Hello Nerdy Book Club! Jess Keating here. As some of you may know, I’m a zoologist as well as an author. I’m always sniffing around for new stories to tell and new natural worlds to explore. But the planet is so big – where do I even begin?! Sometimes, you need to go straight to […]
August
25
Eat Your Rocks, Croc! Cover Reveal – Interview with Dr. Sugar Glider and Jess Keating
posted by CBethM
August
24
Ten Interactive Books to Engage Little Readers by Megan Overman
posted by CBethM
There is no denying the importance of reading to a child at a very early age, but how do we engage our little readers? I have spent the past year reading many children’s books to my one-year-old son and the books he loves the most are the ones that get him involved! Below is a […]
August
22
TRUMAN by Jean Reidy: My New Go-To Book – A Review by Rosanne L. Kurstedt
posted by CBethM
I read picture books. I write picture books. And I share picture books with students of all ages. I often go to Barnes and Noble or the library and pull handfuls of books off the shelves. After scouring the new releases, I settle in to read. As I open each book, my stomach twitters […]
August
20
FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME: We Belong In All Kinds of Stories by Mariama J. Lockington
posted by CBethM
When I was seven, my parents pulled me out of 2nd grade and decided to homeschool me and my siblings. Even though I was struggling to read and keep up in math, I liked school. I liked having a desk and my own pencil case. I liked eating lunch out of my My Little Pony […]
August
19
Cover Reveal for KEEP IT TOGETHER, KEIKO CARTER by Debbi Michiko Florence
posted by CBethM
Do you remember your first heartbreak? I do. I was in the third grade. I had two best friends I did everything with – hanging out at recess and lunch and one another’s homes, reading together, watching our favorite TV shows, playing with dolls and stuffed animals. Then, I found out the two of […]
August
17
Ten Ways to Get Reluctant Adolescent Readers Reading by Sherri K. Wilcox
posted by CBethM
I teach high school English, grades 9-12, on a Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement (DAEP) campus. Talk about a tough audience! Many of my kids arrive at our campus with huge gaps in their education from skipping school, being suspended numerous times, or being placed in In-School Suspension repeatedly. They are in my classroom for approximately […]
August
16
“Don’t Exceptionalize Me” by Amy Watkins
posted by CBethM
“JASON REYNOLDS! is coming to NErDcamp! JASON REYNOLDS! is coming to NErDcamp, and I’m going!” is what I was hollering back in February when I registered for what I knew would be an amazing, teacher-soul sustaining, book laden professional development experience. For those of you who are not familiar with nErDcamp, it’s a two-day conference […]
August
14
Fantasy world-building through the lens of environmental science by Gabrielle Byrne
posted by CBethM
As a reader, there’s nothing more satisfying that falling into a new world where you can feel the bite of the wind, smell the soup cooking over the fire, and reach out and touch everything just as the characters do. Building those worlds can be daunting, but by observing nature we can learn how, and […]
August
13
Friendship by Mina Javaherbin
posted by CBethM
Grandma was my buddy! We hung out together, played together, and even got into trouble together. One thing we both loved was reading. Born over one hundred years ago in Iran, when fewer than 15 percent of the world population could read and write, my grandma was an avid reader. She read every day and […]
August
10
Creating a Reading Culture in the Classroom by Ann Hagedorn
posted by CBethM
When students walk into my classroom, I want them to see that I value reading and books and that my goal is for them to do the same. There is a sign that hangs in the front of my class that states, We read every day. I have a large classroom library that spans the […]
