Portfolio Introduction

What a wonderful time to be a young reader! There are so many choices available to today's children and young adults that one's mind could become obese from feasting on so many fabulous reads. The current literary world's menu offers a little something for everyone. Schools are becoming more and more diverse, and a strong media center collection will reflect that on its shelves. Books that reflect a variety of cultures not only provide students from those backgrounds with literature they can connect to, but they can also help open other students' eyes to new worlds and possibilities.

For a long time, Latino students rarely had the opportunity to "see themselves" in the books they read. Including recent Pura Belpre Award winners like Julia Alvarez's Before we were Free and Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising, can help to remedy that situation. Collaborating with teachers to include fiction in their curriculum that accurately represents the African American experience is another way to help students make connections. Novels by Christopher Paul Curtis, Walter Dean Myers, and Jacqueline Woodson would fill this need and make powerful additions to any middle or high school media center.

It is important to be familiar with the classics of our literary canon and books such as the Newbery and Caldecott Award winners that have stood the test of time. A quality middle grade library should include timeless tales like The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Great Gilly Hopkins. What would an elementary media center be without Make Way for Ducklings? Even recent winners like Crispin: The Cross of Lead speak volumes to future generations about the interests of today's readers. These novels give readers insight into historical trends among children's and young adult novels. A strong media specialist will be sure to maintain copies of these works as part of her core collection.

Of course, it is important to be knowledgeable about contemporary trends in literature as well. These are the books that are the easiest sell to patrons. If it is new and hot, then on the shelves it is not! The Maryland Black-eyed Susan nominees offer current quality titles that students are sure to enjoy even beyond the year of their nomination. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements is a perfect example. Koertge's Shakespeare Bats Cleanup utilizes the novel trend of telling a story in verse to widen its audience appeal. Both sports' fans and poetry lovers will be drawn into its pages. Graphic novels, like Judd Winick's Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned, are innovative ways to expose young adults to serious societal issues (and some utterly amazing artwork) in a non threatening way.

The fantasy genre is becoming a fast favorite among the middle school students of today—the Harry Potter , Lord of the Rings, and Eragon series are must haves. With the current trend of so many fantasy books turn film, even reluctant readers are racing to find anything with a dragon or a little taste of magic in the pages. Young readers these days have a veritable buffet of delectable books that they will gobble up if given the opportunity to get their hands (and eyes) on them. As an incoming media specialist, it would be a crime to let them go hungry.