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 […]
Tag Archives: Donalyn Miller
February
13
Cover Reveal: The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri S. Lesesne
posted by donalynm
January
03
THE 2021 NERDIES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION (PART TWO) ANNOUNCED BY A CHAPTER OF NERDS
posted by donalynm
Today marks the end of the 2021 Nerdy Book Club Awards. Our final Nerdies’ post shares the second half of the Young Adult Fiction winners. Thank you to everyone who nominated books for this year’s awards and wrote announcement posts and reviews. We hope everyone found a few new books to read and share with […]
January
02
THE 2021 NERDIES: YOUNG ADULT FICTION (PART ONE) ANNOUNCED BY A CONVENTION OF NERDS
posted by donalynm
At this time of year, when “Best Books of 2021” lists pop up daily, we educators and community members cannot forget that it doesn’t matter which books win awards for best children’s and young adult literature if young people never see the books in their schools, libraries or homes. National efforts to censor books in […]
December
31
THE 2021 NERDIES: LONG FORM NONFICTION ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER
posted by donalynm
I’ll just admit it–I have probably learned more about history from the children’s and young adult literature I have read since leaving college than anything I learned as a student. Most of the history classes I took relied on filmstrips, textbooks, and lectures to deliver content–told predominately through the points of view of white people […]
December
30
THE 2021 NERDIES: POETRY AND NOVELS IN VERSE ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER
posted by donalynm
While many teachers and librarians enjoy sharing poetry with students, many of my middle school students claimed to detest poetry or actively avoided reading it over the years. For some, poetry was silly–like the Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky poems they remembered reading in elementary school. For others, poetry was hard to understand–like the “classic” […]
December
13
Nominations Open for the 11th Annual Nerdy Book Club Awards!
posted by donalynm
In the beginning, Nerdy Book Club was a community-driven book award blog, and we still hold the Nerdy Book Club Awards, the Nerdies, every winter. Each year’s list provides a snapshot of Nerdy Book Club readers and their reading communities’ highest recommendations. The Nerdies look like a handpicked children’s bookshelf—a current mix of genres, formats, voices, […]
May
16
Finding Our Way Back to Reading Joy: The 13th Annual #Bookaday Challenge by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
How’s it going? A vast question often impossible to answer these days, I know. The pandemic lingers. The school year limps to an end. Teachers, caregivers, and kids are exhausted. In many families, the fear of COVID-19 remains because of their unvaccinated children or health-fragile family members. In Asian American communities, fear of racist harassment […]
December
31
The 2020 Nerdies: Long Form Nonfiction Announced by Carol Jago and Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
The world shrank in 2020. Many kids lost connections and opportunities to pursue their interests. The global shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and libraries, cancelled after school programs and field trips, and ended or postponed indefinitely many enrichment opportunities. High quality, engaging nonfiction remains a powerful way to keep the world open–through […]
December
20
Do You Want to Join a Book Club? by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
I’ve been open about my inability to read much during the initial pandemic shutdown last spring. My anxiety was out of control and I couldn’t focus. Working in my flowerbeds and writing helped me find some joy and calm, but my reading life consisted of news articles and planting guides. Sometimes, readers don’t read much. […]
December
06
Nominations Open for the 10th Annual Nerdy Book Club Nerdies!
posted by donalynm
In the beginning, Nerdy was a community-driven book award blog, and we still hold the Nerdy Book Club Awards, the Nerdies, each winter. Each year’s list provides an overview of our readers’ and their reading communities’ most popular recommendations. The Nerdies look like a handpicked children’s bookshelf—a current mix of genres, formats, voices, and styles; books […]
Nerdy Book Club 