WCLS

I just had a request from a student teacher starting a poetry unit.  She was interested in a list of new poetry books published for teens.  In case there are others doing poetry units out there here are 10 new titles you might want to looks at.

Hope you find some wild romantics in your class.  I'll let you know which titles ended up being most useful!  Best, Aubri

I talked last week to a teacher who has a reluctant reader.  So far she knows he likes Runner by Carl Deuker.  What else out there might tempt him to read?  Here is my list of other realistic fiction along the lines of Cark Deuker...with a little action/adventure/horror/sci fi thrown in at the end.  Who knows, maybe he will find a whole new genre to keep him reading. The authors on this list have multiple books-so this is really just a sampling, hopefully something here will start this teen on a whole new path of reading.  Feel free to send us your questions for teen readers-we love to get them!

Many teachers have been excited about the book club WCLS has been doing with the Juvenile Detention Center.  Here is a little bit about what we've done in the last 6 months!

These websites are set up so you can take a survey in class, have teens text in their answer, and you get a display of the results in real time:

http://textthemob.com/

http://www.polleverywhere.com/

If this sounds fun to you, check out the article from School Library Journal!

Best, Aubri

I was just perusing this guide to using graphic novels from Scholastic and I thought they had some wonderful things to say about why bringing graphic novels into the classroom is a good idea.

I wanted to share a little of my own experience-I did not read graphic novels until I was in my twenties, and my first attempt was Tin Tin.  At first I found the format distracting to read-I couldn't sink into them the way I could with books, but over time that changed.  For some reluctant readers the opposite experience is true...they find a reading home in graphic novels, and gradually learn to be lost in books too.

I don't see graphic novels as just a stepping stone to chapter books though; in themselves they are so rich and challenging.  If you'd ever like a list of favorites for your classroom, please let me know!  Best, Aubri

Bone is a hero like no other!  I heard Jeff Smith speak at ComicCon a few years ago, and it was an experience I won't ever forget.