This is the story of how Adam Gidwitz and I became best friends. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me begin, instead, by...

Even though she'd already written several books prior, I first became aware of Padma Venkatraman when The Bridge Home came out in 2020....

Last year, just for fun, I started creating monthly "reading challenges" that: focus on authentic reasons for reading (instead of having...

"Memories are like heartbeats, they keep things alive, make us who we are."   ― Olivetti by Allie Millington Although I typically use...

I had the great joy of presenting alongside Dashka Slater at last year's NCTE conference in Boston . The session, which was organized by...

I've been teaching, remotely, in the MLIS program at Rutgers since 2019. I love to share that, because the program is entirely online,...

When Elly Swartz was a guest on The Reader's Heart , we talked about the theme of forgiveness as being a common thread in all of her...

It's that time again. For the moment, anyway, my curated starred review spreadsheet is up to date, y'all. As a reminder, I curate and...

Last year, just for fun, I started creating monthly "reading challenges" that: focus on authentic reasons for reading (instead of having...

In my review of Pedro & Daniel, which I wrote for the 2023 "Nerdy Awards," I shared just how important I thought this book was for...

Back in the day, my library hero and mentor, Doug Johnson , used to write a yearly wrap-up post sharing what he "shipped" in the prior...

Earlier this year, I asked Mr. Schu if he'd mind if I copied his practice of curating the books he loves on Pinterest . Of course, he...

It's that time again. For the moment, anyway, my curated starred review spreadsheet is up to date, y'all. As a reminder, I curate and...

Some of my fondest Twitter related memories revolve around the educator chats that used to take place there. Once Twitter changed its...

Just for fun, I’ve started creating monthly reading challenges for readers of all ages. Here's the one for December! I started creating...

People are sometimes surprised to learn that I never (very rarely?) attend ALA, AASL, ISTE, etc. I only go when I am asked to present...

I joined twitter around 2008. In fact, I joined, deactivated and rejoined several times before it finally stuck in 2010. Microblogging,...

One of my goals for 2024 was to start a podcast. Rooted in the belief that our world needs the magic of children’s literature now more...

ABOUT OUR BOOK CLUB Y'all, it's no secret that I love the Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club. If you've never participated, these...

As a transient kid, who grew up in poverty, I entered high school lacking many basic skills. Because I bounced from school to school, I...