Indisputably, children and adolescents benefit when they attend schools with degreed librarians and well-developed library collections (Scholastic, 2018). We also know that providing kids with reliable access to books is one of the easiest, most cost effective ways to influence their achievement. (Allington, McGill-Franzen 2014). Unfortunately, too many young people live in “book deserts” without […]
Author Archives: donalynm
April
22
It’s Not Complicated by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I have been blogging, writing, and talking about children’s independent reading lives for over ten years—starting with my first Ask the Mentor column for Education Week Teacher in 2007. I am not the first or the last educator to take on this topic. Scores of literacy leaders, like Daniel Fader, Rudine Sims-Bishop, Stephen Krashen, Teri […]
January
17
Cover Reveal: That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
posted by donalynm
I’ve known for many years that I wanted to write a book about a school shooting. I think the first time the idea came into my head was my junior year of high school. We’d gone into lockdown, and I’d assumed it was one of our annual drills. We’d been doing them since third […]
January
15
The Accidental Historian by Veera Hiranandani
posted by donalynm
People say children are sponges. It is true that some kids just absorb things. They learn facts like names and dates without too much trouble and soak up the information they’re asked to learn. They are amazing. I was not one of those kids. I was an inconsistent student, and always had a difficult […]
January
14
Love Trumps Hate – Your Help Please by Anne Lee Wissinger
posted by donalynm
January 12, 2018 Dear Nerdy Book Club Friends, Over the past week I have read some important books: The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor, re-read Love by Matt de la Peña and Loren Long, re-read Martin Rising by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, and Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz. […]
January
07
Writing From a Place of Hope by Samira Ahmed
posted by donalynm
Lately, it feels like hope is in short supply. I need only open Twitter to find Islamophobia and fear-mongering being tweeted out from the highest office in the land, from a house whose temporary occupant rents it from we, the people. From politicians who serve at the pleasure of the people to represent all […]
January
03
The 2017 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part Two) Announced by a Conference of Nerds*
posted by donalynm
Today we announce the second half of the 2017 Nerdies for Best Young Adult Fiction of the Year and close out our eighth year of the Nerdy Book Club Awards. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate books and volunteered to write reviews for our announcement posts. Nerdy remains a vibrant […]
January
02
The 2017 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part One) Announced by a Chapter of Nerds
posted by donalynm
We finish up the 2017 Nerdy Book Club Awards with two collaborative posts celebrating the best young adult fiction. This year, we honor twenty-one exemplary titles that capture and respect the challenges of adolescence. Each book on the list offers young adults validation and support for their experiences and struggles, and expands readers’ understanding of […]
December
31
The 2017 Nerdies: Long Form Nonfiction Announced by Carol Jago and Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I have always adored nonfiction books and spent a large part of my childhood reading books about animals and history. As an adult reader and teacher, I still enjoy learning about our natural world and its people. The quality of nonfiction texts written for young readers has dramatically improved since the 1970’s and 80’s when […]
December
30
The 2017 Nerdies: Graphic Novels Announced by Katherine Sokolowski
posted by donalynm
It’s the most wonderful time of the year once again. Time to drain your pocketbooks, fire up that library card, and add to your to-read lists. I love waiting to see all of the amazing lists that come out of your votes for the Nerdies. Every year I’ve waited with excitement for the winning list […]
