Hello again! You may recall I recently posted about Diversity in Speculative Fiction but I felt like it was also important to highlight some amazing realistic reads. I firmly believe that everyone should be able to see themselves in the stories they read and, of course, also see, lives different than their own. There […]
Category Archives: Top Ten Lists
June
17
Top 10 Things I’ll Miss Over Summer Break by Kris Barr Paquette
posted by CBethM
It’s the last week of school. I feel like I’m drowning in my to-do list. I almost have all of my classroom library re-collected. Summer Reading Books have been checked out. Field trips are over. The end is in sight, friends. But, as always the end is a bit bitter-sweet, even for a tired teacher […]
June
16
Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Child Reading Over Summer by Ginger Healy and Stacy Rivas
posted by CBethM
As fifth grade teachers, we work hard in our classrooms to create a strong reading community by providing lots of choice and opportunities for reading. We are proud of our students for developing their reading preferences, sharing books with their reading communities, and carving out time for reading while in our care. Our classrooms include […]
June
15
Top Ten Books for Young and Young Adult Runners by Kacy Smith
posted by CBethM
I love reading. I mostly love running. My reading and running lives are not dissimilar; I have reading buddies and running buddies; I have running injuries and reading injuries (papercuts are no joke). I live in Oregon, a state known reading (think Powells and Wordstock) and for running (think Nike and Tracktown). We run at […]
June
02
Lines Going for Walks by Jenny deGroot
posted by CBethM
“A drawing is simply a line going for a walk” said artist Paul Klee. The following books celebrate the simplicity and magic of the line and its ability to “go for a walk,” leading into the world in creative and unexpected ways. The authors and illustrators of the these picture books remind us that it […]
May
12
A Top Fifteen List of Diversity in YA Science Fiction & Fantasy by Kristyn Dorfman
posted by CBethM
I often see, at conferences, in conversations with colleagues, and on social media people lamenting the lack of diversity in the publishing world. This refers to the people who are publishing books, the people who are reviewing books, and really anyone involved in the process from ideation to finished product. This has been especially pertinent […]
April
28
10 Middle Grade Books That Will Help You STEAM UP Your Classroom! by Jennifer Swanson
posted by CBethM
STEAM –Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math—books are more popular than ever today. And they should be. STEAM book Engage. Excite. and Inspire kids. Most importantly, STEAM books show diversity. Science works best when it is a collaboration of ideas, particularly those that come from people of all different backgrounds. Using these books in your […]
April
14
Top Ten LGBTQ+ YA Novels for All Tastes by Haylee Geisthardt
posted by CBethM
Diversity of representation is important for a lot of reasons; everyone needs someone they can relate to or that will allow them to learn more about others. As a queer teenager, LGBTQ+ representation is especially important to me. Luckily, if you know where to look in YA lit, you can find characters all over the […]
April
07
Top Ten Picture Books for Secondary Students by Brett Vogelsinger
posted by CBethM
Today’s Top Ten list shies away from graphic novels, as book lists on this topic have already appeared on this blog. Instead, it explores wordless picture books, creativity manuals, engineering or nature explorations, and books that feature primarily photography. I call this shelf in my ninth-grade classroom library “Illustration, Photography, and Design.” 100 Diagrams That […]
March
31
Top 10 Girls of Irrepressible Spunk by Melissa Cairns
posted by CBethM
Over the past few years, it has come to light how few widely acclaimed children’s books have strong, vocal female characters. As cited in a startling video by Rebel Girls about the lack of girl power in kid’s books, only 53 of Time’s best 100 Children’s books of all time have female characters that even […]
