By now, you’ve surely heard of Knickers, the oversized Australian cow. If you haven’t, that’s really too sad for you because Knickers was the viral internet story we so desperately needed last week. Measuring 6’4” in height and weighing in at 1.4 tons, Knickers is large—too large, in fact, for the abattoirs, and thus destined […]
Collusion is not a crime, but that doesn’t matter because there was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018 As our President faces charges of collusion, he insists it’s not a crime. We’ll let the lawyers in the house make that call, but in […]
Three weeks ago, archaeologists unearthed a sealed, 30-ton, black granite sarcophagus (and an alabaster bust) after some 2,000 years of presumably peaceful rest. Egyptian officials were eager to pry it open and peek inside, but citizens of the Internet were less enthused. Thinking logically, the Twittersphere pointed out the obvious: what if it’s cursed?! Warnings […]
Today, CNN published an illustrated guide to surviving a shark attack. Though useful, the guide provokes new anxieties for we landlubbers about to embark on beach vacations. Luckily, the following titles, linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews, provide superior accounts of shark attacks to soothe us—or prepare us for the inevitable. Bear v. […]
As rescuers race to save the remaining five boys trapped in a Thai cave system, audiences around the world are following the crisis with hope and trepidation. The rescue effort has brought together international military teams, rescue workers, diving experts, and Elon Musk, who is contributing a mini-submarine. For readers interested in other harrowing […]
After mounting accusations of collusion, election meddling and spreading fake news, recent sensational headlines on Russian doings seem drawn directly from a Cold War thriller. We recommend the following books, linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews, for readers craving more accounts of political intrigue and conspiracy—or for those sad that The Americans has ended. Fiction […]
As the nation turns its attention to the plight of the migrants detained at our borders, now’s a perfect time for readers to immerse themselves in the global migration crisis. The following recommended titles, linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews, explore the horrors migrants must endure both at home and abroad. (Earlier this week, we […]
Yesterday, writing for The New Yorker, Jia Tolentino declared it “grifter season,” citing an excellent feature in The Cut about Anna Delvey, a young woman posing as a German heiress, now in prison, and the recent publication of John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, an absolutely tremendous book about Stanford dropout […]
Our President made waves with his hand-holding technique while receiving Emmanuel Marcon at the White House yesterday. The characters in the charming picture books below, linked to their Booklist reviews, might prove instructional in future diplomatic meetings. All of Us, by Carin Berger Parents and their little ones will love this disarmingly simple poem about […]
Upon learning of Barbara Bush’s passing last night at the age of 92, my first thought was about what a fascinating lady she was: champion of literacy, doyenne of Kennebunkport, unparalleled rocker of unironic pearl necklaces. My second thought was of her son, but nobody has time to listen to my feelings about him. My […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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