(Author’s Note: *these referenced books have been banned.) I am so near-sighted my driver’s license used to include a warning label on the back that said “legally blind.” My sister and parents all have perfect eyesight, so my family teases that my bad eyesight stemmed from my face being buried in books since the moment […]
Author Archives: CBethM
September
10
A Return to Book Love by Dow Phumiruk
posted by CBethM
I arrived in the United States from Thailand at a very young age, accompanied by my dad and brother. My mom waited for us at the terminal. We had been apart for six months, but my tiny toddler mind knew her immediately. The four of us became a family again. I didn’t speak for a […]
September
09
Cover Reveal: Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson, Illustration by Junyi Wu
posted by CBethM
Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson Illustrated by Junyi Wu Publication Date: 4/11/23 From the singular imagination of National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson comes a magical adventure about a boy and his dog—or a dog and her boy—and a forest of wonders hidden in plain sight. Clay has had his fill […]
September
08
Reading Should Be Interactive by Chaz Hayden
posted by CBethM
I have always been a fan of reading, but I really fell in love during 7th grade language arts. It wasn’t just the books we read, although most became lifetime favorites like The Giver and The Westing Game, but it was how my class was taught and immersed in the story. My teacher, Mr. Rem, […]
September
07
The Animal in Me by Carlie Sorosiak
posted by CBethM
It was the summer of 1998 in suburban North Carolina, and I was prepping—diligently—to become a dog. My favorite book at the time, besides the classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, was a body-swapping tale called Help! I’m Trapped in Obedience School Again, by Todd Strasser. In a short 197 pages, it chronicled the ups and downs of […]
September
06
Very Nerdy Books by Tom Angleberger
posted by CBethM
It’s the eternal question: Is this is a book club that is nerdy or a club for nerdy books? I don’t have the answer, but either way I do have the old space joke books you’re looking for. And a story to go with it. A story about a very very bad year in elementary […]
September
05
My Side of the Mountain Made Me Want to Run Away From Home by Logan S. Kline
posted by CBethM
My Side of the Mountain made me want to run away from home…at least for the summer. I swear this is a good thing, just bear with me a bit longer. I didn’t read this book for pleasure; it was assigned. The unfortunate reality for teachers is they…well, we (I’m a high school art teacher after all) start every lesson in a […]
September
02
Sharing Your Purpose and Talents with the World by Jacqueline Liesch
posted by CBethM
We walked as a group up the red dirt road, past the schools, up the gravel walkway to the library. The hand-carved doors to the library show different parts of the reading process: between mother and child, a child carrying books, reading around the fire, while symbolizing opening the doors to the community’s future through […]
August
31
Cover Reveal of Trucker Kid by Carol Gordon Ekster
posted by CBethM
Trucker Kid, my sixth book to come into the hands of children, launches on January 1, 2023. I’m excited for book-loving nerds to be the first to see the cover. Nerdybook Club is where my two passions, education and books, come together with like-minded #kidlit folks. I taught fourth grade for 35 years where everything […]
August
30
Sun After Rain by Rebekah Lowell
posted by CBethM
Ever since I was a child, nature has been a favorite place for me. I would daydream in the crooks of trees or hang out in the hayfields as the Timothy grass grew taller than me. As an adult nature was still the place where I found solace, even though sometimes I had to appreciate […]
Nerdy Book Club 