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Thursday, 12 February 2015

72276 Website Reviews

As part of the requirements for our 72276 Children's & Young Peoples' paper, our third assignment asks us to review (in no more than 60 words) approximately 20 websites, and then post it on our blog.  So here is my final task of my final assignment of my final paper in my L5 Diploma in Information and Library Studies.  WooHoo!




Task 2:­ Bookmarking favourite websites and resources
Annotated List

This list of 19 websites has been separated into the following categories for easier referral:

• Reviews of literature and information resources for children and young people
• Awards
• Organisations involved in the promotion of reading and literature
• Publishers and booksellers
• Fiction reading and reviews for primary school children
• Fiction reading and reviews for teenagers
• Information resources for primary school children
• Information resources for teenagers
• Other websites I found interesting or useful.

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1)    Reviews of literature and information resources for children and young people – a New Zealand website and an overseas website

The Pulse/te Auaha. (n.d.). About the Pulse/te Auaha. Retrieved January 20, 2015 from http://thepulse.org.nz/About/

Overview
The Pulse is a website ‘by, for, and about young people living in New Zealand, but especially 13 to 18 year olds living in Christchurch and Canterbury’ (The Pulse/te Auaha, n.d., para. 1).  This service has been provided by Christchurch City Libraries and has the backing of the Canterbury District Health Board and City Council.  It provides information and links to all sorts of things relevant to teenagers from book reviews to courses, music to cooking and careers.  

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Books for keeps - the children’s book magazine online. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015 from http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/

Overview
This is a bi-monthly magazine that reviews children’s books, provides articles on all aspects of writing for children and focuses on a different author or illustrator each issue.  You can view the magazine in its entirety online or read the book reviews, which are split into age ranges, on the website.

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2)   Awards

Association for Library Services to Children: A division of the American Library Association. (2014). Book and Media Awards. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia

Overview
This is the book and media awards page on the ALSC website.  It provides links to the ALSC awards that are announced every January, highlighting the current year’s winners, and providing information about the award and on past years winners.  Awards such as the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal and Geisel Award are among the listed. 

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Christchurch City Libraries : Nga Kete Wananga-o-Otautahi. (2015). Literary prizes and book awards. Retrieved January 20, 2015 from http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/literary-prizes/

Overview
The literary prizes and book awards page on the Christchurch City Libraries page links you to a vast selection of book awards, both national and international.  Awards are separated into categories within New Zealand and International.  This enables viewers to easily select the award they are after.  Books are also linked directly to the library catalogue search.

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3)   Organisations involved in the promotion of reading and literature

Booktrust. (2015). About Us. Retrieved January 21, 2015 from http://www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/

Overview
Booktrust is an independent charity whose aim is ‘to create a society of people who are motivated to read and who see themselves as readers whatever level that might be’ (Booktrust, 2015, para. 3).  They have tips, programmes and news for parents, teachers and librarians.  Books can be searched by Title or Author and an advanced search is offered.  Information is categorised by sector or age group and there are links to research reports undertaken by Booktrust.

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International Digital Children’s Library - a library for the world’s children. (n.d.). Mission. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://en.childrenslibrary.org/about/mission.shtml  

Overview
The International Digital Children’s Library (ICDL) is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to provide free online access to over 10,000 children’s books from all over the world in more than 100 languages.   Their mission ‘is to support the world’s children in becoming effective members of the global community – who exhibit tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas – by making the best in children’s literature available online free of charge’ (The International Digital Children’s Library, n.d., ‘Mission Statement’).  The website has been designed with and by children to make finding and reading books child friendly.  There are also activities and resources for parents and teachers to promote a love of reading. 

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4)   Publishers and booksellers

The Children’s Bookshop. (2015). Welcome. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from https://childrensbookshop.circlesoft.net/pages/403-Welcome

Overview
There are so many great publishers’ websites, both nationally and internationally, and the booksellers in New Zealand are second to none. One fantastic bookseller is The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie, Wellington.  John’s radio reviews are great to listen to, while their regular newsletter sent to schools is full of information on new and recent books along with a key message each time.

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Random House New Zealand. (n.d.). About. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/about/

Overview
Random House New Zealand’s website provides access to book reviews, author information, news, events, competitions, games and the ability to purchase directly online.  The young reader’s selection is separated into kids, teens and teachers with further groupings in each to make finding books simple.  They have ‘a strong commitment to junior and young adult fiction, as well as non-fiction for young readers’ (Random House New Zealand, n.d., para. 3).

