Children's Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 337; January 6, 2010
http://www.west-bendlibrary.org/mwflskids.htm
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com/

In this issue:
Ruhama’s Review
Make a Splash – READ!
Keeping Up with the Youth Media Awards on January 18
Katherine Paterson New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Free Customizable PSA for NLW
Dates to Remember
Website Faves
And Finally……

Ruhama's Review

Escape the Mask by David Ward
http://tinyurl.com/86bq8d
Book One of The Grassland Trilogy

Corki and his cellmate Pippa have been held captive for years by the Spears. Corki remembers nothing of his past and relies on Pippa to tell him about things like trees. All he knows is that every day, as Diggers, they must collect shards, and if they don't meet their quota, they'll get sent belowcaves for a Cleansing. In fact, do anything wrong and you'll have to endure a rush of ocean water in a closed cell, which is where the story opens: Corki is in a barred cell deep in the mountain because he kept a work-cloth. This is where he meets Tia and Bran, who later help both he and Pippa understand the war that is approaching and plant the idea of escape.
This is a gripping tale that begs to be read in one or two sittings. Readers will want to know what happens to each of the characters as events unfold and will root for the Diggers to escape the Spears. Ward has set up a fascinating world with complicated relationships and an intriguing plotline that leaves you wishing the next book were published already. A lot of things are left unexplained (what exactly are the shards?) that could either be left to the imagination or will be explained in forthcoming books. My only gripe is the map at the start of the book is misleading; otherwise, this is a great adventure story that could be set in the past or the future.


MAKE A SPLASH - READ!

Our summer reading program workshop will be held on Friday, January 29th at the Country Springs Hotel and Waterpark in Waukesha. Marge Loch-Wouters will be our most excellent presenter and will share tips on how to Make a Splash with your summer programs. After lunch, Barb Huntington will share state updates, craft and display ideas. Then it’s YOUR turn to share, so bring along those fabulous craft ideas, bulletin board or display suggestions, and programming winners to share with your colleagues! We will have tables set up for displays and demonstrations. If you are participating, please let me know and send me your descriptions, samples, patterns, etc. by Friday the 22nd (which is also the last day to register!) so this information can be shared with all attendees.
Registration fee is $22. Refreshments and lunch are included. Registration forms went out late in December, if you need another form, please contact me.
The County Springs has reserved a block of rooms for anyone interested in arriving Thursday evening. Rates are $99.00 per room. Contact the hotel directly to reserve your room at 800-247-6640.


KEEPING UP WITH THE YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS ON JANUARY 18

The results of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Youth Media Awards, which present the best of the best in children’s and young adult literature and media, will be announced during the ALA’s Midwinter Meeting on Monday, Jan. 18 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. You can obtain those results in a number of ways besides attending the ceremony:

Webcast: A free live Webcast of the presentation will be hosted by streaming content provider Unikron. To view the live Webcast the morning of the announcement, visit: http://alawebcast.unikron.com/. The number of available connections for the Webcast will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Webcast will also be archived on Google Video.

Twitter: Results will be available as they are announced during the ceremony via twitter at http://twitter.com/ALAyma. Users of Twitter can read and follow posts — referred to as 'tweets'—instantly, either through ALA's Twitter page, RSS or SMS Text Messaging (if enabled). There are currently more than 1,600 followers to the Youth Media Awards twitter page.

Facebook: Featuring the RSS feed from the Youth Media Awards Twitter site, the ALA Youth Media Awards Facebook page also offers videos, photos and information about the awards. Currently, the ALA Youth Media Awards page has more than six-hundred Facebook friends and can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ALA-Youth-Media-Awards/43002248757#.

The ALA Island in Second Life will also broadcast an encore presentation of the Youth Media Awards Webcast. Visitors can take advantage of in-world viewing later in the day on the ALA Island at the Main Stage. The ALA Island/ALA Main Stage is located at 128, 107, 29. In Second Life, teleport there directly: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/128/107/29/ A press release announcing the winners will also be posted to the ALA home page at www.ala.org, prior to 10:30 a.m. EST the day of the announcement.


KATHERINE PATERSON NEW NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE

Katherine Paterson, both a two-time Newbery medalist and National Book Award-winner, replaces Jon Scieszka as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education.

