…changing the world, one reader at a time.
My most recent anti-racist read was You’ll Never Believe what Happened to Lacey – Crazy Stories about Racism, by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. I experienced this book in the audiobook format. Here is some information about the book, from Brave and Kind Books: Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin […]
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This week, I had the amazing opportunity to moderate a virtual session for the Virginia Festival of the Book‘s Shelf Life series. Double Draw Dare had everything – a gameshow wheel, outer space dragons, sea creatures in formal wear, and two incredibly talented illustrators: Tom Angleberger and Dub Leffler. I’m still sore from laughing! I […]
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Oh man, did I love Ramona Quimby as a kid. When one of my young readers begged to dive into Ramona and Her Father as our next virtual one-on-one readaloud, I couldn’t believe my luck. This reader has grown tremendously this year with the work of her dedicated team – she receives a mix of […]
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Looking for a book to add to your middle school curriculum that will spark meaningful conversation about racism, especially in schools and sports? Black Brother, Black Brother, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, could be it. Read it with… Jerry Craft’s New Kid to compare microagressions and overt racism, and open readers’ eyes to look more critically […]
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Image via Brave and Kind Books My September and October anti-racist read was Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, by Layla F. Saad. In September, I experienced this book via audiobook, which the author read herself. In October, I purchased a hard copy from my local bookstore, […]
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September 28-October 2 is Banned Books Week. Buckle up, because – surprise! – I have some feelings about censorship. Librarian Mike Rawls, otherwise known as @thebookwrangler, put it beautifully on his Instagram page this week: “Books are banned for all kinds of reasons… but 8 out of 10 books on the American Library Association’s Most […]
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My June antiracist read was This Book is Antiracist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work, written by Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurélia Durand. Here is some information about the book, from Quarto Kids: Who are you? What is racism? Where does it come from? Why does it […]
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One of my summer classes this session is an online book club for 7th and 8th grade readers. While I’m eager for the chance to connect with middle schoolers after a spring semester of mostly focusing on my K-4 readers, I’ve never done an online book club before. I was excited, but worried it would […]
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My May antiracist read was Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. This book is the young readers adaptation of Dr. Kendi’s best-selling Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Here is some information about the book, from Jason Reynolds’ website: This is NOT […]
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It’s likely to be one of the weirdest summers ever, but time waits for no one! The days are getting longer, the school year is wrapping up, and summer reading is on the way. To help you get your TBR list ready, here are the library interns with their best reading suggestions. Get our your […]
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