This has been a tough few weeks for the world. Racially motivated crimes are in the news constantly. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around the hate exhibited, and impossible to fully understand the experience of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour) in these times. These past couple weeks I’ve sought out stories that involve… Read More Read YA and Middle Grade fiction written by BIPOC Women
What I Read Slade House by David Mitchell Once every 9 years on the last Saturday in October, a specially chosen guest is lured into Slade Alley. They discover a small black door with no handle. When they touch the door it swings open and they discover an impossibly large, impossibly lush garden – and… Read More What I Loved #15 – Graphic Novels, Radio Radio, Pandemic Legacy, and…Diamonds?
It was time to follow up after my Marvel Vs. DC superhero extravaganza display (Marvel circulated twice as much as DC, by the way). With all the superhero TV shows, movies, and general hype, I thought it was a good time to present an alternate option: awesome graphic novels with no traditional superheroes. There’s still… Read More Sick of Superheroes? Graphic Novel Display
The flow chart display wall has quickly become one of my favourite work projects. It’s big, bold, and fun. People stand in front of it and laugh to themselves. People wander around the library with their personalized booklist gathering items. People get to participate with a passive reader’s advisory tool. Theme In the past I’ve… Read More Flow Chart Display: Meet Your Next Literary BFF
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this display earlier! It’s such a simple concept. Some kids and teens might not grasp the difference between superhero universes, so this is a cool way to get them thinking about the differences between their favourite heroes. I used coloured printer paper (red for Marvel, blue for DC)… Read More Marvel vs. DC Graphic Novel Display
Not since Harry Potter have I devoured a book like this. The writing – fantastic. The plot – even more fantastic. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is a dark comedy, twisty mystery, and modern mythology, rolled up into one magnificent debut novel. Twelve orphaned children are adopted by a man with supernatural abilities named… Read More Favourite Book of 2015: The Library at Mount Char
There are a lot of amazing storytime resources out there for librarians, teachers, and parents. Storyline Online, presented by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, is a phenomenal place to find celebrities reading picture books (who wouldn’t want to listen to Betty White reading Harry the Dirty Dog?). The International Children’s Digital Library is a great… Read More Picture Book Reader’s Advisory
Hi internet! I worked almost every day in October and this is what I did: Ran a DIY terrarium program, set up a book art maker station, ran another colouring and zentangle program for teens, interviewed Andrew Pyper on stage, attended OLA’s annual RA in a Day conference in Toronto, participated in 2 staff training… Read More What I Loved #14: The Demonologist, Scandal, and Night\Shift
If you liked Neil Gaiman’s adult fantasy novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, you might like this annotated booklist of similar adult fables. The Ocean at the End of the Lane Read-A-Likes Neil Gaiman’s most recent adult novel opens as a disgruntled middle aged man returns to his childhood home for a funeral.… Read More Read-a-likes: Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane
If your library has a Young Adult section, your library has horror novels. And they circulate (or mysteriously disappear from the shelves leaving a dark cloud of murk and despair). YA Horror Novel displays are easy to pull together (because there are so many horror novels) and easy to “sell” (because teens are loving the… Read More YA Horror Display: Get Your Freak On
Ontarian Librarian 