My father’s books filled the entire wall of our room. We lived in the USSR, in a Soviet-style communal apartment, in which five of us—my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and I—had to share a single room. The room was small, and my father’s books occupied more space than any one of us. My father […]
Category Archives: Author Posts
October
06
Growing Up to Be Superman by Dean Robbins
posted by CBethM
I was 7 years old, watching TV before bedtime in my footie pajamas. Suddenly, the screen turned blue. Trumpets blared, followed by a whooshing sound. Voices cried: “Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Superman!” There, hands on his hips, stood a guy with a rippling cape and a big red […]
October
05
Seeing Goodness by Beth Anderson
posted by CBethM
I grew up in “The Land of Lincoln.” As a child, I learned about Lincoln in school, visited Lincoln sites on vacations, and read about him. My dad, tall and thin with dark hair, reminded me a bit of the sixteenth President. It seems like Abraham Lincoln always had a place in my heart. Now, […]
October
03
TASTY BOOKS & BIG DREAMS: A RECIPE by Debbi Michiko Florence and Jamie Michalak
posted by CBethM
“A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” — Neil Gaiman Our new picture book, Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites, illustrated by Yuko Jones, is about the inspiring woman who made her big dream come true. When people told Niki that she couldn’t be a chef, she used their […]
October
01
Flights of Fancy in Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman
posted by CBethM
Born Behind Bars is my 5th novel. So when, on a recent school visit, a young reader piped up, “Why do you have a parrot character?” I really ought not to have been caught unawares. By now, nearly 15 years after my debut novel, Climbing The Stairs was released, you’d have thought I’d be anticipating […]
September
28
The Magic of That Book by Cynthia Lord
posted by CBethM
As an author, there are moments I’ll remember forever. One such moment for me happened at a small elementary school in Massachusetts. I was doing a school visit, presenting one of my novels to a fifth-grade class. At the end of the program, I showed a slide with all my book covers. A boy in […]
September
24
Developing Digital Detectives by Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins
posted by CBethM
Pop Quiz! Which of the following was released to the public first? The first iPhone Facebook The CRAAP Test Youtube The CARS Checklist If you guessed the uber popular information literacy protocol The CRAAP Test, you’re right! This checklist, which is still widely used by many educators across the country, as a go to tool […]
September
23
Heading Back to School with Healthy Friendship Tools by Laura Shovan and Jessica Speer
posted by CBethM
“Healthy friendships feel safe and accepting.” This sentence, from the introduction of the new guidebook BFF or NRF? (Not Really Friends): A Girl’s Guide to Happy Friendships (Familius), jumped out at me. “Yes!” was my first reaction. And then, “I wish someone had told me this when I was in middle school.” BFF or NRF? […]
September
21
Chess Puzzles for Fellow Nerds by Steve Sheinkin
posted by CBethM
I’ve gotten really into chess during the pandemic. Holed up alone in my office, I’ve spent every lunch break for the past eighteen months watching recaps of grandmaster tournaments on YouTube. I love the game, and I love that the international stars of the game make nerdiness look so cool. Meanwhile, between chess videos, I […]
September
18
Who needs books when you have a dead chicken? by Laurenne Sala
posted by CBethM
I don’t remember much before I was three. I have flashes of imagery from preschool. Tuna casserole. Co-ed bathrooms. Puzzles. Big Bird. I don’t remember my dad leaving, and I definitely don’t recall an empty feeling when it was just me and my mom, together in a two-story house intended for a big family. My […]
