Today’s books deliver wonderful stories that are nicely suited to reading aloud to young children or handing to sturdy young readers. They’re too long to qualify for my 100-pages-and down lists yet they are fairly short and their style and …
Category: chapter/middle grade
the persecuted Uyghur, art, and female empowerment…read your world
The Uyghur people, a predominantly Muslim people located in far northwestern China, have been spotlighted internationally in recent years due to their persecution by the Chinese government. In addition to repressive police surveillance, more than a million Uyghurs have been …
Read More "the persecuted Uyghur, art, and female empowerment…read your world"
the bird in me flies…a stunning portrait of an artist
The Bird in Me Flies, written and illustrated by Sara Lundberg, translated by B.J. Epstein first published in Sweden in 2017; English edition 2020 by Groundwood Books 120 pages This ravishingly beautiful, fictionalized biography of Swedish artist Berta Hansson has …
Read More "the bird in me flies…a stunning portrait of an artist"
the fierce urgency of now…Black History reads for teens
In Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech he presses the American people to confront racism, to recognize “the fierce urgency of now” at that juncture of history. “This is no time to engage in the luxury of …
Read More "the fierce urgency of now…Black History reads for teens"
transported by fiction…middle grade reads to take you new places
Fiction is magical. It can transport us to distant lands or fantastical worlds. It can take us inside others’ minds, into lived experiences utterly distinct from our own. It can fling us into wild adventures providing a dash of spice …
Read More "transported by fiction…middle grade reads to take you new places"
a winter’s tale…frosty favorites for all ages
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 …
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 …
Read More "five full of beauty and history…it’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day!"
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 …
