The stats are frightening. Get reading!

The stats presented on the literacy levels of our students really is quite frightening.

• young children spend twice as much time in front of the televison as they do reading
• household duties and tiredness get in the way of parents reading to their young children
• 20 per cent of parents had not started reading with their 12-month-old

Presented in an article Young children spend twice as much time watching TV as they do reading stories  this research by Australia Post coincides with the launch of the Let’s Read National Early Literacy Campaign.  Some great strategies and ideas to promote reading are listed on this website.   Well worth the time to explore.

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What’s YABBA?!

If you’ve had a ‘What on earth is YABBA’ moment, then take a few minutes to check this video out!

YABBA, the acronym for Young Australians Best Book Awards, were established in 1985 in Victoria and aim to give children the chance to choose books worthy of awards.  Kids love it and authors revel in the opportunity to be honoured by their readers.

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Read it to believe it: What you never knew about some famous books!

A quick read through 10 Deleted Chapters that Transformed Famous Books is really fascinating!

How different some of the stories would have been if chapters or alternate endings were published as intended by the authors.  While the article gives a brief explanation about each of the ten books, I’ve listed the books below with a direct link (where I could find it) to the deleted or altered chapter which never saw the light of day.

1. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Deleted ending.
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde: Deleted or moved passages.
3. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens: Revised ending: Numerous discussions about the two endings of this novel can be found online.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling: Alternate ending as told by journalist friend Greg Palast
5. The Time Machine – H. G. Wells: Deleted chapter: The Grey Man
6. Through the Looking-Glass – Lewis Carroll: Deleted chapter: The Wasp in a Wig: A suppressed episode of “Through the looking glass” and what Alice found there (with an introduction by Martin Gardner) can be purchased as a hardback book
7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: Deleted chapters: Three lost chapters from Malcolm X revealed
8. Picnic at Hanging Rock – Joan Lindsay: Deleted chapter: The secret of Hanging Rock
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl: Deleted chapter: The secret ordea of Miranda Piker
10. The Bible: A large number of books known as the Gnostic Gospels if included would, it is said, have completed altered the meaning of The Bible.

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15 year old school boy brings the gift of books to those in need!

When you read stories such as this one about 15 year old Joey Alisch, a sophomore student at Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island, USA, that warm fuzzy feeling of inspiration is lit!

Having just completed his most recent trip – his seventh – to the Philippines, Joey has now collected and donated more than 10,000 books to schools across the Philippines.

It was some years ago when Joey noticed an ad on the Disney Channel encouraging youngsters to get involved in acts of charity.   After a visit to his cousin’s school in Mindoro in the Philippines, Joey was shocked to see an empty room in the school which was the library.  It was at this point that he decided that he should be collecting and donating books to schools in the Philippines.  And so he has, ever since!

Joey’s character shines through a short video published on YouTube.  He sums up his intent well by saying:

MY VISION:  To help the Filipino Children
MY MISSION: To continue helping build libraries in the Philippines.  I hope they will enjoy reading & exploring the wonderful world of BOOKS

The story is inspiring. So too is the video:

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Is it time to chuck out the books in our school libraries?!

It’s a daring question to pose to those of us working in school libraries ….. but ….. clearing out the entire book collection is exactly what has happened in one school library in Minneapolis in the US.

Seen to be responding to the February 2012 Obama Administration’s challenge to schools to embrace digital textbooks within 5 years, Benilde-St Margaret’s last year scrapped its entire print collection to create a learning space where students and staff can meet to share ideas, research and access online databases on iPads, laptops or computers, or to just read!

I first read about this story in an article in the January 20th issue of the Huffington Post: Minneappolis School Library Without Books Thrives After Clearing Entire Print Collection.   Quoting the high school Principal, Sue Skinner, the report is, as expected, upbeat in its praise of the task undertaken.   While a few books were left in the library for ‘reference’, teachers throughout the school were able to take books they wanted for their classroom libraries.  All the remaining books were packaged up and donated to schools in Africa.

Responsibility for the dismantling of the library seems to have been completed by none other than the school principal.  In the new digital Benilde library, Math and Literacy coaches work with students as they research using online databases such as Gale and ProQuest.   A look at the school website is a little frightening though.   There is no mention of a school library or library staff.  So who then directs this new library?  Sadly, no one!

