As part of my professional development journey in adolescent literacy during the last years of my career in public schools, I pushed not only my department but also every staff member to make our reading lives visible to our high school students. I worked from the premise that all of us on staff had a…
Read moreAbundance By Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Concept: Ezra Klein (New York Times) and Derek Thompson (The Atlantic) explore the abundance we could have and the scarcity the 20th and 21st centuries have created for the majority of people in the United States. Both Republicans and Democrats have built this situation. This does not have…
Read moreAll Better Now by Neal Shusterman Concept: In Neal Shusterman’s latest novel, a new Coronavirus variant is reaching pandemic levels. Survivors of the new variant recover as new people–without worries, without anger, without greed. They are happy with a simple life. The novel follows several key characters: a prodigy who is given access to money…
Read moreWhile this post is about specific Texas legislation, similar bills are in play in other GOP-controlled states. Watching the 2025 Txlege session provides far too many moments of despair. I held out hope that fiscal conservative Republicans and Democrats could stave off the voucher scheme or at least make it contingent on voter approval in…
Read moreThe Librarian Spy: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin Concept: Two young women–one American, one French–become distant partners to resist the Nazi regime during World War II. Ava Harper, a librarian at the Library of Congress, is chosen to move to Lisbon, Portugal to work with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)…
Read moreDeals this month… Switch from Audible to Libro.fm. (I have subscriptions with both.) Compare the platforms: Start a new Libro.fm subscription using this code and receive two free audiobooks: Make the Switch As a Libro.fm affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read moreEverything We Never Had by Randy Ribay Concept: This latest young adult novel by Randy Ribay explores four generations of Maghabol men as they navigate life as Filipino Americans. The experience of each is also intertwined with his relationship with his father. The youngest Maghabol, 16-year-old Enzo, relates his experiences during the Covid lockdowns as…
Read moreRepeal and Replace Robin Hood Funding Scheme I don’t know who likes the Robin Hood funding scheme that recaptures money from high property wealth districts and uses it to redistribute to low property wealth districts. This was the “brilliant” fix to the funding formula found to be be unconstitutional in the 1990s (history). Wealthier property…
Read moreCheck out the children’s title How You Got Your Name and the nonfiction title On Tyranny in this first set of reviews for 2025. How You Got Your Name by Trey Kennedy, illustrated by Jesus Lopez Concept: Origins of our names can be a fun story for children. The young boy asks his parents how…
Read moreWelcome to this post featuring YA and MG titles. Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole The first wolf I remember was bagging my mother’s groceries. I was fourteen and we’d just come from the pool. (That doesn’t mean I was wearing a bathing suit.That doesn’t mean I was wearing shorts.People always wonder what I was…
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