Dear teachers who bragged online about the number of books you got for "free," I need to tell you something about the hundreds of free ARCs.
1. They are not free except to you. They cost money to produce.
2. They are intended not for your classroom collection. They are produced for publicity purposes, to generate sales.
3. When you grab more than 1, it means others get ZERO..
4. i wonder how many you will read. If you picked uP 189 (one of the posts I saw had that brag), hoe long will it take you to read them before they pass along to other hand?
5. What kid did you envision when you picked the book up? Did you only take books that would be appropriate for your kids, I wonder.
I am weary of the greediness I see at conferences. Wheeled carts filled with books. Grabbing. Pushing. Shame on you. I am going home with 2 books plus a handful from my ALAN box. Theses are books I will read and then float on to other educators.
Second, a nicer rant.
If you did not stay for ALAN, you missed the BEST opportunity to meet authors, get books, network with colleagues and learn SO much about YA literature..
Third, a plea.
Make loans now for NCTE 2015.