I have discussed my book addiction with many different people. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? I know I have a problem. I just can’t say no to books. I guess there are worse problems I could have. I have multiple to be read piles, yet I just signed up for […]
July
22
Leading with Reading or How I Found a Career that Nurtured my Book Addiction by Liz Garden
posted by CBethM
July
20
TOP TEN Ways NerdCampMI Saved Our Professional Careers by Jennifer Sniadecki, Melanie Roy, and Kelly Vorhis
posted by CBethM
NerdCampMI is an “ed camp” annual event where teachers from all over the country (and the world!) meet in Parma, Michigan to learn together with authors, illustrators, and other fabulous educators. We feel that the event is hands-down the best summer professional development out there. Nerd Camp Michigan started 5 years ago and has grown […]
July
18
THE SUMMER OF OWEN TODD by Tony Abbott
posted by CBethM
Books come to their writers in different ways. You see a painting, overhear a conversation, stare at the sky, close your eyes, and suddenly—or not—there is a voice, speaking. The Summer of Owen Todd, due out in the Fall of 2017 from Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, came to me from a […]
July
17
The Power of Poetry by Sarah FitzHenry
posted by CBethM
In my career, I’ve come to realize that the rumors about print and reading going out of style are just that – rumors. If you are lucky enough to work with children and books, you know that young people’s passion for stories is as strong as ever. But even I wasn’t completely confident about the […]
July
16
The Science of a Fiction Picture Book (#STEAM) by Leslie Helakoski
posted by CBethM
Even a fictional picture book can engage young minds in scientific thought. Comparing and contrasting are great tools for learning and what better way to explore this concept than a fun story? HOOT & HONK Just Can’t Sleep began as an exploration of a nocturnal owlet, sleeping during the day and active at night, […]
July
15
TEN BOOKS TO HELP YOUR CHILD BECOME MORE COMPASSIONATE by Susan Dobrodt
posted by CBethM
This is a difficult time for schools, for our country and our world. No matter what your beliefs, parents and teachers can’t help but be concerned about what is happening and how our kids have been exposed to it. Even if we do our best to protect them from the media, they go to school […]
July
13
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes – Review by Mary Boehmer
posted by CBethM
Towers Falling is a compelling novel set in Brooklyn, New York, fifteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Jewel Parker Rhodes writes an eloquent story about fifth graders who were not alive to witness the attacks on the towers. But as they learn of the events during lessons at school they begin to understand that the […]
July
11
Two (or More) of Us: How Writing Communities Shaped the Authors We’ve Become by Jennifer Ziegler and Chris Barton
posted by CBethM
JENNIFER: Long before Chris and I got married, I used to double-date the Beatles. Well, not all the Beatles — only Paul and John. And they weren’t technically Beatles anymore, the band having broken up many years earlier. And these dates, if you must know, occurred only on paper — in sketch comedies that my […]
July
10
Other Duties As Assigned by Emily Visness
posted by CBethM
Summer is here, and as the weeks of shuttling my kids to swim team practice, swim meets, and for-fun swimming consumes many of my waking hours, I also spend time chipping away at my enormous “To Be Read” list. Like many readers, my TBR list is an ever-growing mountain, and each time I read one […]
July
09
How Soldier Boy by Keely Hutton Came to Be by Kate Olson
posted by CBethM
An incredibly powerful YA book with an amazing creation story – read on to learn about how Soldier Boy by Keely Hutton came to be….. Several months ago, I was sent a box of books from a publisher, mostly advance reader copies. When I get these books, I always put them on my ARC […]
