Reading Updates

Happy New Year, Readers! 

I know 2020 was one, uh …  interesting ride, at least for me. I hope this blog post finds you and your loved ones well. If not, please know that you and yours are in my thoughts during these scary and trying times.

A quick shout out here to Neri @Post Cards from La-La-Land, as she does posts like this every year to review the materials and projects she has been working on. I’m stealing her idea because I have been so behind on posting updates! 

Armed with a Bingo Update:

I didn't get my whole Bingo card filled in this year--but I was close!

A Book Published in 2020: Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

A Book in the Middle of a Series: Mermaid Moon by Colleen Coble

A Book from the Last Decade (2010-2019): A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth

A Young Adult Novel: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

A Nonfiction Book: Online Searching by Karen Markey

A Memoir: We are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai

A Book by and Indie Author: Positivity Camp by Sarah Maree

A Book You Saw Someone Else Reading: Fated by Benedict Jacka

A Book with a Color in its Name: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism By Robin DiAngelo

A Bestseller Book: The Inn at Ocean’s Edge by Colleen Coble

A Book You Meant to Read Last Year: The Line Tender by Kate Allen

A Book with Food Included in the Title: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Previous squares:

A Book of Your Choice: Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Kelly Entrada

A Book that was Gifted / Borrowed: The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin

A Book with Multiple POVs: Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

A Dystopian Novel: Internment by Samira Ahmed

A Book Written in a Format Other Than Third Person: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

A Book about Friendship/Family: Best Friends by Shannon Hale

A Fantasy/ Science Fiction: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

A Book with a Beautiful Cover: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Squares that Still Need Filled:

1. An Anthology or Poetry Collection

2. A Book that a Friend Recommends

3. A Book that has a Number in the Title

1. A Book Longer than 500 Pages--Yes that’s TWO Spaces

Mock Newbery 2020 Update:

Titles Completed:

1. Interment by Samira Ahmed

2. The Line Tender by Kate Allen

3. The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin

4. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

5. New Kid by Jerry Craft

6. Best Friends by Shannon Hale

7. Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly

8. Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga

9. Song for a Whale By Lynne Kelly

10. Because of the Rabbit by Cythia Lord

11. Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

Titles Yet to Read:

1. Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

2. Caught! Nabbing History’s Most Wanted

3. Orange for the Sunsets by Tinea Athaide

4. This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

5. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

6. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

7. Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmitdt

8. Planet Earth is Blue by Nichole Panteleakos 

9. A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

Actual 2020 Newbery Winners:

• Newbery: New Kid by Jerry Craft

• Honor Books: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christain McKay Heidicker, Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga, and Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

Mock Newbery 2021:

Titles Completed:

1. Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

2. Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

3. Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

4. Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy

5. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

6. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

7. Kent State by Deborah Wiles

8. Go with the Flow by Lily Williams

9. The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebeca Stead

10. Fighting Words by Kimberly Bruebaker Bradley

11. Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom

12. The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest

13. All He Knew by Helen Frost

Titles Yet to Read:

1. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

2. When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

3. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

4. A Game of Fox & Squirrels by Jenn Reese

5. Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

6. Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

7. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Other Titles I’ve Read This Year:

What have you been reading? Share your thoughts and comments below!

Happiest of Winter Holidays to you, Readers!

-Larkynn

Hallotober Tag

  

Welcome readers & Happy Halloween! A special shout out and thanks to Neri @ Post Cards from La-La Land for the inspiration for a fun Halloween Questionnaire. I know it’s been a while since I’ve last posted. Boy do I have some updates for you! But first, let’s talk about Hallotober! 

Hallotober Tag Rules

1. Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post 

2. Put the rules at the beginning or after the introduction

3. Answer the 13 questions 

4. Tag 13 people

5. Delete Question 13, add a new number one question of your own

6. You are free to use the tag image somewhere in the post

Tags:

I don’t have 13 people to tag--but feel free to play along if the fancy strikes you! 

Hallotober Tag:

Do you believe in ghosts?

