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SLJ: Help Me Find A Book

A cool new tool to assist children and parents with finding books reported by Gail Junion-Metz in School Library Journal, 6/30/2009

www.bookadventure.org/ki/bs/ki_bs_helpfind.asp

Public libraries all over the country are kicking off their summer reading programs. During July, kids in record numbers attend library programs, take part in summer reading activities, check out tons of books, and ask library staff for recommendations on what to read next. This easy-to-use online search tool, created by Sylvan Learning, will help young patrons and the librarians who work with them discover great new titles.

To find books, use the Web site's pull-down menus to select grade level, reading level, fiction or non-fiction, and up to five genres. You can also search by author, title, or ISBN–just click on the orange “Search” star (all with the encouragement of Bailey the pink-nosed dog and other cartoon friends). The handy “5 Finger Test” will help kids to determine whether a book they've chosen is too hard for them. Children who are serious about reading tons of books will relish the challenge of tackling Sylvan's entire list of 7,000 recommended titles, available in either HTML or Excel format by clicking on "Book List" (found on the right of the homepage). Of course, the list is a goldmine for librarians, too. Summer reading is fun and this site will help your patrons to create sizzling reading lists.

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