• Lists

    30 Chapter Books Featuring Black Protagonists

    I started this just as a middle grade list, but didn’t want to ignore the littles who are just starting out in the chapter books world, so I featured books for kids from about 1st/2nd grade to 8th grade.  Of course, you don’t have to be in elementary or middle school…

  • Lifestyle

    Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards

    The 2017 Children’ & Teen Choice Book Awards are ready to be voted on from March 3 – May 7. This is the only national book award that is voted on only by kids and teens.  A number of schools and states have their own awards, but this is the…

  • Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/9/17

    I went through a bunch of picture books this week as I’m trying to go through all the Nerdies winners – I’ve finished all the picture book and easy reader/chapter books. This week included: The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon Hale I love this series – a…

  • Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/19/16

    I spent another great week reading!  This is becoming a trend (again) and I love it!  I’m still working my way through The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, but I also read Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina, Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Dory Fantasmagory: Dory Dory Black Sheep by Abby Hanlon and Some Writer!: The…

  • Lifestyle

    CYBILS Nominations Open

    I was given the distinct pleasure of being a CYBILS judge last fall and although I spent a lot of time reading a lot of nonfiction titles – it was an amazing experience to be a part of!  I would have loved to be a judge again this year, but…

  • Activities,  Lifestyle

    Maker Monday: Squishy Circuits

    Our last Maker Monday workshop this summer was all about Squishy Circuits.  If you’re not familiar with Squishy Circuits, they were created at the University of St. Thomas as a basic way to teach children about circuitry through (basically) play dough. Two types of dough are created – one is…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Back to School

    So for my back-to-school Top Ten list, I went with not-so-typical back-to-school books – mainly focusing more on being yourself, gaining self-confidence, and not making snap decisions about how people look; rather than your typical first day of school nerves.  So, without further ado… Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes A Bad Case…