Podcasts about nerd camp

First the omnibus, and today we have an interview show. Following on from our foray into the importance of reading children's books, we catch up with bestselling author Elissa Brent Weissman and dig into how she creates new books that capture both our younger and ‘slightly older' audiences. Find out more about Elissa here: https://www.ebweissman.com/  And her amazing books like Hannukah Upside Down, Nerd Camp and many more: https://www.ebweissman.com/all-books/  Another great interview with Elissa is here: https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/new-zealand-childrens-authors/interview-with-elissa-brent-weissman/  Support your local bookstore or library PLEASE :-) Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Connect with us here: the232podcast@gmail.com Get Sean's book The Impact Professional at: impactprofessional.nz

Mentioned in this episode:nErD Camp PAIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff; Illustrated by Felicia BondFamily Style by Thien PhamOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

This week the crew of the Admiral Grace finds out what happens when Stardaddy explicitly tells them a technocratic billionaire is on their heels and they then proceed to blithely pick up strangers at a space gas station. Oh shit, you guys, I gave away the whole twist in the episode description! Good thing nobody reads these things, right?Special shout out this week to Pete who joined us all the way from England for a quick recording before Nerd Camp-stranomicon. Be sure to listen to the very end this week for a few more post-camp thoughts and fond memories. If you enjoy the show, please follow us on your favorite platform for new episodes every Wednesday.  Can't get enough of Team Meatbag? You can check us out online at www.astronomicapodcast.com; here you'll find links to all of our social media as well as an open invite to our Discord server. If you have questions, comments, or general observations you can email them to astronomicapodcast@gmail.com. And finally, if you just absolutely love us and wish to provide support in a monetary manner, you can check out our Patreon at patreon.com/AstronomicaPodcast. Not only will you enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling of helping us foot production costs, you'll also find a number of fantastic extra perks plus get bragging rights with all your nerdiest friends. Thanks as always for listening and we'll see ya next week!   The Admiral Grace (main theme) composed by Jackson SeibEditing by Kristen Schebler      Support the show

Andrew joins Alexis Gay on Non-Technical to talk about fast typing, overgelled teenage hair, and the optimal use of "suboptimal." Alexis Gay - https://twitter.com/yayalexisgay Non-Technical - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/non-technical/id1542532605 Andrew Yang - https://twitter.com/andrewyang Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Hoffman of the band Future Teens has a transformative high school summer at an academic camp in Missouri. When a teacher encourages the students to find their calling, Amy realizes their calling is playing emo rock just like their favorite bands - Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything and The Rocket Summer. Away from the pressures of family for the first time, Amy gets up the nerve to perform a song in front of the whole camp and starts to feel like their true self. Check out Future Teens and their new record, Deliberately Alive on Bandcamp. And for more, check out dearyoungrocker.com and follow @dearyoungrocker on instagram. For DYR merch and info on more great shows check out doubleelvis.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

GaroaCast sobre Crises econômicas:  O que acontece quando a balaça econômica se desequilibra! Quem quebra e quem ganha, quem fica e quem cai? Podcast feito pela equipe do MBL São Paulo Host: Dainese Participantes: Antonio Glenio, Helder Jacomo (Bill), Flavio Rechi Produção: Nerdcamp! / Lira Broadcast Acesse as nossas outras redes: Instagram, Twitter e Facebook: @mblsaopaulo Spotify e Apple Podcasts: GaroaCast Ajude o núcleo de São Paulo do MBL: apoia.se/mblsaopaulo   #19

GaroaCast sobre inteligência artificial: O que acontecerá quando as máquinas estiverem no comando. Podcast feito pela equipe do MBL São Paulo Host: Dainese Participantes: Daniel, Dan Geber Produção: Nerdcamp! / Lira Broadcast Acesse as nossas outras redes: Instagram, Twitter e Facebook: @mblsaopaulo Spotify e Apple Podcasts: GaroaCast Ajude o núcleo de São Paulo do MBL: apoia.se/mblsaopaulo #18

Ever heard of Nerdcamp?  What is a Nerdcamp? What's all the rave? How can you present at a Nerdcamp? In this My Messy Muse Episode, I tell you what NerdCamps are, how to register, how to get yourself on a panel, and what to expect the day of.   This Episode will take the mystery out of NerdCamps and allow you to explore without anxiety.  Don't miss out on other kidlit nuggets to help you on your journey! Be sure to join the My Messy Muse community on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/mymessymuse Follow host Michele McAvoyTwitter: @michele_mcavoy Instagram: @michelemcavoy If you are interested a school visit with host Michele McAvoy, please visit her website at www.michelemcavoy.com/workwithme

In this episode, we will be hearing from Josh Smith. Josh has been a professional school counselor at Western High School in Jackson, MI for over 15 years, and has a Masters degree in Counseling. He has served as President of the Jackson Counseling Association for two years and has been on the leadership team as Vice President for two more. Josh also facilitates the Michigan College Access Network, training hundreds of Michigan school counselors. He's taught in the graduate counseling program at Spring Arbor University. Additionally, Josh has been a presenter for the last two years at Nerd Camp and is currently practicing at a local agency called ‘A Healing Place’. He meets with the Christians at the Jackson Gospel Hall, in Jackson MI. Josh is going to be joining us for two episodes on the topic: The Battle Inside. This is a very important topic, and one that we trust will be a real help to every listener. This episode is Part 2. Additional Resources: https://clydegospelhall.com/messages/ If you would like the PowerPoint of this message, please feel free to contact Josh directly at: joshahealingplace@gmail.com

In this episode, we will be hearing from Josh Smith. Josh has been a professional school counselor at Western High School in Jackson, MI for over 15 years, and has a Masters degree in Counseling. He has served as President of the Jackson Counseling Association for two years and has been on the leadership team as Vice President for two more. Josh also facilitates the Michigan College Access Network, training hundreds of Michigan school counselors. He's taught in the graduate counseling program at Spring Arbor University. Additionally, Josh has been a presenter for the last two years at Nerd Camp and is currently practicing at a local agency called ‘A Healing Place’. He meets with the Christians at the Jackson Gospel Hall, in Jackson MI. Josh is going to be joining us for two episodes on the topic: The Battle Inside. This is a very important topic, and one that we trust will be a real help to every listener. This episode is Part 1. Additional Resources: https://clydegospelhall.com/messages/ If you would like the PowerPoint of this message, please feel free to contact Josh directly at: joshahealingplace@gmail.com

Jamie Loftus (writer, Bechdel Cast) returns to give us a sneak peek of her new show, "My Year in Mensa", by detailing the time she went to a Mensa thing called "Nerd Camp" and got blocked from a very weird alt-right Mensa Facebook group as a result. It is both one of the most detailed and insane Block Tales to ever be told on the show. And the goodness this week does NOT stop there, as Stefan details his couple of days where he pretended to get a Baby Yoda Tattoo, dragging John and a bunch of our listeners along with him in a crusade against the man who couldn't understand irony. The Blocked Boys also hear from the kid who called Doug Ford a timbit, the totally bonkers Christmas movie Jack Frost, and Jamie helps us revisit one of the most beloved top 3s of all-time.  TW: This episode contains discussion (albeit light-hearted) of stillbirth and miscarriages from 27:05 to 36:19. If you want be beloved, you can do so by donating $5/month to the BBs at https://patreon.com/blockedparty, where that donation gets you THREE bonus episodes every month. This month, we've brought back listener favorite Ivan Decker to look at some insane celebrity Cameos with us, and this week, we will be debuting a BRAND NEW bonus episode format: Trivia Party! That's right, the boys get challenged by a $100 donor to a trivia contest, and they bring along another fan favorite, Michael Hale, to play a rousing game of trivia with them. The results are predictable in their unpredictability, and it's a blast. We've got a ton of great bonus  episodes in the back catalogue too, and they're all yours with a donation, so let's make it happen and we can all understand irony together.

