libraries – Page 3 – Mom Read It

Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

TNT has The Librarians, MomReadIt has The Lybrarians: Ninja Librarians

Posted on August 9, 2016August 16, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Ninja Librarians: Sword in the Stacks, by Jen Swann Downey, (June 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781402287732

Recommended for ages 8-12

Dorrie, Marcus, and the gang at the Petrarch Library are back! When we last left Dorrie and her Star Wars-quoting brother, they’d been returned to Passaic, New Jersey, after an adventure where they discovered the Petrarch Library: a library outside of space and time, connecting libraries throughout space and time. They met the Lybrarians, a group of librarians and archivists (and apprentices) dedicated to intellectual freedom throughout history, and Dorrie couldn’t wait to be part of the group. In Jen Swann Downey’s next Ninja Librarians adventure, Sword in the Stacks, Dorrie and Marcus are back, now apprentices, are spending their vacation at Petrarch’s Library.

Dorrie and her friend, Ebba, are on a training mission to London in 1912 that isn’t quite was Dorrie expected, but it’s a great subplot that really brings home the importance of intellectual freedom for all points of view. Marcus – now spouting Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory quotes – has a mission of his own, and grows quite a bit in the process, something I’d been hoping for after reading the first book. The Foundation is back, and they’ve got a heck of a game-changer: a special weapon that will mean the death of someone in Petrarch’s Library, and countless lives in the balance outside of the library. There are high stakes this time out; let’s hope Dorrie, Marcus, and friends are up to it.

This is such a fun series. I loved the first book, The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand, and Sword in the Stacks continues the fun, wonderful world-building throughout history, and carries a powerful message about advocacy and intellectual freedom.

I have a “What’s Miss Rosemary reading this week?” sign at my desk, because my Corona Kids get a kick out of seeing what I’m reading. When they saw this cover, I got tons of questions: “Are they really ninjas?” (Well… no, but they are awesome, like ninjas.) “What’s it about?” (A library that exists outside of space and time, and people who protect history.) “WHOA, THEY TRAVEL THROUGH TIME?” (They sure do!) “Do you wish there was a portal in this library?” (Every single day, kiddo.) And the best question: “When are you getting that book here?” Soon, my friends. Soon.

Talk this one up with Chris Grabenstein’s Mr. Lemoncello’s Library books, or Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, and show kids how awesome librarians can be!

Uncategorized

Take Action Tuesday: Spreading the Everyday Advocacy Word!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

My ALSC Everyday Advocacy challenge this week is to champion the efforts of school librarians. I have a lot of teacher and librarian friends; one very close friend is a teacher-librarian. Today, I had a class visit for a school that has no school librarian. As common as that’s sadly becoming, I can’t wrap my head around it. I had a fantastic school librarian in my elementary school; I can’t imagine a kid not having that now. She taught us how to use a library, how information is organized, and most importantly, how to respect books and the information in them. I see my friend, N, taking time from her vacations and breaks to decorate her library and get it ready for every school year; the love and yes, frustration, that goes into lesson planning when your position is considered disposable by elected officials and a lot of the population.

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“You can find all that on the Internet now.” Riiight.

So for this Take Action Tuesday, I made sure to give the teachers at my class visit my contact information, and offered to come visit the school to booktalk, conduct storytimes, talk about citing sources and how to use library databases for their older students – anything they’d need. They seemed enthusiastic, so here’s hoping we can work together and show our community how vital libraries are INSIDE the schools as well as within the communities.

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Everyday Advocacy: Take Action Tuesday!

Posted on March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

My first Take Action Tuesday challenge has been to write an elevator speech: a brief opportunity to tell someone what you do, and why libraries are so important. You know, when someone asks you that question, “So, what do you do?” And you kind of grimace internally for a second, bracing for the look and the answer you’ll get when you say, “I’m a librarian.”

My elevator speech will help head off those inevitable responses: “They still have those?” “Hasn’t the Internet put you out of business yet?” You know, the greatest hits. So here’s my elevator speech:

I’m a children’s librarian. I encourage a love of reading, learning, and creating at the library by making sure my collection has books that kids will love, available in the languages they need. The world is a big place, and having books that speak to kids’ interests and experiences, in their languages, make it even bigger and brighter.

