Clik here to view.
New Releases--January 16, 2017
Happy Tuesday! I usually like to start my new releases lists by giving a little taste of what's going on in my life in China. This week, however, my life is perfectly mid-January. There is nothing at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Releases--January 23, 2018
Has anyone else's January been as boring as mine? So far, January has been work, read, cook, blog, and repeat for me. This week though, something interesting looms on the horizon. According to today's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: The Ruins of Gorlan (Flanagan)
Reading this series has become a bit of a family affair for me this week. It started with our 10-year old son, who brought it home from the school library after I challenged him to try reading some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Releases--January 30, 2018
Last week, I mentioned snow predictions for Shanghai. Snow is rare in Shanghai, the last snowfall in the city being way back in 2008. So did the predictions pan out? You bet they did! It snowed all day...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Windfall (Smith)
I didn't love Windfall or hate it. The plot will easy to booktalk, and I'm betting this will be a hit in my library. Though the characters are 18-year olds, Windfall's content is fine for middle school...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Refugee (Gratz)
How much did I love this book? The 2018 Newbery Medal will be awarded in about two weeks. I'd be shocked if this isn't at least a contender. It's got everything--solid writing, a tear-jerker ending,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Releases--February 6, 2018
Welcome to February! Here in China, February means Chinese New Year, a huge event in China where most people have several days to up to a month off work. This year is the Year of the Dog. Most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Releases--February 13, 2018
Apologies for a late post this week, but I was enjoying a week of abundant sunshine, white water rafting, and delicious vegan cuisine in Bali, Indonesia! It's a looonnnggg way to Indonesia from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Release Spotlight: February 20, 2018
Welcome to The Year of the Dog! We are super-excited about this year because our son was born at the "tail-end" of the last Year of the Dog. He was born on February 14, 2007, only three days before the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Love Letters to the Dead (Dellaira)
I pledged to read 100 books in 2018 with a group of students at school. So far, I'm doing really bad. This is only book #7 for me, which is 8 books behind my goal. At least none of my students will...
View ArticleNew Release Spotlight: February 27, 2018
You are going to LOVE what I am trying on the blog this week! Today, I am doing my first-ever New Release Spotlight giveaway! I'm excited to give away one copy of each of my two featured titles! You...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Release Spotlight--March 6, 2018
Congratulations to Jennifer J! Jennifer won last week's New Release Spotlight giveaway of A Girl Like That. The other giveaway, One True Way doesn't end until tonight (March 6th), so be sure to enter...
View ArticleReview: Love That Dog (Creech)
Do you teach upper-elementary or middle school English? This book is a MUST for poetry units! You could plan a whole unit around the poetry references in Love That Dog!So Love That Dog is book #10 of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Release Spotlight: March 13, 2018
We have had beautiful weather in Shanghai this week--it seems spring has arrived! I took this photo while walking home from work yesterday. It's the sun setting over one of the many canals that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: The Cruel Prince (Black)
Want to live in a beautiful, magical faerie world? Think hard about that! For humans who live in the world of The Cruel Prince, life is full of poisonous fruit, extreme faerie cruelty, mind control,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: The Border (Steve Schafer)
This book made me thirsty; I had to keep an icy glass of water next to me while reading. The Border chronicles four teens ages 15-17 running for their lives and trying to cross a vast desert on-foot...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Genuine Fraud (Lockhart)
Anyone who knows me knows that I adore watching Seinfeld reruns. If you are also a Seinfeld fan, you may remember an episode that is told in backwards order. It's not my favorite Seinfeld episode, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma: Young Readers Edition (Pollan)
Okay, so this is a book review, but there's a lot of story behind why I read this book, and I very much want to share it. I started to include the story of how I went from "I'll eat anything if it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Mr. 60% (Smith)
What teens can learn from this book:Cancer is horrible, messy, and painful.If you are poor and get sick, no one in the medical community wants to help you. Don't even bother to ask.Dealing drugs is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: The Prince and the Dressmaker (Wang)
Beautiful and sweet! I loved this modern fairy tale of Prince Sebastian and his talented dressmaker. AUTHOR: Jen WangSERIES: nonePUBLISHER: FirstSecondPUBLICATION DATE: February 13, 2018ISBN:...
View Article