Presents brief annotations of 28 highly recommended children's picture books. (SR)

Presents two lists of young adult literature titles totaling 100 works. Notes that the first list includes books with lasting appeal and the second list includes some new and notable books to fill a summer reading list. (SG)

Seeks to understand teachers' practices in relation to selecting children's literature for use in classrooms, and to understand the wider issues associated with book selection and in particular with Canadian children's literature. Supports a strong need for rethinking the implications of the literacy events that occur on an everyday basis in…

Shows some similarities and differences between readability formulas and leveling procedures and reports some current large-scale uses of readability formulas. Presents a dictionary definition of readability and leveling, and a history and background of readability and leveling. Discusses what goes into determining readability and leveling scores.…

Presents annotations of 30 works of children's literature focusing on themes such as the creative process, dreams, hopes and goals, leadership, taking action, and the vision of self. Considers authors that began by taking a good, hard look at the world they live in, then considered how to make it a better place. (SG)

Considers how in order to highlight the disastrous effects of systematic racial oppression, ethnic American writers of young adult literature have portrayed their characters struggling to break free of poverty against overwhelming odds. Discusses the problem of poverty in three adolescent novels. Concludes that poverty can be an equal opportunity…

Presents annotations of 12 children's books and 2 books on tape--books that encourage readers to be reflective on self, life, society, and art and literature. (SG)

Discusses 30 books that reflect the heart and soul of school--children, teachers, and principals. Organizes the categories by grade-level groupings, relationships with teachers and principals, and universal school experiences. (SG)

Describes how elementary school teachers can build classroom libraries of children's literature. Examines several classroom literature sets (collections of children's literature and related materials), focusing on elements of the sets that appealed to and concerned teachers. Recommends ways to evaluate classroom literature sets. (MM)

Discusses the appeal of romance fiction for adolescent girls, particularly the "Sweet Valley High" series, and summarizes some research in the area. Topics addressed include reading preferences of teenage girls, sales and marketing of romances, literary criticisms, what readers gain from the books, and what constitutes good pleasure…

Describes and recommends several young adult books on athletics, animals, and artistic endeavors. (MM)

Presents high school teachers' suggestions for magazines to use in the English classroom. Notes that "Meryln's Pen" and "The New Yorker" were the magazines most frequently mentioned. (MM)

Argues that collecting book reviews from local, regional, and national newspapers, categorizing them by literary genre, and regularly updating the collection can motivate developmental students in choosing books for oral or written reports. (RS)

Discusses classroom use of mini-reading conferences (lasting no more than two minutes) on such topics as changing the book a student is reading and following up on a particular skill assignment. (RS)

Muses on the meaning of last month's column, chides instructional materials that include instructions on how and what to think about their contents, and lists a large number of books that the author recently enjoyed reading. (SR)