People are starting to trickle back in from vacation, and I have lots to share with you from around the Kidlitosphere this week:
- If you want a laugh, check out this post at Robin Brande's site. The entire text of the post says: "This post is an accident, and my program won’t let me delete it. Please look away." There are, at last count, 32 comments. We live in a bizarre but entertaining world.
- Just in time for the back-to-school rush, Elaine Magliaro has compiled a set of links to lists of recommended school stories at Wild Rose Reader.
- Also in the interest of getting ready for school, Camille offers advice for school librarians at Book Moot. She wants to help them to forestall book challenges, and explore their own mission as librarians.
- At Big a little a, Kelly links to a USA Today piece by Patrick Welsh on "the dreaded summer reading list", and asks visitors to share their opinions on summer reading lists. Welsh's article concludes: "The hysteria over Harry Potter shows that kids will read, and that despite all the distractions in their world, they can still be transported into the imaginative universe that only fiction, only words on a page, can create. But unless teachers start leading kids to books that will truly engage them — and not just the classics — the only reading most of them will do during the summer will be the online summaries that will soon be downloaded in thousands of homes around the country."
- Prolific reader and blogger Becky asks visitors: "How do YOU choose what to read..." at Reading with Becky. Perhaps you'll wish to participate in the discussion.
- I learned from Miss Erin that Lois Duncan's Hotel for Dogs is being made into a movie starring Emma Roberts. I'm a tremendous fan of Duncan's books for teens, especially Down a Dark Hall. I haven't read Hotel for Dogs, which is aimed at younger kids.
- HipWriterMama has announced her first Great Books for Girls Giveaway. She'll be giving away a copy of the excellent Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley. The deadline to enter is tomorrow night - so don't delay.
- The new blog The Green Knight's Castle (which I learned about from Kelly) has an interesting post for aspiring writers that parallels growing a crystal and growing an idea.
- Sherry rounds up links to an array of unusual bookshelves at Semicolon.
- Via readergirlz, author K. L. Going says: "I am looking for teens ages 12 through 18 who are willing to participate in a teen panel I'm putting together for a book on How to Write Teen Fiction." if you know any teens who might want to share their opinions about teen fiction, send them here for details.
- Kim Kotecki has issued a You've Got Mail Cyber Challenge at Swingset Reflections (an Escape Adulthood blog). If you choose to participate: "For one week you are only allowed to check and respond to email three times a day: morning, mid-day, and afternoon. No email in the evening. Instead- relax, read, have a conversation with a human, go on a walk, etc." Sounds appealing, doesn't it? Not feasible for me at present, but appealing.
- Via the Kane/Miller email newsletter, "The Montana Library Association has created a 2008 Montana's Book Babes calendar! Featuring twelve Montana Librarians (10 female, 2 male), and including photos, brief bios and favorite quotes, this fund-raising calendar costs $20 (plus shipping)".
- Becky from Farm School discusses raising independent and self-reliant children, reviewing the new book, The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen. As someone who is concerned about the erosion of personal responsibility in Western society, I was especially interested in what Becky had to say on the topic.
- Ananka's Diary reports on a Swiss study that found that "love makes teenagers crazy." Who could dispute that?
And that's all for this week. Happy reading!
