THE PROMISE OF CHANGE by JoAnn Allen and Debbie Levy

This year, I was a CYBILS judge for the nonfiction (sure, I can read 140 books including 40 novel length books in two months and blog about them and work full time also! No problem!) Actually, I was a teeny bit of a failure, I only got 110 read. One that I absolutely loved was a novel in verse, PROMISE OF CHANGE: ONE GIRL'S STORY IN THE FIGHT FOR CHANGE by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy.

PROMISE OF CHANGE is the true story of fourteen-year-old Jo Ann Allen's story of school integration. Allen was growing up in Clinton, Tennessee, in the early 1960's, when Brown vs. Board of Education was passed.

In an early chapter, Levy and Allen describe Clinton this way:

Clinton Tennesse
3,500 white people
+
220 black people
+
1 movie theater, where Negroes may only sit in the balcony
+
1 swimming pool, where Negroes may not go at all
+
1 fun rec center, with bowling alleys, pingpong tables,
badminton- but not for Negroes
+
1 public library (only Negroes aren't part of the "public")
+
1 public high school (whites only)
+
1 drug store, where Negroes may buy things, but may not
linger and definitely may not sit and eat at the lunch counter
where, I hear, they serve chicken salad sandwiches made
from roosters
not hens
+
0 restaurants where Negroes may eat
=
Segregation. Separate, not equal.
Segregation.
The way it is and has always been. 

JoAnn and eleven of her friends were forced to start high school at Clinton High School. And face discrimination and loneliness and even threats on their lives.

A terrific novel in verse.

Sally  Murphy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday. Be sure to head over there for lots of great poetry.

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE- IT'S ALIVE! by Ammi-Joan Paquette

This is a super fun book nonfiction book, but also, maybe a really important book in this time of "fake news."

The book is divided into nine chapters, e.g. Crazy Plants, Creepy Plants and Fungi, Small, Medium, and Large Animals, and Humans. Each chapter has three really weird story/articles, accompanied by photographs, maps, diagrams, and all of the features you'd expect in a terrific nonfiction book. "Small Animals," for example, includes a story about the African threadsnake, an animal that lives inside of the ear canal of African wild dogs. There's also a section about the Chelifer cancroides, a microscopic arachnid that lives on dust mites, beetle larvae and book lice, a creature that lives on the starchy glue of book bindings. And there's a section on the common European limpet. Their teeth are the strongest biological material ever discovered. Scientists believe that this material might have important implications for manufacturing and building.

Now here is the catch. Two of these creatures are real. One is a total fabrication. It's up to readers to use whatever tools they can to figure out which one is false. And they are not particularly easy to figure out.

The book includes lots of other related short articles and side bars.  One of my favorites was a section called "Fake or Fiction," a list of ten weird "facts," nine of which are true and one which is false. Really fun!

My middle schoolers love this book. It's overdue at the library and I need to return it. I'm going to go buy it, because I know they will be looking for it when they come back to school on Monday. I've heard that this may be the first book in a series, and I'm hoping that's true! It's terrific!

CYBILS 2010

HEY! DID YOU KNOW IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE CYBILS AWARDS?

Just in case you didn't know, the CYBILS are an honor given out by Kidlitosphere bloggers- teachers, librarians, authors, booksellers, etc. Every October, people rush to the CYBILS website and nominate their favorite new books in a whole bunch of different categories, including picture books, nonfiction, poetry, middle grade fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, YA, etc. At the end of October, the nominations close, then a panel of judges review the books in each category (almost one hundred in many of the categories), and whittle the list down to five books, which are then passed to a second panel of judges, who select the winner in each category.

I'm thrilled to announce that I will once again be serving as a judge on the nonfiction picture book panel. I've helped with the nonfiction judging for the last two years (as a YA judge in 2008 and a nonfiction picture book in 2010) and it's so, so, so fun. Starting in late October, I'll be reading and reviewing tons of terrific new nonfiction picture books. And I'll be discussing those books with lots and lots of really knowledgeable, interesting, and fun people. I. can. not. wait!

OTHER FIRST ROUNDERS ON THE NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK PANEL:

• Karen Terlecky, Literate Lives
• Amanda Goldfuss, ACPL Mock Sibert
• Shirley Duke, Simply Science
• Doret Canton, Happy Nappy Bookseller
• Abby Johnson, Abby the Librarian,

Round Two

• Carol Rasco- RIF
• Franki Sibberson, A Year of Reading
• Roberta Gibson, Wrapped in Foil
• Kara Dean, Not Just for Kids
• Deb Nance, Reader Buzz

OK, so now your job is to hop over to the CYBILS website and nominate your favorite books.

Let the wild rumpus begin!

