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Review: Under the Lights (Glines)
I really do love author Abbi Glines, but book two of The Field Party series just wasn't as good as the first one. Pacing is slow. One of the three character points-of-view is completely unnecessary....
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One Week Freebie: Library Orientation Scavenger Hunt
I am excited to try a new feature on my blog: the One-Week Freebie. Whenever I post a new paid item on TPT, I will post it free for the first week only. My primary goal is to thank my most loyal...
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YA, MG, and Picture Book New Releases--August 30, 2016
I've been talking about the August 30 releases for a few weeks now. This is the largest new release lists I've compiled since I started creating these lists back in May. Out of 50 or so new releases, I...
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Review: Lily and Dunkin (Gephart)
I LOVED this book. I always say that the world would be a better place if everyone read Palacio's Wonder. Now, I can say that about a second book: Lily and Dunkin. It's an interesting, unique read that...
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Spotlighting 32 new releases this week!
Another HUGE release week! I really did try to cut this one down a bit, even if only because of my own time constraints. Alas, I still ended up spotlighting 32 new releases this week! It's down from my...
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What's Your Genre Personality? Quiz: A fun way to recommend genres to students!
Remember all those magazine quizzes we took as teens? This genre personality lesson is styled after those quizzes and is a fun way to help students identify which genres are best for them. You can use...
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New Release Spotlight--Sept. 13, 2016
Somehow, these lists keep getting longer, no matter how much I try to pick the best new releases of the week. There are just soooo many good ones! This week's list weighs in with 16 new YAs, 8 MGs, and...
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Help Your Students Remember What They Read (PPT)
The idea for this presentation came from an email I got from one of my Battle of the Books students. Our BB competition is not until April, and one of my seventh graders emailed me to ask for tips to...
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Armchair Travelers unite! Challenge your students to read around the world
Next month, I will challenge my middle school students to read picture books about countries around the world. I have been planning this project for months, but it's been kicking around in the back of...
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New Release Spotlight: Sept. 20, 2016
Tuesday again! Time for this week's new releases! This week, I've added a chapter books section and defined my grade levels, both of which I will continue to do for my new releases posts from now on....
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Review: Genesis Girl (Bardsley)
If this book were a movie, it would be Armageddon, that Bruce Willis action movie from the late-1990s. Armageddon is one of those "summer blockbusters" that are high on intensity but low on...
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14 Must-Reads Narrated By Transgender Kids and Teens
Every Tuesday since May, I have posted a summary of YA, MG, and picture book new releases that week. This has resulted in several unintended consequences. My TBR list has grown exponentially (okay, I...
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YA, MG, and PB New Release Spotlight--September 27, 2016
Happy Tuesday! I had a great time going over this list with my 6th grade homeroom this morning. Based on their reactions, I already know that I am going to need lots of copies of Frazzled for all my...
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Genre Personality Profile: The Escapist
The "What's Your Genre Personality?" Quiz has been a huge success in my own school, and I have gotten lots of positive feedback from other librarians who have used it. The quiz is a series of questions...
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New Releases--October 4, 2016
It's New Release Tuesday! This week's spotlight includes 38 new titles, about half of which are YA. I'm most excited about Nemesis, Our Chemical Hearts, Replica, When the Moon Was Ours, and A Bike Like...
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Genre Personality Profile: The Questioner
Do you have Questioners in your library? Of course you do! Today we will look at the second of our eight genre personality profiles: The Questioner. Here goes...The description that the students see in...
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Using Picture Books With Older Readers: Four Feet, Two Sandals (Williams,...
This is my fifth book in my Using Picture Books With Older Readers series. I love using picture books with secondary students! There are so many lessons in history, art, writing, sociology,...
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Genre Personality Profile: The Thrill-Seeker
Along with Escapists, Thrill-Seekers are among the most voracious readers I have. And like Escapists, Thrill-Seekers also love series books, especially high-suspense or horror stories. Easily bored,...
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Review: Crow Mountain (Ingles)
If you put Louis Sachar's Holes, the movie Far and Away, and the movie Dances With Wolves into a blender and poured it into a YA novel, you would get Crow Mountain. If you love western romance, you...
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New Releases--October 11, 2016
Forty-eight new titles spotlighted this week! I didn't want to go over 30 this time, but once again, it was really hard to narrow down so many great titles. I am most excited about Amy Chelsea Stacie...
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