, do you have any suggestions on favorite board books or picture books for Baby GreenBean? If love to add to his library!! 

My library is hosting our second annual Mock Caldecott this month, so I'm sharing my thoughts on the list I put together (we have ten titles we're discussing). Do you think any of these books have a chance at winning a Caldecott in 2014? The Dark by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen -Jon Klassen won the Caldecott Medal and a Caldecott Honor last year, so of course this book is on everyone's award radar. I think it's another fantastic outing from Klassen and his use of light and dark really reflect the story well. One of my favorite comments about this book comes from Mr. Hankins, who said the last time he felt this scared reading a book was with There's a Monster at the End of This Book . And that's some high praise! I have to agree with Mr. Hankins' assessment of the tone of this book and the illustrations do a wonderful job of expressing that tone and making the reader have a sense of fear. I like the use of shadows as well. My only down

My library is hosting our second annual Mock Caldecott this month, so I'm sharing my thoughts on the list I put together (we have ten titles we're discussing). Do you think any of these books have a chance at winning a Caldecott in 2014? Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown - Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is my other top choice for Caldecott this year. ( See my review of Journey by Aaron Becker ) It's graphic design that has an old fashioned feel. It doesn't feel overly designed and has a nice nod to classic illustrations which gives it a great blend of old and new. The illustrations feel crisp and clean and the lines are so symmetrical it's a treat to look at. The illustrations might fall into the gutter (the middle section of the book) but they never look misplaced or disjointed. Instead, the gutter placements work well with the illustrations and they continue to feel very sharp, even when they are full page with a gutter break. The full page illustrations-where we

My library is hosting our second annual Mock Caldecott this month, so I'm sharing my thoughts on the list I put together (we have ten titles we're discussing). Do you think any of these books have a chance at winning a Caldecott in 2014? Stardines Swim High Across The Sky and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger -I love unique books that have a possibility of a Caldecott run. And Carin Berger's diorama's in Stardines are very unique! I love how each page is filled with a random collection of items-it's fun as a reader to look through each one and see what was used to create each illustration. I do think each page looks a bit flat though-I think this is a problem with the way they were photographed. I would expect more of a 3D feel and texture to them and they don't really have that. I also thought the diorama's themselves lacked a bit of texture to them. It's an interesting book with fun illustrations and I'm intereste

I am so excited to feature Alyxandra Harvey on the blog today! I've been a big fan of Alyx's ever since I first read Hearts At Stake (you can read my gushing review here) . A Breath of Frost is the first in a new series set in Regency England and featuring three cousins who unlock their family's witch powers-and oh yeah, they've just opened the gates to the underworld .   Visit Alyxandara Harvey online  /  Twitter  / Add to Goodreads As I read A Breath of Frost (which I reviewed for Booklist, so sadly I can't post a review here) I noticed the characters used the library-a lot! There were characters that were avid readers and they seemed to be gathered in the library in several scenes. I asked Alyxandra Harvey to write about the role of libraries in A Breath of Frost and why she chose to feature these scenes (and I absolutely love what she has to say! I didn’t intentionally set out to make libraries a part of A Breath of Frost . But since they are such

My library is hosting our second annual Mock Caldecott this month, so I'm sharing my thoughts on the list I put together (we have ten titles we're discussing). Do you think any of these books have a chance at winning a Caldecott in 2014? Bluebird by Bob Staake -2013 was quite an interesting year when it came to wordless picture books. Bluebird is one of the standout ones in my opinion. When I first read it earlier in the year, I thought for sure this one was a lock for Caldecott, but going back to it time and again (and committee work is all about re-reading and analyzing!) I'm not so sure about it's chances. I wonder if the graphic design to the book is distinguished enough-the more I read it, the more it looks like graphic design and I feel like the flow of the design isn't there. It feels too produced illustration wise. I like the varying shades of blue throughout, but I also see this as a flaw, because I don't know that it ever really adds anythin

My library is hosting our second annual Mock Caldecott this month, so I'm sharing my thoughts on the list I put together (we have ten titles we're discussing). Do you think any of these books have a chance at winning a Caldecott in 2014? Locomotive by Brian Floca -Nonfiction is always interesting to me when it comes to possible Caldecott candidates. I guess in my head, when I think picture books, I don't always think of nonfiction, so when something like Locomotive comes along, it surprises me and makes me very excited! This is the type of book that can get kids excited about reading nonfiction and it's one I will hand over to all my train enthusiasts. When you first open the book, you notice the end papers which are filled with all sorts of details like maps and various details, objects and facts about trains. You know exactly what you're in for and you want to examine each page to learn more. The illustrations throughout show everything you can imagine

Happy New Year!  In the blogging world, New Year's Day not only means the start of a new year, but it means the Cybils shortlists are being announced! Be sure to check out the Cybils website throughout the day to check out all the category shortlist announcements. I hope your favorites made the list!