Once upon a time, I repeatedly found myself wide awake at two in the morning. As an early riser, I was already too alert to return to sleep. One night I decided to get out of bed and do something, and that decision was a turning point in my life. I went into the room […]
Nonfiction Man, Episode 1 by Anna and Steve Sheinkin
posted by CBethM
Recently, over a few early morning breakfasts, my middle-school daughter Anna and I started batting around the idea of a nerdy writer of nonfiction books (not that we know anyone like that) who decides to become a superhero and spread his love of true stories. The concept was not fully formed, and still isn’t, but […]
February
18
On a Clear Day, You Can See the Truth by Gail Shepherd
posted by CBethM
It’s a particularly important time for kids to be thinking about what qualifies as the truth. A big part of growing up is learning to grapple with how we know what we know, and to learn to filter the noise, the confusing and sometimes misleading babble, the constant flow of information. I wrote The […]
February
12
Inspiration for Letters from Cuba by Ruth Behar
posted by CBethM
Though my new middle-grade novel takes place in the Cuban countryside in the late 1930s, Letters from Cuba is my heart’s response to the current news of deportations, immigrant travel bans, and international refugee crises. How, I wondered, could I talk back to the cruel anti-immigrant climate of our era? It occurred to me that […]
February
11
GO TELL IT! by Andrea Davis Pinkney
posted by CBethM
“Right here, I’m sharing the honest-to-goodness.”— Loretta “I’m gon’ reach back. Tell how it all went. I’m gon’ speak on it. My way.” — Roly Folks claim I got more nerve than a bad tooth. But there’s nothing bad about being bold! —Aggie B. It’s time to pull up a chair. Sit on down. […]
February
05
In Their Hearts, Dogs Can Read by Carlie Sorosiak
posted by CBethM
The first time I read an entire book aloud, it was to a German shorthaired pointer named Sally. She had the softest ears, the wiggliest butt, and man, was she fast. I used to watch her from my swing-set, tearing mad circles around our neighbor’s yard. I was a quiet kid. And in Charlotte, […]
February
04
On Writing Books for Real Kids…and Telling the Truth by Kate Messner
posted by CBethM
There’s a lot going on in the novels I write for kids. The Seventh Wish is a fairy tale reimagining about wish-granting fish, Irish dancing, science fair projects, and the impact that opioid addiction can have on a family. Breakout is about a prison break, journalism, relay races, privilege, perspective, and poetry. It also includes […]
January
31
The Magic of Empowerment by Anna Meriano
posted by CBethM
Wow. I am so lucky to be back on the Nerdy Book Club blog, and so lucky to be putting out the third and final book in the Love Sugar Magic Trilogy. I have to start with that because the last several months have been trying their hardest to make me feel down on my […]
January
31
The Books My Students Are Reading (January 2020) by Colby Sharp
posted by Colby Sharp
Spending the day with a group of fifth grade readers each day is magical. The love of story they have in their hearts gives me hope for the world. Each month, when they go to recess, I ask them to leave the book they are currently reading in a pile by the door. During my […]
January
30
Autistic Characters, Infinite Possibilities by Sarah Kapit
posted by CBethM
I didn’t know I was autistic as a kid. But I knew that I was a reader. I was the kid who brought five books along on a day-long visit with my grandparents, just to make sure that I didn’t run out. Oftentimes, I’d read on a bench somewhere while other kids my age ran […]
