Programming+with+Quick+Picks


 * YALSA Book Talks[[image:riyl/Heather_002.jpg width="240" height="237" align="right"]] **

Presented by Heather Gruenthal, Teacher Librarian.

Heather has served on the ALA selection committees: Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers 2011- 2012, Great Graphic Novels 2013-2014, Best Nonfiction, and the Margaret A Edwards Award 2017. Heather has also published articles for CSLA Journal, Knowledge Quest (the Journal of American Association of School Librarians), and YALS (the journal for the Young Adult Library Services Association).

Each year, the American Library Association puts out their "Best of the Best" lists including: Best Fiction for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Great Graphic Novels, Popular Paperbacks, as well as their awards lists such as the Newbery, Printz, and the Morris awards. This presentation will demonstrate some ways to use these lists in your library programming.


 * To Join YALSA, go to the [|American Library Association Website] and add YALSA to your membership ($130 for ALA and $60 for YALSA = $190). **

YALSA's 2012 Best of the Best Awards & BooklistsMarketing Materials Use these lists to market the Best of the Best titles in your library! [|Award Winners] (Alex, Edwards, Morris, Nonfiction, Odyssey, Printz) [|2012 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks][|2012 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults] [|2012 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens] [|2012 Top Ten Popular Papebacks for Young Adults] [|2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers]

YALSA 2011 Awards & Booklists
2011 Award Winners (Alex, Edwards, Morris, Nonfiction, Odyssey, Printz) 2011 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks 2011 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2011 Top Ten Popular Papebacks for Young Adults 2011 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 2014 Outstanding Books for the College Bound
 * Awards**
 * the Alex Awards (for 10 adult books with teen appeal)
 * the Margaret A. Edwards Award (to an author for specific works for significant contribution to young adult literature)
 * the William C. Morris Award (for best book by a first-time author writing for teens)
 * the Excellence in Nonfiction Award (for the best nonfiction written for young adults)
 * the Odyssey Award (for best audiobook for children and teens, co-administered with ALSC)
 * and the Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in young adult literature).
 * Booklists**


 * Handout of My Best of the Best picks for 2012**


 * Booktalk Activities**

Play an **Amazing Audio Book** during SSR one day a week. Here's a link to Neil Gaiman reading //The Graveyard Book//, a Newbery Medal, Carnegie Medal, and Hugo Award winning book: http://www.mousecircus.com/videos/ FREE!!!
 * Amazing Audiobooks**

If you can get your hands on it, a 2012 top 10 Amazing Audio Book selection, by Libba Bray, read by Libba Bray and produced by Scholastic Audio in 2011 is FANTASTIC! When I booktalk it, I say, "When boys get stranded on a deserted island as in //Lord of the Flies,// they kill each other, but when girls get stranded on a deserted island, they save the world!" Libba Bray is hilarious reading her own novel. There's a lot of good discussion points in this one regarding the commercialization of the world by "The Company."

Find more comics from Unshelved [] and use as shelftalkers (see below)

Many of the Quick Picks titles are controversial and get challenged or banned. Do a challenged books booktalk (presentation created by Joy Millam) during Banned Books Week featuring reasons for challenges. See the AUHSD wiki's section on Banned Books Week for more ideas.
 * Banned Books!**

I explain to the students that a "** blind ** ** date **" is a ** date ** between two people who have not previously met. Usually you will get set up by a friend who knows the person. For this activity I had students pick up their fav orite book they read that year to "set up" a friend with. For 3-5 minutes they try to convince their friend to "check out" their suggestion. Then they switch and their friend tries to set them up with their favorite. My form also includes some reader's advisory questions I use to find out what kind of books the students are interested in to bring to the next class visit. Here are copies of the forms I use:
 * Blind Date:**



We also have a lot of titles with outdated coverart so I covered a bunch of them in brown paper and just wrote key words on them ("Mystery!" "Romance!" "High School Drama!") and set them out on a display that said "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Then, they were allowed to unwrap it after to see if the cover matched up to what they thought it would. Obviously, they could figure out the title from the title page inside but they got a kick out of the cheesy art and it went great. Lots of the kids who tried those books are less picky about what books they'll read now because they're not as put off by bad covers. I think other libraries have done this and called it "Blind Date with a Book" or something similar. A little labor-intensive (I had students do the book wrapping) but very fun.
 * "Don't Judge a book by it's cover"**
 * From Christina Vander Griend on YALSA-BK**

Undiscovered Gems Get them Before they're gone Hidden Treasures Read What You're Missing
 * Last Chance Book Display Titles: **

http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2012/05/tpib-dont-judge-book-by-its-cover.html?m=1
 * Another Blind Date Activity from Teen Librarian's Toolbox:**

