Books in Series

With the abundance of young adult books being written in sequels or series, I’m being faced with the challenge of keeping track of which series we have in order to make sure the new titles are ordered. Knowing that I couldn’t be  alone in this challenge, I asked fellow Kansas school librarians how they handled this somewhat daunting task. Thanks to the willingness of this community to share, I received lots of ideas:

• Put numbers on the books showing sequence in the series
• Print list from catalog and keep at circulation desk
• Create running list in Word, sorted by author / series name of the series and titles owned
• Create running list in Excel — easier to sort
• Create page for each series and keep in notebook by author for student and librarian use
• Create page for each series and keep by shelves

So, I’ve decided to

• Continue numbering the books in a series (thankfully this has already been done)
• Create a master list in Excel so I’ll know which series we have for ordering purposes
• Create a Book Series page on this blog showing which series we have
• Create a page for each series that can be printed and displayed
  • Incorporate images of book covers
  • Incorporate QR codes linking to author websites and book trailers

I’ve used Goodreads to create a shelf for the series. This separate shelf has allowed me to capture a screen shot of all of the book covers for the series. Thankfully, I had created a list (probably incomplete) of series on Friday and have had two snow days to work on this project. I doubt if I’d come anywhere close to generating the pages for each series without these days confined at home.

What Should I Read Next?

Ever read a book and want to read something similar? OR – do you have students saying, “I want another book like this one.” If so, then the website, What Should I Read Next? may just have your answer.

For example, I entered the book, Incarceron and received the following suggestions:

• Stephenie Meyer – The host
• Scott Westerfield – Extras {Unabridged} {Cd}
• Patrick Ness – The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One
• James Dashner, – The Maze Runner
• Juliet Marillier – Wildwood Dancing
• Scott Westerfeld - Midnighters #3: Blue Noon (rpkg) (Midnighters)
• Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer – Sorcery and Cecelia: Or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Magic Carpet Books)
• Gabrielle Zevin - Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
• Suzanne Collins, – Catching Fire
• Kristin Cashore - Graceling
• by J. K. Rowling; illustrations by Mary GrandPré – Harry Potter and the goblet of fire
• by J. K. Rowling; illustrations by Mary GrandPré – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Maggie Stiefvater, – Shiver
• Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games
• Melissa Marr – Ink Exchange
• Kelley Armstrong – The Summoning (Darkest Powers 1)

If I want to develop a personal list of books I’ve read and recommended titles, I can create an account on the site. But what makes this site extremely useful is the fact that I don’t have to create an account, I can just use it to get a recommended list.

Review: I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Poetry at its best

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Review: Willow

Willow by Julia Hoban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Willow’s parents are killed in an auto accident – while Willow was driving. Now Willow is trying to keep the pain away.

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Review: Lipstick Apology

Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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P21 CyberSummit with Bernie Trilling

What will the world be like when

• a current sophomore turns 20 (5 years from now)?
• How about when a 5th grader turns 20?
• Or when a kindergartner turns 20?
• Or in 20 years when that newborn baby turns 20?

What key skills will be needed in this future world?

What are the key factors for success in this future world?

Digital natives (ages 11 to 30) want

• personalized learning
• quick access — all of the time
• to be networked
• to learn collaboratively
• to learn thru creativity and/or play

American Management Association 2010 Critical Skills Survey

• Proficient in reading, writing, and arithmetic
• Problem solver
• Innovator
• Collaborator
• Communicator – Effective
• Essential Skills for 21st Century Workplace Webcast

Creative work is becoming the need as routine work is either being done by machine or being outsourced to low-wage workers.

Teaching the 21st century learner

• utilize problems and questions to motivate learning
• use multimedia
• be less helpful
• encourage student intuition
• ask the shortest question possible
• let students build the problem

Notes from webinar by Bernie Trilling as part of the P21 CyberSummit (#p21cs)

Members of Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Review: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Suspenseful action to the end

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Review: Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as riviting as Hunger Games

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Review: L.A. Candy

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can’t wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.

When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a “reality version of Sex and the City,” they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!

Soon Jane is TV’s hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she’s lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane’s spotlight.

In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it’s not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it’s like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.