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TEN DOGS IN THE WINDOW by Claire Masurel and illustrated by Pamela Paparone

 

 

As part of our National Picture Book Month celebration on Kidsreads, Teen Board member Rachel B. tells us why she loved TEN DOGS IN THE WINDOW by Claire Masurel and illustrated by Pamela Paparone as a child.

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Sudden Teenage Empowerment Syndrome

Is there some element that is present in the majority of popular and enjoyable young adult novels? 

I've found that practically all books written for a pre-teen or teenage audience contain a young character who is somehow empowered, whether it is because of a magical ability or because of an opportunity or realization. I call this plot element Sudden Teenage Empowerment Syndrome. In some stories, such as the Harry Potter series, Sudden Teenage Empowerment Syndrome is obvious. But other characters are changed or empowered in more subtle ways. I've tried to make a few general categories of teenage empowerment that most books can fit into.

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A Different Take on Summer Reading

Everyone knows that summer is a prime time for reading --- school and extracurricular activities no longer take up all of your time, and you have ample hours to peruse (or devour, as the case may be) your TBR (to-be-read) list. However, instead of just pounding through all of the books you were itching to read during the year, Teen Board member Rachel B. has a different suggestion --- pick up a genre you ordinarily wouldn’t. Read below to see why!

 

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Little Free Library - Straight from the Steward

Rachel B. is not only a member of the Teenreads Teen Board, but she's also the steward of a Little Free Library (LFL)! As of January 2014 there were 15,000 Little Free Libraries around the world, but Rachel's, which is located in her front yard, definitely stands out --- it's decorated with book-reading hedgehogs! Read below to see how Rachel got into LFLs, some of her favorite LFL moments and how  you can start one,  yourself.
 

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Honoring D-Day's 70th Anniversary - WWII Roundup

To honor the 70th anniversary of D-Day --- the day that Allied troops began the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during WWII --- Teen Board member Rachel B. rounded up some of her favorite WWII YA books. Read her list below, and choose the one that sounds most interesting to you to commemorate this important occasion!

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Celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day with Miss Honey and Mrs. Granger!

May 6th is National Teacher Day! Celebrate by telling your teacher how much you appreciate them… and by reading Teen Board member Rachel B.’s blog post on some of the most memorable teachers in children’s literature.

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Why We Love Libraries! Library Memories from our Teen Board Members

National Library Week ended on Saturday, but our library love continues year-round here at Teenreads! We asked our Teen Board members to share a fond memory of their library or librarian --- read below to see their responses! If you’re interested in more library memories, click here to see last week’s blog post, where we shared our reviewers’ answers.

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