When I was in 7th grade, my junior high science class raised money to purchase a baby boa constrictor. Richter The Boa Constrictor named after the instructor, Mr. Richter. It was allowed to wiggle free in the classroom, so I had to perform active surveillance before selecting a desk each day. These were desks with […]
January
15
Cover Reveal: MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU by Barbara Dee
posted by CBethM
How do you write a book about sexual harassment without any sexual content? This was my challenge in writing MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU. Ever since the #MeToo movement got rolling last year, I knew I wanted to write a middle grade novel about the “boys-will-be-boys” behavior which, if unchecked, eventually leads to the kind […]
January
14
How Twitter Changed My Life by Nicole Mancini
posted by CBethM
Teaching was a lot different when I first started 16 years ago. Overhead projectors and Vis-a-Vis markers were all the rage. Books on CD were considered “high tech.” Most classrooms had just a handful of desktop PCs (and figuring out how to get the best use of them was a constant headache). Pinterest wasn’t even […]
January
13
What Happened to My Reader? by Sarah FitzHenry and Jared Passmore
posted by CBethM
“What happened to my reader? Last year, he was in the library every week picking out books. I had to take his book away at meals. Now, I can’t get him to read anything. It’s like he has no interest in it.” This mystery baffles parents, librarians, and teachers alike. As students pass through middle […]
January
12
Rethinking “Just Right”: Reader and Text Variables that Impact Comprehension by Jennifer Serravallo
posted by CBethM
Seven years ago when I was home on maternity leave, I found it really hard to get through the sorts of rich novels I’d devoured pre-baby. Sleep deprived, I struggled with remembering everything that had happened across the text and started abandoning books halfway through. Then, a friend handed me Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad […]
January
11
Fact VS Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills In the Age of Fake News by Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins
posted by donalynm
Let’s start by making one thing clear: writing Fact VS Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking Skills In the Age of Fake News was not a labor of love. Don’t get us wrong, we loved working together. We loved our research driven writing process. We loved our editorial team. And we loved being able to share […]
January
10
LOUISIANA’S WAY HOME by Kate DiCamillo – REVIEW BY DANA EDWARDS
posted by CBethM
Louisiana’s Way Home Kate DiCamillo Publisher: Candlewick Press Format: Hardcover Pages: 227 Age Range: 9-12 Three semis drove past us. One was painted with a picture of a cow standing in a field of green grass. I was jealous of that cow because she was at home and I was not. It seemed […]
January
08
BECOMING A WRITER WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF FAMILY, CULTURE, READING, AND AN AVOCADO by Susan Kuklin
posted by CBethM
My grandfather, who we all called Pop, was a Russian immigrant. He was the kind of person who couldn’t bear knowing that people were being mistreated, especially because of their race, ethnicity, or beliefs. He believed strongly that “all men are created equal,” and he was grateful that his adopted country provided him with a […]
January
07
My Mirror is Cracked by Jodi-Beth Moreno
posted by CBethM
Growing up an avid reader, I never saw my race, my culture, or myself in books. I didn’t notice or question it. It didn’t even bother me because that is just the way books were. In all honesty, that is the way my world was. I grew up in an area that is approximately ninety-five […]
January
06
SO NOT MARY POPPINS! by Margo Sorenson
posted by CBethM
The world of children is abuzz! Disney says its new Mary Poppins movie released in December will be truer to the books than the original movie in 1964, starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. Ah! Truer to the books—what a wonderful concept! Reading the Mary Poppins series aloud to children who have seen only […]
