And if nothing strikes their fancy, show students Novelist. It’s one of our favorite databases that will let you plug in key words and phrases so you can find similar books, and you can also generate booklists on a topic that you’re studying in the classroom. It’s easy to use and you can access it anywhere you have your Johnson County Library card and internet access!

All of these resources and more are linked from our Find a Good Book page. We’re always taking suggestions, so if you don’t find what you need there let us know so we can create new and useful content!

(picture courtesy of Stephen Poff CC:Flickr)

If you’ve read A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, you’ll love Johnny Bunko. The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need is a paperback that packs a lot of punch! Daniel Pink collaborated with illustrator Rob Ten Pas to create a manga-style parable that will really reach today’s teens. Johnny is an erstwhile cube dweller who finds his current job a real drag. Through the help of magical chopsticks, Johnny is able to summon an assistant whose mission is to help him evaluate his career direction. There are six major lessons Johnny must learn, and Diana helps him through each one with humor and sass.

Check out the book trailer here:

If you want to learn more, the book’s site is at www.johnnybunko.com/.

Thanks to technology, things are a lot easier. We’ve joined a site called Goodreads, which allows us to share the books we read with each other… and with you! Goodreads is a social networking site that helps you keep track of books you’ve read, books you’d like to read, and books that you’re currently reading. It also lets you see hundreds and thousands of user reviews, so you can get advice from the people who know books best - the readers!

If you’re looking for a good way to organize your reading, a site like Goodreads might be for you.

Each level has different assessments - check it out!

Elementary School: Math Skills Improvement and Reading Skills Improvement

Middle School: Math Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Writing Skills Improvement, and High School Entrance Exams Preparation

High School: Math Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Vocabulary and Spelling Skills Improvement, Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement, College Preparation, ACT Preparation, SAT Preparation, PSAT/NMSQT Preparation, Advanced Placement (AP) Preparation, TOEFL iBT Preparation, CLEP Preparation, CUNY Skills Assessment Tests Preparation, and THEA Preparation.

College Students: Math and Reasoning Skills Improvement, Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement, Vocabulary and Spelling Skills Improvement, Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement, Graduate School Entrance Exams Preparation, and Technical and Career College Skills.

GED Preparation: GED Practice Exams, GED Preparation Courses, and GED Skills Improvement.

Job Search & Workplace Skills: Business Communication Skills Improvement and Job and Career Success

Jobs & Careers: Civil Service, Cosmetology, Emergency Medical Services, Firefighter, Law Enforcement, Military, Nursing and Allied Health, Real Estate, and Teaching

Skill Building for Adults: Math and Reasoning Skills Improvement, Reading Skills Improvement, and Writing and Grammar Skills Improvement

U.S. Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship Preparation

Recursos para Hispanohablantes: Mejora de las habilidades de lectura y escritura, y Mejora de las habilidades matemáticas

Common Craft manages to make these tips easily digestible and memorable - who can forget sand shark vs. “sand shark” ? For your visual learners, complex concepts can be very easy to understand through a simple instructional video a la Common Craft.

My other favorites, some of which are educational and others just plain fun!
Electing a US President in Plain English
Zombies in Plain English (great for Halloween)
Social Bookmarking in Plain English
CFL Light Bulbs in Plain English