ALL of the blogs from the past week have focused on online resources to cope with the school & library closures due to CoVid-19. However, right before everything started shutting down the Association of Illinois School Library Educators announced their 2021 Monarch Book Award List. Without further ado, here it is: Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller When Tanisha spills grape […]
ALL of the blogs from the past week have focused on online resources to cope with the school & library closures due to CoVid-19. However, right before everything started shutting down the Association of Illinois School Library Educators announced their 2021 Bluestem Book Award List. Without further ado, here it is: The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton Three Chicago students, […]
Starred Reviews from ALL FIVE Publishing Journals* Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and weaves them into one funny, poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein The true story behind […]
A Quick History… Banned Books Week was launched in the 1980s by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. The 80s were a time of increased challenges, organized protests, and the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) Supreme Court case, which ruled that school officials can’t ban books in libraries simply because of their content. Books are still […]
Get your IAR practice tests now! The IAR test has replaced the PARCC test (which replaced the ISAT test). Lucky for you, we have all available practice test booklets in our Homework Center Collection. We even still have our old ISAT and PARCC test prep books too. For more IAR online resources and online practice tests, head over to the […]
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins Fred Korematsu liked listening to music on the radio, playing tennis, and hanging around with his friends—just like lots of other Americans. But everything changed when the United States went to war with Japan in 1941 and the government forced all people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes on the West Coast […]
We are proud to announce a new inside-the-library gaming option for the little ones! Ever since the library renovation, we have been without the old children’s game computers. Using a computer mouse requires a lot of hand-eye coordination that young children may or may not have developed yet. Now, we have two Kindle Fire Kids Editions available for 2-hour checkout […]
Just in time for the January 4, 2019 Locked in the Library, we are proud to introduce a brand new STEM Kit: The Harry Potter Kano Wand Kit! This kit includes the Harry Potter Kano Wand and of course a book about coding. Like the Dash STEM Kit, it requires a tablet to use so do not check this one out […]
This week we are rolling out a brand-new collection: Playaway Launchpads. You may be familiar with Playaway’s audio book devices but this is something entirely different. The Launchpads are tablets with pre-loaded educational games and activities. They come in three different age groups: 3-5 years old, 5-7 years old, and 8-10 years old. These will be located in the Youth […]
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. Banned Books Week highlights the value of free and open access to information. All of these books have been made into movies; not because they are frequently challenged as […]
