I have always been a fan of reading, but I really fell in love during 7th grade language arts. It wasn’t just the books we read, although most became lifetime favorites like The Giver and The Westing Game, but it was how my class was taught and immersed in the story. My teacher, Mr. Rem, […]
Category Archives: Author Posts
September
07
The Animal in Me by Carlie Sorosiak
posted by CBethM
It was the summer of 1998 in suburban North Carolina, and I was prepping—diligently—to become a dog. My favorite book at the time, besides the classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, was a body-swapping tale called Help! I’m Trapped in Obedience School Again, by Todd Strasser. In a short 197 pages, it chronicled the ups and downs of […]
September
06
Very Nerdy Books by Tom Angleberger
posted by CBethM
It’s the eternal question: Is this is a book club that is nerdy or a club for nerdy books? I don’t have the answer, but either way I do have the old space joke books you’re looking for. And a story to go with it. A story about a very very bad year in elementary […]
September
05
My Side of the Mountain Made Me Want to Run Away From Home by Logan S. Kline
posted by CBethM
My Side of the Mountain made me want to run away from home…at least for the summer. I swear this is a good thing, just bear with me a bit longer. I didn’t read this book for pleasure; it was assigned. The unfortunate reality for teachers is they…well, we (I’m a high school art teacher after all) start every lesson in a […]
August
31
Cover Reveal of Trucker Kid by Carol Gordon Ekster
posted by CBethM
Trucker Kid, my sixth book to come into the hands of children, launches on January 1, 2023. I’m excited for book-loving nerds to be the first to see the cover. Nerdybook Club is where my two passions, education and books, come together with like-minded #kidlit folks. I taught fourth grade for 35 years where everything […]
August
30
Sun After Rain by Rebekah Lowell
posted by CBethM
Ever since I was a child, nature has been a favorite place for me. I would daydream in the crooks of trees or hang out in the hayfields as the Timothy grass grew taller than me. As an adult nature was still the place where I found solace, even though sometimes I had to appreciate […]
August
23
The Allure of the TBC … by John David Anderson
posted by CBethM
Fun fact: I didn’t actually write the last three words of the final chapter of my novel Stowaway. My editor did. And I find them to be the three most ambiguous, frustrating and provocative words in the entire book. To be continued . . . Even now I can’t type them without also adding the ellipses, […]
August
22
Exploring real world injustices with a middle grade audience by Varsha Bajaj
posted by CBethM
One in ten people, or almost 800 million around the globe, do not have access to clean drinking water. When I learned this statistic, I was shocked. How could that be? Shouldn’t we be alarmed? Why weren’t we talking about it? Water after all is essential for life since we can only survive three-four days […]
August
05
Back-to-School Read Alouds by Melissa Stewart
posted by CBethM
Are you a member of the #classroombookaday Facebook group? If not, click the link and join right now. Seriously, do it. I’ll stop and wait until you’re done. Okay, now that you have access to an amazing resource that’s going to change the way you think about and share picture books with your students, check […]
July
22
From Stage to Page: How I Discovered the Healing Power of Fiction by Margot Harrison
posted by CBethM
A fourteen-year-old girl is taking a summer theater program at a local college. She dreams of seeing her name in lights. But right now, rehearsals aren’t going well, and the director is angry. He accuses the cast of not giving their all. He goes around the room and singles out one actor after another, asking […]
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