Turnbull provides plenty of tips for a wide range of activities and projects—whether a student is using a digital camera or smart phone. It’s easy to brush up on your photography skills and learn new ones in this practical book for kids of all ages.

KELLER, Laurie. Bowling Alley Bandit. illus. by author. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 2013. ISBN 9780805090765. JLG Level: HE : Humor Elementary (grades 2–6). From his picture book debut in Arnie the Doughnut (2003), Arnie returns in a short novel for independent readers. From breakfast to doughnut-dog, Arnie’s life is never the same. Mr. Bing takes him …

GAIMAN, Neil. Fortunately, the Milk. illus. by Skottie Young. HarperCollins. Sept. 2013. ISBN9780062224071. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2–4). “Where have you been all this time?” asked my sister. “Ah,” said my father. “Um. Yes. Well, funny you should ask me that…I bought the milk…and then something odd happened,” he said. Father proc…

ENGLISH, Karen. Substitute Trouble. illus. Laura Freeman. Clarion. 2013. ISBN 9780547615653. JLG Level: CE : City Elementary (Grades 2–6). Nikki and Deja don’t like their new substitute teacher. He doesn’t follow Ms. Shelby-Ortiz’s rules. He doesn’t follow the plan. He has no control over the class. Writing an anonymous letter to Mr. Willow with so…

Anna is the only one who can calm her new baby sister when they go to her frequent doctor trips. Kaylee, who was adopted from China, is not gaining weight, and everyone is worried. At school, Anna has trouble deciding on a topic for her science project. When she and her friends discover that Kaylee eats better when she’s distracted by their singing…

CHOLDENKO, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Homework. Dial. 2013. ISBN 9780803734722. JLG Level: C : Advanced Readers (Grades 6–9). Moose Flanagan’s dad has been promoted to associate warden at Alcatraz, but inmates and colleagues have their own ideas about how to handle the new boss. A prisoner earns five points for spitting on a warden and 5,000 point…

If you’ve been intrigued by podcasting or already know the power of podcasts, you won’t want to miss this fast paced session that will show you how to easily create and use podcasts in ways that will get your students excited about learning.

Aunt Betty gives background on her niece, Deborah B. Ford, who is the new Director of Library Outreach for Junior Library Guild and introduces a new JLG Service.

Since getting kids to read is half the battle, why not start with something you know they’ll read? Today’s graphic novels are not only award winning, but they can easily be used to teach in your common core classroom.

Watch author, Shannon Hale, live as she talks about her new book, Palace of Stone. Find out how you can be a writer too.