Allow trusted students to check out books during the summer. Group them by common themes you can gather from the Popular Paperbacks list, or similar themes within the other book lists.
 * Book Bundles:**

(Slide from Teen Librarian's Toolbox)





Take advantage of the "impulse buy" and post very popular books right at the circulation desk.
 * Book of the Moment**

Bring a large cart of books to a classroom. Show the cover of each book and give the students a one sentence "booktalk" (the Quick Picks List has short annotations that are good to use for this). Have the students pass the books around the room so they can see all the books. If they see one they like, they can keep it at their desk to check out and continue to pass books they are not interested in. This gives me a really good indication of the books that are not interesting. Books that get passed over after a few different classes, I take off the cart and replace with new books. Make a bulletin board using Quick Picks book covers. Put all your browsing books on a coffee table by the entrance that will attract reluctant readers. Make a display of the Quick Picks Top 10, or any Quick Picks your library has purchased. A display by the checkout counter also works like an "impulse buy."
 * Book Pass**
 * Bulletin Boards**
 * Coffee Table**
 * Displays**



Quick Picks books need to engage the the first few pages. Open the book and start reading. Read from //A Stolen Life: a Memoir by Jaycee Dugard//: "Let me get one thing straight! My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I was kidnapped by a stranger at age eleven. For eighteen years I was kept in a backyard and not allowed to say my own name. What follows will be my personal story of how one fateful day in June of 1991 changed my life forever." (QP 2012 top 10). These lines are read in the Diane Sawyer interview available on YouTube: []
 * Famous First Lines**

Group the books on tables by genre with a booklist of more suggestions. You can use these from bookmarks and Handouts by Heather Gruenthal and Tommy Kovak. Challenge students to "find their genre." Booktalk one book from each genre. See the booktalks page for lesson plans and examples.
 * Genre Book Talk**



Hot New Genre: (slide from Teen Librarian's Toolbox)

I project book covers on the large screen from the Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list. This activity was for 2012 nominations (not the final list): []
 * Hot or Not PowerPoint**

Students have cards that say Hot in red on side and Not in blue on the other side. Students show with their cards what they think is hot and what is not. This creates a lot of excitement for the books that everyone wants. You can end the activity with checking out the most popular books and creating a waiting list for the popular books, which also increases the demand.

here's the file for the Hot/Not cards.



Quick Picks books are often chosen for their appealing covers. Place books face up on tables and let students browse books when you have classes come in. You may also use an overhead document camera to just show the book covers using the Hot or Not technique above. YALSA has a video on how to hold a Mock Printz: [] (Slide from Teen Librarian's Toolbox)
 * Judge a book by its cover**
 * Mock Printz**

I still booktalk using PowerPoint. It makes the covers of the books large enough for everyone to see. You can also print out the slides and post them around campus to advertise your books. Here is another amazing example from [|Teen Librarian's Toolbox]
 * PowerPoint is not dead yet**





Teen Librarian's Toolbox is produced by: Karen Jensen, MLS www.teenlibrarianstoolbox.blogspot.com

Reward students with candy to write a review. Keep the reviews by the circulation desk for other students to browse. Paste the review with a picture of the book cover to catch the attention of browsers.
 * Rate This Book**

Quick Picks often chooses picture books and browsing books. Use the theme, "You are Never Too Old to Read" and promote Read Across America Week at your school. See ideas at the AUHSD Read Across America wiki.
 * Read Across America Week**



When the most popular books are checked out, have ready some read-alikes to substitute. Due to the popularity of the Hunger Games, many Dystopian titles are HOT right now. Consider convincing students to take Enclave by Anne Aguirre, Divergent by Veronica Roth or Matched by Ally Conde instead. Popular Paperbacks will also choose lists that correspond to popular genres. See the RIYL homepage for ideas.
 * Read Alikes**



change the font for different looks. Tape to the front of a shoe box or insert to acrylic shelf - talker for display.

Read a section of the book aloud. //Whoogles// is a good one from Quick Picks. Also, //The Lover's Dictionary// by David Levithan is a romance told in dictionary format that was a 2012 Alex Award winner.
 * Read Aloud**



Examples: Will it ever get better? It better. Will it ever get better? It better. Will it ever get better? It better.
 * celibacy,** n. n/a
 * breach**, n. I didn't want to know who he was or what you did, or that it didn't mean anything.
 * better,** adj. and adv.


 * Read or Go to Jail**



Many of the Quick Picks books feature teens in a jail setting. I also do a presentation in teachers classrooms during SSR, encouraging students to read and finish school. At the end, I check out books.



