Book Buzz 2010 K-6

Tomorrow I am doing two sessions at our County Professional Growth Day about what's getting the buzz for 2010 and how do you find out. So today I will post what I am hearing about for K-6 and tomorrow for 6-12. I'll include how to know in today's article.

As a literature specialist and resource librarian for SDUSD, publishers (and authors) send me their books for review. I read as many as I can, as reviews are helpful, but truthfully, only you know what is best for your students and community. So having the actual books in hand is a blessing. What do you do if that is not possible?

Webcasts- You can watch webcasts to find out what is being published. There have been quite a few offered in the last few months. Some of these are free. Try journals like School Library Journal or Library Journal, for example. Go to their websites and look at the archives. Get on their notification lists. Some publishers are also offering free webcasts. Capstone and Lerner recently held webcasts about new titles. Other publishers have offerings at a cost. Linworth, for example, gives you group discount rates, so the more the merrier ( and cheaper than doing it alone). Our CSLA listserv also announces webcasts. So check out your state's offerings as well. Membership has its privileges.

Newsletters- Another way to find out what is on the horizon is to subscribe to newsletters. School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly offer many different e-letters that will keep you up to date. Kids Reads and Teen Reads have e-letters that not only tell you what is coming, but which books have been purchased for movie options. Many book jobbers have newsletters or features on their websites about new books. Bound to Stay Bound (BTSB) has the Cream of the Crop. Ingram publishes Children's Advance Magazine. Check out your favorite vendor to see what they have to offer.

Book Sellers- Then there are book sellers. You know how I feel about Junior Library Guild. Love, love, love them. Their website will tell you what you have in store for you when you get their subscriptions. (Check out a past JLG blog article if you missed it.) Independent bookstores, such as our Yellow Book Road and Warwick's, belong to the Indie Booksellers who publish their quarterly top ten picks along with other favorite titles. These independents know the authors, read the books and have less vested interest than what you might get from a publisher. I am also a huge fan of Follett's Titlewave for new titles. I recently discovered that they even have a "set" of favorite authors who have books on the way.

Literature Specialists- Last but not least, there are folks like me. People who have actually had their hands on the books. Esme, Kathy Baxter, Judy Freeman, Peggy Sharp, Michael Cart. Check out their workshops and websites to find out what they have been reading. Then, you too, can be In the Know. Tomorrow I'll let you know what is getting the buzz for grades 6-12.

Some of the Possible Best Books for 2010, K-6
Most of these books have received starred reviews from 3 or more of the following journals: Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Hornbook, Kirkus, Kliatt, Library Media Connection, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. You should determine whether the books are appropriate for your school library.

Cat the cat, who is that? -- Willems, Mo. {IL K-3, -E-} -- Balzer & Bray, 2010., RL .7, 24p
An exuberant cat introduces readers to her friends.

Chester's masterpiece -- Watt, Melanie. {IL K-3, -E-} -- Kids Can Press, 2010., RL 3.5, 32p
A conflict over the creative process ensues when Chester, an egotistical cat, decides to produce a masterpiece.

The fabled fifth graders of Aesop elementary school -- Fleming, Candace {IL 3-6, -Fic-} -- Schwartz & Wade books, 2010
Sequel to The Fabled fourth graders of Aesop. Due out in the fall.

Henry Aaron's dream -- Tavares, Matt. {IL K-3, 796.357} -- Candlewick Press, 2010., RL 2.8, 40p
Chronicles the childhood of Henry Aaron, describing his dream of becoming a major league baseball player.

Lincoln tells a joke : how laughter saved the president (and the country) -- Krull, Kathleen. {IL 3-6, 973.7} -- Harcourt Children's Books, 2010., RL 4.5, 32p
Explores what made Abraham Lincoln's sense of humor so distinctive and how his ability to find humor in even the most dire circumstances helped him survive his difficult life and helped the country cope with the Civil War.

Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't) -- Bottner, Barbara. {IL K-3, -E-} -- Alfred A. Knopf, 2010., RL 2.4, 26p
A first-grade girl--who does not like to read--stubbornly resists her school librarian's efforts to convince her to love books until she finds one that might change her mind.

Mirror mirror : a book of reversible verse -- Singer, Marilyn. {IL 3-6, 811} -- Dutton Children's Books, 2010., RL 4.1, 32p
A collection of short poems which, when reversed, provide new perspectives on the fairy tale characters they feature.

My garden -- Henkes, Kevin. {IL K-3, -E-} -- Greenwillow Books, 2010., RL 3.9, 32p
After helping her mother weed, water, and chase the rabbits from their garden, a young girl imagines her dream garden complete with jellybean bushes, chocolate rabbits, and tomatoes the size of beach balls.

The mysterious howling -- Wood, Maryrose. {IL 3-6, -Fic-} -- Balzer & Bray, 2010., RL 6.6, 267p
Fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is hired as governess to three young children who have been raised by wolves and must teach them to behave in a civilized manner quickly, in preparation for a Christmas ball.

A nest for Celeste : a story about art, inspiration, and the meaning of home -- Cole, Henry. {IL 3-6, -Fic-} -- Katherine Tegen Books, 2010., RL 4.9, 342p
Celeste, a mouse longing for a real home, becomes a source of inspiration to teenaged Joseph, assistant to the artist and naturalist John James Audubon, at a New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation in 1821.

One crazy summer -- Williams-Garcia, Rita. {IL 5-8, -Fic-} -- Amistad, 2010., RL 5.3, 218p
In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

Scary, gross, and enlightening books for boys grades 3-12 -- Ford, Deborah B. {IL PF, 028.5} -- Libraries Unlimited, 2010., 158p
Profiles books from a variety of genres, including nonfiction, graphic novels, science-fiction, and others, aimed at boys in third through twelfth grade, and includes strategies teachers and librarians can use to promote interest in them.

Ubiquitous : celebrating nature's survivors : poetry -- Sidman, Joyce. {IL 3-6, 811} -- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010., RL 6.8, 36p
Collects poems that examine survival in nature, and includes information about a number of plants and animals.

A whole nother story -- Soup, Cuthbert. {IL 3-6, -Fic-} -- Bloomsbury, 2010., RL 6.1, 264p
Ethan Cheeseman and his children, ages eight, twelve, and fourteen, hope to settle in a nice small town, at least long enough to complete work on a time machine, but spies and government agents have been pursuing them for two years and are about to catch up.