Guest Post: Back to School Book Picks

Recently, we featured audiobook reviews from guest blogger Jana Warnell, an elementary school librarian in Montana. You can read her reviews of Clementine, The Thief, and The Ranger’s Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan. She also shared with us how to hook reluctant readers with audio, audiobooks and comprehension, and on audiobooks and fluency. Check out more reviews and librarian insights from Jana at her blog, http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/.

Jana put together a list of fun back to school titles for us. Let us know what you think and make some suggestions of your own!

Life here in has been a whirlwind with school starting for me and my sons. I started as a librarian at a new school this year (middle school!) and it has been hectic getting my footing. But, I am really enjoying myself and am looking forward to a great year at school. I hope you all have had a good start to your year as well. If you are looking for some audio books to get your students or children into the swing of things this fall here are some great ones:

Do you have a student starting middle school? Try Diary of a Wimpy Kid [NOTE: Have you entered our contest yet to WIN a a life-size wimpy kid for your classroom? Have you submitted a question for Zombiekins author Kevin Bolger?]. This is the story of Greg (a wimpy kid who just doesn’t realize that he is a wimpy kid) and it is hysterical.

Franny K. Stein (Lunch Walks Among Us) by Jim Benton is about a young girl who fancies herself a mad scientist. When she finds herself the new kid in school she approaches making friends with the analytical mind of a scientist. She has to save the day, though, when a monster snatches her teacher!

Judy Moody by Megan McDonald is about a girl starting third grade who is afraid she will not fit in with her new classmates. When her teacher assigns a “me” collage art project, she learns that not only she has things in common with them, but she also is able to contribute ideas that interest her new group of friends.

When Annabelle is forced to move with her mom to a new part of town and attend a coed school for the first time in her life she discovers that Boys are Dogs (by Leslie Margolis). When she gets a new puppy she puts the training manual for the dog to use when dealing with boys—with some very positive and funny results. (I must admit that as a mother of boys I didn’t like how boys were portrayed in this book—there were no real likeable ones, but, it made for some fun reading!).

Introduce younger readers to Froggy with Froggy Goes to School by Johnathan London. It’s always good for little ones to see that everyone gets nervous their first day of school—even frogs.

Can you imagine going from living on a commune being homeschooled to going to middle school? Makes you shudder doesn’t it? That’s the plot of Schooled by Gordon Korman. Capricorn Anderson has to attend public school for the first time in his life when his grandmother lands in the hospital after an accident. How will his “weird” ways mesh with his classmates?

One of my favorite books growing up was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. I loved the Herdmans. So, I was delighted to find a “sequel” to that book called The Best School Year Ever. I have seen some wild kids in my time, but I think the Herdmans take the cake!

How does attending school to become a spy sound to you? For Cammie Morgan it is the only life she has ever known (or has ever wanted to know). All is well until she meets a “normal” guy. Can she juggle school with dating him without her mother (the headmistress) finding out? I Could Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter has adventure, strong girls and romance, a perfect formula for middle school girls!

Guest Post: Audiobooks and Comprehension

Recently, we featured audiobook reviews from guest blogger Jana Warnell, an elementary school librarian in Montana. You can read her reviews of Clementine, The Thief, and The Ranger’s Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan. She also shared with us how to hook reluctant readers with audio and on audiobooks and fluency. Check out more reviews and librarian insights from Jana at her blog, http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/.

Today, Jana shares with us how audiobooks can assist students with reading comprehension.

I have covered hooking reluctant readers and increasing fluency using audio books. Now I am going to cover how audio books improve comprehension.

When I was in high school I was assigned a lot of “classics” to read. I really dislike classics. I disliked them back then and I dislike them today. We had to read a Shakespeare play. Ugh. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. So I started reading it aloud to my mom, and she took turns reading it to me. It was like a light bulb clicked on for me. When I heard the story I understood the story. I am an auditory learner.

The school I am a librarian at uses the Accelerated Reader program. It is a very hard program for some kids because reading is not a strong point for them. So, even when they read some of the lower level books they have a hard time with comprehension. Luckily, I had some Playaways available. I asked the teachers to allow some of the lower students to use those. Wow. The scores for the students that used the Playaways increased dramatically. When they heard the story it made more sense to them.

