Booktalks for Juvenile Chapter Books

I've been working on some booktalks to do for local fourth grade classes, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites that I've written.  I won't be reading these word-for-word to the kids, but I like to write a paragraph to get my thoughts in an order that sounds good.

Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities

by Mike Jung

Vincent Wu is president of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club. It may not be the Official fan club - in fact, it may be the smallest fan club in history - but NOBODY knows more about the world's active superheroes and supervillains than Vincent, George, and Max. Like every kid in Copperplate City they show up every time they get a Stupendous Alert on their phones, hoping to see Stupendous take down a hostile space alien or giant radioactive spider. But Captain Stupendous has been acting strange lately, ever since he rescued Polly Winnicott-Lee (whom Vincent totally does NOT have a crush on, maybe) and failed to take down the giant robot creation of a brand new supervillian named Professor Mayhem. Can Vincent and his friends help Stupendous get his mojo back? And what does Polly have to do with all this? Find out in this high-powered adventure of friendship and kicking butt.

Dorko the Magnificent

by Andrea Beaty

Fifth grader Robbie Darko wants nothing more than to be a world-class magician.  Unfortunately, most of his previous tricks have either started a fire or sent an amphibian flying at the school principal’s face.  On top of these career setbacks, Robbie is being forced to share a room with the little brother he calls Ape Boy so that a crazy old lady he’s somehow related to can move in.  Grandma Melvyn never smiles, yells at the TV during Wheel of Fortune, calls everyone Trixie, and seems determined to make Robbie’s life miserable.  But Grandma Melvyn also has a secret, one that could change Robbie’s magic act – and his life – forever.

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

by Linda Sue Park

Nya, an eleven-year-old girl living in southern Sudan in 2008, walks for hours each day to get water for her family to drink. Even then, the water they drink can be dirty and make them sick. But strangers have come to Nya's village with tools and trucks and a huge drill, ready to build something that will provide fresh, clean water right in the center of the village. Back in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva has fled from his school, also in southern Sudan. The war between the Sudanese government and the southern rebels has come to Salva's neighborhood, and people are scattering all over the country. Salva does not know what lies ahead of him - seemingly endless walking, near starvation, animal attacks, personal tragedy, packed refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, a foster family in the United States - he can only move forward one step at a time. Eventually, Nya and Salva will meet in a future that is brighter for the people of southern Sudan.

Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green

by Helen Phillips

Sisters Mad (Madeline) and Roo (Ruby) haven't heard from their dad - a famous ornithologist called the "Bird Guy" - in months. He's been in Central America, searching for an almost-extinct species of bird called the Lava-Throated Volcano trogon at the famous La Lava Resort and Spa. Mad is worried because their dad's last letter was strange, a part of a series of strange happenings that she calls The Weirdness. The mystery only deepens when the sisters arrive at La Lava and discover that everyone, from the workers at the spa to their own dad, seems to be hiding something. Their only hope is the teenage Spanish tutor and jungle guide, Kyle, and his family's ancient story about a volcano goddess and the magnificent bird that was once her true love...

Girls vs. Boys and "Teaching Time"

I recently read this article on NPR and found it extremely interesting.

It's about a study by professors in two Canadian universities that analyzed survey data from Canada, the US, and the UK about the amount of time parents spend with their children on certain activities.  The most surprising finding, and the focus of the article, is the fact that parents report spending more time on "teaching" type activities with girls than with boys.  These activities include reading to the child or practicing letters or numbers.

There are a number of possible causes for this, although nothing is known for certain.  Some of the theories mentioned in the article are that girls might be naturally more inclined toward teaching activities, that parents might unconsciously respond to cultural biases saying girls read and boys engage in active play, or that it may take more effort to get a boy to sit still and pay attention to teaching activities than with a girl.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that caregivers should be making a conscious effort to spend more "teaching time" with boys.  This article cites a trend towards higher reading and math test scores for girls than for boys, once children enter school.  There is a very real possibility that this discrepancy is due to girls' greater time spent on early learning activities in the home.

The good news is that teaching activities do NOT have to be quiet, sit-down activities, if that's not what the child in question prefers.  An active boy (or girl!) may be more comfortable with books that feature a lot of action, like those I use in Wee Dance! Party programs.  They may want to act out stories more often than they sit and listen to them.  Letters and numbers can also be practiced through active play, whether it's rearranging magnetic letters or counting numbered blocks as they build a tower.  There are also plenty of great songs for children that encourage dancing and movement while practicing basic academic skills.

And anyone spending time with children should always remember the 5 early literacy practices that we children's librarians recommend:  Read!  Write!  Sing!  Talk!  Play!  If a child has an adult to do these 5 things with, he or she is off to a great start in life!

A Day in the Life of a Librarian

Sometimes I get the feeling that many people don't know what we librarians do all day.  Surprisingly enough, we don't just sit at the desk and read or walk around shelving books.  Here's an example of a typical day for me from this past spring.

8:45 AM - Come in to work; help turn on all the lights and computers.

9-10 AM - Check email; work on reordering damaged books that were waiting for me on my desk; look through some of the new picture books in my online cart to possibly order.

10-10:45 AM - Prepare for Toddler Time by reading through books and practicing flannel stories and songs.

10:45-11 AM - Set up for Toddler Time by arranging a table of information and books to check out; line up all the books and props so the storytime will run smoothly; greet parents and kids who've come for Toddler Time.

11-11:45 AM - Toddler Time and playtime with the toys afterwards.

11:45 AM-12 PM - Clean up Toddler Time; record statistics; put away nametags.

12-1 PM - Lunch.

1-3 PM - Pull books from a weeding list to decide if we still need them in the collection; continue going through possible new books to order by reading reviews and checking our current collection; work on display of book covers from popular genres; begin planning storytime for a group visit.

3-5:15 PM - Sit at the reference desk and answer questions from patrons that range from helping find a book for a school project, to directing them to the bathroom or circulation desk, or demonstrating how to print from internet computers; continue to work on book covers display to make sure there is a variety of reading levels and diverse protagonists; check request pull list and locating the materials; freshen up displays with new books and other materials when they are checked out; answer phone calls and emails; record statistics; remind young patrons of acceptable library behavior and direct them towards books or puzzles or the craft table.

And things will only get more crazy with Summer Reading Club starting soon!