I do! I’ve had a few ghostly encounters of my own, and I’ve heard a lot of family members and friends tell some of their own as well. Maybe if I get around to it, I’ll share a couple of them as blog posts!  

Trick or treat? Do you prefer a book that‘s full of twists and shockers or do you prefer a more comfortably predictable story?

    I love books that are full of twists and shockers. I’m a hardcore mystery lover and when I was a kid I wanted to be a detective---so I love trying to figure out whodunnit before the author’s big reveal at the end of the novel. The more twists and turns--the harder the mystery.

What is your favorite horror novel or short story?

    I love the Nevermore Series by Kelly Creagh. It’s a paranormal romance-horror that involves monsters and alternate dimensions first discovered by Edgar Allan Poe. It’s a beautiful mix of reality and magic that leaves you wondering, what if...

What was the last Halloween costume you wore?

Last year I had a lot of fun dressing up for my Halloween storytimes. I got to dress up 3 days in a row! I made 3 different, easy DIY costumes that I’m actually really proud of. I was a black cat, a unicorn and a Hogwarts Student. 

What is your favorite fall snack?

Hot apple cider! Okay, okay, it’s a drink--but it’s my favorite food-related thing about fall :) 

Do you carve pumpkins?

I did this year for the very first time! What do you think, readers? Can you figure out which one is mine?

Do you prefer horror movies or stories?

This is a great question. Am I watching the horror movie by myself, or am I with a group of people I trust? Because honestly, that’s about the only way I watch them anymore! Hands down, I think I prefer reading the scary stories because I feel more in control of how scared I actually feel. There’s something about movies that are sometimes way more real than they need to be!

What is your favorite Halloween memory?

 So this isn’t necessarily Halloween specific--but it’s my favorite fall memory. I went to a local corn maze with a group of friends. Everyone was there in pairs, except for me (my then boyfriend simply didn’t want to go) and my now husband (whose partner also chose to not go). So as a group we did the corn maze, which was a TON of fun (pretty sure someone got punched in the face when he tried to scare the group at large). But when that was over we did all of the other games associated, like the Wheelbarrow Race and the Giant Barrel Roll, and split off into couples. I was left awkwardly with this guy I didn’t know, whose significant other also ditched last minute. During the Giant Barrel Roll, he kept getting super dizzy and falling, and because we had been going so fast, I couldn’t stop the Barrel, so inevitably he fell out, several times. AND, being the jerk that I am, I laughed uncontrollably the whole time. Nearly six years (and a lot of growth and change) later, we’re now married and still laugh hysterically when we share this story. 

 Do you prefer to give out candy or get candy?

Okay, so I LOVE candy and going for walks--but I’m too old to get candy myself. And honestly, it’s no big deal to go to the store and pick out my favorite candies. When my daughter gets a little older, going with her will probably be my favorite. But until she gets older, handing out candy will probably be my favorite for a while. You get to see all of the cute costumes and make kids smile. 

Do you decorate for Halloween or fall?

Again, this is something I hope to get better about as my daughter gets older. I’m pretty lazy though, so in my adult life pre-daughter, I didn’t really decorate because it was just more cleaning for myself after the holiday was over. 

Do you have a favorite urban legend? If so what is it?

So we have one local urban legend that I remember pretty distinctly called Cry Baby Ridge. There’s a long section of winding road surrounded by towering trees that crosses over a cavernous river. There is one spot along the road where you can pull off to the side and access the river. This is Cry Baby Ridge. If you pull over in this spot at midnight on a full moon you will hear the wails of a newborn emanating from the river far below. It is said that a desperate teenage mother left her newborn down by the river’s edge in the middle of nowhere to spare herself society’s judgement. That lost little newborn still haunts that riverbank even to this day, wailing for its mother. And if a woman gets too close while the child weeps, it will mistake you for its mother and drown you in the river in sweet revenge. 

Would you rather spend a night in a graveyard or a haunted house?

Graveyard! If I’m going to be scared, I want to be scared by real ghosts--not electronic stuff. Now, if it’s a real haunted house, I’d still probably choose the graveyard, because it’d be more likely to be haunted by less-angry ghosts. If a house is haunted by a real ghost, they tend to be more angry--right? Nobody ever talks about the ghosts that water their plants or complete their puzzles. 

