The Book Somm

08/31/2024

08/26/2024

Genius level hack right here!!!

07/22/2024

Love this visual example of how not following rules disrupts class.

07/18/2024

Thinking about checking this out…

the nation's #1 supplier of kids books

07/03/2024

Some great recommendations in the comments. Top of my list is The Last Cuentista and Neal Schusterman’s Dry

Edutopia assistant editor Daniel Leonard wants to know: What sci-fi books do you recommend to help students better understand the modern world?

05/18/2024

SLJ asked librarians and educators to weigh in on which classics should remain on summer reading lists. Inspired by the most popular titles that emerged, SLJ editors and members of NCTE’s Build Your Stack® Committee created multimodal lists of recommendations—including nonfiction, graphic novels, documentaries, and more—that educators can feature in classrooms and libraries alongside the exemplar text.

Reprised here and throughout next week, “Refreshing the Canon” selections of 2023.

Our aim is to inspire educators to breathe fresh life into lessons around these works by giving students new context to understand why these classics are still relevant today.

6 Immersive Survival Stories to Bring Gary Paulsen’s ‘Hatchet’ Alive | Refreshing the Canon (May 2023)


https://www.slj.com/story/6-immersive-survival-stories-to-bring-Gary-Paulsens-Hatchet-alive-summer-reading

05/10/2024

Somewhere out there someone feels this way about you 🤩

04/24/2024

This looks intriguing 🧐

I normally reserve grid posts for books I’ve read (and loved!), but I had to share this because it’s one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Besides, considering I’ve never done a Holiday Gift Guide that didn’t include a title by Ruta Sepetys and/or Steve Sheinkin, it seems almost a certainty that a book written by BOTH of them will land there later this year. 😉
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Releasing this October, THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE (ages 10+) is an upper middle-grade historical adventure following two siblings at Britain’s Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s death. Ciphers, secrets, and spies in a Wonka-like codebreaking factory from two historical fiction masters?! YES PLEASE. 🤩
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04/21/2024

Coping with End-of-the-Year Stress
It’s two days until testing, and this morning, I received a few emails that led me to the gas station for the tell-tale bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. My students know I’m having a rough day when I eat Cheetos. They noticed the red stains on my fingers and commented that I must be having a rough day because I’d been eating the Flaming Hot Cheetos again.

In my latest blog post, How Eating Lunch with Students Can Renew Teacher Happiness, I share how I accidentally discovered that eating lunch with students can transform a teacher’s day from stressful to joyful.

Read it here: https://www.thebooksomm.com/how-eating-lunch-with-students-can-renew-teacher-happiness/

04/15/2024

Teaching in August vs Teaching in April ... amirite?
I am feeling this hair situation deeply.