LSSL 5385 YA Lit. Textbook Reflections

Historical fiction can be quite intimidating. Pay attention to the word “historical.” Who decides what history is? Is it based on our age? Or, any event that happened in the past is considered historical? Does it only apply to an event that changed the lives of the people who experienced it? Well, to make history come alive and more palpable for our students, we can share with them books that fall under this category, historical fiction.   Presenting students with historical fiction picture books is an excellent way to show them what it was like to live in that period. They can see how people dressed, interacted, or even spoke to each other. They provide that scaffolding that they require to fully understand a period in which they did not live through. Before we run and buy many historical fiction books, we first need to pay attention to the criteria for evaluating historical fiction for children. We must decide whether the author did a good job in telling a story ...

Poetry was created for enjoyment and not just for dissection. As educators we may make the miiiiiinor mistake or forcing students to read a poem and analyze it ALL THE TIME! This is a great activity because it may help students fully understand the poet’s message. But, dissecting poems all day may cause children to lose interest in poetry. And, that is tragic! A research study done with children, produced five different conclusions: kids prefer narrative poetry, they dislike free verse and haiku, children are inclined to literary sound devices, they enjoy funny poems that provide experiences children can connect to and include animals, and they like contemporary or modern poems.     Narrative poetry is at the top of the list because kids simply enjoy hearing and telling stories. They do not quite enjoy free verse and haiku because children enjoy rhyming words and these do not rhyme. Of course, as humans we love things that make noise and add action to our ...

                                             Awards It is extremely important for librarians to be familiar with book and media awards. After a librarian can access data by using demographic reports or through surveys and conversations with students and staff, she will be able to have a better understanding of the population she serves.  She will have to assess her collection and decide what area can improve to meet the needs of her patrons. If she is not familiar with these awards, she will be lost. These awards provide high quality, age appropriate, innovative, and diverse titles that can revive her collection and provide equitable access for all. She will always have current and popular titles for her students.   Printz The Michael L. Printz award, sponsored by Booklist, is given to the best book written for teenagers. It is named after a...

Through literature, we can get a glimpse of the author’s personality, thoughts, and point of views. I strongly believe literary elements and literary devices are the salt in literature. They provide the flavor and uniqueness to a story, novel, or play. These components are what make a story entertaining and engages the reader. That is my job: to engage all readers! By being familiar with literary elements, I am able to better provide students with books they will enjoy and positively impact their opinion of libraries and nurture their love of reading. Literary Elements Antagonist - This may be the character that works against the story’s main character. In some novels, the main character may be both the protagonist and antagonist because of internal conflicts. Character- A character is a participant in the story. There are different types of characters (confidante, dynamic character, static character, antagonist, round character, flat character, and stock character...

This chapter discusses several developmental aspects that affect our students: intellectual, moral, developmental, physical, and how they develop as a reader. All these are important to librarians because our goal is to know our students, and with these things in mind, we can match the student with the perfect book. Unfortunately, society adds an enormous amount of pressure to the lives of our students and children. Some may become extremely unsatisfied with their looks and wonder if they are normal. They dislike what they see in the mirror and struggle to accept their appearance. Others may struggle with their sexuality and an internal battle is occurring in their mind, for they do not fit that mold society has created. As librarians, it is imperative that we purchase books that students can relate to and show that the characters struggle with similar situations.  Through these books, the students must be reminded that current situations are not permanent. Library book...