What’s your elevator speech?

Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Hit the Election Trail with Monster Needs Your Vote!

Posted on August 14, 2015August 13, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Monster Needs Your Vote, by Paul Czajak/Illus. by Wendy Grieb (Aug. 2015, Mighty Media Kids), $16.95, ISBN: 978-1-938063-63-3

Recommended for ages 4-8

It’s election season, and Monster wants to get involved! He’s got a bunch of different platforms he supports – longer summers, dessert for dinner – but he quickly discovers a more important cause to stand for, and shows kids that no matter what your age, you can make a difference!

This latest book in author Paul Czajak’s Monster & Me series gives kids a glimpse into the election process – choosing a platform, the power of a grassroots movement, and the campaign trail, in particular. Monster’s focus on education and literacy makes this a great classroom and library read-aloud – never talking down to the youngest of readers, Czajak Grieb use rhyme and adorable, kid-friendly illustration in eye-catching, bright colors to talk to kids. A free, downloadable Campaign Kit from the publisher is loaded with great add-ons, including facts about Presidents and First Ladies, a political vocabulary sheet, Monster coloring sheets, and more.

The coming Presidential election is already heating up, with a huge primary on the horizon and a lot of passionate issues on the table. Monster Needs Your Vote is a valuable addition to educators and parents who want to get kids involved. I can’t wait to see what my preschoolers think of it (although I expect that dessert for dinner will be a key concern)! Monster gets my vote – I hope he gets yours!

Have a sneak peek at Monster Needs Your Vote right here, then hit that campaign trail!

geek culture

Save the Date: Star Wars Reads Day is Back!!

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

One of my favorite Library Days is coming: Star Wars Reads Day – IN A STAR WARS MOVIE YEAR! – is back. Mark your calendars, young Jedis and Siths: on October 10, 2015, bookstores, libraries, comic shops, anywhere that has books available, will be celebrating the fourth annual Star Wars Reads Day.

Check around – there are signings, giveaways, parties, you name it, and it’s WORLDWIDE. And this year, we’ve got the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to look forward to in December!

From StarWars.com: Participants in the events and festivities include: Disney-Lucasfilm Press, Marvel, Abrams, Chronicle, Del Rey, DK, Quirk Books, Scholastic, Workman, Egmont, Studio Fun, Phoenix International Publishing, and many more. BB-8 is ready. Are you?

Check out facebook.com/StarWarsReads for the latest info on special events in your area, and stay tuned to StarWars.com for more on Star Wars Reads Day!

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LI PopCon was a Blast!

Posted on April 17, 2015April 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Whew! I’ve done it. I’ve spoken on my first panel. I was a guest at the first (hopefully annual) Long Island PopCon, a pop culture conference for librarians, educators, and students held at St. John’s Oakdale Campus. I got a nice nap on the LIRR in, and after a couple of coffees, was ready to go. I met some great exhibitors, got to hear Raina Telgemeier give a brilliant keynote at our lunch, and attended great panels – there were so many great panels lined up, I need to look into cloning technology for next year, so I don’t miss out on anything.

The anime/manga panel was a huge help for me. I tried to get an anime/manga club going at Pomonok Library for my tweens and teens earlier this year, but couldn’t sustain it past a few sessions. Now that I have resources recommended by both academic and public librarians, I feel more confident in offering this over the summer and seeing what I can get.

My panel, The Image of the Librarian and the Librarian’s Image, was filled with some great ladies, all of whom shared a love of pop culture and a firm tongue-in-cheek sense of humor when it comes to the classic image of the bunheaded librarian. We looked at our collective image from pop culture/media crit, sociological, and literary standpoints, and I hope that our audience learned from us as much as we learned from one another.

If you ever have a chance to go to St. John’s Oakdale campus, I highly recommend it. It’s gorgeous and green, and the Bourne Mansion is stunning. My fellow pop culture librarians and I are already talking about what panels we can put together for next year.

If you want to keep up to date with the Con, you can follow them on Facebook and their website, where you can also find a copy of yesterday’s program, complete with speaker information for your networking needs.