When A Boy Called BAT was published five years ago, I hoped for the same things I hope for all my books—that readers would find it, and that it would have a big and beautiful life. And in the time between then and now, my hopes for BAT have come true. More than any of […]
June
13
Teachers Make Readers (and Writers) by Danielle Davis
posted by CBethM
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 […]
June
10
Book Walks Are Back by Kate Narita
posted by CBethM
We just finished our nonfiction book walks, and my students are more excited about reading than ever. Wait! What’s a book walk? I first learned about book walks on Twitter in the fall of 2019 from Maryland school librarian, Karina Hirschorn. She posted pictures book piles on her library tables and students rotating, exploring the […]
June
07
LOOKING FOR IDEAS, INSPIRATION, AND LAYERS by Linda Joy Singleton
posted by CBethM
When I write middle-grade novels, like my CURIOUS CAT SPY CLUB series, I have a routine of sitting at my computer in the morning and working until words spill across the screen. I challenge myself to write a few pages every day—until the first draft is done. ` But there’s no routine for writing […]
June
02
Saying Gay In Our Household by Padma Venkatraman
posted by CBethM
“Mom, what’s a gay person?” When my child asked me this question, some years ago, when she was about eight, my first response was to give her examples of gay couples who are our friends. “You know, like ___ and ___, or ___ and ___,” I said. She knitted her brows for a while, and then […]
May
26
Purchasing Books at the End of the School Year by Colby Sharp
posted by Colby Sharp
I love purchasing books for my classroom library. I love it even more when I don’t have to spend my own money to do it. A couple of weeks ago, all of the teachers in my building got an email from our principal informing us that we had received a grant that would allow all […]
May
25
#BlackGirlMagic: Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston – Review by Alex Harrison
posted by CBethM
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop gained more notoriety in the literacy world for her concept of books being windows that offer readers a view of an unfamiliar world, sliding glass doors that are a portal to an untapped imaginative world, or mirrors that reflect personal experiences. With recent book bans across the country, it is important […]
May
18
Who Invented TV Video Gaming? And Will His Story Inspire My Kid to Read? by Kate Hannigan
posted by CBethM
How do I make my reluctant reader pick up a book? Write about his favorite thing: gaming. When I visit schools, I often tell students that most books are written to answer a single question. And while I’d like to say that my newest picture book biography Blips on a Screen: How Ralph Baer Invented […]
May
17
Time Flies by TARA LAZAR
posted by CBethM
TIME FLIES: DOWN TO THE LAST MINUTE The 3rd Book in the 7 ATE 9/PRIVATE I Series 7 ATE 9 began with a brainstorming exercise; I wanted a punchline for a title. What’s a punchline that every elementary school kid immediately recognizes? Then it hit me like a ton of class clowns: Why was six afraid […]
May
16
What makes a physicist? by Dr. Eve Vavagiakis
posted by CBethM
What makes a physicist? Hi! I’m a neutrino, and I am so small that matter to me barely matters at all. I hauled a thick book about college majors back to an old wooden reading desk at my local library and opened it on the slanted table top under a green glass reading lamp. My […]
Nerdy Book Club 