WORD: The Official Blog of READ and WRITING magazines

Friday, March 27, 2009

It's been a quiet week here at READ. We're getting ready for next year and spiffing up our blog so it will rev and shine like a corvette fresh from the carwash. Bry came across his great old entry that illustrates the pain I've been feeling lately. Make sure to read the comment too.

The more I work with words on a daily, hourly, ok constant basis the more words seem wrong to me. Earlier this week I stared at the word WORLD for 8 hours straight. No way, an R, L and D, how could it be? I asked myself. But the spell checker thought it was right. So I flew to Seattle to talk to Bill Gates about his screwed up program. I was still wrong. Bereft, (love that word) I sat in the rain and drank dark strong coffee and wrote poems about the way words should be.

If I were queen, I'd get rid of that consonant soup that bogs our minds and our books. All words would be clear rivers instead of murky pools of mud that trap your feet and pull you into despair.

Then I'd automatically know how to spell refrigerator and knowledge--not adding a "d" to the former and stealing it from the latter.

I'll end with this tip about knowledge. The only way I can remember to use that "d" is to think to myself "knowledge is like a bookshelf so put your books on that ledge."

Thanks for listening to my muddled mind.

Posted by
Alicia
on 3/27/2009
10:50 AM

Friday, March 20, 2009

YALSA!

Not a board game, not a salsa, not a soft drink, not a four letter word! This five-letter acronym stands for Young Adult Library Services Association, part of the American Library Association (ALA). In the READ world, YALSA is kind of a big deal. We so look forward to spring, when they announce their favorite new titles with a host of awards and top-ten lists. Although there are many catagories, we suggest the cream of the crop: Check out the winners selected to be the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults of 2009:

It's Complicated: The American Teenager, Bowman, Robin. Umbrage Editions. 2007.

Waiting for Normal, Conner, Leslie. HarperTeen/HarperCollins. 2008.

Mexican WhiteBoy, de la Pena, Matt. Delacorte. 2008.

Bog Child, Dowd, Siobhan. Random House/David Fickling Books. 2008.

The Hunger Games, Collins, Suzanne. Scholastic. 2008.

Ten Cents a Dance, Fletcher, Christine. Bloomsbury. 2008.

Baby, Monninger, Joseph. Front Street/Boyd Mills Press. 2007.

Nation, Pratchett, Terry. HarperCollins. 2008.

Skim, by Tamaki, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. House of Anansi Press / Groundwood Books. 2008.

The Brothers Torres, by Voorhees, Coert. Disney/Hyperion. 2008.

Remember, spring break is right around the corner. If you're wondering what to do during the 8-hour car ride to Aunt Edna's this Easter, consider taking a trip to the library to check out one of these highly acclaimed and brand spanking new books. Enjoy!

Posted by
Audra
on 3/20/2009
4:00 PM