Top 20 in 2020

Here in the first week of January 2021, it seemed like a good idea to look back on the most checked-out titles from 2020. The titles represent some of our most popular authors in the library, as well as many current and former state award nominees. You can see the full set of 20 books when you click on the link below:

CLICK HERE to access the presentation

Many popular authors--Alan Gratz and April Henry anyone?--and several Iowa state award nominees are on this year's list, alongside some older favorites like Big Nate and Mike Lupica. You might also have noticed that graphic novels made the list; they continue to be a popular choice for many readers! See any here that you've read yourself? Or maybe you want to try? You're welcome to stop by and check out a title or two--happy reading!

ABCs of DCGMS Library: V is for Visiting Authors

Today's ABCs of DCGMS Library is brought to you by the letter V for visiting authors.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Over the course of several months, four popular MG/YA authors visited the Des Moines metro area and surrounding parts of the state. First, Akata Witch author Nnedi Okorafor spoke at the inaugural Des Moines Book Festival in late March.

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Okorafor, known for her fantasy and science fiction books for young adults and older readers, spoke about the political themes she sees in her stories, the characters who "speak" to her as she writes, her work with Marvel and writing graphic novels vs. prose/chapter books, and her work with the Black Panther series.

About a month later, author Laurie Halse Anderson spoke in West Des Moines about her newest book Shout and the 20th anniversary of the release of the ground-breaking book Speak, now also presented as a graphic novel. She continues to visit high schools across the country to talk with both girls and boys about how to treat one another, especially in close relationships.

In May, author Jason Reynolds was in Dubuque, IA, and while it's a few hours from the Des Moines area, it's Jason Reynolds! The drive there and back was certainly worth it!

Reynolds spoke of his journey as a writer, and several questions from audience members were related to his work with the Track series. He indicated that many of his characters and stories are based on people and stories he knows and has lived.

Finally, in June, author Kwame Alexander was a keynote speaker at a state-wide reading and librarian conference in Ames, IA, where he challenged teachers and librarians to continue to promote reading with all students and to listen to students and their stories. He encouraged writing and poetry, and at the end of his presentation shared his new work with illustrator Kadir Nelson, The Undefeated.

With each visit, I returned to the library and to my students with renewed excitement. I'm eager to see who may be visiting the Des Moines metro in the future!

Connecting with Authors & Others on Twitter

In late January 2013, I joined Twitter as a way to expand my circle of colleagues and to connect with others in my field. What a great year it's been! Not only have I met some wonderful teacher librarians from all parts of the country--and world!--but I've also been surprised and pleased with the interactions with authors and others.

In the last 14 months, many authors have replied to tweets, like David Baldacci, S. A. Bodeen, and Jeff Hirsch:

One of my favorite interactions has been with the author of The Ascendence Trilogy Jennifer Nielsen.

Another interaction that was meaningful to me and many students came from Laurie Halse Anderson when she saw the resilience literature work students completed earlier in the year--you can read about it HERE.

And it's not just authors who tweet responses. Websites like Epic Reads and Heartland AEA11 have people who follow Twitter feeds, and they reply, too!

Twitter has been a great tool for us to connect with the authors and others who relate to our work and reading. We're eager to connect again!

Author Veronica Roth Talks All Things Divergent

Can't wait to see Divergent hit theaters in March? Trying to read all of the books and watch everything you can about the series and characters before you see the movie? Check out these recent videos from PopSugar Entertainment featuring the series author Veronica Roth.

In this video, Roth describes what she loves about Divergent fans:




Next, Roth discusses the people in her life who show divergence:




Finally, Roth shares some advice for those who fight for their identity:



Check out the official website for the movie at http://divergentthemovie.com.

Is Rick Riordan the Hardest Working YA Author?

Good grief that man writes! Rick Riordan--author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and The Lost Hero series, among others--has recently released publication dates for his upcoming novels in his series. You can check out his post HERE.

Want to read The Serpent's Shadow but have been waiting for the paperback? Your wait is over on May 7, 2013, when the paperback version of the book will be released. Also included with it is a short story of Percy Jackson and Carter Kane. According to Riordan, The Son of Sobek is the "first place you can read that story" and is "about 40 pages of extra adventure at no additional cost."

But if you already have your copy of The Serpent's Shadow, you can still get The Son of Sobek. On June 18, 2013, you can download the e-book of the story, and it's even read by Riordan himself! Included with this purchase is the sneak peek of the next book in The Lost Hero series, The House of Hades, which isn't slated for release until Oct. 8, 2013.

James Patterson Interview

Author James Patterson is a favorite of many students here at DCG MS--and he was named teen author of the year last year. School Library Journal recently interviewed him on a variety of topics, including his popular Maximum Ride series, the Daniel X series, and his Middle School books. All of these you can find here in our library! Click HERE to read the interview. 

Patterson also talked about Read Kiddo Read, an organization that works to improve kids' reading skills and put good books into kids' hands. 

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Patterson had seen his own son Jack struggle with reading, so this organization grew out of his desire to help his own son and others like him find good books and eventually enjoy reading. At the website, you can search for a variety of books and find recommendations, too. You can also see Sneak Peaks and read chapters of books before you can buy them!

Check it out--you'll be surprised by all the great books and recommendations you can find at Read Kiddo Read!