The Power of Harry Potter at IRA

Will you be at IRA?  I am thrilled to extend the following invitation to you via Scholastic. RSVP directly to loisbridges@earthlink.net Lois and I have been in contact a few times over the last couple of months. Lois is a Literacy Publisher, formerly with Heinemann for ten years; now with Scholastic. She and Scholastic are interested [...]

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta’s The Piper’s Son is an interesting book.  It follows the same group of friends as her Saving Francesca, but it readers can pick up The Piper’s Son without reading  Saving Francesca  (I haven’t read it).  It walks the line between YA and adult, and some readers will definitely feel it is more adult than YA.  The story [...]

The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive by Brian Christian

In the interest of full-disclosure, I went to high school with Brian.  We’ve kept in touch and I was so excited when I read his book announcement in Publisher’s Weekly.  I pre-ordered the book as soon as I could, and I read it from cover to cover as soon as it arrived. However, I tend [...]

Opening the Gate: YA Books to “Hook” Adult Readers

One of my favorite parts of working at my new school has been exposing some of my colleagues to the great YA literature being published today.  Back in October, my AP biology colleague asked for a book recommendation because she loved my vast classroom library.  She listed a few books she enjoyed reading and I [...]

Spring Break!

Finally. Finally. FINALLY!  Spring break is here! The months between winter break and spring break were way too long this year.  Spring break at the end of April?  Sheesh.  This break is so desperately needed.  So excited to settle in for #bookaday, updating the blog, planning my week-long summer camp, and spending time with Dublin. [...]

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

I am a huge Megan McCafferty fan.  Like, ridiculous fangirl, over-the-top, absolutely love her.  Jessica Darling is in my Top 10 Favorite Fictional Characters.  I recommend Sloppy Firsts: A Jessica Darling Novel (the first in the series) to everyone I know.  So when I saw that Megan was writing a dystopian YA novel, I was [...]

#NCTE11

Woohoo!  Today I received the email.  I admit, when NCTE tweeted that presentation invitations would be mailed this week, I was a little anxious.  I really want to present this November, as I was so disappointed when I couldn’t go to NCTE ’10. Well, my anxiety has been relieved- I will be presenting at NCTE [...]

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

Before you read any further, just know that this is an instant classic. Okay for Now is a book that will remain on bookshelves for a very long time, and it has both kid appeal and enormous literary appeal. Okay for Now is a sequel to Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars, but it stands on its [...]