As far as I can tell, 236 writers finished the March Slice of Life Challenge. That’s a lot of blog posts! I commented on 20+ posts a day but still didn’t come close to visiting each Slicer (a goal for next year’s challenge–visit every Slicer at least once.) Still, I read and loved a lot…
Reading While White has a terrific interview with professor and blogger Laura Jimenez about her critical work on graphic novels, YA literature, and issues of diversity and representation. Design of the Picture Book analyzes Radiant Child, my favorite nonfiction picture book of 2016. What happens when an English teacher reads and love a new YA…
I stopped grading years ago, and my students work harder and more meaningfully than ever. The Paper Graders has a terrific post to help you #StopGrading. Jonathan Hunt considers the Newbery merits of Jason Reynolds’s two 2016 titles, Ghost and As Brave As You. Comments are also very interesting. Laura Jiminez challenges us to read…
Betsy Bird’s 31 book lists to round out 2016 have caused my own TBR list to explode. Be sure to check out her list of Best Picture Books of 2016. Just in case you don’t have quite enough reading to do, Carrie Gelson’s list of 16 Favorites from 2016 is full of wonderful titles. And…
I am so excited about Teen Librarian Toolbox’s theme for 2017: Social Justice! Check out the social justice themed book display they created with no slogans or headings to announce the topic. College basketball player Bronson Koenig, one of just 40 Native American students playing basketball at D-1 colleges, reported from Standing Rock earlier in…
I’m still putting together my own learning reflections from #NCTE16. Here are other learning reflection posts I’ve enjoyed this week. Inspired by their thinking and learning at #NCTE16, Three Teachers Talk plans to focus their blogging on the four key elements teachers need to make decisions about learning in their classrooms. (I’m also feeling demoralized about…
Jacqueline Woodson shares her answer to the question I keep asking myself, How Do I Comfort My Frightened Son After the Election? Liel Leibovitz urges us to take Trump at face value and assume the worst, as his grandfather did about Hitler in 1930s Vienna: “Refuse to accept what’s going on as the new normal.…
I’ve been working my way through the archives of my favorite podcast, Radiolab. This week, my favorite episode was Speedy Beet, about how Beethoven may have intended his symphonies to be played: fast. Very fast. SLJ does some research into banned books and discovers one thing they have in common: many of them feature diverse…
Hey Sigmund shares 20 tips for building resilience in children–most can be used by parents and teachers alike. Barnes & Noble Blog curates an interesting list of 16 Books Everyone Should Read Before High School. Book Riot explains why Why Public Libraries Should Support Black Lives Matter and gives a list of practical ways to do this…
The best thing I’ve read lately is Kathryn Schulz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning feature article about the earthquake that’s going to destroy the Pacific Northwest, The Really Big One. I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to explain to white people why #AllLivesMatter is offensive. The New York Times helped me out with this article. Brian…
the dirigible plum 