Welcome to the January-February 2008 WordMasters Challenge, the second of this school year. Over four thousand school teams from every state participate each year in this popular national competition for Language Arts students in grades 3 to 12. Click on www.wordmasterschallenge.com to learn more about the Challenge and to participate using the word lists posted here.  Continue reading...

Want to get your students (or children) excited about reading? We thought so. So we called up Georgia Scurletis, the amazing curriculum expert -- and veteran New York City high school English teacher -- who puts together our Visual Thesaurus lesson plans, for her advice. Georgia's picks:

A classic: Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
"A love story that even a feminist can love... This novel turns the Cinderella tale on its head and allows students to see the Victorian Age through the eyes of the young impish narrator Jane. It's chock full of challenging and rich vocabulary, but the kids are motivated to keep reading since the narration is so compelling."

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Over the last few weeks we've featured summer reading recommendations from a terrific group of guest contributors. (Thanks to all!) But what about books for kids? Check out these lists for great picks for your favorite student on vacation...

Reading is Fundamental 2007 Summer Reading Guide

Summer Reading Buzz

Reading Rockets Summer Reading

Houston school district summer reading lists

Katie Raynolds, the high school linguaphile we interviewed in our magazine last year, emailed from Seattle asking if she could intern in our New York office during spring break. Our answer: But of course! Katie just spent a busy and fun week with us. Here's a list of book recommendations for teenagers she put together:

"Just for girls"

Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegesar
"I'm the first to admit that this series is complete fluff; there are no deep, intellectual conversations, no defining moments, and no witty dialogue. However I believe that these books provide a great opportunity for girls that don't normally read. I find that my friends that shun other reading material tend to enjoy this series."

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
"The first of a series of four, this book is a great story about four girls that stay in touch over the summer through a 'magical' pair of pants. There are moments that tempt you to roll your eyes but it remains a sweet story about friendship, travel and the jeans that tie them together."

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison
"While the title of this book makes girls in the book store blush, the story behind the title is well worth the embarrassment. Told through the diary of British girl named Georgia, this series had me crying with laughter. Georgia's British slang is so outlandish that each book requires a glossary for translations, yet her story is relatable and risible in any language."

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Besty Bird, a librarian at the New York Public Library who blogs about children's literature on her popular A Fuse #8 Production website, suggests checking out these blogs to find out more about kid's books:

Read Roger run by Roger Sutton, the editor of Horn Book Magazine

Bookshelves of Doom run by Leila, a librarian of Kennebunk, ME

Big A little a run by Kelly Herold, a midwestern language professor

Mother Reader run by Pam Coughlan, children's library assistant in northern Virginia.

Oz and Ends run by J.L. Bell, a writer, editor and researcher.

Betsy Bird, the remarkable and passionate children's librarian we spoke to this week about great children's books, tracks the latest kid's literature at her job, and on her blog, the well-thumbed (virtually speaking) A Fuse #8 Production. Here are fifty or so of her favorites published this year. She reads them all, so she knows!

Picture Books:

• "I'm Not Cute!" by Jonathan Allen
• Manny's Cows: The Niagara Falls Tale by Suzy Becker
• The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child
• For You Are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane
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