Books
Teachers are always looking for books their students will enjoy. They want to know how to motivate children to read more. They want to know how to keep up on what is new in children's literature, and they would really like to find a place for their students to post book reviews and read review their peers have written.
Book Adventure offers a one-stop, book-finding experience. The Book Finder has a form students can fill out requesting a list of books at, above, or below their grade level. They can then choose from among 37 different types of books. The Book Finder generates a list of books with one click that matches the student's criteria. It's one of the best tools for matching books with children based on interest.
Scholastic's Teacher Book Wizard is another book finder that has a helpful feature called "Book Alikes." Teachers can type in the title of a book a child has enjoyed, and the Book Wizard will find similar books at the same reading level. This tool also works the other direction and gives teachers the levels for any books in the database.
For keeping up with what's new and old in children's literature, there are some great blogs and newsletters. Grace Lin, Newbery Honor Book Award Winner, recommends classics for tweens on her blog in Booktalk Tuesdays. Guys Read offer reviews specifically for boys in categories such as "How to Build Stuff", "At Least One Explosion", and "Outer Space, But With Aliens". For older kids, Reading Rants, the Graphic Novel Reporter, and AdLit.org give advice on good reads.
Posting book reviews is an authentic way for children to summarize and critique what they have read. Seeing their reviews published online is very rewarding, and if they are fortunate to receive comments, it is all the more rewarding! The Stacks has a multitude of formats in which children can respond and give their opinions of what they are reading. Spaghetti Book Club includes reviews by kids and for kids and so does Kidsreads. Of course, a simple option is to have students start their own book blogs where they review what they, recommend books to peers, and comment on other students' blogs.
Keeping track of what you read or building a bookshelf is motivating for all readers. We like to see our bookshelves get full with books we've enjoyed. We feel a sense of accomplishment when we finish a book. Readers can now build virtual bookshelves with Library Thing and Shelfari. There is a social component as well. I browse my friends' bookshelves when I am visiting their homes. You can do the same thing with friends' virtual shelves. You can see what your friends are reading and add their books to your "Want to Read" shelf. Readers can see which books are showing up on the most shelves. You can also use these tools to recommend books to others, and by rating the books you read, you get the chance to critique them.
