Book Round-Up for June 6, 2016

After dedicating the first book round-up post on nonfiction picture books, I thought that this second post would be a great time to write about nonfiction YAL. I have long enjoyed nonfiction (in fact, I often prefer nonfiction to fiction), and I especially love the nonfiction YAL that is available. Besides being engagingly written, these books offer some great opportunities for interdisciplinary connections and readings in various subject areas.

A few notes regarding these book round-ups, if you have any suggestions for books I should feature, please let me know! Also, I plan on posting these semi-regularly. I initially planned on doing them on a weekly basis, but given other responsibilities, I've decided to do them a minimum of once a month.

picture from Sarah Miller's website

June's Online Professional Development Opportunities

I know - it can be a little hard to even think about professional development in June, just as you are coming off of (or finishing up) another busy school year. However, kicking off your summer (or ending your school year) with some professional development can be great; besides being a chance to connect with other educators and reflect on the past year, it also can be nice to be in more of the student role for a change. With this in mind, here are some intriguing online professional development opportunities that are being offered this month.

Book Round-Up for May 30, 2016

Over the past few months, I've been fortunate to receive a number of books from Macmillan and other sources, and I've been trying to think of a way to share my thoughts on these books and help others learn about them. To do this, I'm experimenting with an ongoing series of posts for this blog in the form of a semi-regular book round-up. These will consist of quick takes and some brief reviews on books that I find interesting and/or notable. Many of these books will be new, some will be new-to-me, and others will be some of my old favorites.

SLJ TeenLive 2016 is Coming!

This week, I got an email about SLJ TeenLive 2016 event, which will be on August 10, 2016. This free virtual conference, which used to be called SummerTeen, is in its fifth year, and it just keeps getting better and better. The conference features keynote speakers (this year they are Meg Medina, the author of Burn Baby Burn, and Maggie Stiefvater, the author of The Raven King), panel discussion, and a virtual exhibit hall where attendees can ask questions, learn about new books, enter contests, and more. If you are interested in young adult literature, I highly recommend this event! It's fun and informative, and you can do it at your own pace (and in your pajamas if you are so inclined).

For more information or to register, click on the banner above or go to the registration page.

The Young Adult Library Project, Part III: LibraryThing App & TinyCat

Happy (almost) summer! After an unanticipated hiatus, I'm back to blogging, and I hope to keep it up on a semi-regular basis this summer and into the new academic year. One of the things that has spurred me to resume blogging are some new features, the LibraryThing App and TinyCat, that LibraryThing (which I have blogged about several times before) has unveiled over the past few months. These features add a great deal of functionality to what was already a great resource, particularly when it comes to maintaining a small library.

February's Online Professional Development Opportunities

While January can be a bit of a slog (the holidays are over, the weather is usually not so great, and teachers and students are trying to get back in the swing of things), I'm always amazed at how quickly the month can pass by. Now we're one month into the new semester, and things are, at least in theory, starting to settle down, which means it's the perfect time for some professional development.

January's Online Professional Development Opportunities

Happy (belated) new year, and I hope your 2016 is off to a good start!

While January can be a bit of a letdown after the excitement and stress of the holidays, I like to think of it as a time of renewal and starting fresh. If one of your resolutions for this year is to take part in more professional development, then here are some resources to help you.