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Essential Library Vocabulary Guide for Parents and Kids
Libraries are magical places. Rows upon rows of books just waiting to be explored, cozy nooks for reading, and (best of all) the wide-eyed excitement of kids discovering their next favorite story. But let’s be honest: if you’re not familiar with the library world, some of the lingo can feel a bit…well, intimidating. Words like “genre,” “catalog,” or even “stacks” might sound like secret code, and that’s enough to make any parent wonder if they need a translator just to find the right book for their child. Don’t worry, though—I’ve got you covered! Whether you’re chasing after a toddler who’s making a break for the picture books or hoping to…
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How to use the Dewey Decimal system to find books kids want to read
One of the things that trips up library visitors is navigating the Non-fiction section. Fiction books are (generally) easy: they’re organized by the author’s last name! But non-fiction books? The non-fiction section is the MOST mysterious area in the entire children’s library…and it’s all because of the numbers. Instead of being organized by title or author, non-fiction books are organized by subject! And those subjects are organized into blocks of numbers. This organizational system is called the Dewey Decimal System, named after the guy who came up with it, Melvil Dewey. Mr. Dwey’s system isn’t very intuitive or easy to use, and it can scare away readers– which is why…
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Lodestar Award Finalists & Winners Reading List
What is the Lodestar Award? The Lodestar Award is a relatively newer award established in 2018 by the World Science Fiction Society, the same people who do the Hugo Awards for scifi/fantasy media. It’s presented alongside the Hugo every year at the World Science Fiction Convention, usually in the fall. What is this reading list? Award lists are great to use as a starting point for exploring a specific genre or subset of books, especially if you aren’t familiar with what’s out there and aren’t sure where to start. Since each book nominated was published within the year, it’s also a great way to keep up with what’s new on…
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What is Narrative Nonfiction? | Kids Book Genres Explained
This is the first post in a series explaining popular kids book genres, how to find them in the library, and recommended reads. If you’ve never heard of narrative nonfiction before, it’s a shorthand way of describing books written using factual information in the style of a fiction book. The more in-depth explanation is: What is narrative nonfiction? Narrative nonfiction is a subset of the creative nonfiction genre. Creative nonfiction is a factual story told in the style of a fictional one. Usually this means it’s factually accurate, but written in a way similar to a fiction book, with a protagonist (or two!), a defined story arc, and a less…
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Ancient Egyptian Book List for Middle Grade Readers (ages 9-12)
Every so often I’ll meet a kid who is REALLY into ancient Egypt. Students generally start learning about ancient world cultures somewhere around 6th grade, as part of a social studies unit. Some classes start a little earlier, around 4th or 5th grade. There’s a lot about ancient Egypt to interest kids– hieroglyphs, pyramids, mummies, mythology, etc.– and some kids get so into it that they develop a lifelong love of everything ancient Egyptian! *This post contains affiliate links. Read our full disclosure policy here. If you missed that phase yourself: The ancient Egyptians were a civilization centered near the Nile River, in what is modern-day Egypt. In book terms,…
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What’s a Library eCard & how to get one
I have a little bit of an obsession with signing up for as many library cards as I can. I like seeing the different resources each library provides, and it’s fun having multiple cards in my purse. (I’m a librarian…can you blame me?) However, I’m not able to physically get to as many libraries as I’d like to, and that means my range of available library cards is pretty narrow. However! Library eCards are steadily gaining in popularity, and they provide a fabulous new way to get access to library materials from the safety of my own home. The best part is: you can sign up for library eCards as…
