• Lists

    2023 Middle Grade Debut Authors (January – June)

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    Last week I was able to share a host of debut authors publishing picture books in 2023. Well, I’m back to share some 2023 Middle Grade Debut Authors (January – June). And with so many new authors being published in 2023, I’m posting the first half of the year today…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Five Senses

    touch

    Here’s another great STEM storytime theme about the five senses. You can do one storytime for all of the senses together or break this out into a series of storytimes focusing on each sense individually. I’ve pulled together a few books about all the senses and one book for each…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Imaginary Creatures

    storytime

    This was so fun to pull together! These picture books about imaginary creatures are absolutely adorable and great read alouds. What I love is that this can be just one storytime with a wide variety of imaginary creatures or you can choose just one creature and find a few more…

  • Lists

    Rick Riordan Read Alikes

    Rick Riordan header

    Rick Riordan is an ever-popular author in my library! Kids flock to his books and love the characters, settings, and pull of the mythology. One of the things I love most about Riordan’s writing is the inclusivity of his characters from race to disability, to gender identity, he’s not shying…

  • Lists

    20 Wild Middle Grade: Animals

    animals header

    With summer just around the corner for so many kids, I wanted to share a few titles in lots of different genres to help make summer reading that much easier! If you’ve got a voracious reader at home, try setting some fun reading goals this summer by trying different genres.…

  • Lists

    16 Middle Grade Titles: Fantasy

    moon

    With summer just around the corner for so many kids, I wanted to share a few titles in lots of different genres to help make summer reading that much easier! If you’ve got a voracious reader at home, try setting some fun reading goals this summer by trying different genres.…

  • Lists

    9 Books All About Mermaids

    under water

    Under the sea magic! When I was little and playing in the pool during the summer, I remember pretending to be a mermaid! Not unlike many children, I bet. There’s something so magical about being underwater, flipping your fins, but don’t get started belting Disney songs this morning. Although I…

  • Reviews

    Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches

    castle

    Synopsis: “Archibald is a risk-averse boy with quirks that earn him plenty of eye-rolls, especially from his older sister, Hailee. Things get worse when his parents move the family from London to his grandmother’s creepy manor in the English countryside. Now he has to deal with hairless dolls in the…

  • Activities

    Book Jam 2021

    book festival

    One of my favorite parts of being a part of the kid lit community is meeting creators. Authors and illustrators who spend their days creating books for kids. A few years ago, I stumbled across the Princeton Children’s Book Festival. Held every September, the Princeton Public Library would pack authors…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Reads

    Top Ten Tuesday

    I’ve got a little bit of everything on this list! Young adult, middle grade, chapter books, and all sorts of formats and genres too! I definitely haven’t been reading the volume of books that I typically would, but rather than beat myself up over it, I’m trying to just accept…