You've Been Book'd With My Best Books of 2024!

 

As we wrap up 2024, I would love to share 30 of my favorite books from Follett Content's Best Books of 2024 Titlewave® List.  

There were so many amazing books this year, but these really stood out in what I read and shared.  

You will find the choice board here. 

When you click on the book covers, you can view each title in Titlewave from Follett Content. You can also find the full book list on the choice board too. 

And if you want to make a copy of this choice board to use with your students and teachers, you can make one here.

You can find the entire Top Sellers of 2024 Titlewave list here.  

The Filters on the left hand side of Titlewave are super helpful when using this list in your collection development work.  

Celebrate Winter With These Special Books and Activities From Our Friends At Capstone.

It's wintertime and a wonderful time to curl up and read. 

Our friends at Capstone have several books that feature winter in such a special way.  These are perfect for this time of year. 

You will find Reading in a Winter Wonderland here. 

In the post, you will also find the Activity Kit for A Loud's Winter Nap by Katy Hudson. This is such a fun book, with lots of ways to use it with your students. 

I love that a lot of our Capstone winter books are also available as Capstone Interactive eBooks. I included several of these on the Let's Learn About Winter choice board I share as we kicked off the winter season.

You will find a copy of this choice board template here in this post. 

I am excited to get back to school with our students this week as we continue to learn about winter and celebrate all of the fun and interesting things this season holds. 

 

Where Do We Find Our Nonfiction Books? Find Out In Our Recent Demco Webinar, Friends!

 

During our third webinar in our new Demco series, we had a ton of fantastic questions! This clip features the resources we use to find our nonfiction book selections.

From browsing Instagram and School Library Journal, to diving into Follett Content’s Titltewave® curated lists and asking teachers for their insights, there are so many ways to discover engaging nonfiction titles for your library or classroom.

Check out the full webinar to uncover even more tips and resources at this link.

Join Us For The Upcoming Follett Software Webinar: Destiny AI: Enhancing Library Management Through User Insights.

 

Friends, I am excited to share our upcoming Follett Software webinar featuring their new AI-driven enhancements to Destiny® Library Manager. 

We would love for you to join us for Destiny AI: Enhancing Library Management Through User Insights on January 21, 2025 at 2:00pm CST. 

As shared in the invite, 

Join us for an exclusive webinar and conversation where librarian Shannon McClintock Miller, a seasoned Follett Destiny® Library Manager (DLM) user, shares firsthand insights into the latest AI-driven enhancements at Follett Software with Senior Product Manager Ji Kim.

Discover how these new enhancements are optimizing library management, helping educators save time and boost engagement. Shannon and Ji will walk you through real-world applications of the new AI tools in DLM, covering their favorite functions and how they support student learning and library efficiency.

This session is perfect for library staff, administrators, and educators looking to improve library experiences while managing resources more effectively. Get ready to see how Follett Software’s AI-powered tools can help you streamline daily tasks and inspire a love of learning in every student.

Why Attend?

• Hear directly from a dedicated educator about her experience with DLM’s AI features.
• See live examples of how DLM AI can elevate your library’s offerings.
• Learn tips and tricks to make the most of DLM’s smart recommendations.

Don't miss this chance to connect with fellow educators and explore AI's potential in shaping the future of library management. 

You can register here today, friends. It will be recorded and sent to everyone after the webinar too. 

We can't wait to share and hope to see you there, friends. 

BIG News, Friends! Excited To Share The FREE Library and Education Grants Search From Our Friends At Demco!

 

I have some big news, friends.  I am excited to share the FREE Library and Education Grants Search from our friends at Demco. 

This free grant database allows librarians and teachers to search for current available grants without the cost of an expensive subscription.  Demco invites all os us to use as much as possible to find the right funds for our libraries, schools, and organizations.  The database is updated regularly so we can check back often for new opportunities. 

You will find the Demco Library and Education Grants Search site here.  There are just a few fields to fill out and it will give you all of the grants available that meet your criteria. 

As a librarian and teacher, I am so thankful for this resource as I am always looking for ways to bring more to our library, school, and students.  I know you will love this amazing resource too, friends. 

Celebrate Winter With These Special PebbleGo Articles, Lesson Plans, Activities, and Winter Choice Board.

With Winter almost here on December 21, we are gathering ideas and resources to use as we celebrate and learn with our students. 

Our students will learn about winter with this special choice board I created using the PebbleGo Winter articles and Capstone Interactive eBooks. You will find the template and more about this choice board and resources on my blog here. 

Capstone has also created several lesson plans and activities, that go along with the...

...Winter articles, and others like 

...Methods of Making Art that goes with...

Every Snowflake is Unique, 

Northern and Southern Lights, and...

...Buddy Quiz, Winter Scavenger Hunt. 

You will find these wintery lesson plans and activities here on the PebbleGo site. 

At the bottom of the page, you will find dozens of them for PebbleGo, PebbleGo English, and PebbleGo Next. I love using these with our students as I collaborate and teach with our teachers. 

Have fun celebrating this new season with your students and school community too, friends.

Learn 5 Ways To Make Nonfiction A STAR In By Watching Our Recent Demco Webinar, Friends.

Do you want to make nonfiction engaging to your readers?

This is another one of the important topics Brianna and I covered this fall in our NEW Demco webinar series.

