I don’t ask people, “How’s it going?” anymore. The pre-pandemic response, a reflexive, “It’s fine,” doesn’t really cut it these days. People have something to say about how it’s really going. No one is fine. The challenges of the past three years have carved us down. Parts are sharper. Parts are missing. Some parts are […]
Author Archives: donalynm
December
02
Our Eleventh Nerdversary: Where Have All the Nerdy Readers Gone? by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
February
13
Cover Reveal: The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri S. Lesesne
posted by donalynm
In my December Nerdversary post, I wrote about my dear friend, Teri Lesesne, and mentioned the two of us had been working on a book for seven years. I am heartbroken that Teri passed away last August and will not see the published book, but I am thrilled that The Joy of Reading is now […]
January
03
THE 2021 NERDIES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION (PART TWO) ANNOUNCED BY A CHAPTER OF NERDS
posted by donalynm
Today marks the end of the 2021 Nerdy Book Club Awards. Our final Nerdies’ post shares the second half of the Young Adult Fiction winners. Thank you to everyone who nominated books for this year’s awards and wrote announcement posts and reviews. We hope everyone found a few new books to read and share with […]
January
02
THE 2021 NERDIES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION (PART ONE) ANNOUNCED BY A CONVENTION OF NERDS
posted by donalynm
At this time of year, when “Best Books of 2021” lists pop up daily, we educators and community members cannot forget that it doesn’t matter which books win awards for best children’s and young adult literature if young people never see the books in their schools, libraries or homes. National efforts to censor books in […]
December
31
THE 2021 NERDIES: LONG FORM NONFICTION ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER
posted by donalynm
I’ll just admit it–I have probably learned more about history from the children’s and young adult literature I have read since leaving college than anything I learned as a student. Most of the history classes I took relied on filmstrips, textbooks, and lectures to deliver content–told predominately through the points of view of white people […]
December
30
THE 2021 NERDIES: POETRY AND NOVELS IN VERSE ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER
posted by donalynm
While many teachers and librarians enjoy sharing poetry with students, many of my middle school students claimed to detest poetry or actively avoided reading it over the years. For some, poetry was silly–like the Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky poems they remembered reading in elementary school. For others, poetry was hard to understand–like the “classic” […]
December
29
THE 2021 NERDIES: GRAPHIC NOVELS ANNOUNCED BY KATHERINE SOKOLOWSKI
posted by donalynm
Every year I am honored to share the winning books in the graphic novel category for Nerdy Book Club. Donalyn’s email hits my inbox right around Christmas day and it’s my own gift to open it up, see what titles I know, place orders for those I don’t. I am grateful, as always, to the […]
December
28
THE 2021 NERDIES: EARLY READERS AND CHAPTER BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY ALYSON BEECHER
posted by donalynm
Every year, I look forward to the email from Donalyn asking if I will write a post announcing the winners of the Nerdies Early Readers and Chapter Books. And every year, I scroll back through all of the previously recognized books from this category to see how the books have changed over the years. Though […]
December
27
THE 2021 NERDIES: NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY LYNSEY BURKINS
posted by donalynm
To tell the truth is justice. Each of these nonfiction informational stories tells the truth about history or science that leads to a greater understanding which in my mind is justice. When we understand the workings of the world we are better able to make decisions based on truth and facts. These 15 nonfiction books […]
December
13
Nominations Open for the 11th Annual Nerdy Book Club Awards!
posted by donalynm
In the beginning, Nerdy Book Club was a community-driven book award blog, and we still hold the Nerdy Book Club Awards, the Nerdies, every winter. Each year’s list provides a snapshot of Nerdy Book Club readers and their reading communities’ highest recommendations. The Nerdies look like a handpicked children’s bookshelf—a current mix of genres, formats, voices, […]
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