Arnie attends Nerd Camp!

Arnie attends Nerd Camp!

Comedian David Drake talks taking on a live audience and why a comedian shouldn't turn on them, showcasing "Comedians You Should Know", digging yourself out of a hole, and a favorite joke about Halloween. Plus, accents without offense, unwanted music on the subway, nerd camp and "mermaiding", living in the moment, chocolate orange red wine, and improvised stories that must include three words.

Joining me today to talk about all things exciting and new in the world of children’s literature is Josh Funk - author of The Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the It’s Not a Fairy Tale series, How to Code a Sandcastle AND the coming-this-September How to Code a Rollercoaster!   Please head over to allthewonders.com for a complete outline of this episode - including links to every book and topic we chat about.

Introduction The loss of two literary greats, the controversy around ebook embargoes, and a new nonfiction picture book about one of the many women behind some of your favorite Disney art. We’ve got all this and more. I’m Corrina Allen and this is All The Wonders This Week. Thank you for joining us this Tuesday, August 13th, 2019!   Joining me today to talk about all things exciting and new in the world of children’s literature is Kathie MacIsaac - she runs the children’s department at the Headingley Municipal Library in Manitoba, Canada, she is also one of the MGBookVillage team, and is currently on the committee of the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards. KidLit News #KidsNeedMentors matchups were announced today This past week the world lost two literary greats. On August 5th Toni Morrison died at age 88. And although she is most known for her adult works like Beloved and The Bluest Eye, she also wrote for children with her late son, Slade. Titles like Please, Louise and The Big Box. Also this past week, Lee Bennett Hopkins passed away at age 81 on August 8th. If you are interested, there are plans to honor his legacy with a #PoetryFriday celebration of his work at The Poem Farm website on August 23rd.  Some publishers like Tor and Macmillan are delaying or limiting library access to eBooks. In Macmillan’s announcement, they revealed “a new lending model that limits public libraries to only one copy of newly-released titles in digital formats, followed by an eight-week embargo on purchasing additional copies.”  Here are some links for further reading: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=macmillan-announces-two-month-embargo-on-library-ebooks http://www.readersfirst.org/news/2018/7/13/a-communication-to-tormacmillan Upcoming Events The annual Tweens Read Conference in Pasadena, TX takes place onSaturday, October 19th with registration opening on September 1st.  First nErDcamp in Canada - nErDCampManitoba Today's New Releases Picture Book Releases Why? By Laura Vaccaro Seeger If I Built A School by Chris Van Dusen, the companion to If I Built a House and If I Built a Car is out today. And David Biedrzycki's new picture book - SumoKitty Middle Grade & Graphic Novel Releases A second Case Closed book by Lauren Magaziner is out today called Stolen from the Studio The 7th Dog Man - For Whom the Ball Rolls  The Last Olympian graphic novel by Rick Riordan Nonfiction Releases Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary by Vicki Conrad and illustrated by David Hohn Code Like A Girl: Rad Tech Projects and Practical Tips by Miriam Peskowitz What Is The Story of Wonder Woman? by Steven Korte What Is The Story of Frankenstein? by Sheila Keenan Two nonfiction picture books about the women of Walt Disney’s Animation Studio.  The first is called Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girls' Guide to Disney Animation by Mindy Johnson and illustrated by Lorelay Bové. And Mary Blair’s Unique Flair: The Girl Who Became One of the Disney Legends Other Media New Releases Movies Angry Birds 2 is getting some decent reviews from critics The life-action Dora the Explorer movie called Dora & the Lost City of Gold  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - the film that is loosely based on that ever-popular horror series by Alvin Schwartz TV Shows / Miniseries A Netflix original based on a Nickelodeon show is Invader Zim: Enter the Forpus   Currently Reading Kathie: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen, and For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington Corrina:  An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and at the same time I am reading the Young People’s adaption of that text that was done by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese. Wonderings Corrina: On my mind this week is a post that has been going around social media featuring a Harry Potter bulletin board with 5 mirrors on it and the saying, “Meet the Wizard Responsible for Your…” and underneath each mirror it says Choices, Grades, Success, Words, and Actions.  And as a BIG Harry Potter fan, my first reaction was - that is so clever and cute! And then the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t quite sit right with me. I’ve had students who were weren’t successful because their parents couldn’t get them to school on time. And well -  Harry owes most of his success to the help of others. So what I’m thinking is that I shouldn’t just jump on something because it looks cute, but think about the deeper implications of the messages I’m sending Katie: I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how I can make my storytimes more inclusive, and move away from seasonal themes to broader topics that can generate more important discussion even at the preschool level. I’ve been really inspired by Jillian Heise and the work she does with #classroombookaday since I got back from nErDcamp in Michigan, and I’ve been wondering how I can adapt the book recommendations and the idea of more meaningful conversation with a younger age group. Closing Thank all of you for listening and sharing your Tuesday with us! You can find an outline of the show and links to all the books and topics we chatted about at allthewonders.com.  And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated. The All the Wonders This Week podcast is brought to you by All The Wonders, where children's books are for everyone. Journey beyond the page with podcasts, videos, crafts, and more at allthewonders.com. See you next week!

Should men be embarrassed about their body hair? Colorado State University released a Language Guide; they describe it as the ‘best practices’. Air Force veteran, William Shuttleworth, is 71-years-old and walking across the nation to bring awareness to the challenges veterans face. It’s the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing and people today have an issue with it.Slow Food Nation chefs, Steven Satterfield and Kristen Essig, talk about the event this weekend and how some “outdated” foods are making a comeback. Q is back from STEM Camp (a.k.a. Nerd Camp) and tells us the cool activities they have.

Hear all about the excitement in Parma Michigan this week and learn how you can create a nErDcamp of your own.   I would like to thank composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you’ve heard today.   SLJ’s Neverending Search by Joyce Valenza: ISTE Librarians’  Takeaways (Crowdsourced) Updated ISTE Librarians Network News: ISTE19 Resources KidLit These Days on Apple Podcasts BookRiot’s The Kids Are Alright Newsletter signup (KidLit and MG) nErDcamp2019 website 2019 Nerd Camp Walkthrough (8 min) Library Card Tote Bag SLJ’s How to Start a Nerd Camp by Colby Sharp nErDcampJR

Please pray for me! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jen-lowry-writes/message

With schools letting out and summer pretty much here in most places in the northern hemisphere, the subject of summer camp is coming to the forefront for a lot of families. Which one to go to? What amenities to look for? Too bad there isn’t a geek camp, right? Well, there is one in Northeast Maryland called Epic Nerd Camp that offers a variety of activities from LARPing to tabletop gaming. But if you’re unable to make it there, Emily, Elisabeth, and Lindsay took some time to talk about what an ideal nerd camp would be like to them! What kind of themes might you see or activities might be offered? You’ll have to tune in to find out! Also, in this week’s segments, Elisabeth covers her favourites from E3, Emily talks about a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and Lindsay gives us the low-down on what to bring to a convention!

