I was going to review Posted by John David Anderson and I will, but I’ve had blog block for about a week. It isn’t writer’s block because I have plenty to say and have certainly been writing, but I haven’t been sure about what I should write on my blog. I considered writing about accidental censorship. What is accidental censorship? It’s when a teacher decides that a book isn’t appropriate for their students. It’s when a teacher doesn’t put certain books in their classroom li

It happened organically and unexpectedly. It was just over two years ago when my daughter, who adores her grandparents, started reading select passages from Flawed by Cecilia Ahern to my mother - her Grammy. They were passages that really stood out to her. She would share the passage and then comment on them. Then my mother would reply and back and forth they went. It was a live action dialectical journal followed by the tiniest Socratic Seminar. After an hour of this back an

Even when I'm not reviewing YA or middle grade books on this blog, I'm reading. I don't limit myself to YA. I'm a big fan of mysteries, historical fiction, historical nonfiction, the "classics", poetry, etc. This just happened to be a week where I read more of those other genres. I'm not likely to review those here, but I might mention them. All of these other genres and how I came to them are a part of my bigger reading story. It's easy enough to understand why I read the "c

Today was another one of those didn't finish a book days. I don't have many of those, especially during the summer, but I've been feeling exceptionally lazy these last 24-hours. That isn't to say I'm not reading because I certainly am. I always am. I'm currently reading Posted by John David Anderson and the Carnelian Crow by Colleen Gleason. I'm enjoying both, so my slowed down pace isn't from lack of interest. It's more that there's a screened-in porch and a double papasan w

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a villain problem. That's what people say. Truthfully, so far the D.C. Cinematic Universe also has a villain problem. This is despite both comic giants having a stable, in fact a veritable pantheon, of incredible villains they could use. There is nothing scary about a purple guy in a floating kitchen chair coercing people into collecting Infinity Stones for him, and there is certainly nothing frightening about a hipster Lex Luther with a bob

Favoritism isn't an easy thing when the choices seem endless, and it isn't always a good thing, but sometimes you just can't help yourself. I'm a reader. I have always been a reader. I was absolutely that kid hiding a light source under the blankets so I could read long after my bedtime. I used to read in one of my bedroom closets and my parents were none the wiser. Sadly, my secret closet hideaway became uninhabitable due to an unfortunate early autumn escapade. In my parent

"You see us as you want to see us—in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal." - The Breakfast Club What happens when you take The Breakfast Club (1985) and mix it with a closed door mystery? Well, you get One of Us is Lying. You get five kids serving detention and only four of them coming out alive. Nothing promises some good teen drama q

I was two books late to the Percy Jackson party. "Lemme splain. No. There is too much. Lemme sum up." When the first Percy Jackson book came out I was excited. I love mythology. I love Poseidon. However, I was also in three different book clubs. This was in addition to my just for me personal reading, so Percy was set aside. Then I was "kicked" out of one book club for arguing with the author of the book we had just read because I was the only member who didn't like the book

I was going to start this post by asking, "Who doesn't love a bad boy?!" Then I realized that maybe I don't actually love bad boys. For instance, I was definitely Team Dean when it came to Gilmore Girls. And I am definitely Team Jonathan when it comes to Stranger Things. I am always Team Captain America. Who wasn't Team Aang on Avatar: The Last Air Bender, although I was baby devastated when the Battle of Lake Laogai ended with Jet splayed on the ground painfully sucking air

That title is not a typo. One of the first writing tasks I give my students is asking them to document their reading life - the highs, the lows, the feelings, the failings, the loves, the hates, the books that changed them, the books that moved them, the people who helped them discover reading, etc. I write right along with them. I usually document my reading life by writing about specific books, but I give my students the freedom to do what they feel. My day might look like