Though I love to brag about sitting first chair flute at Rancier Middle School from 6th-8th grade, I am sad to say I never learned to play the guitar. I am, however, the proud parent of a guitarist. Here’s the thing about being the mother of a young guitarist—you must visit dozens of guitar stores […]
September
19
Bluebirds, Deadheads, & Side-Growth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
posted by CBethM
I was five, and starting first-grade in a new school. That first week, my teacher divided us into reading groups. Our class became flocks of Bluebirds, Redbirds, and Yellowbirds that gathered in a circle around her, taking turns reading out loud from our Sally, Dick, and Jane readers. The Bluebirds were the best […]
September
18
THE TRAIN TO IMPOSSIBLE PLACES BY P.G. BELL
posted by CBethM
It all started when my mother read me The Magic Faraway Tree stories by Enid Blyton. I couldn’t have been more than three or four years old, but it changed everything for me – I remember being surprised and delighted that the characters could step out of our world and into these strange and magical […]
September
17
Video: Kate DiCamillo on Louisiana’s Way Home
posted by CBethM
Kate DiCamillo is here to visit Nerdy Book Club to talk about her latest book, Louisiana’s Way Home (Candlewick, hitting bookstores October 2, 2018), in the video embedded below. Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a two-time winner of the Newbery […]
September
15
Searching for Biographies by Mélina Mangal
posted by CBethM
“Where are the biographies?” I asked at the children’s library in Bordeaux, France. The librarian looked at me quizzically and asked me to repeat myself. I wondered if it was because my French was a little rusty, since I don’t speak it every day in the U.S. When I asked again, she told me […]
September
13
The Power of Literacy: Changing the Narrative of Toxic Masculinity by Travis Crowder
posted by CBethM
“…And of course there must be something wrong in wanting to silence any song.” -Robert Frost “I want to question the idea that it’s weak to be emotionally open, to demonstrate that it’s fine for men to be vulnerable and kind, and to recognize the courage it takes to be different.” -Ben Brooks […]
September
11
How a Writer Reads by Meg Medina
posted by CBethM
I’ve always had a rangy heart for reading. Just when I decide I don’t care for one genre, along comes a book in that very genre that steals my heart. Those shifting appetites have been both the path to pleasure and also the way I’ve broadened my toolbox as a writer and teacher. So, […]
September
09
On Becoming a Black Girl Reader by T.R. Simon
posted by CBethM
I can’t remember when I wasn’t a reader. Because I was an only child, and my father’s job required that we move every few years, I was often alone. I dealt with feeling lonely by making up stories. Everything in my room became a character: stuffed animals, dolls, Barbies, even our dogs and cats. The […]
September
08
Ten Middle Grade Book Beginnings Begging to be Read by Kris Barr Paquette
posted by CBethM
It’s the beginning of the school year, and you have all your favorite summer reads stacked up in your mind to book talk. I know. It’s exciting. The kids are going to love each and every suggestion you give them! Let’s fast forward a few weeks, suddenly you are buried beneath a stack of personal […]
September
06
Get Back Up by Ben Thompson and Erik Slader
posted by CBethM
It was a hot summer day in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Orville and Wilbur Wright were about to show off a project that was over two years in the making. They’d tested designs, built blueprints, double-checked calculations, and built a machine with their bare hands in the burning heat of Kill Devil Hills that […]
