RIP Minx

*Sigh*

I was saddened while visiting Cecil Castellucci's blog to read that the MINX line of graphic novels is no longer.
This makes me sad for a number of reasons.

Just take a look at the "About" tab on the Minx Web Page. I quote ..."MINX graphic novels contain smart, original stories about real girls in the real world. From risk takers to troublemakers, these protagonists don't just play by their own rules, they make them up as they go along resulting in unexpected adventures."

These are books that don't really fit the mould. Different doesn't equal unmarketable. Different doesn't equal unsuccessful.

I encourage you to pick up some MINX titles while you still can. I am a big fan of Plain Janes, Clubbing, and Good as Lily. Jen Hubert has a great review of Emiko Superstar over at Reading Rants.

If you care for the opinion of others on this, go here, here, and here.

California Here I Come...

Well, like so many of you, I am off to sunny California! I am very excited about this conference because not only am I attending, but I will also be presenting and blogging.

I will be representing my school at the Pre-conference on Diversity. I will be exploring the ways that the library can support school wide diversity efforts, and even spear head some of those efforts!

I will be blogging this for ALSC as well. So if you do not have a chance to come to the pre-conference, head on over to the ALSC blog to read all about it.

I am looking forward to going on some school tours while in Anaheim as well. I love seeing how other folks set things up!

Happy travels!

Happy Blogoversary!

Well! Happy Blogoversary to me! I know I've hit maximum overload when I plum forget that I've been at this here blog for the past 3 years. 234 posts later, Booktopia is still going strong!

So thanks to those of you who read this. Thanks to those who comment. And big thanks to those of you recommending titles.

Year End

So, here we are at the end of the year once more. How did my A-Z read go, you ask? A-hem. I had the best intentions, really I did. But I have learned that my reading cannot be disciplined like that outside of committee work!

There are a couple of goals for 2008 in regard to this here blog!

1) I want to actually blog more of the books I read. There were some gems like No Flying in the House (an A-Z too, btw) that never made it online. For shame!

2) Do some historical blogging. Especially of picture books. There are so many great old folktales that I use in my curriculum that I would love to share with others!

3) Make it a point to post either here or at Tweendom three times a week. I still want to remain focused on recommendations, but with all those books read that never made it here....it should be possible.

4) Click away in order to find new(ish) blogs that I like. Just found the 3 Evil Cousins today!

5) Get/stay active in the Kidlitosphere. What a great conference this year! Most likely I won't be able to make it out West for '08, so I want to be involved however possible!

This March will be my 3 year blogoversary! Who knew it would be this much fun?

Favourite Picturebooks of Childhood

There is a question being raised over at Wizards Wireless.

What were your favourite picture books when you were young? Not those recent wonderful things, but the ones that spoke to your child self.

It's funny, because Jen and I were just talking about childhood trips to the public library, and I mentioned to her that I would check one particular book out over and over again.


There was just something about Madeline that I loved. And I remember the creakiness of this particular volume's spine, and the library book smell that it had. Looking back, I think it was the idea of so many girls getting to live together, and have adventures in the streets of Paris, that appealed to me. I may have secretly coveted the yellow outfit, as well.



The Mitten by Tresselt is one that I had totally forgotten about until I made the move from Young Adult librarian to Children's librarian. As soon as I opened this book at my school, I was transported back to my babysitter's house. Mrs. VanDerVeen used to read me this book over and over again. I was especially fond of the colour palette. And each snowflake was worthy of examination!



Now, this is not the wonderful cover of the 1970s that graces my copy of Garbage Delight. The art in my copy is by none other than Frank Newfeld. The illustrations in this wacky book of poetry were just as important to me as the hilarious poems. I still have "The Puddle" memorized, and can break it out at will. This is the book that made me want to write for a living.




So, what were your favourites?

Chicago '07 - First Impressions

I was talking last night with Liz and 2nd gen librarian about blogging the con quickly, or letting it digest some. I figure that I will put down some initial impressions, and then get to blogging some titles that I am really excited about and leave the details to the 70-or-so other bloggers who are here!

So, wow. Kidlit '07. Robin did an amazing job of organizing, and all of the volunteers kept things moving so well! I got to meet some authors and ask the burning questions (sorry Barry!), and I am kicking myself for not communicating more with folks that I have been online with for years. After all, people came from California, Kentucky, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Illinois (of course!), Arizona, Ontario, Virginia, and Oregon. All are passionate about youth literature. We all love books, writing, illustrating ... and some even love each other!

What I love is how everyone is willing to share the wealth. Even though we may have different goals and aspirations, we want to help the movement, as it is, along. Author to blogger, blogger to illustrator, illustrator to book buyer...it truly is a web. Interconnected, slightly codependent, and to some degree unexpected.

Are there egos here? Sure. We think enough of our own opinions/skills to blog, don't we? Does it matter? Not-so-much. I have definitely gotten some good ideas, and I am challenging myself to rethink and regroup. I do feel privileged to be a part of this on the ground floor. The thing that I love most in the world is kid's literature. Blogging has allowed unprecedented access to authors and books (although I am sure that living in NYC and having the colleagues that I do doesn't hurt), and instant connection with a world of others who share my passion.

Yay.

Question

As you all know, I am a school librarian. For the last 6 years or so, I have been mixing up my read aloud for the 4th grade. We have done The Last of the Great Whangdoodles, by Andrews. We have done Desperaux, by Di Camillo. We have done Ruby Holler and Heartbeat by Creech. There's been a bit of Spiderwick in there too.