With schools letting out and summer pretty much here in most places in the northern hemisphere, the subject of summer camp is coming to the forefront for a lot of families. Which one to go to? What amenities to look for? Too bad there isn’t a geek camp, right? Well, there is one in Northeast Maryland called Epic Nerd Camp that offers a variety of activities from LARPing to tabletop gaming. But if you’re unable to make it there, Emily, Elisabeth, and Lindsay took some time to talk about what an ideal nerd camp would be like to them! What kind of themes might you see or activities might be offered? You’ll have to tune in to find out! Also, in this week’s segments, Elisabeth covers her favourites from E3, Emily talks about a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and Lindsay gives us the low-down on what to bring to a convention!

TCAPSLoop Weekly Episode 80...Summer ConferencesiTunes    Google Play   Stitcher   Tune-In    RSSWe talk a lot about self care. Investing in yourself can come in many forms...beach reads, meditation, worldwide adventures…Self care also means investing in your career, and time away from your regular routine can be the perfect opportunity to learn something new. There are SO many opportunities to connect with your teaching tribe in the upcoming months!Spring & Summer ConferencesPersonalized Learning ConferenceMay 6-8, Kent ISD (Grand Rapids)$50Conference is May 7 - site visits are May 6, May 8thIncludes site visits to Kenowa Hills and Kent Innovation High SchoolFocus on innovation, student led learning, personalized learningREMC Classroom Makers SummitJune 20 - Midland MIFREEFocus on supporting Michigan classroom teachers who have integrated making into their teaching practice or who are interested in integrating the Maker Movement into their classroom. The day will allow attendees to explore maker-centered tools and trends, gain valuable resources, and connect with maker-minded educators.Staying true to the spirit of REMC Classroom Makers the day will offer plenty of hands-on opportunities, a collaborative environment, and chances to flex your maker skills!Call for Presenters - due May 6ISTEJune 23-36 - PhiladelphiaCall for Speakers - due April 26Over 1,400 sessions NERD CAMP July 8-9 - Parma, MIFREE Run by Colby SharpAuthors, illustratorsDay 1 is much like a traditional education conference. We have scheduled speakers to get you all fired up about teaching reading and writing in the classroom. Day 2 of nErDcamp is designed differently than your typical conference. It's an (un)conference with a focus on literacy in learning. That's literacy in every and all areas -- science and math, we're talking to you too!Nerd Camp JR - registration opens May 1Lake Michigan Tech Conference July 22 - Coloma, MIRun by Daniel MaresFocused strands of literacy, STEM, assessment AMAZING conferenceCall for Presenters - due this Friday!WIREDTCAugust 12 - Traverse City, MILiz Kolb - keynote - focus on learning first, technology secondNEWS: Adding in a second keynote - Colby Sharp - literacy!Focus on ISTE Standards and AASL StandardsVirtual OpportunitiesEduPaths#michED Twitter ChatREMC CoursesMACUL Teach Wonder Professional Learning ProgramChris WoodsWebsite - DailySTEMPodcast: STEM EverydayTranscripts are still in the works...getting there.  Enjoy the show!A weekly podcast hosted by Danelle Brostrom and Larry Burden and a cast of thousands spreading the good word regarding Traverse City Area Public Schools, Public Education and Education Technology.Please subscribe to and rate our podcast on iTunes, or via email and join our conversation on twitter @tcapsloop or the tcapsloop facebook page and check out the what's new on the Loop.Music provided by Podington Bear

There are many ways to create a book desert — an area where a child has little or no access to books. Maybe a school's budget cuts lead to closure of the library. Maybe a neighborhood bookstore closes. Maybe the closest public library is too far away to reach by public transportation. Whatever the cause, the problem is clear: Too many children in the U.S. lack access to books. This week, we're talking with literacy advocates Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp about how crucial access is. It's a topic they address in their new book for K-8 educators, Game Changer! Donalyn and Colby discuss how access to a wide variety of texts, choice in what to read, and time to read are “game changers” for the lives of all children, enhancing academic achievement while shaping kids' understanding of themselves and their world. They also offer practical ways that educators and families can make small changes that can enrich their readers' lives in major ways. Additional resources: Learn more about Game Changer!  Learn more about The Nerdy Book Club Learn more about Nerd Camp Learn more about Donalyn Miller Learn more about Colby Sharp Guests: Donalyn Miller is a leading expert on independent reading, children's literature, and the author of two bestsellers, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. She is founder of the annual #bookaday event, co-founder with Colby Sharp of The Nerdy Book Club, and co-host of the monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk. Her articles have appeared in Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership, The Washington Post, and other prominent periodicals. Colby Sharp, a fifth-grade teacher at Parma Elementary School in Parma, Michigan, is co-founder of Nerd Camp and The Nerdy Book Club. He co-hosts the monthly twitter chats #sharpschu (with John Schumacher) and #titletalk (with Donalyn Miller), and, with Travis Jonker, The Yarn Podcast. He is the editor of The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan Produced by Emily Morrow

There are many ways to create a book desert — an area where a child has little or no access to books. Maybe a school's budget cuts lead to closure of the library. Maybe a neighborhood bookstore closes. Maybe the closest public library is too far away to reach by public transportation. Whatever the cause, the problem is clear: Too many children in the U.S. lack access to books. This week, we're talking with literacy advocates Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp about how crucial access is. It's a topic they address in their new book for K-8 educators, Game Changer! Donalyn and Colby discuss how access to a wide variety of texts, choice in what to read, and time to read are “game changers” for the lives of all children, enhancing academic achievement while shaping kids’ understanding of themselves and their world. They also offer practical ways that educators and families can make small changes that can enrich their readers' lives in major ways. Additional resources: Learn more about Game Changer!  Learn more about The Nerdy Book Club Learn more about Nerd Camp Learn more about Donalyn Miller Learn more about Colby Sharp Guests: Donalyn Miller is a leading expert on independent reading, children’s literature, and the author of two bestsellers, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. She is founder of the annual #bookaday event, co-founder with Colby Sharp of The Nerdy Book Club, and co-host of the monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk. Her articles have appeared in Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership, The Washington Post, and other prominent periodicals. Colby Sharp, a fifth-grade teacher at Parma Elementary School in Parma, Michigan, is co-founder of Nerd Camp and The Nerdy Book Club. He co-hosts the monthly twitter chats #sharpschu (with John Schumacher) and #titletalk (with Donalyn Miller), and, with Travis Jonker, The Yarn Podcast. He is the editor of The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan Produced by Emily Morrow

We talk about our trip to ENC, drinking, redheads, Muppets, Aquaman, and a few more things.

