ESPN Magazine

Bibliographic Information: Millman, C. (2013). ESPN magazine. USA: The Walt Disney Company/Hearst Corporation. 

Plot Summary: ESPN Magazine spotlights popular sports like Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, National Football League, and the National Basketball Association, along with college sports.  The bi-weekly publication includes articles about athletes, coaches, and teams, highlighting their struggles, triumphs, and dedication.  Other features of the magazine include opinion pieces, business aspects of sports, Q&A, and reader’s comments about previous issues.

Critical Evaluation: ESPN Magazine offers readers insight about the sporting world.  The magazine takes on a more humorous and light-hearted approach than its competitor, Sports Illustrated.  

Reader’s Annotation: The best and worst of sports can be found in one place: ESPN Magazine.  

Information about the magazine: The first issue of ESPN Magazine was published March 11, 1998 (Wikipedia, 2013).  Its parent company, ESPN Inc., is owned by The Walt Disney Company/ Hearst Corporation.  Chad Millman is the Editor In Chief.  ESPN Inc. operates an astonishing twelve channels.  Their slogan is “the worldwide leader sports, and they have five locations: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York (ESPN, n.d.).

  

Genre: Magazine, Sports

Curriculum Ties: Health; Physical Education

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Highlight a featured athlete.

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: There is an annual issue name “The Body Issue” that features athletes in the nude (with their private parts covered).

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I chose this magazine: This magazine will appeal to those patrons who are involved in or entertained by sports.  It brings variety to our magazine collection and documents the activities of famous athletes.  

References:

ESPN Inc. (n.d.). ESPN the magazine. Retrieved from http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/

espn-the-magazine/

Wikipedia. (2013, May). ESPN. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN

MAD Magazine

Bibliographic Information: Ficarra, J. [Editor]. (2013). MAD. DC Comics. URL: http://www.madmagazine.com/

Plot Summary: Mad Magazine is a humor magazine containing cultural and political satire.  Anything in American culture is fair game for mockery.  Such targets have included Honey Boo Boo, James Bond, pirates, Batman, and the iPhone.  They never pass on an opportunity to spoof popular movies like The Hunger Games, and Twilight. The magazine hosts the comic “Spy vs. Spy,” a wordless comic strip about two identical spies out to get each other.  Other regular features include Fold-ins, “The Lighter Side of...,” Don Martin gags, “A Mad Look at,” “Drawn-out dramas,” and Monroe.  

Critical Evaluation: The satire found in Mad Magazine makes it an entertaining read for those who aren’t easily offended.  MAD gives readers an opportunity to look at pop-culture, politics, and entertainment from a ridiculous perspective.  Satire is most effective when an audience understands the allusions being made, so readers must be up to date on their pop-culture and news.  

Reader’s Annotation: Is Twilight  driving you MAD?  Take a peek inside for giggle and laughs!

Information about the publisher: DC Entertainment houses DC Comics, Vertigo, and MAD.  They work with many Warner Bros. divisions to broadcast their content to a wide audience.  MAD Magazine was first published in 1952 as a comic book, and in 1955 converted into a magazine (DC Entertainment, n.d.).  

    As a bi-monthly magazine, MAD has published 521 issues.  Summaries of issues dating back to 2004 can be accessed online at http://www.madmagazine.com/issues.  

Genre: Satire, Comedy

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Preview of issue.

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: This magazine may contain material inappropriate for young readers.  

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this magazine: I chose to include MAD to appeal to reluctant readers.  I hope the humor found inside will encourage them to read and find other magazines or books they enjoy reading.  I also believe satire is a sophisticated entertainment tool.

References:

DC Entertainment. (n.d.). About DC Entertainment. Retrieved from http://www.dcentertainment.com/

The New York Times Upfront

Bibliographic Information: Rebhun, E. (Editor). (2013). The New York Times Upfront. USA: Scholastic.

Plot Summary: The New York Times Upfront is a magazine published through Scholastic geared towards the classroom.  Inside, readers find national and world news, debates on major news topics, political cartoons, timelines, maps, and graphs, and photography from famous Time photographers.  The content of the magazine helps students connect to the world around them, so they can build their critical thinking skills. Topics Upfront is planning to cover later in 2013 include the debate over the death penalty, globalization, alternative energy, the origins of the Middle East Conflict, and World War I.

