Truman Awards - Insignia Edition

I volunteered to teach training on the Truman awards for my library district. The Truman awards is a Missouri award for grades 6-8. 

Here are some basic requirements for the Truman Awards: (Truman Awards)

One of my favorite books from the Truman awards is called Insignia. 

Book Talk Time 

In the book Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, WWIII has erupted. The war has gone to video games and is now fought by teenagers. The enemy is winning, and Tom Raines may be the key to winning. 

Tom is a 14 year old boy whose has an unstable life thanks to his father is an obsessive gambler.  When the military comes to recruit him,  Tom is taken to military headquarters, he is given the choice of getting a computer implemented into his brain, or going back to his unstable life.

The computer will allow him to become smarter, look more attractive, and have the opportunity to fight in the war. 

Unfortunately, it also has some risks, many have died with the implementation. It also has the possibility of getting hacked by his enemies and he could even get a computer virus. 

Now Tom must use this new device to fight in the war, but is he just a piece of military equipment? 

Tom must figure out who the real enemy is before it is too late. 

Review

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Ender's game, but it is really funny. I was surprised at how much comedy was in this book. Kincaid captures the personality of a teenage boy, and she also captures the friendships. I think the friendship aspect is why the series has been compared to Harry Potter. I do not want to give anything away, but I really enjoyed this book.

Tween you & Me Must Knows 

-The movie Rights have been purchased  by 21th Centruy Fox 

-It is a series 

-It has gotten a lot of attention. It has even been compared to the new Harry Potter. 

Read a-likes 

 

Program Idea 

The author S.J. Kincaid does free Skype visits. This is a great way to connect reader's with the author. I believe this series will get more popular after the movie. While it is free, it is a great time to get that in! I know I am planning on doing this. 

After reading this book, I am ready to read the series and get on with my program for my book club! 

Have you read Insignia? What did you think of it? 

What is a Tween?

When I talk about tweens, more then anything I am met with a furrowed brow.

Who and what are Tweens? 

Tweens are kids ages 8-12. They are called Tweens because they are in between childhood and adolescence. It is also often referred to as the "preteen stage"

This group is often overlooked in both libraries and  schools. Things like this are often posted:


We also have books telling us how terrible these years are.

In addition we also have books like : Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Origami Yoda.

As librarian and teachers, we are well versed in these titles.


We all know why these titles have come about.

Middle school, puberty, and all those hormones occurs during this dreaded time.


If you are like me, you may have this reaction:



It was a difficult time for me, and I wish I had more support.

So why isn't there more of a support for this group?

More then anything, I believe this group needs our help and support.

During this time, it is common for  suicide rates to rise, as math & reading scores to fall.

I feel like libraries could do more to help!

I am disappointed to see that there are not tween librarians.  Often the tweens are given to young adult librarians, or overlooked all together.

I would like to see a movement of tween librarian positions opening up. Support needs to be given to this group.


What is your library doing for tweens? Would your library benefit from having a tween librarian?