Many YA books are being made into movies. Show Book Trailers of books made into movies. Hunger Games and Twilight were both Quick Picks. See the Read the Movie page of this wiki for movie suggestions. Make it more of a movie experience by adding popcorn and red vines (Smart and Final has a big bag of popcorn and tub of red vines for $16.98). You can play the trailers directly from YouTube, or download them using [|YouTube Downloader] to play from your flashdrive if your district blocks YouTube. Book trailers and Movie Trailers are made specifically for promotional purposes, so don't worry about copyright. They WANT you to promote their products.
 * Read the Movie**



Print off your power point slides from your booktalks and uses them as shelf talkers. Library supply stores have small ones that can attach to the bookshelf. You can also just print them on cardstock and tape it to the shelf, or print full size and place in acrylic frames. Teen Librarian's Toolbox has some great signs ready made. See also the Genre Project page for shelf talkers by genre.
 * Shelf Talkers**



Teen Librarian's Toolbox is produced by: Karen Jensen, MLS www.teenlibrarianstoolbox.blogspot.com

Zombie Books are HOT right now! My favorite is Rot And Ruin.

One of the things that Quick Picks is know for is the short, snappy annotations. Show the book cover and read the annotation. This is a great idea if you want to expose students to a lot of books or if you've ran out of all your favorite book talking books.
 * Short and Quick Book Talks**



Favorite book from 2012 Quick Picks. Can't wait until the sequel comes out!!!

Create a special shelf where students know they can go directly to find a great read. I keep mine on a cart so I can easily take it to classes. My Library Technician keeps a shelf in front of her desk with her special books.
 * Special Shelf**



Seat students at a table with a pile of new and interesting books laid out with covers facing up. Explain the concept of "speed dating" as a real activity where people go to meet someone they would like to spend more time with. They choose one book for their first date, and for 3 minutes, they "get to know" that book by looking at the cover, reading the jacket, and starting the first chapter. At the end of 3 minutes, students are asked to rate their book: 1) I think I'm in love 2) let's spend more time together 3) maybe and 4) not my type. I give them one minute to write the title and author of the book, and circle their rating. If they really like the book they previewed, I let them set it aside to check out when the activity is finished.
 * Speed Dating**



Next, to add some fun to the activity, students pass the books in a clockwise circle (like hot potato) while I play silly love songs (better to pass the books than allow a class of 30+ students to run wild about the room). GLEE soundtracks are good for this, corny, but still contemporary enough for them to relate to. My favorites are //Teenage Dream, Marry Me, Forget You, Silly Love Songs, and Baby//. When the music stops (about 1 minute of music), they have a 2nd date with the book in their hands as the music stopped. I set the timer for another 3 minutes and they rate their 2nd book. I stress that this activity is to expose them to books they might not otherwise pick up. Repeat until the students rate 5 books. After the activity I allow them to check out books. If there is extra time, I do a pair-share, where they tell the friend sitting next to them which book they were most interested in. Here's the form I use:



Idea adapted from: Marcia Kochel, Olson Middle School and Mary Childs, Valley View Middle School, [|Bloomington, ISD 271]

Quick Picks has compiled a list of [|series] nominated over the years. Allow students a longer check out period or encourage students to read a series over the break. Simone Elkeles Perfect Chemistry Series has been in the Quick Picks top 10 3 years in a row, once for each title in the series.
 * Summer Series**

Show the Rap Video for Perfect Chemistry: []

G Rated Version of Perfect Chemistry rap video: []

Show the Book Trailer for Rules of Attraction: []

Show the Book Trailer for Chain Reaction: []

Visit Simone's Website: []

Do a booktalk in coordination with YALSA's Teen Read Week. For Teen Read Resources and Ideas, see the AUHSD Teen Read Week Wiki.
 * Teen Read Week **

Gather all the issues books you can find. On a post-it, write in bold the ISSUE that is being dealt with, i.e., Teen Pregnancy, Rape, Frenemies, Divorce, drugs, gangs, abuse, etc. Use the book pass technique to expose students to many books. This is good to use when all your favorite booktalking books are checked out. The Bluford High, Urban Underground, Orca Soundings, and Surviving Southside series are good for this activity.
 * Teen Issues Booktalk **





Hold your own Teens Top Ten voting. See []for the 2012 Nominations.
 * Teens Top Ten **

Use the Teens' Top Ten Toolkit for ideas: []

Promote many books at once by giving a Teens Top Ten Trends booktalk. Here's an amazing powerpoint from [|Teen Librarians Toolbox] Follow this blog!!! Or follow on Teen [|Librarian's Toolbox on Facebook].
 * Teens Top Ten Trends**