In our second Demco webinar, we share creative, hands-on ways to elevate nonfiction. From narrative books that tell unforgettable true stories to dynamic displays that spark curiosity.

Watch the full webinar here to discover 5 ways to make nonfiction a star in your school and inspire readers of all ages.

 

Here Is A Collection Of The 2024 Best Books Lists, Friends. Find The Link To This Collection By Destiny & Learn How To Create One Too.

                

I love this time of year when all of the Best Books lists are announced.  I always bring them together in a Collection by Destiny and started the 2024 Best Books Collection today.  You can find it here. I will continue to add to it as I find more and more of the Best Books lists. 

Let me show you how I made the Collection by Destiny.  You will find Collections up at the top of the page in your Destiny Discover. 

After clicking on Collections, click on Private and Create Collection, which is shown in the image above. 

You will put in the Title and Description of the Collection.  I made this Collection Public because I want anyone to be able to view and use this one. 

This is also the window where you can add an Image and Color. 

I create the images for my Collections in Canva.  If you create the size 600px x 400px it will fit perfectly. 

This is also where you can share by click on...

..that little share button to Share the Collection. For this one, I want anyone with the link to view the Collection. I can grab the link here and also share in Google Classroom or by email.  I can also add specific People to view and edit too. 

There are two ways to add resources to your Collections. You can click on the little + sign in the right hand corner. 

You can also add the Bookmarklet to your bookmark toolbar. This makes it so easy to add any URL to any of your collections. 

You will see in the image above how I found another list, clicked on Collections in my bookmark toolbar and added it to the growing Collection. 

Collections by Destiny are such a helpful way to curate and share resources for your students, teachers and professionally too. 

Ignite A Passion For Nonfiction...Watch Our Recent Demco Webinar To Learn More, Friends.

  

Did you know nonfiction can spark curiosity, build critical thinking skills, and connect readers to their passions?

This is one of the exciting topics Brianna and I covered this fall in our NEW Demco webinar series.

In our first Demco webinar, Igniting a Passion for Nonfiction in Our Readers, we share why celebrating nonfiction is essential for fostering a love of learning in every reader.

Watch the full webinar to uncover strategies and innovative methods to bring nonfiction to life in your library or classroom. You will find it here, friends.

A Choice Board To Kick Off The Winter Season On December 21st!

                 

Winter begins on December 21. This is a wonderful time to share resources with our students and teachers to learn more about winter.  

In addition to pulling all of the winter themed books we have in our collection and displaying them in the library,  I also created the Let's Learn About Winter Choice Board with links to...

..the Winter PebbleGo article and lots of Capstone Interactive eBooks.  A lot of the eBooks are the same we put out in our library too. 

You will find this Choice Board here, where you can make a copy and fill in your own resources or links to PebbleGo and the Capstone Interactive eBooks.  Remember that when you are finished, Publish To The Web and share that link with students.  

Enjoy the winter season, friends. 

Get Ready For The 2025 ALA YMA Awards With This Choice Board & Lots Of Special Resources Here, Friends.

 

In January, the ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced at the American Library Association's LibLearnX event. 

Today, I went through the ALA Contender Titlewave® List and picked out 25 of my favorite ALA contenders for 2025. You can visit the choice board here to find my picks and the entire list from our friends at Follett Content. 

This list is part of the amazing new Follett Content 2025 ALA YMA Contenders site.  I am having so much fun spending time here and can't wait to use this as we get ready for the award announcements in January with our students and teachers, and as I add more of these wonderful books to our collection. 

In addition to Follett's Titlewave list of 2025 ALA Youth Media Awards, you will find the webinar they hosted this week, and...

...a place to download the 2025 ALA YMA list of contenders.  

I love this option, as we can check out the list of 2025 ALA YMA contenders, organized by each award.  Follett's new free export tool, Pass the Note, lets us share the lists with other by exporting our book selections into one of their multiple PDF download options. 

I first took a look at the 2025 Randolph Caldecott Medal Contenders list. When I clicked on that image, 

It took me to the page where I had several options to explore the books and list, order on Titlewave, and with Pass the Note...

...I can use the PDF Exporter to create a Presentation, Recommend a Reading List for Students, and Provide Curriculum Recommendations. These are such helpful and powerful resources in Pass the Note for us to use as librarians and teachers. You can find out more about Pass the Note here in my post. 

You can start your list of the 2025 ALA YMA Contenders today, friends. Just visit the Follett Content site here. 

I can't wait to hear the winners announced and to celebrate with my students. It's one of the best days of the year. 

The Winter Break Reading Bingo From Our Friends At Capstone Is Here! You Can Even Make Your Own With This Online Template & Winter Choice Board!

                    

One of our favorite winter break activities to share with our students and families every year is the Winter Break Reading Bingo from our friends at Capstone. 

These are so much fun to share with our students as they get ready for winter break and anytime throughout the season. 

Capstone has created two choices, 

Winter Break Reading Bingo and...

...the Create Your Own Winter Reading Bingo Card! 

This one allows us to write in the blanks with the editable online version.  Once you have completed the blanks, just download and print. 

You will find all three of the Winter Break Reading Bingo cards here where you can download them from the Capstone site.  

I also love pairing up the Winter Break Reading Bingo with a little research about Winter in PebbleGo and reading with winter themed Capstone Interactive eBooks. 

You will find the Let's Learn About Winter choice board here where you can make a copy and use with your students too.