CHALLENGE. Every good book–even nowadays a poetry collection–needs a compelling challenge for the characters or for the reader. In this year’s Nerdy Award winners, poets capture our central human challenge: becoming and being true to ourselves, claiming our identity, resisting the limits of easy stereotypes and assumptions. Whatever “they” may say or believe, these books […]
Author Archives: donalynm
December
30
The 2020 Nerdies: Poetry and Novels in Verse Announced by Heidi Mordhorst
posted by donalynm
December
29
The 2020 Nerdies: Graphic Novels Announced by Katherine Sokolowski
posted by donalynm
Every year I am filled with gratitude when I find this list of winners in my email inbox from Donalyn Miller. It gives me a chance to sit in my living room over our holiday break, pouring over titles. I see classroom favorites as well as books I’m unfamiliar with. It often finds me placing […]
December
28
The 2020 Nerdies: Early Readers and Chapter Books Announced by Alyson Beecher
posted by donalynm
Sometimes I wonder how to tackle the category of Early Readers and Chapter Books. Authors, publishers, teachers and librarians all define these books in different ways. Though these books fall within this category, they, also, fall into a variety of genres and formats. It may begin with something as simple as a basic reader with […]
December
27
The 2020 Nerdies: Nonfiction Picture Books Announced by Lynsey Burkins
posted by donalynm
Nonfiction Picture Books can bring about a feeling of wonder and thirst to know more in ways a traditional nonfiction text may not. The pictures coupled with narrative and facts allows readers to dig in and dream. Maybe see things in ways they haven’t before and learn in ways that are pleasurable. This year’s picks […]
December
20
Do You Want to Join a Book Club? by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I’ve been open about my inability to read much during the initial pandemic shutdown last spring. My anxiety was out of control and I couldn’t focus. Working in my flowerbeds and writing helped me find some joy and calm, but my reading life consisted of news articles and planting guides. Sometimes, readers don’t read much. […]
December
15
Humor Books – Why Readers Need Them More Than Ever, by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
posted by donalynm
When I was a young child, I remember my father coming into the room where we kids were playing, and telling us that our grandfather had just died. My reaction? I laughed. I cringe even now, thinking about that moment. I loved my grandfather, and my father was clearly grief-stricken when he told us. It […]
December
06
Nominations Open for the 10th Annual Nerdy Book Club Nerdies!
posted by donalynm
In the beginning, Nerdy was a community-driven book award blog, and we still hold the Nerdy Book Club Awards, the Nerdies, each winter. Each year’s list provides an overview of our readers’ and their reading communities’ most popular recommendations. The Nerdies look like a handpicked children’s bookshelf—a current mix of genres, formats, voices, and styles; books […]
December
01
Our Ninth Nerdversary: Social Readers in Pandemic Times by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
Self-isolating and working from home for the past eight months, my reading life has been challenging to maintain. It takes more effort to settle into a book and stick with it. The six half-finished books sitting on my coffee table ooze judgement. Reading seems self-indulgent and I cannot sit still for long before I feel […]
October
26
Cover Reveal: Sarah’s Solo by Tracy Brown, illustrated by Paula Wegman
posted by donalynm
My new book Sarah’s Solo is about the unexpected joy found in the midst of disappointment. In the story, Sarah’s parents make a difficult choice for their busy family. They decide that everyone will attend a family wedding rather than their daughter’s dance recital. As parents, we have all experienced our children’s disappointment at being […]
October
23
Cover Reveal: Soosie: The Horse That Saved Shabbat by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt
posted by donalynm
There is no common denominator between bakeries, horses, and Israel, but for me, each one has a special connection. You can imagine my excitement of being able to thread the three together into one book! But first, here’s my quirky backstory. Growing up, once upon a time, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a bakery was […]