Digging a little deeper for more information about this story, I found a very comprehensive report on School Library Journal.  Incorporating a far more in depth interview with the school Principal, Sue Skinner, the clincher comes when Skinner confides that the current librarian is retiring and that a search is underway for a visionary leader who holds similar views to Skinner to take the concept forward.   Some of the ‘tongue in cheek’ comments following this article reflect the range of thoughts and questions that virtually all Teacher Librarians working in schools would want to pose!

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Kindling a love of reading

A very nice initiative to improve the reading levels and achievements of Indigenous Australians has been launched.

A voluntary, not for profit group, the Indigenous Literacy Project looks for recommendations of Indigenous Australian youngsters who could benefit from their program.   After an initial assessment of reading levels, participants will be loaned a Kindle.  If, at the end of a six month period, reading level measurements indicate that the participant’s reading level has improved, they will get to keep the Kindle.   As described on their website, the program is simple and targeted:

Our project aims to improve the reading achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. We target kids who want to read but don’t have access to books.

We loan them a Kindle e-reader. We monitor their progress over time and if they significantly improve their reading frequency they get to keep the Kindle.

With such frightening statistics as those detailed by NAPLAN, this initiative really is very worthwhile.

A very nice write-up in The Age newspaper: “Intervention kindles a love of reading”  (December 29th, 2012) describes the initiator of the project, Canberra public servant, Daniel Billing, who decided he wanted to ‘make a difference’.  Early results of the impact this program is having on participants are really very inspiring.  Opportunities to either donate or get involved in the program can be found on Indigenous Literacy Project’s webpage.

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It’s holiday reading time!!!

Unbelievably it’s the end of another year!

It’s been full on with lots of events planned and held during this, the National Year of Reading.  Inspiring a love of literature has become a constant for our library team as we involved students in a range of exciting literary events.   But, as the big poster on our workroom wall says, now is the time to relax!

As we packed up our bags for the end of the year, piles of great holiday reads have accumulated on each of our desks.  Mine is full to overflowing.  I know it will be a challenge to get through my pile, but at least I have an exciting choice ahead of me!

Check back here in the new year to see how I have fared!  In the meantime thanks to all my followers out there.  Have a safe and happy holiday season!

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TrackNewBook

There’s nothing like book lovers helping other book lovers find a good book to read!

Basically this was the motivation behind the creation of TrackNewBook – a free service to help you find the book you are after.  Commenting on their reasons for developing this web service, the creators say that when they looked for a service that provided advice on the next good book to read, they just couldn’t find one with the flexibility and intelligence they wanted.  With no other solution on hand, they decided to build a service for themselves and then share it for the benefit of all book lovers.

How altruistic is that!  And who are the winners?  Us of course!!

Simply go to the TrackNewBook website ….. type in a search by author, seed (book title), subject or keyword ….. then select the subscribe tab and watch for a list of book suggestions to appear!  You can further refine your search by nominating the language or the book format.   After entering your email address just sit back and enjoy the benefits of this service.

This short video which appears on the TrackNewBook website, offers a great explanation:

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A last word from Bryce Courtenay

Known as a master storyteller, the passing of Bryce Courtenay last week will leave a void in many lives.

As the author of more than 20 million books sold worldwide, this video, recorded by Penguin Australia in November 2009, gives us an everlasting glimpse of the man behind his 22 novels.

Just two weeks before his passing, Bryce Courtenay recorded this, his last message to us, his fans.

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booktrust: Inspiring a love of books

My warning to you is if you decide to start exploring the booktrust website, be sure to have at least an hour up your sleeve.

I found myself intrigued by the wealth of choice and information contained in this comprehensive website.   With options to read short stories or even submit your own, clearly this site is living up to its byline of ‘Inspiring a love of books’.

With an amazing range of events and competitions highlighted, the avid reader/writer can even tap into tips and pointers on how to become a better writer or take advantage of learning from the online writer in residence.

This UK based website has certainly set itself some grand goals.  Just have a read of this snippet from its ‘About’ page:

Booktrust is an independent reading and writing charity that makes a nationwide impact on individuals, families and communities, and culture in the UK. We make a significant positive contribution to the educational outcomes of children from the earliest age. We work to empower people of all ages and abilities by giving them confidence and choices about reading. And we want individuals of all backgrounds to benefit from the wellbeing that a rich and positive engagement in reading and writing can bring.

A great site!

And if you happen to be on the look out for more great ‘short story’ websites – take the time to check out this list put together by makeuseof:  10 websites where you can enjoy reaidng short stories and flash fiction.  Some of the sites are really awesome!

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