In her newest book, Being the Change, author Sara Ahmed explores the importance of social comprehension in the classroom; understanding those often tricky-to-navigate landscapes of race, gender, politics, religion, sexuality… In July Sara spoke at the Nerd Camp literacy conference in Michigan about the tensions many of us feel during big moments in history.In her presentation, Sara shared with listeners her experience on September 11, 2001. As we reflect on the events that took place that day, we felt that Sara’s story perfectly highlights both the progress we’ve made, and the great lengths we still have to go as a nation of teachers, learners, and engaged citizens. Here now is Sara Ahmed.

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in empowering children by helping them discover who they are as readers.  My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fabulous reading experiences and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and thinking about how much I LOVE our public libraries and how much they are needed. My daughters and I just launched our summer Library Crawl where we try to hit as many public libraries in the area as can and explore their unique services and collections and just get to know them. Libraries are the heart of our communities. Please support them. This is Episode #55 and oday I want to chat with you about being a book witch, and then I’ll share a conversation with Melissa Sarno, author of Just Under the Clouds!   I have three super quick announcements for you! First is a Middle Grade at Heart Book Club update. The August pick is Where the Watermelons Grow, the September pick is The House That Lou Built and in October we will be reading Three Rules of Everyday Magic. And all of those authors are scheduled to come on the show - so stay tuned for that! And announcement #2 - don’t forget that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with upcoming topics like #ownvoices, the importance of refugee stories, and books that battle mental health stigmas. So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter for conversations and collaboration between educators, librarians, and authors. And - finally, announcement #3. This is something that has been semi-secretly in the works for a few months now, but I am so happy to make it official. NerdCamp Central New York is ON for next summer - August 6, 2019! So - if you want to experience some of that NerdCamp magic and you’re able to make it to Syracuse, NY - save the date! And you can follow @NerdCampCNY on Twitter for more updates. Main Topic - Being a Book Witch And you can go ahead and replace that W with a B if you’d like.  So - I had a topic planned for today. I had an outline, things were coming together, and then I saw a post. And then some tweets. From several people, including Donalyn Miller, who were attending a recent Scholastic Reading Summit.  It was it from a presentation by Annie Ward - or at least referencing her work From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers.   And it was one slide showing ways that educators and parents can be what she called “Book Wardens”. And well, it struck me so forcefully. And made me think of all those times as a teacher and as a parent, I have been that Book Witch. I am recovering - but yeah…. that was me. So I scrapped my other topic and that’s what I want to talk to you about today. First - ways we might not even realize that we’re being book snobs and inadvertently turning kids off to reading - both from Annie’s presentation and from my own mistakes. And then some thoughts on ways we can do better. Although to be up front with you - my understanding of this is evolving. Starting with the first bullet on that slide. 1. Confining kids to “just right” books - gulp. That is a phrase I have used ever since... I don’t know when! A have a big lesson on choosing “just right” or “good fit” books complete with a whole array of shoes I bring in to demonstrate! But now I am wondering… who SETS the criteria for “right”? Is it.. Level?  Genre? Format? Perceived complexity? Something I’ve started doing is turning these questions back on myself. Okay Corrina, what’s a “just right” book for you? Well -it depends! What am I in the mood for? What do I want to learn? What are my friends all reading that looks amazing and I want IN on THAT conversation!  When I think about it that way, it’s not really about picking a book off the shelf and reading the first page and counting the errors on my fingers. Adults don’t do that! And - we are definitely NOT picking from the bin labeled Level Z or only reading within our lexile level.  So why are we asking kids to do that? What DO we do? We weigh all those factors, gather some options, and try them out. If it’s too hard, well…. then…. I’m just going to put The Iliad off to the side for now. I think we need to trust kids more. And be more open about how you actually go about choosing books. And maybe I don’t totally drop the phrase “just right” but shift it to be child-centered and NOT mean “just right” from MY point of view.   2. Express book snobbery. So, you might be a book snob, if you’ve said one these things (and I’ve said a few of them in the past…):   “Graphic novels are not real reading.” “Don’t just listen to that audio book - make sure you are following along in your book.” “I only really like literary books - you know award-winners.” “Well, I’ve never heard of that book!” “NEVER watch the movie before reading the book!” “I get all my book recommendations from NPR.” “They’re reading THAT? I guess it’s better than reading nothing!” “I don’t watch TV. Never.  I just read.”   “I only read books for adults.” (Credit to Sarah Threlkeld for suggesting that one.)   “Yeah, we’re only reading CLASSICS in this class.”   “Romance novels are all the same.” (And you can replace romance with mysteries, westerns, fantasy.)   “Are you reading a picture book? Maybe you should choose something more your age.” “You dog-ear your pages? You beast!” “Fan Fiction doesn’t count toward your reading minutes.”     So - that last one? About the fan fiction? Was me - a few years ago. But then, I discovered that Angie Thomas (you know - author of New York Times Bestselling, multiple award-winning The Hate U Give) got her start writing fanfiction for her favorite soap opera. And suddenly I thought, maybe I’m being kind of a witch about this. And then, I discovered Star Wars fan fiction and I was hooked. I think I spent about a week just immersed in alternative Star Wars universes. So go ahead - come at me about the fan fiction! 3. Look askance at funny, edgy, or “forbidden” topics. So, confession time.  Way back when I was just getting starting as a teacher and starting to build my classroom library, I would ONLY purchase what I, the book witch, deemed as high quality literature. Captain Underpants? Comics? Joke books? Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Uh...no. And oh do I owe those kids an apology. I was flat out wrong. And clearly not remembering all the Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes books that I devoured as a young kid. I’m happy to say our class is filled with Dav Pilkey books and all kids of funny, light-hearted books. Because, wow - don’t we need that now? And as far as edgy or “forbidden” topics - that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Edgy according to who? I’ve seen adults roll their eyes when a 10 year old picked a book about the WWE.  I’ve seen adults try to ban books with characters who are dealing with substance abuse. And I’ve seen adults pluck books with gay characters out of their kids hands. Who are we to tell kids that their family, their life, their experiences are “too edgy” and not allowed. 4. Frowning upon rereading. Yup - this is another one I have done regularly. And I think it comes from a well-intentioned place. When you know how many amazing books are out there, you want kids to experience that. And I think for me, I have the bias that I am not typically a HUGE rereader. Aside from a few books that I might reread for school or book club (like Home of the Brave, or Wonder), I find it so hard to resist the siren call of my TBR pile.  But last year, instead of giving side-eye to those kids rereading Dork Diaries or Smile for the 3rd or 4th (or 12th!) time - instead, I tried to act excited and say, “Wow - what do you love so much about that book? What are you noticing now that you never noticed the first time you read it?” And the reframing has helped me recognize more value in rereading. And those conversations help me understand my readers better and offer them similar titles they might enjoy to expand their reading palate. 5. Imposing Accountability Measures for Reading. I’ll admit - I had to think about this one for a minute. But I think what this is getting at is when ‘points programs” like AR (Accelerated Reader) are used to confine student reading in an attempt to make sure there is tangible proof of reading. Accountability measures might include parent sign-offs on a reading log or requiring a summary each night. That imposition on reading.  Instead - the best “accountability” is a culture of reading where kids want to talk about what they are reading. And your tangible proof are conferences and conversations and observations. 6. Treating some books like “dessert”. And only allowing kids to read them after they’ve read something more suitable. Usually when I see this - those “dessert” books are graphic novels, or Minecraft books. Now - there are times when I will say, “Let’s take some some time to read our Book Club novels. And if you finish your section for the day, read whatever you want.” But always treating SOME TYPES of books like just fluff - is being a book witch. So those were the main points from Annie Ward. But I’ll add one more. 7. Not letting kids take the books home. I used to treat MY books like they were GOLD. And I would let kids read them in class but then not let them out of my sight. I lost fewer books - but I also lost readers. Now - they go home with them. Usually they come back, but if not - I just hope that book meant so much to that child that they couldn’t bare to part with it.   So, I am a recovering Book Witch! And I mentioned some things we can do instead, but to quickly sum up, here they are: Let kids take the lead in what “just right” reading means for them - including their mood and what they are interested in, the format, the social connections they want to form around that reading - and not just a level. Don’t be a book snob! Openly embrace and book talk all genres and formats and expand your horizons. Watch your words and your body language to make sure you are not looking down on kids’ reading choices or making them feel ashamed for reading a text some might consider “edgy.” If a child is rereading a book - ask them about it! Or ask them to book talk it to the class! Instead of cumbersome attempts at reading accountability, instead - watch your kids, have conversations about the books, confer with them and have them read to you. Let kids take books home. And be gracious when they get lost or damaged. And finally - trust the kids and trust the books. If you want to know more about Annie Ward’s work with co-author Stephanie Harvey, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers.  And as always, we are learning together and helping each other out, so please share your thoughts about overcoming being a book witch.  You can tag me on Twitter, Instagram, and now Facebook - our handle is @books_between or email me at booksbetween@gmail.com and I’d love to share your ideas.   Melissa Sarno - Interview Outline Joining me this month for our Middle Grade at Heart interview with Melissa Sarno is author Julie Artz. We got a chance to sit down together last month to chat about Just Under the Clouds. Take a listen… Just Under the Clouds CA: For our listeners who haven’t yet read Just Under the Clouds what is this story about? CA: One of my favorite parts of the book is when Cora goes to her remedial math class and her new teacher gives her some advice about solving algebra problems. She says: “I’ll give you a hint. It’s always easiest to start from the end. Start backward.”  I’m wondering - when if your own life have you found it easier to start at the end? JA: I loved the friendship between Cora and Sabina. They both have experienced intense loneliness due to an unconventional lifestyle, but the moment when they commit to their friendship--even though they may end up apart--was really touching. How did you come up with the idea for this complex and lovely friendship? JA: Adare is such a vivid character despite being mostly non-verbal. What research went into creating her character? **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Melissa and Julie and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 37:50 mark. Your Writing Life JA: I loved the tree book and all that it represented for Cora. How much time did you spend researching trees for the story, or has that always been an interest of yours? CA: What are you working on now? Your Reading Life CA: One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.  Did you have a special teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader? JA: What types of books did you love when you were Cora’s age? CA: What are you reading now? Links: Melissa’s website - https://www.melissasarno.com Melissa on Twitter and Instagram Julie’s website - http://julieartz.com Julie on Twitter New York City Tree Census - https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/treescount/about   Books & Authors We Chatted About: Swiss Family Robinson (Johann D. Wyss) The Tillerman Series (Cynthia Voight) Lizard Music (Daniel Pinkwater) Her Body and Other Parties (Carmen Maria Machado) The Cardboard Kingdom (Chad Sell) Bob (Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead) Hurricane Child (Kheryn Callender)   Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!  