What is your favorite spooky movie?

Practical Magic. I know it’s pegged as a romantic fantasy--but it has it’s creepy moments! And as much as I’ve wanted to be a detective, I’ve longed to be a witch even longer. 

 

Library Public Service Announcements

Hello Readers!

Today we are going to check out some library public service announcements (PSAs)—a perfect topic with National Library Week coming up (April 19-25).

What is a Public Library Service Announcement?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a public service announcement as, “an announcement made for the good of the public”—which is true, but doesn’t capture the passion and intent behind a Library PSA. According to Penn State University, “A PSA is a short informational clip that is meant to raise an audience’s awareness about an important issue. PSAs may include interviews, dramatizations, animations and many other types of video and audio content”. Which is getting closer—but! My favorite definition is actually from Wikipedia (I know, I know, but just wait until you SEE it) and it states, “A PSA is a message in the public interest disseminated without charge, with the objective of raising awareness of, and changing public attitudes and behavior towards a social issue”.

In this case, the PSA is designed to change the public’s attitude and behavior towards the library. This is an essential marketing technique for libraries as their role in society evolves with the needs and desires of the communities they serve.

Effective PSA Criteria:

After pooling information from Penn State University, IUPUI Library Marketing Notes by Annette Lamb, and the examples provided in the next section, I have determined the following criteria to be essential for creating an effective PSA:

•       Short: 15-30 seconds
•      Clear Message Presented at a pace that’s easy to follow
•      Raises Awareness and/or Encourages Activism
•      Evokes Relatable Emotions
•     Supported by Facts

Examples:

Harrison Ford: Find Epic Stories at Your Library

This PSA from the American Library Association (ALA) features Harrison Ford, a famous actor talking about finding adventure at your library. It focuses on the books, movies, games and more that are “just waiting to be discovered”. It ties into Ford’s newest movie The Call of the Wild. By using a famous actor staring in a new and popular movie the ALA is attempting to persuade viewers that libraries are valuable for the materials and grand adventures they provide to users. This PSA is only 34 seconds long and features Harrison Ford speaking directly to the audience as well as very action-packed scenes from his newest movie.

Emilio Estevez: Libraries are Essential

This is another PSA created by the ALA. This one features Emilio Estevez and his latest movie The Public which is all about a public library attempting to help its most vulnerable community members. This PSA is also very short, only 31 seconds long. But it’s by far my favorite PSA. It speaks volumes about how I feel about libraries. Estevez states that “Libraries are the beating hearts of our communities” and “Libraries are where all are welcome”. Again, we see a famous actor advocating for the library. This time, however, it is the library services beyond materials that are being advocated and the library itself as the “beating heart of our community” where “all are welcome”.

PSA- Durango Public Library Novelist

This PSA was created by Durango Public Library staff. It’s funny, has a clear message and is short. It encourages viewers to check out Novelist, a read alike tool provided by the library. My only problem with this is that it goes a little bit too fast. The narration and the slides that show users how to access Novelist both go by just a little bit too quickly.

Larkynn’s Library PSA:

Denver Public Library: Personalized Digital Reading Lists, We're Still Here for You

*Please note, I am not in anyway associated with the Denver Public Library, however their Personalized Reading List is real! Check it out here: https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/books-library-news/dodie/we-think-you-need-some-personalized-service-right-now

References:

Denver Public Library. (2020). We Think You Need Some Personalized Service Right Now. Retrieved from https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/books-library-news/dodie/we-think-you-need-some-personalized-service-right-now

Lamb, A. (2020). Lesson 11: Advertising and Sponsorship. [Class Handout]. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, S557 Marketing.

Merriam-Webster. (2020). Public Service Announcement. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public-service-announcement 

Pennsylvania State University. (2020). Public Service Announcement. Retrieved from https://mediacommons.psu.edu/2017/02/14/public-service-announcement/

Wikipedia. (2020). Public service announcement. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_announcement