I had the honor of hearing Cushman speak at the Shenandoah University Children’s Literature Conference this year on the day I was presenting a workshop. Her writing journey amazed me because she waited until age 50 to start writing because she realized until that point, she hadn’t had anything she needed to say. The Midwife’s […]
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I won this book at a door prize at one of the sessions at Longwood University’s Summer Literacy Institute this summer. The class was about how to integrate activities to prepare children for disaster situations using literature. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of disaster situations. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer, and my […]
I’m excited to be attending a conference at Longwood University along with Susann Cokal, and I wanted to read at least one of her books before meeting her. I chose The Kingdom of Little Wounds because many reviewers said it was a dark tale—which is right up my alley. The result of seven years of […]
About a year ago, I was honored to hear Aranka Siegal speak. She is a Holocaust survivor, and though her family begged her not to go to the speaking engagement (because of her age and the difficulties of travel), she insisted on going. When she found out she would be speaking to an auditorium full […]
I’m excited to be attending and presenting at the Longwood University 2015 Summer Literacy Institute. In preparation, I wanted to read at least one book written by each author who will be attending. The Dog in the Wood is a middle-grade book about a ten-year-old named Fritz. He lives in eastern Germany in April 1945. […]
I read this book on the recommendation of coworkers when we were discussing books about students who rebel. This is a cross between middle grade and young adult—there are bits in there that older kids would get, but the story is appropriate for middle grade. The story follows a boy named Wallace Wallace, who made […]
I finally got around to reading this book. Being an English teacher has its downsides: when I assign independent reading projects, a lot of books are spoiled for me before I get to read them. This was one of them—many students read it several years ago, but I’d forgotten that I already knew the basic […]
Ceremony follows the story of Tayo, a Native American who fought against the Japanese during World War II. The horrors he witnessed in the war have left him sick and restless, and he cannot settle into regular life upon his return. His fellow soldiers take to alcohol and violence to deal with their experience, an […]
This book had been on my “wish list” for several years, but I finally decided to buy it for myself. I love the movie The Mothman Prophesies, (I lost the DVD when I moved!) simply because I love the mystery surrounding the legend of the Mothman. I’ll admit I’ve watched various documentaries on the phenomenon, […]
This middle-grade/children’s book was available free as part of my Amazon Prime lending library, so I thought I’d give it a try. The theme also resonates with me: brave dogs changing humans’ lives for the better. The story follows Lady, an Irish Setter who is eventually “recruited” into the armed forces to act as a […]
