• Lists

    21 Middle Grade Books That are Out of this World

    cosmos

    Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. I was only a year old when this pivotal moment in history happened. And before September 11, it was one of the more recent events that many people could remember where they were when they heard the news. I just recently…

  • Lifestyle

    My Thoughts on the YMAs

    oscar

    Monday morning was an exciting day in the kid lit world. The American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards were announced! Now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the YMAs (for what it’s worth). If you’re looking for a complete list…

  • Lists

    ALA’s 2021 Youth Media Awards

    This morning, the American Library Association announced the Youth Media Awards. The most popular being the Caldecott and Newbery Awards. But, in actuality, there are over 20 award announcements this morning! I’ll be talking more about these creators and titles later this week. Today, I’m sharing the winners and honors!…

  • Lifestyle

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/25/2021

    bookmark

    What I Read Work really gets in the way of my reading time! I was a Saturday Librarian again this week. And yes, it’s a thing. Check Twitter on any given Saturday for the hashtag #SaturdayLibrarian and you’ll see a host of librarians commiserating together! It’s definitely a time suck…

  • Reviews

    Simon B. Rhymin’

    open mic

    Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Synopsis: “A humorous and heartwarming bounce-to-the-beat underdog story about a young rapper whose rhymes help bring his community together. Eleven-year-old Simon…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020

    Top Ten Tuesday

    I’ll be honest to say I cheated just a little bit on this list! I read a few of these titles in the past week or so. But, I wanted to get another chance to highlight some of the amazing debut authors that published books in 2020, so I decided,…

  • Lifestyle

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/18/2021

    bookmark

    What I Read I’m finished We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly and I must say, it might be one of my favorites by Erin! Told from the perspective of three siblings, it’s an intriguing story of the days leading up to the Challenger shuttle launch. I found this…

  • Lists

    2020 CYBILS Finalists

    writing

    I can’t believe I forgot to share the 2020 CYBILS Finalists! These lists were released on January 1st with winners announced on February 14th. The CYBILS awards “aims to recognize the children’s and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal.” This means…

  • Lifestyle

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/11/2021

    bookmark

    What I Read I’m working on my third novel of the week. And considering the week we’ve had, I’d say I’m doing well! Beyond what’s happening nationally, I worked six days this week which always cuts into my reading time. Plus, Saturday night I was getting ready to take my…