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5)   Fiction reading and reviews for primary school children

Ellis, S. (2015). Home. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://365picturebooksblog.wordpress.com/ 

Overview
#365PictureBooks is a blog by a local fellow-librarian (and ex primary school teacher) started with the intention of posting a picture book review a day for 2015.  The blog reviews new and old picture books that she has sourced from, predominantly, the local library.  These reviews are more relevant to an adult reader. 

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The Children’s Book Review. (2015). About. Retrieved February 1, 2015 from http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/about

Overview
The Children’s Book Review is a US based website devoted to children’s literacy and was ‘named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids’ (The Children’s Book Review, 2015, para. 1).  Books are categorised by age and genre, and the reviews are more appropriate to an adult reader.  They have author spotlights, and interviews, giveaways and a link to their own bookshop.

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6)   Fiction reading and reviews for teenagers

Teen Reads. (2015). Home. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://www.teenreads.com/

Overview
This is an American website which has reviews for, and by, teenagers among other things.  The reviewers join the teen board for a period of 6 months.  There are also reading lists, regular features and review on books coming soon.  Reviews can be viewed by title, author, genre or date. 

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bookzone4boys. (n.d.). About Me. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://bookzone4boys.blogspot.co.nz/p/about-me.html

Overview
The Book Zone (For Boys) is a blog that reviews books that may appeal to boys.  The authors mission ‘is to raise awareness of the vast wealth of ‘boy-friendly’ books’ (bookzone4boys, n.d., ‘Welcome to the book zone’).  The blog also includes author interviews, guest posts and competitions. The author is based in the United Kingdom.

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7)   Information resources for primary school children

Britannica School. (n.d.) Primary Home. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary

Overview
Britannica School Primary is a subscription based online encyclopaedia that is free to all schools in New Zealand, via EPIC on the Te Kete Ipurangi website.  The encyclopaedia is student friendly providing information on a variety of topics, and a student zone with activities that help reinforce skills in reading, writing and maths.  There is a teacher link that provides curriculum based tools and a user guide.

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Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. (2015). About Us. Retrieved February 1, 2015 from https://www.clpe.org.uk/page/5

Overview
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) ‘emphasises the importance of children’s literature in enabling children to become confident and enthusiastic readers and writers’ (The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, 2015, para. 1).  They are a UK based independent charity.   Their website provides resources and booklists for libraries, teachers and parents.  There is a lot of useful information on here for international schools, although the packs provided are only for UK based schools.

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8)   Information resources for teenagers

AnyQuestions.co.nz Uia Ngā Pātai.co.nz. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://anyquestions.co.nz/

Overview
AnyQuestions.co.nz is a website that offers homework help to students during after-school hours.  Its aim is to provide guidance in finding the answers students need, rather than providing the actual answer to their question.  Uia Ngā Pātai.co.nz is the Te Reo Māori website for kura kaupapa.  It also provides a link to ManyAnswers.co.nz with commonly asked questions.

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New Zealand History Ngā korero a ipurangi o Aotearoa. (2014). Information about this website. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/about-this-site

Overview
This is a useful website for research as it provides information and resources on our history.  There are four tabs providing information in a drill down style: Topics, Events, People and Places, and three broad themes highlight different aspects of ‘Culture and society’, ‘Politics and government’ and ‘War and society’.  There is a large image and media collection, biographies and a ‘today in history’ link.     

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9)   Other websites I found interesting or useful

School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa Te Puna Whare Mātauranga a Kura. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved 15 December, 2014 from http://www.slanza.org.nz/

Overview
The School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa Te Puna Whare Mātauranga a Kura (SLANZA) offers support to, and by, school and public librarians and staff around New Zealand.  Contact information for each region is available for anyone needing advice from the local representative.  The resources tab has relevant resources from SLANZA and other institutions.  Links are provided to other school library associations and journals.

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National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa: Services to Schools. (n.d.). About. Retrieved January 31, 2015 from http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/about

Overview
National Library is part of the Department of Internal Affairs and the ‘Services to Schools (S2S) provides resources, expertise, programmes and services to support literacy, learning, school libraries and their services’ (National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa: Services to Schools, n.d., para. 1).  They have an advisory service, a link to the National Library of New Zealand catalogue, access to images and videos, and an online community for networking and support.

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Gill, M., & Orman, L. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved December 27, 2014 from http://kidsbooksnz.blogspot.co.nz/

Overview
KidsBooksNZ is a blog that reviews and promotes children’s books written by New Zealand authors.  They also attempt to provide information on how the books fit into the school curriculum.  Maria is a primary school teacher, and Lorraine is a retired librarian and a book reviewer.

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