Mentoring in the Middle: book reviews
  There's no doubt in my mind why Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson won the Newbery this year!  It's historically accurate, filled wi...
  You can read picture books to sixth graders.  For fun.  To teach a lesson.  To expand their horizons.   That's why The Carpenter's...
What does it mean to be a hero?  Are there times when it's okay to make taking care of yourself more important than taking care of other...
There's nothing better than a good book.  Even better than that is a good book that's been recommended by a student!   A few years a...
  Have you read Free Lunch by Rex Ogle?  It's a powerful tale about the stigma of growing up in poverty and learning that your parents&#...
Jennifer Chan is Not Alone is the latest book by Tae Keller, author of When You Trap a Tiger.  I received an eARC in exchange for a review. ...
A Duet for Home is a book that will resonate with many upper elementary and middle school students.  Told from the point of view of two home...
Some books grab you, others don't.  Why should you consider giving them to students?  Read on.... Shatter Me  is dystopian in a Divergen...
This is a book to get excited about!   I listen to audiobooks on some days when I walk.  It may be that the voices Shayna Small created for ...
I don't normally compare books to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , but stick with me here.   I struggled with the beginning of this book.  I...
If your students are looking for heroes, put this spunky  teenager in front of them.   Stefania Podgorska, a 16-year old girl lives with her...
  This is one of the oddest, most charming books I've read in a while!  It works as a picture book, a book for young readers, and could ...
"Never really thought much about Alabama's red dirt roads, but now, all I can think about is kicking up their dust.  I miss the hot...
  Are you looking for a good book to keep your students reading?  This Young Readers Edition of Erica Armstrong Dunbar's book tells a li...
  " So, we're going to treat the Revolutionary War like a football game, okay?  Because that's what it was like, one team advan...
  Tip:  There are so many things to like about Dry by Neal Shusterman, and if heart-pounding action is what you're looking for, it's...
K.A. Holt, author of House Arrest, Knockout, and  Rhyme Schemer has written a book that needs to be read.  She says it was a love letter to ...
                                                           My first year of teaching was in 2001.  I was a three-week-old teacher when terro...
  "H e says he hates to read, but I know you'll change his mind."   "I asked for her to be in your class because you'...