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of books to help spark deep conversations and help us think through the big ideas in life. My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with those amazing books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and still a bit tired from our trip to the beach yesterday! This is Episode #54 and today I’m sharing a conversation with Jarred Amato - a high school English teacher and founder of the ProjectLIT Community. Perhaps like you, I kept hearing about this thing called ProjectLIT and I kept bumping into conversations on Twitter about it. And I since I had questions and definitely wanted to know more - I figured you might as well.  Some disclosure - after chatting with Jarred and after learning more from a wonderful session at NerdCamp last week ( a big thank you to Kimiko, Ashleigh, and Lindsey) , I have decided to start a ProjectLIT Book Club at my school this year for 4th and 5th graders. And promptly bought a shirt and a tank and cup and a hat… because, well - like I told Jarred - I have no chill! Alright - take a listen! Jarred Amato - Interview Outline Welcome to the podcast! Can you take a minute to introduce yourself to our listeners? ProjectLIT What is ProjectLIT and how did it get started? What does a chapter do? How are the books selected? What are the books for the 2018-19 school year? If someone wanted to start a ProjectLit Chapter in their own community, what would they need to know? And what would they need to do? One of the things that makes ProjectLITstand out as more than just a book club, is the focus on service projects to increase book access in the school and community.   What are some examples of projects that chapters have been doing? Did I see you also have a Twitter Chat?   Tell me about the ProjectLIT Summit! What are your plans for the future of ProjectLIT? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.  Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child? What were some of your most influential reads growing up? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Links: Jarred’s website -https://jarredamato.wordpress.com Jarred on Twitter ProjectLIT on Twitter ProjectLIT Chapter Leader Application #ProjectLITChat Twitter Chat ProjectLIT swag: https://project-lit-community.myshopify.com David’s ending to Long Way Down Dollar General Grant Programs Donors Choose Books & Authors We Chatted About: Goosebumps Series Matt Christopher books The Color of Water (James McBride) Darius the Great is Not Okay (Adib Khorram) Hope Nation (Rose Brock) 2018-19 ProjectLIT Middle Grade Book Club Selections Ghost Boys (Jewell Parker Rhodes) Sunny (Jason Reynolds) I am Alfonso Jones (Tony Medina) Amal Unbound (Aisha Saeed) Rebound (Kwame Alexander) Like Vanessa (Tami Charles) The Stars Beneath Our Feet (David Barclay Moore) Time Bomb (Joelle Charbonneau) Wishtree (Katherine Applegate) Amina’s Voice (Hena Khan) The First Rule of Punk (Celia C. Perez) The Parker Inheritance (Varian Johnson)   2018-19 ProjectLIT Young Adult Book Club Selections The Poet X (Elizabeth Acevedo) When I Was the Greatest (Jason Reynolds) Born a Crime (Trevor Noah) Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson) Tradition (Brenden Kiely) The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater) Allegedly (Tiffany Jackson) Odd One Out (Nic Stone) Pride (Ibi Zoboi) Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi) I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Erika L. Sanchez) Dread Nation (Justina Ireland) On the Come Up (Angie Thomas) Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!  