I also used this method for my older son. He was assigned a book in class (Number the Stars) that was giving him problems. Our read aloud time was limited due to activities so I checked out the audio book. He was able to listen and read along, pass his tests and turn in a great final project. He wouldn’t have been as excited about any of the assignments that went along with the book if he didn’t understand what he was reading.

Audio books can also be a great way to bridge a gap between reading levels for kids. Sometimes they want to read a book leveled higher than they are ready for. Rather than tell them they cannot read it, provide the audio book for them. They will be able to follow along and understand what they are reading. This will also help them firmly move up into that reading level.

You need to remember that the first way you get kids interested in books is by reading aloud to them. Over and over and over. When they are older that doesn’t change. Their interest is peaked when they hear a book out loud. And their interest can be heightened even more with the use of professionally done audio books. Don’t stop because they are older!

What do you do to help your students’ comprehension? Have you seen gains since using audiobooks? Share your story here or at http://www.facebook.com/recordedbooksk12.

Guest Post: Audiobooks and Fluency

Recently, we featured audiobook reviews from guest blogger Jana Warnell, an elementary school librarian in Montana. You can read her reviews of Clementine, The Thief, and The Ranger’s Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan. She also shared with us how to hook reluctant readers with audio. Check out more reviews and librarian insights from Jana at her blog, http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/.

Today, Jana shares with us how audiobooks can help to increase fluency and expression.

One of the biggest benefits I have heard in using audio books with my children and students I work with is the increase in fluency in their own reading aloud. I first noticed this with my oldest son. We had listened to a few shorter audio books while driving around our town when he was in the fifth grade Later that school year he had a book he was enjoying and wanted to read a section to me. I was amazed the first time he read aloud to me. His fluency and cadence were so much stronger! I credit it fully to audio books because he hadn’t been reading too many print books during that whole time, maybe one, possibly two.

When a child hears a book read well they are treated to expression, smoothness, dramatic pauses, and confidence. Teachers provide this when they read aloud, but their time is limited. If you could add another half hour of quality listening to your students’ (or childrens’) day, think how much that would benefit them!

Even using audio books for picture books in early elementary classrooms is a bonus. Sometimes when a teacher reads a picture book out loud it is their first time, or the first time in a year. They can forget the cadence that is needed to read a book, especially rhyming books. Using audio books with a professional narrator who has practiced the book plenty of times before it is recorded would make it one of the favorites of the classroom! I bet they would request that listening experience over and over.

Remember that kids don’t need to be drilled in skills for them to be effective. Sometimes just being exposed to a desired skill helps them pick it up and they don’t even realize they are improving. Audio books are a way to help them increase the fluency of their reading, inside the classroom and out.

Have you had success using audiobooks to increase fluency? Share your story here or on our Facebook page!

Have You Listened to a Banned Book Lately?

Celebrate banned books week by reading or listening to a banned book this week. See a list of some banned books available on audio from Recorded Books HERE and check out some links on censorship HERE.

If you’re listening to a banned book (one that’s on the list or not!), copy the image above to link to this blog post and share how you’re celebrating Banned Books Week. Your trackback will be shown in the comments section, or you can leave a comment linking to your blog post below. We’ll pick some of our favorites to win a copy of a banned (audio)book!

Here are some additional resources you might find useful:
–Top 10 Things to Do with a Banned Text
-Several books have recently been challenged, and Twitter users and bloggers are rallying against it. Here’s a great list of resources about the current challenge and about banned/challenged books in general (plus several more giveaways).

What Gets Your Students MOTIVATED?

We want to know what gets your students MOTIVATED to read! Do they love the best-sellers? Is there a title that gets them talking? Do your booktalks leave them wanting more? Will they pick up anything on a Playaway? Do they love listening to downloadable One-Click Audio audiobooks on iPods, or reading eBooks on an eReader?

Tell us what gets your students motivated on the RB K-12 Facbook page and you’ll get a chance to win a free audiobook from Recorded Books! The contest runs from 8/12/2010 through 8/14/2010. We’ll pick up to 10 winners per day, and you can enter as many times as you’d like. Spread the word and tell your fellow teachers and librarians to enter, too!

NOTE: To enter, you must leave your comment on the Facebook page. We appreciate comments here, too, but only those on the Facebook page will be entered to win!

Common Core Standards Suggest Use of Audio

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), has just published their recommendations for standardizing core curriculum across the United States. How many States will ultimately sign on remains to be seen, but the administration is offering some powerful financial incentives for States to get on board. 
 
