title: The Bridge Home author: Padma Venkatraman date: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019 main character: Viji note: this review contains spoilers. I’ve marked where they begin and end. Padma Venkatraman has now published four books for young readers. She most often writes stories based in her Indian heritage and just as often reflects themes of social… Read More review: The Bridge Home

I thought this was the perfect time to interview Lamar Giles since these are for many students the last days of summer. I’m so glad he was available! Here, we discuss his latest books, The Last Day of Summer and Spin; inclusive writing and the pains of middle school. EC: When you were in middle school, were… Read More interview: Lamar Giles

An author recently queried on Facebook, “Is this a new thing, teachers going on Twitter asking authors to give them sets of books?” It seems that this is a thing. A bad thing. We all know how difficult it is for teachers to get supplies for their classrooms and we know they work hard to… Read More About that class set of books!

Sometimes, I find out more about people after their death than I knew when they were alive. I think this just serves to remind me that I leave a legacy, that we all do. I didn’t know that Toni Morrison had worked as a Library aid in Lorain, Ohio. Reflecting on that work, she stated… Read More Toni Morrison, American novelist, essayist, editor, teacher and professor emeritus. And, Library Aide.