Wondering if our school library has a book, but for some reason you can't actually get to the library? You can check out Lane's catalog online here. From the drop down list, make sure you select Lane from all the different schools you can choose. You can search by title, author, keyword, subject, or series.
The Newbery Award is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards for children's literature, given out by the American Library Association. On this website you can find more information about the award as well as all of the current and past winners.
While the Newbery Award is voted on by professional librarians, this is an award for children's literature which is voted on by YOU, the students and readers! All you need to do to vote is read TWO books from the nominee lists. I have the list for the Intermediate Division posted in our room, but you can actually read any two from any division.
Honoring achievement for African-American literature, there are several different Coretta Scott King awards: one for literature, one for illustrations, one for a talented new author, and one for lifetime achievement. Including fiction, non-fiction, and picture books, all of these books usually reveal an important moment in time in history or an important part of African-American culture; they can be enjoyed not just during Black History Month, but all year long!
Poetry Out Loud is a contest for reciting poems for students from all around the country. However, even if you're not interested in the contest, but are just looking for some good poems to read, this website has a huge selection of new and classic poetry to browse through.
Don't worry, ladies--do not feel left out. We also need advice about finding books that ACTUALLY have strong, confident, interesting, and complex female characters. Welcome to Readergirlz, an organization founded by some current young adult female authors. This website (in my opinion) is a little more confusing to use, but if you click on "Archives" on the main page, you'll get a list of great, current novels for teens recommended by some great, smart women.
Ever notice that a lot of books in our classroom library are Multnomah County Library books? They are, but I didn't steal them--I bought them from the bookstore where I volunteer, Title Wave. They sell all of the used or overstocked books from all the different branches of Multnomah County--and sell them for super cheap! Even though it's kind of far from our school in Northeast, it's a great hidden resource to check out.
Most of you are on Facebook or MySpace, right? Goodreads is just like those sites--but about books! You can list, rate, review, and categorize books you've read, and then see what your friends are reading, too. There are also some other cool things on here like trivia quizzes, book lists, reading challenges, and author interviews. In fact, many of your favorite authors might be Goodreads members and you can check out their profile! It's also a good place to keep track of all those books you want to read. I love this website--feel free to look for me and friend me!
