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What impact, if any, does access to print material have on our children’s reading? In an unprecedented, near- exhaustive search uncovering 11,000 reports and analyzing 108 of the most relevant studies, children’s book lending and ownership programs were shown to have positive behavioral, educational, and psychological outcomes. The study, “Children’s Access to Print Material and Education-Related Outcomes,” was commissioned by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and conducted by Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education research and consulting organization and affiliate of American Institutes for Research (AIR). Read more about the study at RIF’s Literacy Issues page.Read More →

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Publisher’s Weeklyreports:  Last week, 21 YA authors debuted “The Contemps,” a web site dedicated to promoting realistic teen fiction to readers, librarians, and booksellers. “As much as we love other genres, the marketplace can feel dominated by paranormal, fantasy and dystopian novels,” said Contemps cofounder Lisa Schroeder in a statement. “We want to celebrate the unique way that contemporary stories help teens feel they’re not alone in this real world.” The site will feature posts by the participating authors (each of whom has a book being published within the coming year), contests, and other activities.Read More →

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November 3, 2009 was RIF’s (Reading is Fundamental) 43rd birthday!  Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children’s and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year.  All RIF programs combine three essential elements to foster children’s literacy: reading motivation, family and community involvement, and the excitement of choosing free books to keep.  RIF’s accomplishments are due in part to the generous support of the U.S. Department ofRead More →

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Scratch (scratch.mit.edu), is a free computer program from MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group that’s changing the landscape of how young people learn programming, engage in media-based project creation, and develop 21st-century literacy skills. Today’s young readers are experiencing reading and books as more than a one-dimensional printed medium.  The growing popularity of books with cross-over components (39 Clues Series, Skeleton Creek, The Softwire Series just to name a few), as well as the proliferation of fan fiction sites, fan forums, and eBooks, are only the beginning.  People raised with technology integrated into all aspects of their lives see no disconnect with enjoying a story in multi-leveled, multi-facetedRead More →

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Comic generator site MakeBeliefs Comix has a new offering. Users can create their own comic strips, selecting characters, colors, stories and formatting choices.  Strips can be downloaded and printed.  Comics could also be created with speech bubbles left blank for ELL and other students to fill in their own narratives. Comics can also be created in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Latin. Be sure to check out the Teacher Resources page with tips on how to use comics in the classroom.  Sweet!Read More →

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In the first of a new sci-fi action series by prolific author James Patterson we meet Daniel X.  His secret abilities — like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind or to recreate himself in any shape he chooses — have helped him survive. But Daniel doesn’t have a normal life. He is the protector of the earth, the Alien Hunter, with a mission beyond what anyone could imagine.  From the day that his parents were brutally murdered in front of his very eyes, Daniel has used his unique gifts to assume their quest to hunt down the worst aliens hiding out onRead More →

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Opening and closing with the funerals of 2 teens killed by drug violence, Walter Dean Myer’s Autobiography of My Dead Brother, is a stark portrayal of youth for urban teens.  I am always impressed by Walter Dean Myer’s ability to tell honest, and sometimes gritty, stories about the difficulties faced by young men, often African American, whose lives are surrounded by violence. His characters are multi-dimensional and he deftly illustrates how much everyone has in common with everyone else, and how fine the line between good and bad choices really is. Fifteen-year-old Jessie has always seen his slightly older friend Rise as a hero, and the boys made a blood-brother bond as children.Read More →

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July’s School Library Journal cover story Street Fight: Welcome to the World of Urban Lit, is a thought-provoking article about the genre of books that aim to accurately represent the sometimes harsh, violent world of today’s inner city life. Amy Pattee’s insightful investigation of the history and continued cultural relevance of this genre provides good background for those who are unfamiliar with it and yet are confronted with teen readers’ requests for these types of books.  Pattee also provides a good bibliography of urban lit titles written specifically for the teen audience, although her point that some “young connoisseurs of urban lit may find these more restrained stories babyish or inauthentic”Read More →