THE ASSIGNMENT by Liza Wiemer: MAKE HISTORY – SPEAK UP! – Book Review by Aliza Werner

August 24

The lie about history is that it remains in the past.   History is persistent and if left unattended, or in untrustworthy hands, it has the potential to breathe new life into its darkest, deadliest disasters. History is a shapeshifter. It hopes you do not recognize a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or war disguised as […]

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All The Stars for Levine Querido by Maggie Bokelman

July 27

In January, back in the Age of Handshakes and Hugs, I was hunting and gathering ARCs at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Not long before that, I’d been reduced to accepting an ARC called . . . drumroll . . . Cooking With Tinned Fish from NetGalley after convincing myself that, hey, […]

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Audiobooks & 2020 ALA Youth Media Awards by Robin Whitten & Emily Connelly

February 28

Every year, we’re excited to see the winners of the American Library Association youth media awards—announced in January—and especially to celebrate the audiobook winners and audiobook versions of print winners. The 2020 Odyssey Award for the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults went to Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My […]

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The Sowing Circle by Alice Faye Duncan, Tameka Fryer Brown, Kelly Starling Lyons and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

January 14

    Thanks so much for hosting us on the Nerdy Book Club. The Sowing Circle is a collective of four Black women children’s book creators – Alice Faye Duncan, Tameka Fryer Brown, Kelly Starling Lyons and Vanessa Brantley-Newton, whose mission is to sow words and images into the hearts of children. We hope people […]

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Finding Happiness and other Emotions in Reading by Carrie Rodusky

January 08

“If you are afraid, sad, tired, or lonely if you feel lost or strange if you crave stories and adventure, and the magic possibility of a forest path -this book is for you” The above lines are taken from the opening pages of Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand.  What an important way to […]

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Books My Fifth Graders Are Reading On Winter Break by Colby Sharp

December 20

The two week break that I get each year in the winter is one of the most magical reading times of the year. I love sitting next to our Christmas tree with a cup of coffee and a great book. We spend a lot of time in my fifth grade classroom getting ready for two […]

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Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo Review by Victoria Tomis

December 18

In award-winning author Kate DiCamillo’s companion novel to Louisiana’s Way Home and Raymie Nightingale, DiCamillo turns the spotlight to the last of the Three Rancheros: scrappy and strong-willed Beverly Tapinski.    In the opening of Beverly, Right Here it’s August 1979 and the unflinchingly honest and stubborn 14-year-old hits the road, leaving her grungy Florida […]

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Explore AudioFile’s 2019 Best YA Audiobooks by Emily Connelly

December 12

AudioFile’s 2019 Best Young Adult Audiobooks represent a compelling mix of listening for teens. This year’s list includes adventure, romance, and young adults facing challenges and discovering who they are meant to be. Listening to a story read by professional narrators — or by the authors themselves — adds a whole new dimension to reading […]

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The Books My Students Are Reading by Colby Sharp

October 30

Each month, when my kids head to lunch, I ask them to leave their independent reading book in a pile on one of our classroom desks. While the kids are away, I make a video sharing the titles they are currently reading. It if fun to make/share, but what I love about it the most […]

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White Bird: A Lesson in Trust by Sarah Derringer

October 21

The new R.J. Palacio graphic novel is a “Wonder story” about a young Jewish girl’s experience in Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s? What?   I know. I was thinking the same thing.   You see, I, like millions of other readers, read and loved Wonder. I fell in love with the book’s message of overcoming […]

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