I am working on Ulysses Moore right now, and I think that will work. Does anyone have a read aloud that has gone over well in the past?

I do something else that I call the "book tease" with the 4th graders as well. Not a booktalk, but simply a read aloud of a chapter or two of a title. This way, I can present genres and multiple titles that I may not otherwise have time for.

I am also thinking of taking the leap away from my 3rd grade classic of Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, by Coville. I call it classic, since it has never failed me.

Thoughts?

Cheater

Ok. So, I did it. I broke down yesterday and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! The dishes piled up, the girls destroyed the living room, and I sat on my bed under the ceiling fan and read, and read, and read.

I loved it.

I am not going to really blog it for a month. I spent the last week madly dodging spoilers, and I don't feel like inflicting unwanted knowledge on anyone.

Woot!

I FINALLY got my copy of HP 7 in from England today! But of course there is an obstacle. I am helping a friend out and speaking at a YA lit course on Monday. So no reading until that's done. Maybe I can sneak a bit in!

Successfully avoided spoilers thus far! Much different than when I was still working in the public library. I had to sequester myself away so that some kid wouldn't ruin it for me!

I will blog a couple things over at Tweendom that I read over my vacation.

Cheers!

Vacation!

I am off to my homeland! Woot!

No computers for a week.

But...these 2 delightful pixies won't be with me either. So expect a pile of reviews when I get back!

Cheers!

Namedropper

Adam Rex. Adrian Tomine. Dave Barry. Ridley Pearson. Alison Bechdel. Brandon Mull. Gennifer Choldenko. Jimmy Gownley. and the elusive Scott Westerfeld!

And I got to hear Libba Bray, Jacqueline Wilson, Mo Willems and Daniel Pinkwater speak.

Boy do I love BEA. My body is sore. I am tired. And I missed some gems like Kirsten Miller, and K. L. Going...but overall, it was fun, fun, fun.

Book Expo

Why do I get so excited about BookExpo?

Lots of my librarian friends and colleagues go to these things with a "Been there, done that" sort of attitude. No matter how many times I score a free book, I feel the rush!

I love meeting authors. I love meeting fellow librarians and bloggers. So if anyone else is going to be there, drop me a line. I am going on the Friday, and plan on spending the day!

Last time I was all pregnant and tired. This afforded me no sympathy. (See my previous blog entry from 2 years ago here!) No more belly, and my elbows are ready for shoving! I also come with the supreme knowledge that while rolly bags are not allowed on the floor, you can bring one and check it...thus making the trip home, tres facile!

Woot!

Reading Rants - The Book

So, in the name of full disclosure, Jennifer Hubert is my colleague. And my friend. My good friend.

I have watched her, over the past couple of years, write this book. And now it is in my hands! So exciting!

This is THE book that you need if you are an educator, librarian or parent, and you don't read voraciously, constantly, or just plain all the time. Jen explores YA books under the same categories found on her website: True Grit, Boy Meets Book, Graphic Fantastic, et cetera. She maintains her chatty style, while providing professionals and parents alike with amazing amounts of information on titles.

She has just started blogging it herself in the form of a blog that gives you the flavour of her book, and welcomes your feedback as well. Check it out here!

Jen is an amazing advocate for youth and young adult literature. She has been a mentor to me over the years, and I am so proud of her!

Headless

My colleague Jen and I were just having a conversation about this the other day. Today over at BookBurger, you can read about the headless covers on teen chicklit.

Why are the girls being decapitated? Really. There's a ton of feminist theory written on this subject, and there just seems to be a proliferation of bodies sans heads!

This Thing Called Class

This is an interesting question that colleagues and I have been pondering.

There are many ways to organize books. There are many labels that one can put at the top of the booklist. "Books for Boys", "Multicultural Fiction", "Chicklit", "Mysteries"...you know the drill.

Why is it that we never see "Books About Class"? Class meaning socioeconomic circumstances, in this case. Fiction, especially.

Because the books are out there...we just never stick them on a list to allow others to find them en masse.

To Blog

...or not to blog.

So do I blog the books that I truly do not like? I have blogged some stuff in the past that I found underwhelming, but is there a point in blogging the stuff that I actively dislike?

I have just read 2 titles that I really do not like. One was for a bookclub at school, and one was just a new YA novel that I thought I might like.

Hmmm.

Blog Block

So I have been reading! But not blogging. Hmmm. Curious.

I just read a horror book that I have to review for VOYA, and boy oh boy. Cannibalism. Torture. Abuse. It's got that 364 feel to it, if you know what I mean.

Maybe tonight I will be able to get The Last Days down for you all.

Too tired...

...to blog. 15 hours (FIFTEEN HOURS) in a car will do that to ya!

I only got 2 books read. Which is either a good thing (gee, I was doing so much other stuff, I didn't have time), or a bad thing (lug, lug, lug the books across the borders!)

But I did manage to read A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, and Peeps companion The Last Days. Woohoo!

Reviews to come!

"Vacation...all I ever wanted!"

...So, I am off! To Muskoka! Can't wait.

But I have to reiterate! I love the women I work with. Just got a bag full 'o' books. (Thanks Karyn! Thanks Jen!) Hopefully when I return, you can expect some reviews on some cool books.