Monday, March 24, 2008

Finding Stinko

By Michael Guzman (a Seattle area author)

12 year old Newboy is a foster child on the run. When he finds Stinko, a beat up dummy, in the trash Newboy discovers that he has a voice only through Stinko. A sad, but uplifting story.

I enjoyed this little novel and would recommend it to younger tweens, ages 9-12.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

So what is a tween anyway?

Well, you can come to our WLA/OLA conference session and find out the answer to that question! But in the meantime, here are two articles that help fill you in.

Much of the interest around making tweens a separate category comes from the marketing world. Read here for advertising guru James Myers' summary of what tweens are and how they are unique in today's culture.

To understand the specific developmental characteristics that define the needs and interests of this age group, read this research summary from the educators at the National Middle School Association.