Kim, a middle school teacher, requested a booklist for middle schoolers. I started listing away and had to stop myself before I hit 100 books. Then I typed this up and just keep going ( Read more... )

I call this journal + website Bildungsroman for a reason. I think there's something special about a story that accurately captures that time when you grow up - when our perception of how the world works is irrevocably altered, for better or for worse.

In January 2007, Chasing Ray announced You Should Read This Awards 2007: Coming-of-Age. Since I ( Read more... )

Becoming an independent reader is a source of pride for kids. Newly voracious readers will want to read anything they can get their hands on, while others might need more help finding their niche. Some readers might cling to easy reads and need help with (or coaxing!) to tackle more challenging books ( Read more... )

Searching for novels to use for a similar-stories unit in class? Want to stick to a certain theme and/or get multiple books for kids of various ages in the same household to share? Make your own boxed sets! Here are some ideas, mostly for readers aged 7 through 14.

Classic Staples (all ages)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. MontgomeryThe Secret Garden ( Read more... )

They are the best friends. The siblings. The next-door-neighbors.
They help solve mysteries. Stand up to bullies. Run student council campaigns.
They are the Sassy Sidekicks of Children's Literature.

They don't have to be sassy, mind you. I just like that word. However, they do have to be true sidekicks. ( Read more... )

Earlier this month, I posted the poem Sometimes by Thomas S. Jones, Jr. It goes a little something like this:

Across the fields of yesterday
He sometimes comes to me,
A little lad just back from play -
The lad I used to be.
And yet he smiles so wistfully

Once he has crept within,
I wonder if he hopes to see
The man I might have been.
I think any ( Read more... )

I was recently interviewed at The Book Base. Thanks for reading!

How long have you been a blogger?
I’ve been blogging at Bildungsroman for close to 8 years now.

Approximately, how many books do you read every year?

I average about a book a day, so I read around 300 books a year, more if you count scripts and screenplays.

What were your favourite ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

Looking for the perfect books to give to your loved ones? Thinking about expanding your own personal library? Consider a few things before you go shopping:

* Give what you like. If you really enjoyed a certain book, get a few copies and give them to your best friends, then have fun discussing it with them. Have your own little book club! (Take ( Read more... )

To date, Lisa Ann Sandell has seen two of her verse novels published: The Weight of the Sky and Song of the Sparrow. Though they take place in different locations and time periods, both stories follow the journeys of the protagonists, strong young women whose physical journeys lead to other types of journeys - emotional, spiritual. Her first prose ( Read more... )