Gather up all your best biographies from Best Non Fiction or featured on the Quick Picks List. Invite students to walk in someone else's shoes or pick a role model to follow by reading the lives of real people.
 * Who Do You Want to Be?**



@http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/index.htm
 * More Resources: **
 * California Young Reader Medal (CYRM) **

[]
 * YALSA's Best of the Best Resources: **


 * BEST BOOKS compiled by **Ray Barber, Editor 17th edition Core Collection for High School Libraries


 * BEST BOOKS, BOTH ADULT AND YOUTH **

ABA Indies Choice Nominees (2012) http://news.bookweb.org/news/voting-opens-2012-indies-choice-and-eb-white-read-aloud-awards

Locus Recommended Reading List (2012)\ []

Quill & Quire Booksellers Picks of the Year (2012) []


 * BEST BOOKS for CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS **

ALA YALSA Alex Awards (2012)\ [|http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex#current]

ALA YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)\ []

ALA YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)\ []

ALA YALSA Teens Top 10 Nominations (2012)\ []

Booklist Historical Fiction for Youth Top 10 (2012) []

Booklist Black History for Youth Top 10 (2012) []

Booklist Graphic Novels for Youth Top 10 (2012)\ []

Brain Pickings’ Best Illustrated and Children’s Books of the Year (2011) []

Kirkus Reviews New & Notable Books for Children (February, 2012) []


 * BEST BOOKS for ADULTS **

ALA RUSA Notable Books (2012)\ []

ALA RUSA Reading List (2012)\ []

American Christian Fiction Writers Best Christian Fiction Carol Award (2011) []

American Publishers Awards (2012)\ []

Booklist Black History Top 10 (2012)\ []

Booklist Graphic Novels Top 10 (2012)\ []

Booklist Historical Fiction Top 10 (2012) []

Brain Pickings’ Best Art and Design Books of the Year (2011) []

Brain Pickings’ Best Biographies of the Year (2011) []

Brain Pickings’ Best Food Books of the Year (2011) []

Brain Pickings’ Best History Books of the Year (2011) []

Brain Pickings’ Best Photography Books of the Year (2011) []

Brain Pickings’ Best Science Books of the Year (2011) []

Chicago Tribune Year’s Best Reads (2011)\ []

The Economist Best Books (2011) []

Locus A Dozen of the Best (2012)\ []

Library Journal Best Books: Sci-Tech (2011) []


 * BEST AUDIOBOOKS **


 * BEST AUDIOBOOKS for ADULTS **

ALA RUSA Listen List (2012)\ []


 * BEST REFERENCE SOURCES **

ALA RUSA Outstanding Reference Sources (2012)\ []


 * AWARDS for BOTH ADULT AND YOUTH BOOKS **

ABA E.B. White Read Aloud Award Nominees (2012) []

Bram Stoker Award (2012)\ http://www.horror.org/blog/?p=2453

Hemingway Foundation PEN Award (2012) []

Kitchies Award (2012)\ []

National Book Critics Circle Award (2012) []

World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award (2011) []

World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award Nominees (2011) []

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Award (2012) []

The Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee []


 * AWARDS for CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS **

ALA YALSA Nonfiction for Young Adults Award (2012)\ []

ALA YALSA Morris YA Debut Award (2012)\ []

ALA YALSA Printz Award (2012)\ [|http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz#current]

Bank Street Irma Black Award Finalists (2012) []

Canadian Library Association Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator Award (2012) []

Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award (2012) []

Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year for Children Award (2012) []

Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice Book Award Finalists (2012) []

Welsh Books Council Mary Vaughan Jones Award (2012)\ []


 * AWARDS for CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULTS AUDIOBOOKS **

ALA ALSC\YALSA Odyssey Award (2012)\ http://www.ala.org/yalsa/odyssey


 * AWARDS for ADULT BOOKS **

ALA RUSA Dartmouth Medal (2012)\ []

ALA RUSA Sophie Broder Medal (2012)\ []

ALA RUSA Zora Neale Hurston Award (2012)\ http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/morris-author-reader-s-advisory-guide-street-literature-wins-rusa-s-2012-zora-neale-hurston

National Book Critics Circle Award Nominees (2012) []

New York Historical Association American History Book Prize (2012)\ []

Orange Prize (2012)\ []

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (2008)\ []

Pulitzer Prize (2012) []

The Story Prize (2012) []

Tufts Poetry Award (2012) []


 * BEST SOFTWARE **

ComputED Gazette Best Educational Software Award (2012)\ []


 * STATE AWARDS for CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS **

PA Young Readers Choice Award [Pennsylvania School Library Association] []
 * Pennsylvania**