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Steam-powered machines, anachronistic technology, clockwork automatons, gas-filled airships, tentacled monsters, fob watches, and top hats--these are all elements of steampunk. Steampunk is both speculative fiction that imagines technology evolved from steam-powered cogs and gears--instead of from electricity and computers--and a movement that fosters a do-it-yourself attitude and a love of beautifully crafted, yet functional, objects. Although K. W. Jeter coined the term in the late 1980s, the concept is much older: Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and other 19th-century authors are primary influences. These writers inspired a dark, melancholy genre typically set in Victorian England. There are academic purists who adhere to the original style, but as the steampunk audience expands, the field now includes books set in other countries, fantastical universes, and even far-distant futures that have re-adopted Victorian dress and behavior. There are also books that are not strictly steampunk but incorporate select elements, such as steam-powered villains or clockwork automatons. These undefined boundaries complement the rebellious ethos of steampunk. For librarians and teachers, steampunk offers multifaceted approaches to reach diverse students. For talented artists, emphasize the DIY philosophy. For Victorian history or Industrial Revolution lesson plans, highlight the historical anachronisms and what-ifs of steampunk. For classic literature discussions, illustrate how steampunk has embraced Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Steampunk has many attractors for students: the Victorian aesthetic, promotion of upcycling (making "junk" into something both functional and lovely), and anachronistic role-playing. Steampunk is all about bravely breaking the rules. This article provides a list of related books and websites.

This article presents a list of ALSC and YALSA Book Picks 2010. The list includes (1) ALSC Notable Children's Books; (2) YALSA Booklists; (3) Best Books for Young Adults; (4) Great Graphic Novels for Teens; and (5) the Top 10 Quick Picks.

This article presents an interview with Phillip Hoose, National Book Award winner for young people's literature for his book "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," a true story of a teen who refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Hoose is no stranger to the world of literary honors. His "We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History" was a contender for the 2001 National Book Award while "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" nabbed the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award as the best nonfiction book of 2005. He was the first nonfiction author to win the young reader's National Book Award. As a writer, he shares that nonfiction and fiction writing are the same. They have the same tools as writers and the same challenge. Today, he is working on another book with Melanie Kroupa for FSG, a YA book. Through his new book, he wants to rope readers into caring and for kids to be deeply involved with their families.

With the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the most troops overseas since Richard Nixon's presidency, President-elect Barack Obama will certainly have his work cut out for him. But at least Obama is a reader (and a writer), and there is no better antidote to the stress of the present than an hour or so lost in a good book. This article presents this year's selection of great reads--for President Obama as well as for everybody--which was created to help everybody better understand the past, the present, the brave new future.

Of the more than 5000 books reviewed in "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ's") pages in 2008, the 67 books listed in this article stood out as having distinctive voices, singular vision, and/or innovative approaches. They include books for toddlers and preschoolers, terrific picture books and easy readers, and some highly original novels. Fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, humor, mystery, affecting family stories, and adventure all make an appearance. It was an amazingly strong year for YA novels, several with hard-hitting, powerful themes. There's also some spectacular science and history. Deciding among all of the books about Lincoln published this year was not easy; the authors selected two that they felt were the most unusual and creative. The arts fared well also, with lively titles about Alexander Calder, Mark Twain, Billie Holiday, and William Carlos Williams.

This article offers a savvy guide to the best graphic nonfiction books for middle schoolers. These include: "Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography" by Andrew Hefler; "Clan Apis" by Jay Hosler; and "Corpses and Skeletons: The Science of Forensic Anthropology" by Rob Shone.

This article offers a savvy guide to the best graphic nonfiction books for teens. Many of these titles work well with teens, offering them quick access to facts and an enjoyable encounter with books and information literacy. In putting together this list of essential titles for high schoolers, the author searched for graphic nonfiction that is already on many schools' suggested reading lists, or titles that have the potential to meet the needs of formal curricula.

Welcome to the 21st century, where many students turn to Google as their main source of information. In fact, some kids wouldn't look anywhere else but the Internet. So what does that mean for nonfiction books? Five years ago, everybody warned that fresh, interactive digital content would eventually replace old-fashioned books. However, last December, "Forbes" magazine came out with a special issue on book publishing confirming that people were reading more, not less. Of course, not all books are worth reading. But a book that conveys an author's judgments and passions--one that makes clear his or her particular vision, that goes beyond simple precis to provide an in-depth analysis and exploration of a subject--offers something very different than a Web site. Books offer a gift that's hard to define, and the experience of reading a good one can last a lifetime. Books, not the Web, are a perfect place for an author's well-honed narrative skills. Books are also carefully crafted to appeal to younger readers, and special attention is given to how art and text fall on each page. There's no way to compare the fine art of bookmaking to designing even the most sophisticated Web site. And as any child will tell you, there's no competition between a book that uses storytelling to capture a reader's heart and a two-dimensional Web site that's intended to hold a viewer's attention for 15 seconds.

Read-alouds boost listening and reading comprehension skills and bring subjects to life in a way that textbooks cannot. This article presents three literature-based social studies units, which offer some fresh choices to invigorate lessons. For each unit, a recently published novel is highlighted as a read-aloud or group reading selection and paired with two supplementary picture books or nonfiction titles. These additional titles will provide context as well as pictures or photos to introduce, and offer other points of view for contrast and comparison. While at first glance the three topics--immigration for elementary grades, Japanese internment for middle school, and Nazi Germany for high school--may seem disparate, all three featured works share themes of prejudice, family, and friendship. Not surprisingly, the gravity and intensity of the themes increases with the audience's age.