Greetings Programs. The gang are joined by Sarah Gulde to talk about the all new Nerd Camp - Free Night! Join in the nerd fun at Red Castle Games to help raise money for Snow Cap Charities. Then - Aaron, Bean, and Kaebel get all kinds of nerdy and that's before they resort to an acapella version of Faith of the Heart for No Take Bakulas. Also, a short and rather awkward review of a new Mike Hammer comic.

Featured ContentNerd Camp is an EdCamp inspired conference with an exclusive focus on literacy instruction. The workshop board is built prior to the conference, but the spirit of collaboration and flexibility remains strong. Teachers, librarians, administrators, teacher educators and local authors come to Nerd Camp to present and attend workshops for FREE.Our guest today is Oona Abrams, a graduate of The College of Mount Saint Vincent and Manhattanville College, Oona teaches English at Chatham High School. Oona has presented and collaborated with colleagues at the NCTE, CEL, NJCTE, NJWA and EdTechNJ conferences, and she has been a guest blogger for NCTE and The Nerdy Book Club. She served as editor of English Leadership Quarterly from 2014 until 2018. Professional learning is one of her greatest passions, and attending #nErDCampMI and #nErDCampLI inspired her to launch #nErDCampNJ as her Genius Hour professional development project in 2017. She lives with her husband and sons in northern New Jersey.Resources & Authors Mentioned:Colby SharpeDonalynn MillerCindy MinnichKatherine SokolowskiThe Nerdy Book ClubHillary HomseyAlexandria LaFayeSally J PlaAndrea LoneyJosh FunkJeff ZentnerTom RinaldiNERDCAMPNJAlso mentioned…Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, TodayWhat We're Listening ToChris: Check out the NEW House of #EdTech Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing SkillAJ: Golficity PodcastStacey: Hidden Brain – Emma, Carrie, Vivian: How A Family Became A Test Case For Forced SterilizationsOona: The Moth Podcast, ADHD Rewired Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nerd Camp is an EdCamp inspired conference with an exclusive focus on literacy instruction. The workshop board is built prior to the conference, but the spirit of collaboration and flexibility remains strong. Teachers, librarians, administrators, teacher educators and local authors come to Nerd Camp to present and attend workshops for FREE.

Hello everyone! As more and more news outlets decide to condemn schools, more and more politicians find it to their liking to tell their version of what public education is (and is not,) it's becoming extremely important for teachers and administrators to step outside of their bubbles and share their stories. I'd argue that educators don't control their narrative right now. Everyone outside of us, the people who want to have a say in our pay, our funding, and how we are held "accountable," control it. I think it's time to take that control back, and I brought Colby Sharp to the podcast to help tell us why. Colby is a fifth grade teacher in Parma, Michigan. He's been a classroom teacher since 2006. In 2011, he started the Nerdy Book Club blog with friend of the show Donalyn Miller. He co-hosts The Yarn podcast with Teacher Librarian Travis Jonker. He also serves on the Nerd Camp, a free literacy event that takes place in Parma, Michigan each summer. His first book, The Creativity Project, hits shelves April 10, 2018. In this episode, Colby says, "We need to share our stories, because if we aren't sharing our stories, other people will," and continues by sharing why he creates the many projects he does, and how it all goes back to helping the kids.  I couldn't recommend this episode more. I believe in the message of this episode, and I believe in the power of sharing what we do as educators...Someone will either way, wouldn't you want it to be us? As an added bonus to the conversation, we also briefly discuss his work in his classroom, his philosophy with teaching ELA, and all about his desire to give kids the love of reading. Enjoy!