The following passage from Appendix A to The Common Core Standards for the Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects should be of particular interest to audiobook users (emphasis ours):

The research strongly suggests that the English language arts classroom should explicitly address the link between oral and written language, exploiting the influence of oral language on a child’s later ability to read by allocating instructional time to building children’s listening skills, as called for in the Standards. The early grades should not focus on decoding alone, nor should the later grades pay attention only to building reading comprehension.Time should be devoted to reading fiction and content-rich selections aloud to young children , just as it is to providing those same children with the skills they will need to decide and encode.

The focus on oral language is of greatest importance to children most at risk—children for whom English is a second language and children who have not been exposed at home to the kind of language found in written texts (Dickinson & Smith, 1994). Ensuring that all children in the United States have access to an excellent education requires that issues of oral language come to the fore in the elementary classrooms.

Audiobooks are a great way to address this part of the Common Core Standards. We have long been a champion of using audiobooks in the classroom using a Listen and Read method. This research-proven method is a great way to engage readers and increase comprehension, motivation, and vocabulary acquisition. If you’d like to find out more about the standards, there is a webinar later today that you can still sign up for.

Winners of the Best Children’s Audiobooks Contest Announced

It was definitely not an easy task to pick the winners of the Top 20 Children’s Audiobooks post. We had 35 commenters and all had wonderful suggestions and comments. There were many great suggestions that did not make it into the final top 20 lists, so please check out all the comments for some great reading suggestions.

In the end, by tallying up titles with repeat votes, I compiled two lists: one of the top 20 Recorded Books children’s audiobooks, and one of the top 20 audiobooks from Recorded Books and other publishers combined. The winners are in no particular order. I also included some descriptive quotes from some commenters on why they chose the book.

So…drumroll please!…

Top 20 Recorded Books Children’s Audiobooks
(Titles included in the Grand Prize Giveaway are italicized)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain – Narrated by John McDonough
Blackbringer – Narrated by Davina Porter
Bridge to Terabithia – Narrated by Tom Stechschulte
City of Bones – Narrated by Ari Graynor
Clementine – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Dragon Rider – Narrated by Brendan Fraser
Flight #116 Is Down – Narrated by George Guidall – “This put me on the edge of my seat! I was literally breathless through some parts.”—Maggi (Mama Librarian)
Island of the Blue Dolphins – Narrated by Christina Moore
No Talking – Narrated by Keith Nobbs
Poppy – Narrated by John McDonough
Rules – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
A Series of Unfortunate Events (series) – Narrated by Lemony Snicket and Tim Curry
Stuck in Neutral – Narrated by Johnny Heller – “The audiobook gives voice to the voiceless Shawn.”—Lee Catalano
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Narrated by Sherman Alexie – “The “Rez” accent is not essential to appreciate this adolescent chronicle of straddling two worlds, but is sure doesn’t hurt.”—DaNae
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Narrated by Jeff Woodman
Good Masters, Sweet Ladies – Narrated by a full cast – “Sure I’d read the book before it won the big award, and sure I was mighty impressed with Schlitz’s skill with words. But hearing it how it was meant to be heard, moved it from a grand award-winner to pure genius.”—DaNae
The Graveyard Book – Narrated by Neil Gaiman – “I’m not sure if a children’s book should sound this sexy, but I will happily take my ghost stories with this kind of verbal velvet.”—DaNae
The Last Apprentice (series) – Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch – “Even though Christopher Evan Welch isn’t British, he skillfully creates some scary times out in the English countryside.”—Lee Catalano
The Ranger’s Apprentice – Narrated by John Keating
The Whipping Boy – Narrated by Spike McClure

