Young Adult Literature

Cart, Michael. Young Adult Literature. 3rd Edition. 2016. 310p. ISBN 978-0-8389-1462-5. Available at PROF 813.009 CAR on the library shelves.

The history of young adult literature is an intriguing one. Originally an outgrowth of children’s literature, writers began to pay particular attention to the young adult market, loosely defined as boys and girls aged between 12 and 18. With the explosion of disposable income and pocket money in the 1950s, book editors and companies realized that teens had both the interest and the economic power to purchase books that were attractive for them. Books targeted at teens became a mainstay of book stores. As society changed and adapted to new realities, so did books for young adults, pushing beyond the comfort level of most parents and addressing issues such as sexuality, drugs, and violence, as well as portraying different family configurations.

This third edition provides updated information about the field and incorporates recent research and sales reports to highlight the most recent changes in the publishing industry and trends in book publishing. School librarians, youth librarians, and anyone with an interesting in the history of literature will appreciate this survey of young adult literature.

Maximizing the One-Shot: Connecting Library Instruction with the Curriculum

Markgraf, Jill et al. Maximizing the One-Shot: Connecting Library Instruction with the Curriculum. 2015. 173p. ISBN 978-1-44223866-4. Available at PROF 025.5 MAR on the library shelves.

School librarians often have limited classroom contact with students. Unlike teachers who interact with their classes every day, librarians collaborate with teachers and staff and may not be in the classroom as much as they would like. Librarians are blessed when collaboration involve more than a classroom session, but for most of us the one-shot approach to coming in a classroom, presenting information, and then departing is more often than not the reality.

Aimed for the college librarian, Maximizing the One-Shot nevertheless provides excellent and adaptable advice to school librarians on how to better plan and use the one-shot approach to ensure that information delivery is effective and memorable. Their approach was to use the Lesson Study, where librarians and faculty collaborated together to develop one one-shot lesson to address specific skills necessary for students to successfully complete the class. Though they report that it took a lot of time, this was time well spent as it allowed all stakeholders to be on the same page as far as expectations and information needs, and it allowed the librarians to participate in the assessment of the skills taught.

The Lesson Study model approach to have multiple participants designing a unit lesson may be hard to accomplish in a K-12 environment, however the steps and recommendations can easily be used between one classroom teacher and one librarian to devise a truly collaborative one-shot lesson. Success can then be used as a model to build more collaboration with other classroom teachers.

Information and Digital Literacies: A Curricular Guide for Middle and High School Librarians

Farmer, Lesley S.J. Information and Digital Literacies: A Curricular Guide for Middle and High School Librarians. 2016. 143p. ISBN 978-1-4422-3981-4. Available at PROF 028.7 FA on the library shelves.

The role of school librarian continues to be a vital one in schools, exposing students and staff members to the wealth of information present on the Internet as well as best practices to employ in the teaching of research and information gathering strategies. Designed to provide a curricular model for school librarians, this book is replete with information and features four curricula that can easily be implemented in any school program. Farmer parcels the skills and knowledge that students must acquire while in middle and high school and discusses ways in which this can be accomplished. Whether through school librarian teaching actual classes or through collaboration with other subjects, the twin goals of information literacy and digital literacy can be reached, ensuring that each and every student is functionally able to actively participate in today’s knowledge economy. Farmer also presents ways to implement systematic instructions on conducting research while meeting the Common Core State Standards.

The Innovative School Librarian

Markless, Sharon, Elizabeth Bentley, Sarah Pavey, Sue Shaper, Sally Todd and Carol Webb. The Innovative School Librarian. Facet Publishing, 2016. 244p. 978-1783301065. Available at 027.8 on the library shelves.

In this era of measured outcomes, data-driven program analysis and shrinking school budgets, school librarians everywhere are under pressure from local school boards and state agencies to justify their position. Virtually isolated within the school community, school librarians operate programs that directly benefit students, but without the proper measurements and self-promotion this work remains largely invisible to those individuals in authority who can directly impact the library media center. Written primarily for a United Kingdom audience, the information in this volume is still relevant to American and Canadian school librarians.

Using vignettes to illustrate their points, the authors describe how the quest for a professional identity often clashes with those who deem the school librarian not worthy of the title of teacher. The book is divided in three sections: Who is the librarian, where the perceptions others have of school librarians and how we see ourselves are discussed; Your community, from perceptions to practices, where methods for generating evidence of impact are reviewed and positive responses to challenges explored; and Moving forward, which examines how to become an integral part of teaching and learning without the school community as well as the process of innovating. Of particular usefulness are several of the appendices which provide examples of evidence gathering, analysis, and planning.

