The 2012 Consideration List of current titles which have been nominated by the TAYSHAS High School Reading List Committee (THSRL). The THSRL is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART).
The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 9-12 to explore a variety of current books. Due to the diversity of this age range, Librarians should consider their appropriate collection policies when purchasing titles on this list. Each nominated book has been favorably reviewed for grades 9-12 in a professional review source.
You can view the current 2012 list and previous lists on the Tayshas Reading Lists web site.
Nomination Criteria
1. Copyright must be within the last 2 years—2010/2011 copyright only—no other copyright dates will be considered.
2. Must be favorably reviewed for grades 9-12.
3. The person making the nomination must have read the book.
4. A variety of genres and reading interests will be considered.
The committee welcomes outside suggestions. Review the nomination criteria listed, and submit all title suggestions using this form if you would like to make recommendations.
Information provided by Robin Cashman, Tayshas Committee Chair, TLA, Friday, May 27, 2011.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
On the Menu
Today begins my journey with The Songs of the Seraphim series by Anne Rice. Beginning Angel Time on audiobook, I plan to make my way through both Angel Time and Of Love and Evil (Book 2 inn the series) by the end of next week. If all goes well, I will be anxiously awaiting Book 3. In preparation, I found a useful review of the Random House audio book:
Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim, Book 1
Anne Rice
Narrated by Paul Michael, unabridged
Random House Audio, 9 hours
A review by Gil T. Wilson
Anne Rice is best known for her Vampire Chronicles, including the most popular, Interview with the Vampire. But any Rice fan knows she's written more than just tales of vampires, so it should be no surprise that her latest novel is about angels. What is surprising is how she explores the topic by telling a story of an angel who "hires" a modern-day contract killer to defend the Jews of 13th century Norwich, England.
The story is told in first person through the voice of Toby O'Dare, a hit man known as "Lucky the Fox" by his boss and associates. Toby is preparing to perform a "hit" on a Swiss Banker in San Juan at the Mission Inn when the story opens. Unknown to those who gave him this assignment, the Mission Inn is Toby's sanctuary, where he goes to escape his criminal life. Consequently, having to actually perform a hit in the sanctuary rattles the soul of this soulless man.
The beginning section of the book seems drawn out and, to be honest, boring at first. But once the story gets rolling, this section starts to pay off and listeners will appreciate the connections within the story. After Toby pulls off the hit, a stranger walks into the room where the murder was committed and begins to tell Toby an almost unreal story. This person is an angel of God and was sent to recruit Toby for a redeeming mission.
Before the mission can begin, the angel tells the story of Toby's life. In this section, listeners learn all about Toby's childhood and what led him to become a hit man. The angel describes his dark past, from how the irresponsibility of his alcoholic parents forced him to care for his younger siblings to the horrific event which changed his life forever and placed him on a path of destruction. Once this story is told by Malchiah, Toby realizes the angel is who he says he is and asks why God would need him. The angel only remarks that God forgives him.
The mission now can be performed. Traversing through "angel time" Toby and the angel are taken to 13th century England. There, Toby finds himself to be a Dominican Friar in the town of Norwich and is given the task of saving the lives of the Jewish community. Those lives are in jeopardy because the daughter of a Jewish couple is missing and presumed dead after she attended a Christian Christmas pageant. The villagers accuse the Jews of murdering the child because of her "conversion" to Christianity. They demand that all Jews be killed and the dead child be hailed as a saint.
The reader of this audiobook, Paul Michael, does an excellent job of voice characterization, including the subtlest of accents to establish which character is speaking at the moment. His low, soft voice definitely kept my ear tuned-in to the story. It is an amazing story and Anne Rice proves again that she's more than just a vampire novelist. This intriguing and thrilling story, with many twists and turns, is sure to appeal to a broad audience.
Accessed 5/18/11 from http://www.sfsite.com/12b/at310.htm.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Who is Theo Boone??
One of the benefits of perusing the exhibitor booths at TLA was getting bags full of giveaway and pre-publication books! One I was very excited to get was Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham. The first in a series of mysteries for teens and tweens, it begins the story of Theo, a son-to-be kid lawyer. If I can manage to finish Graveminder by Melissa Marr (I am reading it at night in bed, and therefore have read the same page four times before falling asleep each night), this will be the next book I read.
I came across The official Theodore Boone web site today, which is full of simple fun. While there, explore the main office, where you can preview teaser trailers, view case-related photos and personnel files, read about the author and even read an excerpt of the book from chapter one. Be sure to make your way to the courtroom, where you can generate your own complaints and read about odd laws still in effect.
Although there are a few teaser trailers on the official site, I also recommend these short trailers and also, a Penguin Audio Book Break preview, from the first chapter. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Ahoy! Parley Pirate Speak?
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Sen. Rockefeller Introduces ‘Do Not Track’ Bill for Internet
It has been a while since I have posted, but found some worthy material to share. I guess it was daunting following the simple yet powerful Sheldon strip from April 25! (If you haven't seen it, go back and check it out. If you've not read McCarthy's The Road, DO IT! Fabulous! Anyway, on to today's morsel... potentially a great move toward further protection from invasive collection of consumer metadata.
Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Monday introduced an online “do not track” privacy bill that would allow consumers to block Internet companies from following their activity on the Web.
The Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011 comes amid increased attention by lawmakers on creating privacy rules for the Internet. The White House has called for such rules but has not supported a specific mandate that would block companies from tracking users.
Rockefeller, chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, said in a statement that recent reports of privacy breaches show that companies have too much freedom to collect user data on the Internet.
His legislation would force companies to abide by a consumer’s choice to opt out of such data collection. The Federal Trade Commission would draw up specific “do not track” rules. The agency and states’ attorneys general would enforce the law. And the legislation would apply to mobile phones — a growing platform for accessing the Internet.
“I believe consumers have a right to decide whether their information can be collected and used online,” Rockefeller said in a statement. “This bill offers a simple, straightforward way for people to stop companies from tracking their movements online.”
Already, Microsoft’s Bing and Mozilla’s Firefox browsers have been redesigned to allow users to block marketers from tracking what sites they visit and their other activities online.
But without a law, no Internet company is required to honor the consumer request, privacy groups said.
“This bill will put regulatory support behind these industry initiatives and make sure that online providers listen to the many consumers who want to clearly say ‘No’ to online tracking,” said Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel for Consumers Union. “This complements the comprehensive online privacy legislation introduced by Senators [John] Kerry and [John] McCain last month.”
Tuesday, a new Senate privacy subcommittee will hear from Apple and Google, among others, about location data collection and whether the firms have been logging that information through mobile devices.
In the House, Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Tex.) said they are working on a “do not track” bill aimed at children.
NetChoice, a trade group representing Internet firms such as eBay and Yahoo, said new laws can hamper online commerce. Firms want to be able to deliver ads that are as targeted to individuals as possible for higher revenues.
“American consumers love how the Internet gives the information you want, when you want it, and location-based technology adds even more value since this info can also be tailored to right where you are,” said Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice.
“Online services will make location-based info the next big thing in internet innovation, and we may be lucky enough to get advertisers to pay for a lot of it.”
Cecilia Kang
The Washington Post
PostTech Blog
04:23 PM ET, 05/09/2011
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