Introducing... Jillian's Virtual Library!

I'm both happy and excited to introduce a new page to For The Love of Dewey - Jillian's Virtual Library!

Bookish Wall Decor is from here. 

I learned about it in my emerging literacy class last semester actually and I must say the virtual library is a really fun concept!.  The idea is that you're able to share books with your students or patrons or other resources that are available from your library, whether you're a librarian in a public library or a media specialist.  

In a perfect world, this is slide/picture that would be interactive and if you clicked on any one of the book covers, you would be able to access more information on that book currently on a bookshelf.  Alas, this is not a perfect world and I'm trying to figure out if there is a way that I can hyperlink my Google Slide to the blog that will allow for this to happen.... 

In the meantime, I thought that this was just too cute not to share!  The books that are shown here in my virtual library are listed down below.  These are just some of the books that I've read so far this summer. They are all YA books and they were wonder.  In keeping with that I've learned about diverse literature, all of the books that are mentioned cover a vast topics but they were all so amazing and worthy of sharing! 

New Kid by Jerry Craft: For anyone who says graphic novels can't be as powerful as a regular book, hasn't picked up and read New Kid.  Jordan is starting 7th grade at a new school- a school where he is the minority and a school where Jordan encounters racism daily. How can you speak up for yourself when the people around you don't think that they're doing anything wrong?  That's a tough question to answer but over the course of the year, Jordan learns that going outside of the bounds of what you're comfortable with can have surprisingly positive results and more importantly, how you need to stand up for yourself and what's right. 

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson: Claudia and Monday have big plans! 8th Grade is going to be their year- they are going to make it count before heading off to high school. Monday isn't there for the first day of school though.  Monday doesn't ever come.  Told in such a way that leaves a trail of "breadcrumbs" for the reader to follow, we learn that appearances aren't everything and everyone has their secrets that they want to keep hidden for no-one to find until it's too late. 

Kent State by Deborah Wiles: One word to describe this book: Powerful.  A recommendation from Donalyn Miller - this story is told using the perspectives of 6 different individuals to tell the story of 3 days before and the day of the shooting at Kent State in Kent, Ohio in May of 1970.  While Kent State happened 50 years ago, the events leading up to and what happened on that fateful day are eerily similar to the current events that are happening today in 2020.   

Like A Love Story by Abdi Nazemian: Can we just take a moment and admire the cover art of this book?!  It's beautiful and it is a great depiction of what this book is about.  Reza is new to NYC, on his first day of school, he runs into Art and Judy.  Reza only sees Art, while Judy only sees Reza.  In a powerful story about accepting and embracing who you are, Reza navigates what it's like to be gay during the 1980s- a time when being a member of the LGBTQ+ community is taboo and HIV/AIDS is killing members of this community at an alarming rate. 

Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner: A heartbreaking novel that tells the story of 15 year Jean Louise "JL" Markham.  Being 15 years old is tough for any teenager but try being 15 and growing apart from your one and only best friend,  and dating a 19 year old high school senior while watching your mom, who suffers from a mental illness, unravel at an alarming rate. And your dad?  Well, your dad is living on the West Coast, unaware of what is really going on at home. 

The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good: This is books speaks to me.  18 year old Brennan and is suffering from anxiety disorder.  Her anxiety is a blanket that is wrapped around her day in and day out- it makes it very difficult for her to do everyday tasks.  18 year old Jonas is still accepting what life is like 1 year after a tragic car accident that leaves him an amputee.  In an unlikely pairing, Jonas and Brennan forge a friendship where they learn from each other and lean on one another during this difficult time in their lives.  

For more information on what a virtual library is and how to create one, I recommend checking out this article by Joyce Valenza. 

As I read more books, I'm going to update my virtual library, so make sure that you check back.  The focus of my next virtual library? I'm thinking of making it all about juvenile books and graphic novels.

If you pick you of these books up, let me know what you think!  You can either comment at the bottom of this post OR you can tweet me!  As we know, Twitter is new to me but it's a platform that I'm really trying to be more active on. 

- Jillian