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls, a 5th grade teacher, and lately I am ALL about the 80s. Have you seen the new Netflix series GLOW? It  stands for “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” - it’s full on 1980s amazing. Now, I never really got into wrestling myself but I love this show. It’s fun and self-deprecating and takes you back.   Before we jump into the show I just want to mention that the day this episode is released - Monday, July 10th - I am in Michigan at Nerdcamp for the next two days! So, if you are there too - please come say hi! And if not, I’ll be posting lots of updates on my Twitter feed (@corrinaaallen) so you can see what NerdCamp is all about. This is Episode #28 and Today I share with you my experience doing a diversity audit of my classroom library and then I welcome authors Wendy Shang and Madelyn Rosenberg to the show to chat about their new middle grade novel THIS IS JUST A TEST, which is set - in the 80s! Main Topic - Diversity Audit First up is how things went when I did a diversity check of my classroom library. If you listened to the last episode (#27 with librarian Sarah Threlkeld) you heard us chatting about this activity she did with her students to reflect on the diversity found in their school library. And I think even way back to Episode 18, I mentioned reading this fantastic blog post over at Lee & Low Books that shared how one teacher helped her class analyze the books in their room to find out how different genders and races are represented. I’ll include a link to that article and the main framework of what I did is pulled directly from there. So I want to be clear - this is not my idea, but I’m sharing how it went for me with the idea that you might want to try it, too.  First I’ll run through the process and then discuss my major takeaways, and how I’ll do it differently next year.   The Process: First, I showed my 5th graders two infographics. Both have been shared widely on social media and you’ve probably seen them, but I’ll post them on the website so you can find them easily. The first one was a black and white image called “The Diversity Gap in Children’s Books” and it shows a bar graph of the percent of kid’s books in the past 21 years that contain multicultural content. And shows that sadly steady around 10% from 1994 to 2014. 2014 was a slight tick up to 14% but well below where it should be. This picture, which is put together by Lee & Low Books also includes pie charts that show the percent of the US population that are people of color and a projection that the U.S. population will be 57% minority in 2060, which really brings into focus the disparity.   The second infographic I showed them is from ReadingSpark and called “Diversity in Children’s Books 2015” and is in color with illustrations showing the percents of various groups featured as characters in kid’s books - 73.3% White and 12.5%  Animals/Trucks, 7.6% African/African American, 3.3% Asian Pacific/Asian Pacific Americans, 2.4% Latina/o, and then 0.9% American Indian.   So, we gathered on the rug and huddled around the Promethean board where I had the images displayed. And I simply asked my students to look carefully at them both and to chat with a partner about what they noticed. I explained terms where necessary, but otherwise I just let them have a look and asked them to make some observations.   And from there, I pivoted the conversation to enlist their help in analyzing our own classroom library so that their information could help me when I ordered new books.  And - I was truly moved by their eagerness. These ten and eleven year olds were ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in to see how our books stacked up.  And we started by thinking about this, “What questions do you have about the diversity in our classroom library?”   And they said things like: How many books do we have by and about Native Americans? How many books have an African American main character? What genre has the most diversity? Are there more books about people of color than BY people of color? Do we have more books featuring boys or girls? I’ll be honest with you - their questions went beyond the scope of what I had planned. They went pretty deep and the data we pulled really only started to answer the questions they had.     So once they had some questions in mind, I had them pair up and grab one bin of books from our classroom library to start sorting through. Our bins are sorted by genre. I used a Google Sheet to record the genre of that bin and some other information.  First, they separated out all the books with people on the cover and analyzed just those. Then they counted how many covers included a person of color and jotted that number down. And then they counted how many covers featured at least one girl. And from there, generated percentages using a calculator - which they enjoyed, but then I quickly learned that we needed a refresher on how to figure out percents.   As each pair worked, they added their data to a shared Google Doc so we could see the information come to life in real time.  It was exciting and the kids were so engaged! I think that when they feel like they are doing real work, important work, and are helping you out in a genuine way, they are all in. And some recognized the injustice in the situation and were eager to start to set things (not right) but on a better path.     Our takeaways: So - what did we discover? First up, I’ll give you some examples of the data (flawed as it is). Starting with gender.  One thing that stood out was that 81% of the biographies were about men. Not good. That’s changing immediately.  Also, realistic fiction seemed to have a better balance of girls and boys with most of those bins featuring kids of different genders. And Fantasy, which I thought was going to be worse, actually only between 9% and 50% only with boys on the cover. That was better than I was anticipating because sometimes that genre is known for a lack of gals. (And a quick side note about that. Now that I’m moving away from thinking about gender as a simple binary of boy or girl, I’m also wondering about better methods for categorizing and doing this type of analysis. So - if you have thoughts on that, please do let me know. There is a whole group of folks out there that want to be doing better and if you have an idea about how to make that happen, I’m absolutely listening.) Okay - on to the data pulled about race and ethnicity.  The percentage of books with no people of color at all on the cover was pretty high. The best category seemed to be realistic fiction which had percentages like 21%, 43%, 63% and one bin at 93%. Some of the least diverse categories were Fantasy with 79% , 80% and 100% of the books in those bins featuring only white people, and graphic novels with 85%. So, now it’s pretty clear where are some particularly troublesome areas and when I go to purchase books, those genres will be my focus. So, what did the kids say? Well, I think I’ll give you a sampling of some of their comments: In the words of one of my girls, “We have a lot of books about white boys in this room!” Yes, we do! And most of them are fantastic, but adding other voices is only going to help so that every kid can see themselves and see the wide range of experiences in our country and in our world. “A lot of books have shadow people on the cover.” They were referring to silhouettes, and this observation lead to some great discussion about what the publishers might intend with that. They were questioning how to categorize those types of covers and if we needed another category.   Another big topic that came up was that some forms of diversity weren’t being accounted for in this exercise. And that all stemmed from the debate about what gender pile to put the book George in. Do we go by the clues on the cover which might suggest a boy? Or do we account for what we know of the story (which is about a transgender girl) and my students said, “We need another category, Mrs. Allen.”  Many students mentioned that religion or disability wasn’t included in what we were looking for. Also, because we only used the visual of the cover, that is really limiting.  A cover that includes a girl or a person of color does not mean that character plays a big part or that they are portrayed in a great way. Were they just the sidekick?   Ideas for Next Time Do this earlier in the year. (We jumped in during the second to last week of school. I want this to be on kids’ minds much earlier.) Connect with another class doing the same thing and share results. I think that could be powerful. Include more categories (maybe religion, disability, LGBTQ) Do some analysis in other places  (This could be a great teacher/librarian collaboration in the school library. Also examine the public library, a local bookstore, Scholastic flyers, or online stores.) Take this to that next step and have kids research and recommend titles to fill out the gaps in our library. So that they are playing a part in creating a more diverse selection of books that they will love. Mainly, I was just acutely aware of how limited this exercise was. And yet - I am so glad we did it. The data we gleaned is not going into some peer-reviewed journal, but it gave these kids (and me!) a taste of that data analysis. And, the best part,  it lead to even more questions - and now they know that it’s a question they should ask about the books surrounding them!  And our shared spreadsheet is messy - some percents aren’t accurate and some kids categorized a little differently. But, my hope, is that when they find themselves in a library or bookstore and pick up a book, they’ll remember this and maybe carry those questions and discoveries forward with them and start to (seek out - no! That’s too weak) start to demand more books that reflect our cultures and our communities.   And for us, let’s not shy away from this work, as uncomfortable and complicated as it sometimes can be. And as always, I really want to hear your ideas about this topic. You can tag me on Twitter or Instagram - our handle is @books_between or email me at booksbetween@gmail.com and I’d love to hear and share your ideas. Interview - Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Shang Today I am so excited to welcome Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Shang to the podcast. They are the authors of the recently released middle grade novel This Is Just a Test.  We chat about their collaboration process, epic Thanksgiving dinners, Trivial Pursuit, and all our favorite fashions from the 80s.  Take a listen.   This is Just a Test Your middle grade novel, This is Just a Test, was just released this past June 27th - congratulations! What is this book about?   I loved David and his story but I think for me, my favorite part of this book was that it was set in the early 80s with big hair and boom boxes and Boy George! What was your research process like in order to make sure that the setting was authentically 1983? Some quick questions about the 80s…. Favorite 80s band? Favorite Atari Game? Favorite 80s TV Show? Favorite 80s Fashion?   Trivial Pursuit plays a big part in this book because David and his two friends Hector and Scott are competing in this big Trivia Tournament and they play the game to practice. What is your favorite Trivial Pursuit category?   Not everything about the 80s was light and fun - one of the major pieces of this book is the looming threat of the Cold War and David’s anxiety after watching The Day After - a pretty scary movie that shows the effects of nuclear war. Did you see that movie and did it have the same impact on you? Your Writing Life How did you two come to know each other?   What was your collaboration process like for writing This Is Just a Test? Did you meet in person or do most of your work online? Your Reading Life What were some of your favorite books as a child?   What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Closing   Okay - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.   Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com.   And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!   Episode Links: http://blog.leeandlow.com/2016/07/07/part-1-having-students-analyze-our-classroom-library-to-see-how-diverse-it-is/   Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin   http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781596439542   Today Will Be Different - Maria Semple   http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316403436   Short - Holly Sloan http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399186219   Unidentified Suburban Object  - Mike Jung http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545782265  

