• Lifestyle

    September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month

    If you don’t have a library card, September is the time to get one (although, I wouldn’t wait just for September!) But, September is National Card Sign-Up Month and the Teen Titans are this year’s Honorary Chairs, which I think is a great choice as superheroes are super popular among…

  • Lifestyle

    Hurricane Harvey Relief – #KidLitCares

    After seeing the heart wrenching photos and stories coming out of the Texas area from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, it’s hard to figure out where to send my support. I think that this Mr. Rogers quote is one that helps me put these horrible situations into some perspective. And…

  • Lifestyle

    Emergency Preparedness

    Sadly, there was an active shooter in a public library in Clovis, New Mexico on Monday afternoon. I believe this is the first time there has been a shooting in a public library and honestly, I’m shocked it hasn’t happened before now. Public libraries are just that – public which…

  • Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/28/17

    This week I got a chance to read The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris and  Sparrow by Sarah Moon and started reading Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork, which I can’t wait to finish because only a few chapters in, I’m already invested in the story and can’t wait to see what happens.…

  • Lifestyle

    Don't Mess with YA Book Twitter

    This is one of those crazy stories you just can’t believe, but it’s true! This week The New York Times Bestseller list for young adult titles bumped The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas from the top spot for a debut novel, Handbook for Mortals… awesome right, because anything that can bump…

  • Lists

    Back to School – Middle Grade Edition

    Back to school is always exciting and slightly scary time for kids and you can find gobs and gobs of picture books discussing the new school year, but it’s a lot more difficult to find titles for middle grade students getting ready for a new school building, a new school…

  • Lifestyle

    Director's Thoughts #13 – Program Evaluation

    I’m finalizing our strategic plan that will begin officially in January and our next project to take on is program and service evaluation. It’s definitely a time-intensive, difficult project because people feel strongly about programs and services, what we should keep, what we should get rid of, what we need,…

  • Lifestyle

    Mark Your Calendars: National Book Festival

    The National Book Festival is a really cool experience! I’ve been a few times when it was held on the National Mall, (never at the Convention Center) and it’s a great place to celebrate books, authors, illustrators and meet other book lovers like yourself. The National Book Festival brings authors…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Modern Titles to Pair with Classics

    I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of classic literature read in high school – I think it’s difficult to teach, it’s difficult to connect to students’ lives and it’s often filled with a lot of old/dead white men. So, this Top Ten Tuesday is…