Of particular interest to school librarians entering the field, veterans will also find nuggets of wisdom they can apply in their own practices. As attempts to turn what is often an art into more of a science guided by numbers and evidence, school librarians must learn to adapt. This book provides a concise overview of the challenges that await and how to meet them. – Etienne Vallée

Future Shock

Briggs, Elizabeth. Future Shock. 2016. 265p. ISBN 0-8075-2682-7. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Elena Martinez has bounced from foster home to foster home ever since her alcoholic father killed her mother in a fit of rage when she was seven. Now two months away from turning eighteen, Elena knows she needs to find work and quick, otherwise there will be no future for her. Elena possesses an eidetic memory, which means she remembers everything she sees, does, or read. This capability scares others, however, so she rarely reveals it.

Life in the foster system is rough, so when she is approached by Aether Corporation to participate in a secret project that will pay her handsomely, she is thorn. On one hand the money would set her up to do pretty much anything she wanted, including going to college. On the other hand, the risks involved are very high. Aether wants her and four other foster kids to travel to the future, retrieve any technology and information they can, then travel back. They will be travel 10 years ahead, and stay there for 24 hours. The only restriction? They can’t contact themselves otherwise  it could cause future shock and break their present selves.

Now Elena must depend on four other kids, including gorgeous and mysterious Adam, to keep safe for 24 hours. But many things can change in one day, and knowledge of the future will forever alter her perception of the present.

Fans of time traveling stories will enjoy the tight storyline and hints that are dropped throughout the book but only comprehensible in hindsight. Traveling to the future is an interesting twist on the time travel theme. Recommend this book to readers who liked Ruby Red.

The Grimm Legacy

Shulman, Polly. The Grimm Legacy. Book 1 of the Grimm Legacy series. 2010. 325p. ISBN 0-399-25096-4. Available on the library shelves at FIC SHU.

Elizabeth Rew is having trouble adjusting to a new life. Her mother died, and her father remarried to a woman who already had two teenage girls. Elizabeth feels lonely, and now she doesn’t even get to spend time with her father. The only highlight of her day is her English class, with Mr. Mauskopf. The rest of the time, she hangs out by herself.

When Mr. Mauskopf asks the class to come up with a topic to study, Elizabeth selects the Brother Grimms on a whim. They were her favorite stories, and she has fond memories of her mother reading them to her. Mr. Mauskopf is suitably impressed with her paper, and he offers her a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, a library of objects that can be checked out by companies and individuals.

There she meets the dreamy Mark, a star basketball player who goes to her school, but whom would most likely never have spoken to her. She also meets Anjali, a beautiful Indian girl, and Aaron, who pins hard for Anjali. The four teens are pages at the library. It is their job to retrieve items off the shelves and bring them to the circulation desk, and to shelves returned items.

Among the mundane but precious items at the Repository are several intriguing collections, including the HG Wells, HP Lovecraft, and the Grimms Collection. Elizabeth quickly discovers that the items in the GC are in fact magical. Many of them were accumulated by the Grimm brothers themselves, and were the inspiration for their tales. From the magical mirror in Snow White to the boots of seven leagues, each object in the collection is powerful.

Elizabeth also discovers that there is a thief stealing objects from the Repository, as well as a giant bird ready to do harm to those in possession in a GC object. With Mark, Anjali and a reluctant Aaron, Elizabeth plans on solving this mystery. The thief, however, has other ideas and suddenly Elizabeth finds herself a target. Can she trust anyone?

This story is entertaining and very creative. What would the world be like if the objects in the fairy tales really existed? Fans of magic in a modern day setting will thoroughly enjoy this book, and will definitively like The Raven Boys series.

Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide, Fifth Edition

Simpson, Carol. Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide, Fifth Edition. 2010. 252p. ISBN 978-1-58683-393-0. Available at PROF 346.73 SIM on the library shelves.

The laws regarding copyright are fraught with obscurity and confusion and are generally defined by court cases that affirm or deny an aspect of the law. Defined primarily as an economic tool, copyright has a significant impact in schools, which may run afoul of Congress’ intention to regulate the rights and responsibilities of creators and distributors of information.

This book begins with a discussion of copyright law and a historical outline of how it came about and where it stands now. It then examines aspects of copyright on print, multimedia, music, video, and computer software and how these relate to activities that take place in schools. Questions from teachers are answered and scenarios are examined to answer some of the thorniest issues of fair use, license versus fair use, and what teachers can and cannot do. Finally, guidance on best practices is provided to assist the professional on remaining on the right side of the law.

A great primer or review of copyright laws, this book provides a wealth of information to ensure that a school adheres to copyright compliance instead of finding itself the object of a cease and desist order from enforcing organizations of copyright.