SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

September 1, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Be Subversive! Be Be Subversive!

September 1, 2007 by Betsy Bird   3 comments

  • Salon had a nice piece about how No Child Left Behind takes the idea of reading for pleasure and pumps all the life out of it. Called Teachers: Be Subversive (easier said than done?), I was particularly interested in a part of the interview that talks about how there is, "a transfer provision in No Child Left Behind that says that if a student is in a perennially failing school, that child must be permitted to transfer to a high-performing school."
  • I’m afraid only the nerdiest amongst us will get a kick out of this. The premise is simple: What if Edward Gorey created a book version of the classic Star Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles? The answer is quite sublime.
  • As for Bottom Shelf Books, I have just six words for you: Hop on Pop then Marry Mommy.
  • Raise your hands if you knew that author Deborah Wiles had a blog. Anyone? Anyone? Thanks to klonghall for the link then.
  • Al Roker redeems himself yet again with his fifth pick for book club reading. You’ll remember that I cursed Al for all that he was worth when he (he = Today Show staff) chose "Swordbird" to be one of his picks. Naughty, bad Al. But then he climbing his way back into my good graces first with the selection of "Bud, Not Buddy", and now with "The Golden Compass". Anything that gets kids reading that book is a-okay by me.
  • As Your Neighborhood Librarian says, I’m not going to prevent boys from great books featuring girls, but it’s always good to have a great list of recommendations for male type persons on hand. Here’s the one she compiled not too long ago.  Definitely worth looking at.

  • And now, for you daily dose of peculiarity. Remember when you were a kid and there was always that one relative/former co-worker of your parents who sent you a book that had somehow been personalized with your name? I had one that involved Sesame Street characters and some off-to-the-sidelines gal named Betsy. Betsy sure did a lot of stuff in that book. I can look back on it now and say it was lame, but at the time it seemed pretty neat to me. Look, maw! I’m in a book!  Well, my childhood enthusiasm is coming back to bite me in the bum all thanks to (actual title) Flatten Me. The web being what it is, I’m a teensy bit shocked that this idea didn’t hit the market sooner. It’s all very simple.  You simple send in a digital headshot of your child and the kid is … uh … flattened in.  Skin tones are always made to match the male and female bodies your child’s head is stuck onto.  I advise you to page through the virtual book without reading the text (which is just as you would expect it to be).  It’s kind of creepy after a while.  I mean, the kid’s body does all sorts of things, but the head always stays the same.  Eerie.  Thanks to Sandbox for the link.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

BLUE FLOATS AWAY Turns Two!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Faced with a Parenting Dilemma? Write a Book About It! Jacob Grant Comes By to Talk About NO FAIR

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Pardalita | Preview

by Brigid Alverson

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Post-It Note Reviews: Wish granters, brotherly mischief, a high-stakes scavenger hunt, and more!

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Books Read in 2022

Making a Mark on Musical History: Flack, Franklin, and Beach | Biography Spotlight

First Books About Large Gatherings | Milestones

24 Audiobooks To Encourage Ongoing Activism and Social Justice

These Books Picture the Music | Read Woke

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matt says

    September 1, 2007 at 12:48 pm

    Betsy—what’s the Hop on Pop thing? You just have a link to A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy … which gives no further clues.

  2. Fuse #8 says

    September 2, 2007 at 8:06 am

    Whoops! Good call. My bad. I’ll just do some minor re-shuffling…

  3. your neighborhood librarian says

    September 3, 2007 at 9:09 am

    Living in Baltimore City, we know all about the special perks you get if your school is ‘perennially failing’ (like the option to leave your friends and teachers and parachute into a different, marginally better school with different gangs and all-new initiations). Even better is if your school can get labeled “persistently dangerous”. We’ve got 6 of those.

    It’s so appalling. Maryland just became the wealthiest state in the nation. NCLB has been disastrous for this town.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023