Top 20 Children’s Audiobooks
(Starred titles are Recorded Books-produced titles)
Bridge to Terabithia* – Narrated by Tom Stechschulte
Charlotte’s Web – Narrated by E.B. White – “I can just imagine Mr. White telling the story to a group of kids. His voice takes the listener right into that intimate circle.”—Katrina Johnson
Good Masters, Sweet Ladies* – Narrated by a full cast
The Harry Potter Series – Narrated by Jim Dale
Hatchet – Narrated by Peter Coyote
Beverly Cleary’s books narrated by Neil Patrick Harris
Holes – Narrated by Kerry Beyer
The Inkheart Trilogy (series) – Narrated by Brendan Fraser – “I understand why Brendan Fraser was cast as Mo in the movie, he has got a great reading voice.”—Jana Warnell
Maniac Magee – Narrated by S. Epatha Merkeson
Rules – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Saffy’s Angel – Narrated by Julia Sawatha
A Series of Unfortunate Events* (series) – Narrated by Lemony Snicket and Tim Curry
Stargirl – Narrated by Mandy Siegfried
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* – Narrated by Sherman Alexie
The Giver – Narrated by Ron Rifkin
The Golden Compass – Narrated by the Author and a Full Cast
The Last Apprentice* (series) – Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch
The Lightning Thief – Narrated by Jesse Bernstein
Where the Red Fern Grows – Narrated by Anthony Heald – “I listened to this with my sons and they loved the story. Anthony Heald did a great job, but I am still more fond of my fourth grade teacher’s narration (good memories).”—Jana Warnell
Year Down Yonder – Narrated by Lois Smith – “I don’t know who this Lois Smith is, but in my world she will have closet full of Lane Bryant dresses and a passel of shenanigans up her sleeve that would do Grandma Dowdle proud.”—DaNae

So, who is the winner of the grand prize? Jana Warnell of Montana! Congratulations! I will be contacting you by email so you can claim your prize.

Children’s Summer Reading Recommendations

There are lots of fun and exciting titles coming out this summer. Pique your students’ interest and keep them reading over summer vacation by suggesting they try audiobooks. They’re perfect for students to listen to on their MP3 players during long car rides to the beach! This week we’ll feature Children’s titles, and next week we’ll recommend YA summer reading titles.

Starred titles are special favorites of our editors here at Recorded Books! Titles are listed in order of anticipated release.

• The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz, author of Newbery Award Winner Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
• Freefall★ (Tunnels) by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams – See all 3 books in the Tunnels series
• Falling In by Frances O’Roark Dowell – See other books by Francis O’Roark Dowell
• Mockingbird★ by Kathryn Erskine
• Crispin: The End of Time by Avi – See all the Crispin books
• Zombiekins★ by Kevin Bolger – Also upcoming in 2011, Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger
• Clementine: Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker – See all the Clementine books, including Clementine, an Audie Award Winner
• The Inside Story★ (The Sisters Grimm) by Michael Buckley – See the rest of the Sisters Grimm series
• One Crazy Summer★ by Rita Williams-Garcia – Recorded Books also offers the author’s 2009 National Book Award Finalist, Jumped

To WIN one of these titles upon publication, leave a comment below sharing how you encourage your students to read over summer vacation. We’ll pick one commenter to win! Drawing will be held Friday, May 14 at 12:00PM EDT.

What Are the Top 20 Children’s Audiobooks?

The Fuse #8 blog at School Library Journal has been tallying up the results of the Top 100 Children’s Novels Poll. That got us wondering, “What are the Top Children’s Audiobooks?” While many of the books would be the same, adding audio into the mix may change the list a little. So we want to hear from you!

We’ll be compiling a list of the top 20—beginning readers, children’s books, children’s classics, or YA novels are all acceptable submissions. Please see below for rules. Everyone who sends in a list of nominations will be entered to win a the grand prize: a set of 10 audiobooks from the top 20!

1. Leave a comment below listing your top 20 children’s audiobooks, from number 20 all the way up to number 1, in order. Feel free to leave a sentence or two describing your favorites. If you don’t have 20 favorites, list as many as you’d like.
2. Submissions will close on May 30, 2010. We’ll tally up the results, assigning points to titles based on their ranking in your list.
3. We’ll pick one random grand prize winner on June 14, 2010. That winner will receive 10 CD audiobooks from the compiled top 20 audiobooks list. Grand prize audiobooks will be chosen by Recorded Books.
4. Contest is open to all K-12 educators in the United States. Recorded Books reserves the right to confirm eligibility and alter rules to this contest at any time.

Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Paterson has been named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, replacing previous ambassador Jon Scieszka. Paterson has chosen “Read for Life” as her platform and will serve a two-year term as ambassador.

Recorded Books is proud to offer 12 of Paterson’s works on audiobook, including Newbery Medal winner Bridge to Terabithia. Also be sure to check out our free lesson plans (both part 1 and part 2) and audiobook excerpts for the book.