“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” — Kate DiCamillo

Welcome to my fellow educators, librarians, parents, and readers of youth literature! I’m so excited to have you here and to share so many wonderful things related to reading and learning for young people of all ages. I love the Kate DiCamillo quote above because it helps remind me of the joy that should be a part of the reading process for children and teenagers. It can be so easy for young readers to get bogged down with testing, assigned reading, and sometimes feeling like they are only allowed to read stories that check the right boxes. And, this is on top of other demands and pressures that kids face. Reading for pleasure isn’t always a high priority.

So, my hope is this will be a space that will help foster an independent love of reading and learning for young people by connecting with the parents, educators, and book lovers in their lives. Whether it’s through picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, comics and graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, or everything in between … it is all reading! And, it should all be celebrated, shared, and approached as a gift for kids and teens.

The power of books is that they allow us to experience the world around us in a safe way, they teach empathy, and they help inspire the real heroes and leaders of tomorrow. I am so excited to share with you so many wonderful books and reading resources that will hopefully help get the right books into the right hands.

We are in uncharted waters at the moment with the global ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, along with offering book recommedations, my other goal at this time is to help educators and parents by providing reading engagement activities and suggestions. This is a stressful time at home for many families as parents and caregivers are being asked to wear many hats while their children are home from school. To help with that, I’ll be sharing activities and resources that will engage students with reading and learning in a non-stressful way.

Please bear with me in the coming days and weeks as I add content to the site to help during this time. Please use the navigational bar at the top of the homepage to browse book reviews, book lists, and K-12 resources. And, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to use the Contact link to send me an email (or you can also find me on Twitter and Instagram).

I’m wishing you all the best during this unusual time. Please take care of yourselves and let me know if I can help your kids or students in any way.

-Molly