This Thanksgiving, we were blessed with fifteen dinner guests—spanning four generations of family and friends. Although my mother and aunts have passed the bulk of holiday meal preparation to younger family members, they still hold sway over details like meal times, dress codes, and the menu. It’s tricky to please and honor everyone at the […]
Tag Archives: Donalyn Miller
October
06
Readers, in Spite of School by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I am endlessly fascinated with readers—what and why they read, how they became readers and sustain a reading habit, and the ways reading has shaped their worldview and their identity development. I know other folks are endlessly fascinated with other aspects of reading and reading instruction including phonics, comprehension, or vocabulary. All of […]
June
02
The 11th Annual #Bookaday Challenge
posted by donalynm
Like all readers, my reading life ebbs and flows. For every week I stay up until 2 am to finish Tomi Adeyemi’s 544-page epic fantasy tome, Children of Blood and Bone, I can point to weeks where I read almost nothing, but emails and Facebook posts. We don’t commit to reading once, we recommit every […]
January
03
The 2018 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part Two), Announced by a Convention of Nerds*
posted by donalynm
Today we announce the second half of the 2018 Nerdies for Best Young Adult Fiction of the Year and close out the Nerdy Book Club Awards for this year. Thank you to everyone who nominated books and volunteered to write reviews for our announcement posts. Nerdy remains a vibrant reading community because of all of […]
January
02
The 2018 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Part One), Announced by a Chapter of Nerds
posted by donalynm
We finish up the 2018 Nerdy Book Club Awards with two collaborative posts celebrating the best young adult fiction. This year, we honor twenty outstanding titles capturing and respecting the challenges of adolescence. Each exemplary book offers young adults validation and support for their experiences and struggles, and expands readers’ understanding of perspectives differing from […]
December
31
The 2018 Nerdies: Long Form Nonfiction, Announced by Carol Jago and Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
Engaging, relevant nonfiction texts provide opportunities to expand our knowledge of the world and our understanding of both the past and future’s potential. We are delighted and honored to share with you the outstanding long form nonfiction books selected as 2018 Nerdy Book Club Nerdies winners. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the […]
December
29
The 2018 Nerdies: Poetry and Novels in Verse
posted by donalynm
Congratulations to the 2018 Nerdy Book Club Award winners for the best children’s and young adult poetry books and novels in verse of the year! Thank you to the hundreds of educators and families who nominated books. Children’s Books Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene […]
December
27
The 2018 Nerdies: Nonfiction Picture Books
posted by donalynm
Congratulations to the 2018 Nerdy Book Club Award winners for the best nonfiction books of the year and thank you to the hundreds of educators and families who nominated books. Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went From the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Simon […]
December
02
Our Seventh Nerdversary and the 8th Annual Nerdy Book Club Award Nominations
posted by donalynm
Colby Sharp and I met in person at the 2011 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Chicago. We had been collaborating for several months online by then. Colby participated in my annual summer #bookaday reading challenge, then joined me to co-host my monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk in the fall. In spite […]
August
19
Fellow Travelers by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I have packing rituals—habits I follow each time I prepare for a trip. I can pack my carry-on suitcase, Little Red, like a racetrack pit crew—quickly slotting my clothes, computer cords, and shoes into their proper places. After packing the essentials, I examine the available remaining space in my bag and fill it with books. […]
