When did I first scratch my head about Little Red Riding Hood? Kids are experts at shrugging at the imperfect world. They believe us when we tell them how Wednesday is spelled and then they move on to more important matters. After all, there are bugs to poke. Recently, I have been thinking a lot […]
Who (and What) Lives in the Spaces Between Us by Elana K. Arnold
posted by CBethM
When I wrote A Boy Called BAT, I knew what I hoped: I hoped that it would reach the kids who needed it. What I didn’t expect was the response from readers. Over the past several years, I’ve received hundreds of emails from kids, parents, teachers, librarians, and grandparents, telling me how and why they […]
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. […]
Check Out the Author Fan Face Off by Stacey Rattner
posted by CBethM
Dear Teachers and Librarians of Middle Grade Readers, Are you looking for something new and exciting for the first 10 minutes of class? The last 10? A different way to promote reading? Look no further! “Author Fan Face-off” may just be what you are looking for. In late summer, when the pandemic was […]
What Does a Human Calculator Read? by Ginger Rue
posted by CBethM
Recently, I was talking with my awesome co-author, Tiera Fletcher, about the kinds of books we enjoyed reading when we were children. I first met Tiera when I interviewed her for a magazine article. The story told about how Tiera became the amazing woman she is today. Before graduating from MIT with a 5.0 […]
Where Are the Introverts–In Your Books and In Your Classroom By Donna Gephart
posted by donalynm
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Or something in between? An ambivert? Before researching for my book, Abby, Tried and True, I’d have told you I’m an extrovert with a sprinkle of introvert thrown in for good measure. Was I ever wrong! After reading articles and watching Susan Cain’s wildly popular 2012 TedTalk, The Power of […]
Excerpt: The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty
posted by donalynm
Nerdy Book Club is delighted to share this special excerpt of Jaclyn Moriarty’s The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst, published by Levine Querido. This marvelous book publishes March 23rd. You can find out more information, including ordering information, here. Download this exciting excerpt here! Jaclyn Moriarty is the award-winning author of uniquely creative and readable books […]
The Middle Kid and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Steven Weinberg
posted by donalynm
Of all the questions authors are routinely asked (Where do you get your ideas? How much money do you make? What’s your other job?) the easiest to answer is usually this one: How long did it take you to write your book? Easy, because the answer is almost always, MY WHOLE LIFE. I mean, how […]
Welcome to the Party by Kathleen Lane
posted by CBethM
When I was young, I was frequently run over by cars. Mostly buses, sometimes motorcycles. At every railroad crossing my shoe stuck in the tracks. In every pool a shark made off with my leg. Some nights my bedroom would fill with water, all the way to the ceiling until there was no space left […]
Book Trailer Reveal: MARS IS: STARK SLOPES, SILVERY SNOW, AND STARTLING SURPRISES by Suzanne Slade
posted by CBethM
I’m a Mars fananatic. And with the recent Perseverance rover landing, and two other missions that arrived at the Red Planet last month, Mars is more popular than ever! Maybe it’s because Mars is our closest neighbor in the solar system, and we can see its faint reddish light with our own eyes. Whatever the […]