AN EXTRA SPECIAL SUPER DUPER AUTUMN TREAT AND A DEADLINE

In late September, I blogged about A PLACE FOR WONDER, a fabulous new professional book by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough. In A PLACE FOR WONDER, Heard and McDonough examine how teachers can create “landscapes of wonder,” classrooms where curiosity, creativity, and observation are encouraged, and where intelligent, inquiring, lifelong learners are developed. Heard and McDonough created "wonder classrooms" in McDonough's kindergarten and first grade classrooms, and in the book, they share some really practical and concrete ideas for teachers to help children not only see their world, but also write about it.

"Our goal was to create a landscape of wonder in primary classrooms—a landscape in children’s minds and hearts filled with wonder and awe about this amazing world we live in."

"We knew that it’s important to not just ask the questions but to learn to explore questions. We wanted to set up time for the children to ponder their questions and teach them how to go about exploring those questions."

Young children need to know that nonfiction writing is varied, but at the core of all nonfiction writing is often a question, an observation, a passion fermenting in the author’s mind and heart. Heard and McDonough, p. 58

I loved this book and have been trying to implement many of Heard and McDonough's ideas into my teaching, and also into my parenting. I was thrilled to be included on Heard and McDonough's blog tour, which starts later this week.

October 19: A Year of Reading

October 21: Miss Rumphius Effect
October 23: Carol’s Corner (can you believe it, right here!).

As part of that tour, I get to send some questions to Georgia and Jennifer, so I'm opening this up to my readers. Take a look at the book (you can preview the entire book online here), then email me with your questions. I'll pass them onto Georgia and Jennifer, and maybe they will answer them!

Also, as an EXTRA SPECIAL SUPER DUPER AUTUMN TREAT, Stenhouse will wrap up the blog tour with a LIVE WEBCAST with Georgia and Jennifer on Oct. 26th at 8 p.m. EST. This will be a great opportunity to join a small group discussion with the two authors. Five participants for this live webcast will be chosen from the comments in this post and the blog tour post on October 23 If you would like to have your name thrown in the bowl, post a comment or question about the book here. Include your email address so I can contact you if you win! No special software or equipment are needed to participate in the webcast – just a phone and your computer.

From now until the beginning of the tour you can also receive free shipping when you order A Place for Wonder. Just use code “blog” at the checkout when you order from www.stenhouse.com or by phone at 800-988-9812.

****************************

LAST DAY TO NOMINATE FOR CYBILS
Have you nominated your favorite new books for the CYBILS? Anything published between October 16, 2008 and October 15, 2009 is eligible, but TODAY is the last day you can nominate a book for this honor! Hurry on over to the CYBILS site and get busy nominating!

I'M A CYBILS PANELIST

Phew! Finally I can tell! For the second year in a row, I will be working with a terrific group of people as panelist for the CYBILS AWARDS. This year I will be working on the Nonfiction/Informational Picture Book category.

Here is a description of the Nonfiction/Informational Books category:

Kids love interesting non-fiction books. Kids love information books. And the sky is the limit for kids' interests. The Non-fiction/ Information Picture Book category is looking for stunning, visual nominees that capture the curiosity and wonder of children of all ages. From science to art, history to sports, or current events to biographies, if the book has a fresh approach, kid appeal, fabulous illustrations, photography, and will be picked up again and again, please nominate.

Nonfiction/information books will be 48 pages or less and should appeal to the younger reader. The committee will refer to the Library of Congress classification as a guide for determining non-fiction status. Previous winners in this category include Nic Bishop’s Frogs (2008), Lightship by Brian Floca (2007), and An Egg is Quiet by Diana Ashton (2006).

It's really easy to nominate books in this category, and about ten others, including poetry, graphic novels, picture books, intermediate grade fiction, and lots of others . This year there is a really quick and easy form you can fill out, so hustle right over to the CYBILS website and get busy nominating!

IT'S TIME FOR CYBILS NOMINATIONS!

OK, it's officially October. And one of the best things about October is the CYBILS nominations. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? The CYBILS are awards given by bloggers, teachers, librarians, moms, basically anyone who cares about books. There are, I think, nine different categories-- e.g. picture books, nonfiction picture books, intermediate grade novels, Middle grade and YA nonfiction, fantasy and science fiction, graphic novels, poetry. And the best part is that YOU (and me, all of us readers!) get to nominate our favorite books anytime between now and October 15. Anything you have read since last October.

So head on over to the CYBILS WEBSITE NOW!

CYBILS SHORTLISTS

The 

CYBILS SHORTLISTS

are supposed to be posted 

tomorrow,

January 1, 2009.

I was on the panel for the Intermediate Grade/YA Nonfiction.

The books we chose are EXCEPTIONAL!

I can't wait to see what everyone else chose!