Paterson, who has chosen ―Read for Your Life‖ as the theme for her platform, was selected by a committee that represents those in the book community based on her contributions to young people’s literature and her ability to relate to children.

Paterson’s fame around the globe comes from her hugely popular novels and her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. She won the Newbery Medal for Bridge to Terabithia (1977)--which was made into a feature film--and Jacob Have I Loved (1981, both Crowell). She also won the National Book Award for The Great Gilly Hopkins (1979) and The Master Puppeteer (1977). Other awards include the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, given by her home state of Vermont. Paterson was also named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000.

Her most recent book, The Day of the Pelican (Clarion, 2009), tells the story of a refugee family’s flight from war-torn Kosovo to America. She and her husband, John, live in Barre, VT, and they have four children and seven grandchildren. The Library of Congress’s Center for the Book and the Children’s Book Council are the sponsors of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Scieszka, who was appointed in 2008, was the first person to hold the title.


FREE CUSTOMIZABLE PSA FOR NLW

To promote National Library Week 2010, a free customizable public service announcement (PSA) featuring award-winning author Neil Gaiman is now available. Gaiman, the 2009 Newberry Medal winner for "The Graveyard Book," will appear in both a print and a radio public service announcement (PSA). Gaiman’s love of libraries and librarians is no secret, as his many fans and Twitter followers know.

The PSA can be downloaded for free at www.ala.org/nlw. The PSA reminds library users of all the resources the library offer and how libraries are of key importance in tough economic times. To have the PSA customized with their library’s logo, librarians are asked to send a print quality logo file, their library name and URL to: ala@atigraphics.com. The PSA will be sent to the library in 1-2 weeks.

Other materials are currently available in both English and Spanish, focusing on the 2010 National Library Week theme ―Communities thrive @ your library.‖ They include a proclamation, sample press release and letter-to-the-editor, as well as scripts for use in radio public service announcements (PSAs). Libraries can download materials at www.ala.org/nlw.
Libraries planning to participate in ―Communities thrive @ your library‖-themed programming are encouraged to share their stories with the Campaign for America’s Libraries, by sending an e-mail to: atyourlibrary@ala.org.


DATES TO REMEMBER

January 11 CSLP Board conference call
January 14-19 ALA Midwinter, Boston
January 29 SLP Retreat/Workshop, Country Springs Hotel Water Park, Waukesha
January 30 Riverport Chorus, DivaQuest, Kenosha
February 15 WLA Board meeting, Madison
February 16 Library Legislative Day, Madison


WEBSITE FAVES

Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/default.asp

Each morning, a wide variety of international newspapers electronically submit their front pages to the Newseum to be part of Today's Front Pages. Each page is displayed in its original, unedited form, and links to the newspaper’s Web site and to a PDF file of the page are included. A magnifier tool allows users to zoom in on any part of the page. An archive chronicles events of historical significance such as the war in Iraq, the 2008 presidential election, President Obama’s first 100 days in office, and economic news. Additionally, teachers will find a lesson plan for grades 6-12. In this lesson plan, students can compare coverage of and attitudes/judgments toward national news, local news, weather, politics, and culture. They can also compare and contrast styles of layout, graphics, and photography. Students will find a fun, interactive trivia game on the site. (Education World Site Reviews, 1/5/10)


Gymnasium for the Brain
http://www.gymnasiumforbrain.com/

Give your brain a workout at the Gymnasium for the Brain. Children and adults can have fun solving these puzzles while exercising their brains. Visitors to the site can find more than one hundred and eighty logic puzzles that will keep them entertained for hours. Each puzzle includes hints and the solution. Teachers can use these logic puzzles as brain teasers to start the day or for rainy day activities. The site also provides math problems and alternative ways of solving them, and a section on designing using dots and patterns that students would find interesting. Additionally, try your hand at the upcoming puzzles for a little brain exercise with no hints or solutions available. (Education World Site Reviews, 1/5/10)


AND FINALLY.................

This week Lakeshores lost two very dear friends. Marleen Rogers was the retired director from the Barrett Memorial Library in Williams Bay, and Brenda Youra was the director at the Genoa City Public Library. We will miss you.