My husband still teases me about my first poem, which has hitherto never been published. There once was a goatWho lived in a boatHe went to town every week, And to all he would not speak.But the funniest thing about himWas that he had a beak. By Megan E. VanderHart, age 8 (Taking a bow.) I have always preferred composing unexpected endings. Thankfully we have more talented young writers among our readers. We received close to one hundred entries and enjoyed the challenge of deciding which ones to include in our next quarterly (the deadline to join the Golden Key Fellowship to receive your copy is Saturday the 21st). I’m…

Back for our second buzz, Janie and Betsy talk over a troubling but moving verse novel. Out of Africa Janie: Kwame Alexander scored a gold medal in 2015 with The Crossover, a verse novel about a tight-knit black family. We liked The Crossover a lot (see our review). Alexander’s latest verse novel is generating a lot of speculation that this may be his year again. The Door of No Return has appeared on almost every “Best of” list there is and I gave it high (though qualified) praise in my Redeemed Reader review. Before we talk about it,here’s the synopsis: Kofi, the protagonist, enjoys the love of his family and…

Editor’s Note: Continuing this month’s Honey for a Child’s Heart Read-Along, we’re thinking further about value of literary fantasy. A Metaphor Says This is Like That Originally published on the Tumblon website, May 26, 2009 The fact that Stuart Little is a mouse rather than a boy is not a problem for children. They love him for his essence, his integrity and fortitude. When we say that Stuart is “just best kind of mouse” we are not talking about his clothes or his grades. Jane Stephens, a teacher of English at UNC. A mother called in on a talk show, when I was discussing children’s literature, to tell me that…

In The Lucky Ones, an impoverished family in the rural south takes a big step up during the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson. Candlewick, 2022, 304 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Portrait of Poverty Ellis Earl Brown has ambitions: he’s going to become a lawyer or a teacher, or maybe both. It seems a reasonable goal for an 11-year-old who applies himself at school, but Ellis Earl happens to live in Mississippi in 1967, a middle child in a large black family whose single mother barely earns enough to buy food. His older siblings, all school…

Whether you live in a place with snow or not, January is the perfect month for a cozy snow story (or three). Look for some of these at your local library and enjoy a long winter’s evening story time. WINTRY STORIES: A BOOK LIST FOR MIDDLE GRADES AND TEENS The Wintry Stories book list below includes books for independent readers (roughly ages 7-18). Do check reviews if you are unfamiliar with a title or aren’t sure whether it’s a good fit for your children or students. Enjoy! CHAPTER BOOKS *A Long Road on a Short Day by Gary Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Clarion Books, 2020. 59 pages.…