Posts by Beth
My List of 100 Memorable Novels. With a Few Memoirs.
A list of 100 favorite/impactful/memorable novels — Nathan Bransford did it. So did Becky Levine. I’m going to do it, too, and pop on to my blog long enough to post it, so you can think about your 100 favorite books (and perhaps find a few on my list, or Becky’s, or Nathan’s, that you…
Read MoreBook Recommendations for Your Summer Reading
Summer is coming! Among other things, that means it’s time to take a blogging break for a while. I’ll pop in from time to time for a quick “What I’m Reading” post, but regular posts will be on hiatus until fall. When I was growing up, one of the things I enjoyed about summer (besides…
Read MoreA Strong Right Arm by Michelle Y. Green — Book Recommendation
I’ve been impatiently waiting until my planned alphabetical posts were complete so that I could share this book with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Title: A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Author: Michelle Y. Green Publisher: New York: Scholastic, 2002. Genre: Middle Grade biography Audience…
Read MoreThe Ziegfeld Club, Inc.
You may have heard of the impresario Flo Ziegfeld (Flo was short for Florenz.) You may have heard of the Ziegfeld Girls from the early days of movies. You may be wondering why I’m posting about them today. It turns out that the Ziegfeld Follies aren’t the only thing that the Ziegfelds were involved in.…
Read MoreJane Yolen
Jane Yolen is one of the wonders of modern writing. She has written and published over 300 books, most — but not all — for children (of all ages). She is a poet and a master of many genres. She is a mentor and teacher to many. One of the keys to the prolific nature…
Read MoreWrite This Down by Claudia Mills
Technically, this “What I’m Reading” post is another “What I Just Finished Reading Because I Couldn’t Put It Down” post. Not only is it well done in terms of expressing a middle-grader’s feelings and thoughts, and the wrenching ups and downs of pre-teen life in both family and school, but writers will identify with her…
Read MoreThe Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
Actually, I read this one so quickly (it’s that good) that I didn’t get to post it while I was reading it. I highly recommend this one. Title: The Distance to Home Author: Jenn Bishop Publisher: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016 Genre: MG Fiction Links: Author’s website Publishers Weekly review Kirkus review
Read MoreFinding the Value of X
Don’t worry, I’m not going to wax mathematical, and particularly not algebraic. But really, what is the value of X in our language? You may have wondered, when I began this alphabetical journey, what I would do with X . I admit I wondered, as well. It’s a problem that I’m sure most alphabetographers struggle…
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