Welcome to January, a month of fresh starts, frosty weather, and candlelight. Especially this year, it’s a great month to hunker down and protect others by staying cozy at home. To that end, I’ve got a blizzard of books set …
Category: chapter/middle grade
curl up with a good read!…fiction for all ages
It’s time for some transportive, stay-at-home reading!! Little by little my librarians are valiantly making their way through the process of prepping and distributing the tremendous backlog of 2020 titles that made their debut in the middle of a global …
2020 Orange Marmalade Holiday Books-for-Giving
It’s snowy outside my window here in Minnesota and that’s putting me in the mood for the holidays! I know, I know. We still have Thanksgiving to celebrate and I need to hold my horses. However, today also marks the …
five full of beauty and history…it’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Today in Minneapolis, as well as in about 12 other states and numerous cities, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It’s a meaningful opportunity to recognize the amazing cultures and hundreds of sovereign nations that preceded Europeans in North America, the …
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celebrate the hands that toil…a list of ten
For most of us, Labor Day is a rather vague, 3-day weekend. Here in Minnesota, it’s normally a time to button up the cabin for winter and take in the Minnesota State Fair. How did this federal holiday arrive on …
super middle grade reads + a chapter-book *giveaway*
Today I’ve got a batch of middle grade titles I’ve recently enjoyed. Plus, courtesy of the great people at Kane Miller, I’m giving away a series of four chapter books perfect for kids reading on their own or for reading …
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know justice, know peace…resources for middle-grade through adult
Last week I posted some children’s books/resources on topics of diversity, race, Black history, civil rights. Today I’m offering some suggestions for middle-graders through adults. My voice is not the one to listen to on matters of race; I am …
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a batch of fiction gems
Over the last few months I’ve read a few new or new-ish pieces of children’s fiction that I’ve mightily enjoyed. I’m passing them along to you today in the hopes that if you’re in need of something fresh book-wise, you …
Juicy read-alouds for together times
The Great 2020 Global Stay-at-Home has at least one positive side-effect: more time for reading aloud together. The deep enjoyment, family bonds, and literary acquaintances our family has gained from reading aloud together over the course of 30+ years – …
a big batch of old and new middle-grade favorites
During the first couple months of 2020 — in that eons-ago time when my library was open — I was merrily reading and compiling a list of middle-grade reads that struck my fancy. I thought I’d post those titles today …
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