Critical Evaluation: The New York Times Upfront does a great job providing relevant articles to get teens thinking critically about the work around them.  Teachers benefit from the support the magazine lends to the newly implemented Common Core standards through numerous informational texts, writing prompts, and discussion questions (Scholastic, n.d.).

Reader’s Annotation: Learn to think critically about the world around you by reading The New York Times Upfront magazine.  

Information about the publisher: Scholastic claims their mission is to “encourage the intellectual and personal growth of all children, neginning with literacy, the cornerstone of all learning” (Scholastic, n.d.).  Scholastic is able to deliver content in both print and digital forms, and for over 90 years they have connected readers to materials through Scholastic Book Fair, monthe Book Clubs, and classroom magazines (Scholastic, n.d.).  

    Some of the Scholastic favorites are Clifford the Big red Dog, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games trilogy because of their effect on readers and their love of reading.  Scholastic is headed by Richard Robinson, son of Scholastic founder M.R. Robinson.  

Genre: News, Current Events

Curriculum Ties: English (informational text); History/Social Studies/Government

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Hold a mini debate about a topic in the most recent issue.

2. Preview the article titles.

Reading level/Interest age: 14-18

Challenge Issues: The magazine contains educational content, but in the event a challenge arises I will:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this magazine:  I chose this magazine because it balances out my other magazine subscriptions in my collection.   The New York Times Upfront provides educational articles that can be used by students or teachers of young adults.  The magazine contains current events that help young adults make sense of the world around them.  

References:

Scholastic. (n.d.). About Scholastic.. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/

TeenVogue

Bibliographic Information:

 Astley, A. (Editor). (2013). Teen Vogue. USA: Condé Nast Publications.  URL: teenvogue.com

Plot Summary:  Teen Vogue offers young women a look into the world of fashion, beauty, stardom, while at the same time including articles about other teen issues, like sex.  Every issue contains a letter from the editor, and a section titled “Your Space,” where readers review previous articles.  Issues also contain articles on various people in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries.  Teen Vogue bloggers publish articles on music, fashion, and culture.  The fashion portions of the magazine display trending styles with information for price and brand.  Beauty advice includes reader-voted top products, hairstyle ideas, and the hottest goodies for the season.   Celebrity interviews are sprinkled throughout the issues, and ads marketing perfume, clothing, and health and beauty products are aplenty. 

Critical Evaluation:  Teen Vogue stands out as a more sophisticated “teen junk” magazine.  The name alone—Teen Vogue—pays homage to its adult version Vogue.  The majority of the material is superficial in nature, covering the hottest new beauty and fashion trends, and the articles are for the most part light-heated.  Some articles aim to motivate readers to better their lives, whether through exercise or putting off sex.  The celebrities featured in Teen Vogue are musically and cinematically relevant, which attracts young readers.  This may be to symbolize its “mini-me” status of Vogue.  The magazine is full of bright colors, and it is printed in a format smaller than typical magazines. Teen Vogue is helpful to teen girls who want to keep up on fashion and beauty trends.  Not much material in the magazine is geared towards teen boys, if any.  While the articles do provide some informative material, they aren’t the focus of the magazine; they play more of a supporting role.  Teen Vogue is a great magazine to browse through poolside, on a car ride, or at a sleepover.

Reader’s Annotation:  Tomorrow’s fashions are today’s news.  Pick up your copy of Teen Vogue to learn about the up-and-coming fashion and beauty trends of the season.

Information about the author: Teen Vogue is published by Condé Nast Publications, who publishes eighteen consumer magazines, four business-to-business magazines, twenty-seven websites, and 50+ apps for mobile and tablet devices (Wikipedia.org)

Genre: Teen Magazine

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas (one or two): N/A

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: Includes potentially controversial topics like sex, pregnancy etc. The magazine can be challenged for promoting self-image issues.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this magazine: TeenVogue is essential to any magazine collection for young adults.  It appeals to readers who love fashion and want to be on trend for any season.  Over 5.7 million readers subscribe to the magazine, and they have a huge social media following (over 3 million) (Condé Nast, n.d.). 

References:
Condé Nast. (n.d.). Teen Vogue. Retrieved from http://www.condenast.com/brands/teen-vogue.

Wikipedia (2013) TeenVogue. Retrieved 15 Mar 2013 from

           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Vogue