February is Black History Month when the country shines a light on Black Americans and their contribution to society, culture, and history, as well as their struggles. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, and asked the country to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in…
Humans are the only animals who fret. Is there another animal who worries like we do? Another animal who plans projects only to give themselves a huge helping of self-doubt? Well, squirrels seem to go through bouts of indecision and doubt, though, don’t they? And we’ve all seen the price they can pay for that….
Hello friends. “I like to start my notes to you as if we’re already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we’re the oldest and dearest friends….” Do you know what film that line is from? You’ve Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies. And…
“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” ~ Mortimer J. Adler I can’t imagine living without books. But I’ve heard rumors about people who do just that. I don’t know any of them though….
So Many Books So Little Time. And that’s just Middle-Grade fiction. I get asked a lot what a middle-grade book is. When people hear “middle grade” they often think “middle school.” Middle-grade fiction is for readers aged 8 to 12 years old. On the other hand, by the time kids are in middle school, they’re…
Happy New Year! Plans! Goals! Revisions! Reviews! Resolutions! Hopes! Dreams! ‘Tis the season. Even if you don’t write them down in a journal, these things are probably fluttering about in your head. They are in mine. They don’t like to be ignored. I read about the idea of reflecting on the past year to understand…
When they’re over, will you be keeping the holidays in your heart? Today is the first day of Kwanzaa, and it’s Boxing Day (UK and Canada). Happy Kwanzaa to those who are celebrating. So, are you basking in the afterglow of yesterday? Still feeling the charm of Christmas all around you? Ahh. Or are you…
Have you had any success finding middle-grade novels featuring Hanukkah? Well, today, I don’t have any books to talk about because sometimes, you just gotta make a tart. Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. When I was a kid, my mother would have prepared a special dinner of brisket and a salad (everything…
December and Christmas go hand in hand. Fa la la la la. While I love the Christmas spirit, it’s important to remember that there are other holidays in December that deserve our respect and attention: Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. When I was a kid, my family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah. We had a beautiful menorah,…
Today I’m bringing you a list of middle-grade novels (for ages 7-12) to gift the children in your life. A book is always a good idea, don’t you think? This list is based on the New York Times Bestseller List for middle-grade books. But before I get to those, I have to recommend a book…