Media specialists and teachers spend an estimated $1.4 billion annually on nonfiction titles. And even though most librarians, like Shirley Morand of New Richmond High School in Ohio, expect budget cuts this academic year, they still plan to dish out a sizable chunk of money on books that support students' textbooks, according to School Library Journal's survey of supplemental books, which analyzed the spending habits of K-12 educators. The study, which took place last spring, reached 1,240 librarians, reading specialists, and curriculum coordinators nationwide. This article briefly discusses the results of the survey.

Although graphic novels are traditionally thought of as the domain of larger-than-life fantasies, for decades comics have also served as educational tools. One of the pioneers of American comic books, Will Eisner, worked for years creating instructional comics. Starting in 1941, the Classics Illustrated series introduced young readers to celebrated literary works by adapting them into comics form. Since then, a small but growing body of work has sought to both educate and entertain. Presenting historical realities from the Holocaust to the Iranian revolution and real figures from J. Robert Oppenheimer to Martin Luther King, Jr., graphic nonfiction is a unique medium for presenting history and biography in a vivid, immediate way. This article contains 20 currently available graphic nonfiction titles that span a wide range of subjects. Together they demonstrate comics' ability to concurrently educate and entertain readers on almost any subject imaginable.

This annotated bibliography reviews 55 new children's books that celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Selections include fiction, nonfiction, holiday music and art, museum reproductions, and original illustrations. Age level appropriateness is indicated for preschool through grade six. (LRW)

Discussion of informational books for young people focuses on a study of authors of children's science books. Data are reported from authors in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain in four main areas: (1) background in education and experience; (2) science-related hobbies and interests; (3) research techniques; and (4) reasons for writing. (three references) (LRW)

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2011 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the titles which were released in January 2011 during the ALA Midwinter meeting in San Diego, California. The Fabulous Films for Young Adults list identifies films relating to a theme that will appeal to young adults ages 12-18. These fiction and nonfiction titles, based on the theme "Other Times/Other Places," encompass different film genres and show teens reacting to the society around them and how they develop as individuals. The Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults list is chosen from items released during the previous two years. The titles represent diverse genres and styles, including historical fiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2010 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the list of titles that were released in January 2010 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. The 2010 Fabulous Films for Young Adults list includes 31 titles based on the theme "Outside In: Rebellion vs. Conformity." The list includes films, both fiction and nonfiction, that display teens reacting to the society around them. The Amazing Audiobooks list for young adults is chosen from items released during the previous two years. The titles represent diverse genres and styles, including historical fiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction.

This article lists 30 titles, published between September 2007 and November 2008 (with reviews published in 2008), which the "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ's") Adult Books for High School Students Committee decided to recognize as the best for high school readers. The list includes realistic and historical novels as well as some genre-blending titles. Biography, history, and books about the environment are well represented. Outstanding graphic novels and nonfiction also appear.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2009 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the titles that were released in January 2009 during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, Colorado. The film list offers 16 titles based on the theme "Coming of Age Around the World." The audiobook titles, chosen from items released during the previous two years, represent diverse genres and styles, including historical fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, and nonfiction.

Explains the Sibert Information Book Award for nonfiction children's literature and lists qualities that are considered when making the award. Topics include the author's authority; respect for children; literary style; graphics; accuracy; documentation; organization; content; format; book design; and overall presentation. (LRW)

With so many choices and so many terrific nonfiction titles in the pipeline, picking the "right" read can be daunting. This year, the author offers a variety of choices: the future of books, the life of a great American photographer, jigsaw puzzles as a metaphor for life, the negative legacy of America's positive thinking, a history of American book advertising, a life sustained by birding, the story of how a donated book and a creative mind can change an entire community, reflections on Buddhism and Christianity, some truly memorable food writing, and living life with Asperger's. In this article, ten amazing books guaranteed to bring readers peace, prosperity, and happiness are presented. These include: (1) "The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future" by Robert Danton; (2) "The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws" by Margaret Drabble; (3) "Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America" by Barbara Ehrenreich; (4) "Read Me: A Century of Classic American Book Advertisements" by Dwight Garner; (5) "Life List: A Woman's Quest for the World's Most Amazing Birds" by Olivia Gentile; (6) "Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits" by Linda Gordon; (7) "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope" by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer; (8) "Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian" by Paul Knitter; (9) "Why Italians Love to Talk About Food" by Elena Kostioukovitch; and (10) "Parallel Play: Growing Up with Undiagnosed Asperger's" by Tim Page.

Stories about people treated unfairly stir something deep in the psyche. This article briefly discusses three stories that involve people being treated unfairly: (1) Chris Crowe's Getting Away with Murder: The Tree Story' of the Emmett Till Case; (2) Michael Cooper's Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp; and (3) Deborah Hopkinson's Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924.

This article discusses the great interest in pirates in society today. Movies, toys, and stories are including stories of pirates and adventure more and more. In this article, the author suggests keeping the adventure going by sharing the exciting books described in this article with fourth- to sixth-grade students.