I arrived in Mr. P’s kindergarten classroom not knowing how to read and not knowing that by patiently sitting with me, he would be the key to unlock my ability to parse words and sentences and the worlds they contain. But he was. I arrived in Mrs. A’s fourth grade classroom not knowing that by […]
Category Archives: Reading Lives
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 […]
December
01
Our Tenth Nerdversary: One Nerd Can Make a Difference by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
How are you? I miss you. I miss the pre-pandemic days when I ran into other book-loving teachers and librarians on my travels. I miss travels. I miss Nerd Camps. I miss conferences and school visits. I miss talking about books in banquet lines and elevators. I miss walking out of a classroom with thirty […]
November
10
Post-Hero YA? Reading Meg Rosoff by Terry Farish
posted by CBethM
Meg Rosoff is Boston born, London based, of Ashkenazi heritage. My path to her is wild and rangy by way of Ursula Le Guin who suggested in her writing that the novel is much more than a hero’s journey. She suggests that the stories of heroes and human triumphs that are the core of the […]
August
30
How I Made Peace With Dogman by Susan Hansen
posted by CBethM
I confess I was always a little disappointed when my students would choose a Dogman book over one from my carefully curated and painstakingly displayed classroom library. But I would bite my tongue and never let on my true feelings about their choice. From avid readers to emerging ones, everyone loves Dogman. They are graphic […]
August
16
The Magic of a “Real Book”: How a Blank Hardback Book First Inspired One Author by Kim Howard
posted by CBethM
When I was young, I folded pieces of printer paper in half to make my books. Three staples up the side bound them together. I wrote stories about everything. Dinosaurs, Corduroy the bear, the adventures of my stuffed pig, Popcorn. I loved making these books, but to me, this was always just a part of […]
April
26
Letting Go of Labels and Trusting Reading Identity by Dr. Jennifer Scoggin and Hannah Schneewind
posted by CBethM
My son pours over illustrations and devours graphic novels, especially those with sophisticated potty humor. Dav Pilkey has mythical status in our house. Garfield comics abound. Chris Van Dusen’s illustrations merit hours of close study. Yet despite his love of reading at home, my son did not see himself as a successful reader at school. […]
April
19
Why I Will Always Read Aloud to my Middle School Students by Beth Jarzabek
posted by CBethM
On a given day this fall, someone who passed my classroom may have heard my heartwrenching recitation of Johnny’s famous “Stay Gold” letter from the timeless novel, The Outsiders. This spring, passerbys might be relegated to my epic Effie Trinket impression, singing out the wish that the “Odds be ever in your favor!” While my […]
March
27
We Need True Stories: How Reading Memoirs Will Change You by Jen Kleinknecht
posted by CBethM
Life is unbearably hard sometimes. It has always annoyed me when someone tells me to “Buck up” by pointing out people who have it worse than I do. Telling someone to stop being sad, afraid, or angry is futile. It’s insulting, tactless, and a roadblock to understanding another human being. But it’s true. […]
March
13
Dear March 13th, 2020 by Renee Bowman
posted by CBethM
Dear March 13th, 2020, Given how much I’ve thought about you in the last year, I wanted to write you a letter in the hopes that it would be helpful to me. We have some serious catching up to do. When we were last together, it was the final day that I was an in-person […]
Nerdy Book Club 