The Yarn
September 15, 2024 by Betsy Bird
Today the illustrious Kate Messner reveals the cover of her latest middle grade and talks with us about hiking, verse vs. prose, and why she's a dog person without a dog.
April 14, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Eye of the Storm By Kate Messner Walker (a division of Bloomsbury) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2313-0 Ages 9-14 On shelves now Pity the science geeks, the math geeks, and other kids that love a ripping yarn with a grounding in something other than fantasy. When I troll the shelves of the children’s room in my local […]
September 5, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Happy Labor Day! I’ve no special post of my own but I know someone who has created the ultimate list of Labor Songs. That would be Professor Phil Nel and at this point I’ve only seen the first of three posts but it is truly fantastic. For one thing, he includes Moxy Früvous on his […]
July 20, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Marty McGuire By Kate Messner Illustrated by Brian Floca Scholastic $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-14244-1 Ages 5-9 On shelves now It’s high time “tomboys” rescued their term from its negative connotations. One very rarely runs across parents who use the word with pride. It happens, sure, but more often than not it’s paired with a complaint. Same […]
April 17, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Well, that was satisfying. For those of you unfamiliar with the James Kennedy/Neil Gaiman “feud” (and I use that term loosely) this video may work best with a little background. You see, I first became acquainted with the YA author of The Order of Odd Fish when he wrote this remarkable screed entitled America, Emulate […]
November 4, 2010 by Betsy Bird
Sugar and Ice By Kate Messner Walker & Company (a division of Bloomsbury) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2081-8 Ages 9-12 On shelves December 9th They say to write what you know. We’ve all heard that line. It’s bounced about countless writing groups. But there’s an unspoken rule amongst children that’s as pervasive as it is harmful: Read […]
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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