Our Seventh Nerdversary and the 8th Annual Nerdy Book Club Award Nominations

December 02

Colby Sharp and I met in person at the 2011 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Chicago. We had been collaborating for several months online by then. Colby participated in my annual summer #bookaday reading challenge, then joined me to co-host my monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk in the fall.   In spite […]

»»

Fellow Travelers by Donalyn Miller

August 19

I have packing rituals—habits I follow each time I prepare for a trip. I can pack my carry-on suitcase, Little Red, like a racetrack pit crew—quickly slotting my clothes, computer cords, and shoes into their proper places. After packing the essentials, I examine the available remaining space in my bag and fill it with books. […]

»»

Kids Need Books Everywhere by Jennifer LaGarde and Donalyn Miller

June 10

  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 […]

»»

It’s Not Complicated by Donalyn Miller

April 22

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 […]

»»

Cover Reveal: That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

January 17

  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 […]

»»

The Accidental Historian by Veera Hiranandani

January 15

  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 […]

»»

Love Trumps Hate – Your Help Please by Anne Lee Wissinger

January 14

  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. […]

»»

Writing From a Place of Hope by Samira Ahmed

January 07

  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 […]

»»

The 2017 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part Two) Announced by a Conference of Nerds*

January 03

  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 […]

»»

The 2017 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part One) Announced by a Chapter of Nerds

January 02

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 […]

»»