Intro  Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, completely in love with the Wonder Woman movie! When I was a kid, I had the Wonder Woman lunch box and dressed up as her in one of those old vinyl costumes and I love how fierce yet moral she is in this movie.  And - if any of you of are headed to NerdCamp in Parma, Michigan this July, I will be there and please do come over and say hi! It’s my first time and I’m so so excited to meet everyone and immerse myself among so many like-minded people.  Also - something exciting showed up at my front porch yesterday. It was the June OwlCrate Jr. book box and I know that the theme this month is Gizmos & Gears but I have no idea what’s inside. Here, we’ll shake and take a listen…. As I mentioned last week, our episodes this month are supported by OwlCrate Jr. - a book subscription box just for kids 8-12 - or anyone who is still a kid at heart! Each month has a different theme and includes a fantastic newly released book with fun and creative goodies all connected to the theme of that middle grade book.  If you head over to owlcratejr.com you can see some samples of past boxes, and if you use the code BOOKSBETWEEN, you can save 15%. And - at the end of the the podcast today - I will be opening this book and together we will find out what’s inside!   This is Episode #27 and Today I am welcoming fellow podcaster and librarian extraordinaire Sarah Threlkeld to the show. We chat about her podcast, Happy Reading, Little House in the Big Woods, what middle grade books we’ve been reading lately, and geek out a little bit on library circulation stats. If you haven’t yet checked out her middle grade podcast called Happy Reading - you are in for a treat and I know you are going to love it just as much as I do. I’ll put a link to her show in our show notes so you can find it right away. Take a listen…. Sarah Threlkeld - Interview Outline   Happy Reading Podcast How did the Happy Reading Podcast get started? What are your plans for the podcast?   Little House in the Big Woods Before you read the book, what was your impression of the Little House Series? Okay, so - what did you think?  How do we handle books like this (problematic classics) in classroom? Librarian Life I saw on Twitter recently that you were geeking out over your end of the year circulation stats! What info did you discover? As a librarian, what were some activities or projects or ways to connect kids to books that worked well this past year?  I heard you are starting a new full-time librarian job this year - what grade levels will you be working with?  What are some things you are excited about doing differently for the upcoming school year?   Your Reading Life What else have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? What books are you looking forward to?   Interview Links Happy Reading Podcast: http://happyrdng.blogspot.com   Little House in the Big Woods http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780064400015   The Honest Truth http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545665742   Olga and the Smelly Thing From Nowhere http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062351265   The Hour of the Bees http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763679224   The Seventh Wish http://www.indiebound.org/search/book?searchfor=The+Seventh+Wish   The Explorers http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101940051   Three Pennies http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481471879   Forget Me Not http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250096272    The Unbreakable Code http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781627791168   Mr. Lemoncello’s Library http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307931474   Macy McMillon and the Rainbow Goddess http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781772780338   The Terrible Two Go Wild http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419721854   Wolf Hollow http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101994825   Beyond the Bright Sea http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101994856   Masterminds http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062300058   The Wild Robot Escapes http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316382045   I Hunt Killers (YA) http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316125833   This Would Make a Good Story Someday http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101938171   Amulet Series http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781338045642     Mr. Schu’s Book Release Calendar https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=5n3m4522bidf16damifeio1g7k@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Chicago&pli=1     Closing   Okay - we have reached the end of the show and, as promised, I am opening up that OwlCrateJr box and we are going to find out what’s inside.     And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription!   Alright - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.   Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com.   And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription!   And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Nerdy Bookcast! Today on the show, you will get to hear a the Nerd Talk that Raina Telgemeier shared the this year s NerdCamp.  In fact, you get to hear her rehearse it!  And, Donalyn Miller Book Talks some noteworthy graphic novel titles as well. Today s episode:   Graphic Novels. Thank you for very much for listening! The Posts. Actually it s a Nerd Talk from Raina Telgemeier, shared at nErDcampMI in July, 2016. Raina Telgemeier is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Smile, Drama, and Sisters, all #1 New York Times bestsellers. She also adapted and illustrated four graphic novel versions of Ann M. Martin s Baby-sitters Club series, and has contributed short stories to many anthologies. Raina s accolades include two Eisner Awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and many Best Of and Notable lists. Her newest graphic novel is Ghosts. Raina lives and works in San Francisco, CA..  Raina s web site is http://goraina.com/) The posts you hear on The Nerdy Bookcast originally appeared on The Nerdy Bookclub.   The post Graphic Novels – The Nerdy Bookcast appeared first on Teacher Learning Sessions.

This week on The Enginerdy Show, the extended nerd family gets together on a camping trip episode with St. Jimmy, Mrs. Jimmy, D'Viddy, Master Z, Charlie, and Mom! Music Provided By: Greg Gibbs / Most Guitars Are Made of Trees

Deborah Marcero (@deborahmarcero), author-illustrator of Ursa's Light, stops by the podcast to talk about attending nErDcamp, failure and how having a big dream is always good, and assuring that every detail points to the story moving forward. 

Louise Borden (@LouiseBorden), author most recently of Kindergarten Luck, illustrated by Genevieve Godbout and published by Chronicle Books (@ChronicleBooks), stops by to talk about the sounds of words, writers as witnesses to a historical event, and the great things going on at Nerd Camp.

Alaina Sharp and I reflect on our third year of being a part of the Nerd Camp team.

Linguistics Nerd Camp—Marsha and Her Thesis; by Bethany Carlson; From Volume CLXI, Number 3, of Speculative Grammarian, April 2011 — Marsha and her thesis made a cute couple, but their friends worried that she was trying to change him. (Described by Keith Slater.)

In this third episode, Colby Sharp talks with Jon Samuelson about three books for your classroom. Colby is a third-grade teacher in Michigan and one of the founders of the Nerdy Book Club. He also organizes a yearly free conference with authors, students, and teachers called NerdCamp. You can find a ton of literature and a daily blog post at the Nerdybookclub.com. You can connect with Colby on Twitter @colbysharp and Jon @jonsamuelson or the ipadsammy Facebook Page. Find all the links and resources to this show at techlandiaradio.com.

Linguistics Nerd Camp—Small Talk; by Bethany Carlson; From Volume CLX, Number 4, of Speculative Grammarian, January 2011 — Surprisingly, Marty found that his small talk skills had actually declined during his summer at linguistics school. (Described by Keith Slater.)

In this third episode, Colby Sharp talks with Jon Samuelson about three books for students that are ready to make the jump to novels. Colby is a third-grade teacher in Michigan and one of the founders of the Nerdy Book Club. He also organizes a yearly free conference with authors, students, and teachers called NerdCamp. You can find a ton of literature and a daily blog post at the Nerdybookclub.com. You can connect with Colby on Twitter @colbysharp and Jon @jonsamuelson or the ipadsammy Facebook Page. Find all the links and resources to this show soon at techlandiaradio.com.

An interview with Elissa Brent Weissman, author of several middle-grade novels about smart kids. Her latest book is Nerd Camp 2.0, a sequel to Nerd Camp.

In this second episode, Colby Sharp talks with Jon Samuelson and Scott Bedley about three of the latest books he really enjoyed reading. Colby is a third grade teacher in Michigan and one of the founders of the Nerdy Book Club. He also organizes a yearly free conference with authors, students, and teachers called NerdCamp. You can find a ton of literature and a daily blog post at the Nerdybookclub.com. You can connect with Colby on Twitter @colbysharp, Jon @ipadsammy, and Scott @tasfair, @scotteach, @scottbedley, and @bedleybros. Find all the links and resources to this show at the ipadsammy.com blog.

In this first episode, Colby Sharp talks with Jon Samuelson and Scott Bedley about three of the latest books he really enjoyed reading. Colby is a third grade teacher in Michigan and one of the founders of the Nerdy Book Club. He also organizes a yearly free conference with authors, students, and teachers called NerdCamp. You can find a ton of literature and a daily blog post at the Nerdybookclub.com. You can connect with Colby on Twitter @colbysharp, Jon @ipadsammy, and Scott @tasfair, @scotteach, @scottbedley, and @bedleybros. Find all the links and resources to this show at the ipadsammy.com blog.

In this episode, Chris and Jon catch up after a month apart.  Jon talks about his time in Europe, and why Belgium is the Midwest of that fair continent.  Jon went to Nerd Camp, had his first oysters, and had some harrowing moments as an airline passenger.  In the meantime, Chris has yet another play!  … Continue reading #35: The Goat-Man and She-Goat Power Hour! →