CCBC - Net Topics

Note: The first few days of each month on CCBC-Net are an open announcement period. The rest of the month we focus on subject-specific discussions. Please limit your announcements and general questions to the open announcement period each month.

February

First Part of Month: Cover Talk. For awhile, it was photographs of faces. More recently, it’s been feet, whether bare or decked out in AllStars, flip-flops, flats, or Doc Martens. There are trends in cover art just as there are trends in subject matter when it comes to books for children and teens. We’ll spend the first part of February discussing book jacket first impressions, hits, and misses, and pondering the mindset of marketing (accurate or not) when it comes to cover art in books for youth. (Check out the blog JacketKnack for more on cover art.)

Second Part of Month: Fantastic Fiction or A Fine Romance? Over the past few years, we've seen masses of books with romantic leads that have morphed through a supernatural roll-call, from vampires to werewolves to fallen angels. A glimpse of what's next on the not-quite-human horizon includes cyborgs and androids . . . what else? And can these books truly be considered fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction, or are the majority actually romances, cloaked in the guise of other genres? During the second half of February, we invite your observations on the shifting cast of creatures in popular young adult fiction.

March

First Part of Month: It’s Not Just the Facts, Part 1: Books for Younger Children. When it comes to great non-fiction for children and teens, accurate information alone isn’t enough. We’ve think the best books incorporate everything from terrific organization and compelling visual matter to a narrative that’s hard to put down. But in the case of books for younger readers there is also another key question: how do you make a person or place or event that readers have most often never heard of relevant and engaging? During the first part of March, we’ll look at creative approaches to non-fiction in picture books.

Second Part of Month: It’s Not Just the Facts: Part 2: Books for Older Children and Teens. We’ll continue our discussion of non-fiction by contemplating what makes a terrific non-fiction book for older children and teens. Once again, we believe it goes beyond the facts to the feat of presenting well-researched information in a manner that is coherent, compelling, and creative. Share your favorite non-fiction books for older children and teens, and your reasons why you think they succeed, during the second half of March.

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	Join CCBC-Net Current/Upcoming Topics Past Discussions CCBC-Net Commands CCBC - Net Topics Note: The first few days of each month on CCBC-Net are an open announcement period. The rest of the month we focus on subject-specific discussions. Please limit your announcements and general questions to the open announcement period each month. February First Part of Month: Cover Talk. For awhile, it was photographs of faces. More recently, it’s been feet, whether bare or decked out in AllStars, flip-flops, flats, or Doc Martens. There are trends in cover art just as there are trends in subject matter when it comes to books for children and teens. We’ll spend the first part of February discussing book jacket first impressions, hits, and misses, and pondering the mindset of marketing (accurate or not) when it comes to cover art in books for youth. (Check out the blog JacketKnack for more on cover art.) Second Part of Month: Fantastic Fiction or A Fine Romance? Over the past few years, we've seen masses of books with romantic leads that have morphed through a supernatural roll-call, from vampires to werewolves to fallen angels. A glimpse of what's next on the not-quite-human horizon includes cyborgs and androids . . . what else? And can these books truly be considered fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction, or are the majority actually romances, cloaked in the guise of other genres? During the second half of February, we invite your observations on the shifting cast of creatures in popular young adult fiction. March First Part of Month: It’s Not Just the Facts, Part 1: Books for Younger Children. When it comes to great non-fiction for children and teens, accurate information alone isn’t enough. We’ve think the best books incorporate everything from terrific organization and compelling visual matter to a narrative that’s hard to put down. But in the case of books for younger readers there is also another key question: how do you make a person or place or event that readers have most often never heard of relevant and engaging? During the first part of March, we’ll look at creative approaches to non-fiction in picture books. Second Part of Month: It’s Not Just the Facts: Part 2: Books for Older Children and Teens. We’ll continue our discussion of non-fiction by contemplating what makes a terrific non-fiction book for older children and teens. Once again, we believe it goes beyond the facts to the feat of presenting well-researched information in a manner that is coherent, compelling, and creative. Share your favorite non-fiction books for older children and teens, and your reasons why you think they succeed, during the second half of March. To join the CCBC-Net discussion, send a blank e-mail message to the address that comes up when you click on the link below: Join the CCBC-Net discussion See a listing of past CCBC-Net discussion topics