Category: School Library Journal

Achievement unlocked: I'm published in SLJ!

5/31/2025

I have read and admired School Library Journal since becoming a school librarian over 20 years ago. One of my bucket list professional goals was to have an article published in the print edition. I have submitted a few articles that were rejected, but then I learned about Teen Librarian Toolbox (TLT), a blog affiliated with SLJ.

I submitted some article pitches and was selected to be published on TLT, which was a great honor. Then one day I got an email from an SLJ editor wanting to publish one of my TLT blog articles in the May print edition of SLJ. (!!!!!)

I can hardly believe that my words, name, and face were published in a print edition of SLJ. Librarian achievement unlocked!

If you don't have an SLJ subscription, you can read my article on the TLT blog.

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eXPLORING aRT in Your Community: Connecting Visual Art and Literature

5/13/2024

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I'm excited to highlight community connections in my latest post on School Library Journal's Teen Librarian Toolbox. Thanks to Amanda MacGregor for the opportunity to write four guest posts for TLT this year. It was a new endeavor for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also loved reading other articles on the blog and expanding my PLN.

My small, rural community in central Kansas is unofficially a fine arts magnet. Between award-winning programs in the public schools and a variety of opportunities through Sterling College, my students and I are flush with opportunities to engage with fine arts.

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A Rover's Story: STEAM Connections

4/10/2024

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Take a look at my guest post A Rover's Story: STEAM Connections on School Library Journal's Teen Librarian Toolbox blog. It's about a wonderful middle grade science fiction novel by Jasmine Warga and the fun STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) connections I explored with my literature circle students.

I found a great lesson on the connection between music and emotion and asked students to analyze these elements in the story. I also asked them to share a piece of music that was meaningful to them, which led to some rich discussion.

As a culminating activity, students used Sphero mini robots to complete a Mars rover challenge involving mapping, problem solving, teamwork, and coding. Students loved this activity, and it was a fun and engaging way to extend the learning of our novel study.

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Gamification and Middle Grade Mysteries

2/26/2024

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Head over to the Teen Librarian Toolbox (TLT), a School Library Journal network blog, to see my guest post about Gamification and Middle Grade Mysteries, which explores hands-on activities that kids love like a library scavenger hunt, rebus puzzles, library Olympic games, a murder mystery dinner, and Breakout EDU. The article highlights books in the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series by Chris Grabenstein and also includes a list of read-alike mysteries.

I received some very kind feedback from some of the authors whose books were featured in the article. Here is a definite benefit of social media - being able to interact directly with book creators.

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James Ponti, Spies, & Trivia: a winning combination

1/24/2024

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Head over to the Teen Librarian Toolbox (TLT), a School Library Journal network blog, to see my guest post about James Ponti's City Spies series and my amazing experience at the City Spies party at the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Florida in October.

Thanks to Amanda MacGregor at TLT for the opportunity! I have three more guest posts scheduled for this semester, so I'm looking forward to sharing more. TLT is holding a "Mind the Middle" campaign this year where they are focusing on middle grade books, authors, and programs. My posts are part of that project.

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Achievement unlocked: I'm published in SLJ!

eXPLORING aRT in Your Community: Connecting Visual Art and Literature

A Rover's Story: STEAM Connections

Gamification and Middle Grade Mysteries

James Ponti, Spies, & Trivia: a winning combination

Amy Brownlee

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