Re: [LM_NET] Book review posts

[David Lininger <tigerlibrarian@GMAIL.COM>]

Lisa Von Drasek wrote:
> This is a very interesting discussion but I would like to express a concern about 
>specifying what we would like in book review posts.
> Book reviews in the end are one person's opinion. It is up to the consumer/ 
>reader to decide whether that one person's opinion has meaning for their own 
>library and community. 
> For example- Winter Girls,the new Laurie Halse Anderson, a book about anorexia 
>from the point of view of a very sick, relapsing character, unreliable to say the 
>least. To me personally, it is an important book, a portrait of the descent and 
>denial inherent in addiction. Who is it for? Would it be okay for 7th graders? 
>Will they get it? A teacher from my school e-mailed me- she doesn't think it has a 
>place in middle school. These are the same kids who read Go Ask Alice, Twilight, 
>the Uglies and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. There are kids in are school as 
>young as 5th grade who have suffered from eating disorders. Perhaps it will not be 
>part of our Mock Printz, we will see what our school psychologist thinks as well 
>as the other teachers.
> 

I agree that each of us has the final say about what we order. If I have 
to read each book before I add it to my collection, though, we won't be 
adding as many titles as we usually do. I depend on reviewers to do much 
of the reading for me. As a reviewer, the more I know about what my 
readers want and need the better I am able to help them.]

> Some readers of LM NET are concerned about language. Truthfully unless the text 
>is peppered, I don't really notice. Some parents and teachers have a hard time 
>with Captain Underpants (name calling, language) and Judy B. Jones (grammer). 
>Again, not something I have a problem with. 
> 

Again, the more that I know about a title BEFORE it is ordered the 
better. If a review indicates that there is an issue, I may decide to 
check the book out from the public library and read it myself before I 
order it for the school. The reviewer isn't making a decision I should 
make by pointing out a potential problem, but rather alerting me to 
something that I ought to be aware of.


> I agree that Book Review Posts could  be leveled in the subject, perhaps like we 
>do our targets- elem, middle and high.   perhaps recommended age groups like 
>perfect for 3rd/4th grades within the text.
> 

Perhaps putting a general designation in the subject line (elem, MS, HS) 
as we do with other topics, and then more specific grade levels early in 
the text would help. Although I officially serve grades 7-12, the fifth 
and sixth grades are actually closer to my library than they are to the 
elementary library, and some of the better readers do come here some, so 
I'm likely to read any review that sounds like it could suit grade 5 or up.


-- 
David Lininger, kb0zke
MS/HS Librarian
Skyline MS/HS
Urbana, MO 65767
(417) 993-4226
t i g e r l i b r a r i a n  at g m a i l  dot c o m

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