The REAL Winners of the 2009 ALSC Awards

On Monday morning, January 26, at a press conference during the ALA Conference in Denver, the REAL ALSC award winners and honor books will be announced. But how can you find out what these winners are?

Here are several options:

• Tune in to the Early Show on Tuesday morning which traditionally interviews the winners.
• Call the Children's Services department - 260.421.1220 - at our Library after noon.
• Check this blog.
• Or you can hear the results LIVE via the Internet or Twitter. Here are the details from an ALA press release:

Join thousands as ALA, ALSC and YALSA unveil the best of the best in children’s and young adult literature and media.

The American Library Association (ALA) will provide a free live Webcast of its national announcement of the top books and media for children and young adults on January 26 at 7:45 a.m. MT. The award announcements are made as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting, which will bring together more than 10,000 librarians, publishers, authors, and guests in Denver from January 23 to 28.

Unikron, a streaming content provider, will host the ALA Youth Media Awards Webcast. Online visitors will be able to view the live Webcast the morning of the announcements by going to the Unikron Web site.

ALA will instantly announce winners of the 2009 Youth Media Awards using the micro-blogging service Twitter. For the first time ever, members can follow the Youth Media Awards via Twitter and receive live updates on award winners as they are announced during the ceremony. Users of Twitter can read and follow posts–referred to as ‘tweets’–instantly, either through ALA’s Twitter page, RSS, SMS Text Messaging (if enabled), or social networking sites such as Facebook, with the Twitter add-on.

The ALA Island in Second Life will also broadcast an encore presentation of the Youth Media Awards Webcast. Visitors can take advantage of in-world viewing later in the day on the ALA Island at the Main Stage.

For ALA Midwinter Meeting participants, the press conference will be held in the Colorado Convention Center in the Four Seasons Ballroom. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. MT.

The press release announcing all of the winners will be posted in the Youth Media Awards Press Kit at http://www.ala.org/yma prior to 10:30 a.m. MT.

Questions? Contact the ALSC office at alsc@ala.org.

Winter Fun Storytime

Calling all babies and toddlers! Visit the library this morning for your very own storytime. We'll be reading and singing about winter fun.

Every Friday:
Babies and Books (0-18 months) @ 10 AM
Toddler Time (18 to 36 months) @ 10:30 AM & 11 AM

See you at the ACPL!

A Child's Book Review: Sounder

12-year-old Carrie says of Sounder, by William Howard Armstrong:

"I loved it! I couldn't stop reading it, even though I cried a little. I'd like to have a dog like Sounder."

Submit your child's book review to me via email, and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Hmmm....what is she thinking?

Be sure to stop by the Early Learning Center today to explore, play and create with your preschooler.

The Early Learning Center hours are:

Monday through Thursday 9am to 8pm
Friday & Saturday 9am to 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm

See you at the ACPL!

Kids Books Online

This compilation of websites featuring free electronic books was in the December 2008 issue of School Library Journal. To read the entire article by Anna Adam and Helen Mowers click here.

• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Books Online
• Big Universe
• TumbleBooks
• Lookybook

These are great sites to visit to read books online and you can even create books of your own at Big Universe. Check it out!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Marin Luther King Jr. Day!
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most respected and influential leaders of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. King inspired many Americans to stand up for fairness and equality among citizens, no matter the color of their skin. Today the memory of Martin Luther King and his passion for what he believed lives on across our nation.

Want to learn more about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement? Check out some books like these!

ACPL Kids' Mock Newbery 2009 Results!

ACPL Kids' Mock Newbery 2009 Winner:
Savvy by Indrid Law

To see the honor books visit the ACPL Mock Newbery blog.