I’m obsessed with books. Obviously. I’m in the club, after all, and isn’t an obsession with books our only membership requirement? I do read eBooks, but like so many members of our tribe, my husband and I also have actual books in every room of our house, piles of them, as though they have […]
September
24
Top 10 Podcasts to Use in the Classroom by Liza Lauter
posted by CBethM
After 11 years of teaching, here’s what I know about 8th graders: They like a good story. They think they hate non-fiction. They love any time they can sit and listen. They (I’m sure) get sick of hearing my voice, even when it means they get to sit and listen. So whenever I can […]
September
23
Loving Lafayette by Selene Castrovilla
posted by CBethM
As an author who has spent over fifteen years researching the American Revolution in the hopes of bringing it alive for readers (particularly young ones), I’m thrilled with — and, yes, even a little jealous of — the attention and interest the hit Broadway musical Hamilton has brought my beloved subject. At the Queens Book […]
September
22
We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach – Review by Oona Marie Abrams
posted by CBethM
Whoever said “don’t judge a book by its cover” has never taught high school. Even a cursory glance at covers during independent reading reveals boys who choose books based exclusively on their dearth of pinkness. The cover of We All Looked Up offers images of the four narrators, two male and two female, their backs […]
September
21
The Changelings by Christina Soontornvat – Review by Nathaniel Hardman
posted by CBethM
Witches, goblins, fairies, elves – these are fairy-tale creatures that have endured and become a staple in our fiction centuries. Partly that’s due to Disney, who kept dipping into the Grimm well (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas (jk!)), but it’s also Christmas traditions and bedtime stories and old books and any number of things. […]
September
20
The Truth behind TRUTH OR DARE by Barbara Dee
posted by CBethM
My sixth novel had the unlikeliest inspiration: a YouTube video. Remember this one, titled First Moon Party? A few years ago, it went viral. Everyone was chatting about it, charmed by its mischievous humor and its empathy for the mom and daughter going through that most sensitive time, a girl’s first period. At the time the video […]
September
19
There’s Nothing to Eat; There’s Nothing to Read by Berit Gordon
posted by CBethM
There isn’t anything to eat in my house. My two older kids are at sleepaway camp, and I’ve let our fridge become a wasteland of containers no one wants to open, in addition to huge watermelons and Costco-sized bags of mini carrots that only my teens like to eat. The more crowded it becomes with […]
September
18
The Nerdy Bookcast by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
When Colby and I started the Nerdy Book Club blog in 2011, we created a home where authors, illustrators, booksellers, teachers, librarians, administrators, and families can come together to celebrate children’s literature and share ideas for engaging children with lifelong reading. This community has grown into more than a blog and provides year round resources […]
September
17
Top Ten Things from nErDcampMI We Want to Try in Our Work by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan
posted by CBethM
We attended nErDcampMI for the first time this summer. It was not only our first time at nErDcampMI, it was our first edcamp. Given that we are not only book nerds, but also PD nerds –we loved everything about it!! We have been trying to capture what made this experience so powerful for us. How […]
September
16
Thank You, Mr. Sanders by Tonya Foster
posted by CBethM
Patricia Polacco’s Thank You, Mr. Falker is a tribute to the teacher that helped her learn to read as an intermediate school student. Whenever I read this book, I am always reminded of my favorite teacher, Mr. Wayne Sanders. I was a student, like many of the students I work with today, who made […]
