literacy promotion
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Designing space for children and teens in libraries and public places by Sandra Feinberg
Designing Space for Children and Teens in Libraries and Public Places by Sandra Feinberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars The traditional role of school libraries is no longer pertinent when reading and research can happen anytime, anywhere. Rather Feinberg and Keller maintain that the future success of high school libraries lies within our ability…
book reviews, collection development, design thinking, designing space for teens, learning commons, library leadership, literacy promotion, professional development, Sandra Feinberg, school leadership team, school librarian, school library, secondary school library, student-centred learning, teacher-librarian -
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
American Gods by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book doesn’t really fit into a genre … it takes place in present day in America. Our protagonist, Shadow, and the dysfunctional relationship with his wife certainly seem realistic. Enter the gods … and suddenly magic is happening everywhere in subtle ways. American…
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Is it possible to grow readers who are also digitally savvy?
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Penny Kittle speak about reading and how complex it is for intermediate/senior teachers to teach. Kittle estimates that in 1st year college/university that the average pages a student reads is 500. She proposed that the #1 reason that students drop out after first year…
authentic audience, books, children’s literature, critical thinking, definition of literacy, digital literacy, Don Tapscott, education, Grown Up Digital, Heather Durnin, inquiry-based learning, literacy promotion, Literature Circles, Penny Kittle, reading, struggling reader, student-centred learning, Vygotzky, young adult fiction -
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m not sure why I never read this book when it first came out, but I just found it this year. It is an incredibly moving story of what it was like to attend a residential school. More importantly, it made…
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Triptych by J.M. Frey
Triptych by J.M. Frey My rating: 5 of 5 stars Triptych’s exploration of heteronormativity touched me in places that I didn’t even know existed. The characters and their relationships make the sci fi problems Frey creates, very real and very relevant to the human reader. It is a very brave first novel, and I found…
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Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto
Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto My rating: 5 of 5 stars This Young Adult fantasy is a sequel to Goto’s Half World, which was nominated for numerous awards in young adult fantasy. Half World is a kind of purgatory where people go who haven’t resolved events in their lives. The first book introduced one such…