Piano Masterworks

Watch Wayne McEvilly being interviewed by Chris Carroll writer of the Reading Minds blog on NewsOK.com. Wayne has visited several libraries in the state promoting his Piano Masterworks for Children CD and the Oklahoma Musica and the Arts Summer Reading Program.

Wayne McEvilly interview by Chris Carroll

Updates have been happening in the OKCYA world.

I sent an e-mail to the performers I have on my list asking for 2010 Water, 2011 World Culture/Travel and 2012 Night summer reading programs. The latests responses are arriving and are available on the CYA:Wiki now.

LibraryThing has updated their software allowing users to make subcollection within the main collection of titles. In the CYA:Collection, I started separating the summer reading program book into their own collections, hopefully making it easier for you to find what you need. Under the “Your Library” tab, click the down arrow and you will see 2010 Water books separted by grade. 2011 World Culture/Travel and 2012 Night will be separated soon. You can print out the titles with available covers whenever you want. Note: as books from publishers arrive, new titles will be added to the lists. Keep checking back.

Finally, the Oklibshare homepage has been updated and includes links to the photo contests and pictures from libraries across Oklahoma summer reading programs. Don’t forget to send in your photos for the My Favorite Book and Trick My Book Truck photo contests and pictures taken from your summer reading programs.

Currently reading:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith,

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan,

Demon's Lexicon

Postsingular

Postsingular by Rudy Rucker.

Tomorrow Museum

Joanne McNeil at Tomorrow Museum has written an article theorizing why teens read better, and even more, than adults do.

I will be at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History representing all Oklahoma libraries participating in the Music and the Arts Summer Reading Program. The press release is below. Stop by and say “hello” and visit the museum!

Library Day at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

On Saturday, June 27, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History will team up with local libraries to offer “Library Day” at the museum.  From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum will offer free admission to anyone with a library card. For those without library cards, representatives from the Pioneer Multi-County Library system will be present to accept library card applications on the spot.

Visitors do not need to present a physical library card to receive free admission. Those whose libraries have gone “cardless” can just provide the name of the library to which they belong. Whole families will be admitted on a single library card.

The museum’s Discovery Room will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and storytimes will be presented by Norman librarians and museum staff at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The library also will conduct craft activities for children from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is located on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. Additional information about the museum is available by calling (405) 325-4712, or on the museum’s Web site at www.snomnh.ou.edu.

Are you wanting to start a book club for boys in your area? There a several well done resources available online to start a boys reading group. Here’s what I’ve gleaned so far…

• When you approach the kids about the group, ask them what they like to read, keep a record of what they mention and read those books or books similar if you can’t get the ones they want.
• Let them name the group. It gives them a sense of ownership and involvement that you will listen to them and incorporate their ideas when appropriate. You can’t promise you’ll do everything, but that you will listen.
• Establish group rules at the beginning. This lets you maintain control, and a chance for everyone to be heard and their opinions expressed freely without criticism.
• It’s okay if you don’t have enough copies for everyone, they can share. It’s a good idea to plan several weeks/months ahead so the boys can read the books available while they are waiting.
• Don’t worry about good/bad literature; the last thing you want to be is like school, and they will branch out to other topics when they’re ready.
• Have activities that can go along with the books. Example: a book on Ford Mustang cars could lead to a showing or library display of either their drawings of their favorite Mustang or their own collection.
• Consider getting parents, especially dad, involved in the book group. Boys are more likely to read if they see other men reading. Encourage the parents, mom/dad, to read aloud. Reading aloud isn’t just for little kids, older kids still like it.
• Don’t be too discouraged if turnout waxes and wanes. The kids are busy with everything else in the world competing for their attention and even the big libraries have trouble getting kids to come to every meeting.

Websites to help you get started:

Getting Boys to Read, http://www.gettingboystoread.com – if you Twitter, you can follow the author: @MrMLibrarian – he has a lot of good advice and ideas for boys and reading. A few highlights: never underestimate the  joke books, boys can tend to read for information (think non-fiction books), they like any world records books and, if your teens are into them, graphic novels/comics rule.

Guys Read, http://www.guysread.com – Jon Scieska is the Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has an antholgy, Guys Write for Guys Read. That book can help get your group off the ground or unstuck if you run out of ideas.

Book Club 4 Boys, http://bookclub4boysinfo.blogspot.com – a mother of four boys, she has tips on starting a book club for boys of all ages.

Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award winners and masterlists. They are all available for download online: http://www.oklibs.org/sequoyah/masterlists.htm

YALSA’s site on award winning/best books for teens. Especially: Best Books for Young Adults, Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Popular Paperbacks, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm.

Riveting Reads Plus: Boys into Books 5 -11, http://www.boysintobooks.co.uk/primary/pdf.php by School Library Journal.

Oh! And, food! Food in important. Have snacks for them. Kids love, love, love food. And, are more likely to show up.

What I have learned on Twitter so far…

The Jonas Brothers are in Paris. They did a concert this past weekend and posted a picture . Their album “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” comes out tomorrow, June 16th. NPR reported that since the brothers are getting older, they want their fans to grow with them.

Jonas Brothers in Paris 2009

Google is adding a search for Creative Commons images http://tr.im/oop5. Creative Commons are licensed works that you can share, remix and reuse.

A co-worker here at ODL writes the Extremely Graphic blog on the NewsOK web site. Sadie Mattox, reference librarian, is a dedicated manga/graphic novel/comic book reader. While she’s away on maternity leave, Bill Young, ODL’s Public Information Office Division Administrator will be writing.

And finally, ALA reports there are now more public library buildings, a total of 16,592 including branches, in the United States than McDonalds. And, the best part? You can read all the books you want and not feel guilty.

This has been one exciting year! I met my favorite Oklahoma Governor, George Nigh, shook hands with S.E. Hinton and read the most wanted book of the year; “Catching Fire” the sequel to “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.

Former Governor George Nigh hosted the Center for the Book’s Oklahoma Book Awards this year.(http://www.odl.state.ok.us/ocb/09win.htm) If you’ve never heard him in person, you should. He is very witty and is never boring.

I briefly shared the stage with him as I presented Anna Myers the Children’s Award for her book “Spy”. The book is a historical fiction much as Myers “Assassins”. “Spy” tells the story of a young boy who becomes friends with Nathaniel Hale. Readers can identify with Jonah and learn about how the country was divided between their loyalties to the King of England or standing on their own.

Meeting and shaking hands (my right hand, btw) with S.E. Hinton at OLA was a real thrill. Anyone who has read and loved her early books about teens knows the joy of being able to meet the author who brought the stories to life. She spoke a lot about the making of the movies and the actors. And, I have to agree, the Twilight actors are no comparison to the Outsiders actors.

As a treat, I brought my two girls to meet and hear Hinton. As they are too young too read her teen books, they were more impressed with the dinner. The actually asked to leave so they could go to bed! I’ve reminded them several times that they will thank me later.

If you haven’t read “Hunger Games” yet, why not? This book is a roller coaster ride of action and drama. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the country, or at least part of it, is separated into districts with each district producing or manufacturing a particular service. The Capitol keeps a tight control of the people in the districts through hunger and fear. Each year the districts must enter two tributes, a teen boy and girl, into the Games.

“Catching Fire” picks up the pace of the first book and takes you on yet another ride. If your teens like the Alex Rider books or the James Patterson’s Maximum Ride books they will like “Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire”. I’ve read the Alex Rider books and I found Collins pacing and dialogue to be much better than Anthony Horowitz. Both, however, can write an action scene worthy of filming.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

“Catching Fire” will be available for purchase September 1st. The publishers moved the date up just in time for the holiday weekend.