Meet Booker T. Pug. Booker is a reading therapy dog at South Salem Elementary in Covington, Georgia. He has his very own Puppy Palace in the school’s media center that contains a plush puppy bed and comfy seating for one, two, or three young readers. Booker hangs out in the library each school day with…
Does your school have a librarian? Or do you know a librarian whom you would like to recognize? Then I have a link for you! You see next week, April 9–15, 2017, is National Library Week. It’s a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries and librarians across the country. As part of this celebration…
Yesterday morning (May 13), the sun rose on silent wings, spreading its golden blanket across a land renewed. Renewed by what? Renewed by the fact that Children’s Book Week had descended upon us in the night. Yes, this is Children’s Book Week (CBW), one of the longest-running literacy initiatives in the country. Established in 1919,…
We’re just a few days away from Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2, and how are we to mark this special day in English literature when the good doctor is too often thought of as a “wee kiddies” author? Get your upper grades students into the spirit of Seuss not as readers, but as writers! Step…
Another year, another popular series of books for young students. Whether it’s Harry or Katniss, Percy or Artemis, each school year seems to bring about another series of books some readers simply gobble up. And I have found that readers in Massachusetts may have fallen for a different collection than readers in Oregon or North…
At some point in a teacher’s summer, one’s thoughts turn to the coming school year. Instead of hitting the snooze button 47 times in a row, you hit it 32 times one day, then 18 times soon after, until you’re finally down to just twice. You find yourself glancing longingly at your local teacher store…
In college in the previous millennium, I had the pleasure of becoming good friends with a fellow New Englander out of Concord, Massachusetts. These days he’s a physical education teacher in Pennsylvania, but back then we were simply undergrads who liked robust, raucous, and challenging dialogue. We were once engrossed in a conversation with some…
Well, here we go again. Your humble Upper Grades Exchange host has a memory to share. It is a memory that comes from a time when “avocado” was a color found on kitchen appliances and not a food item essential for delicious, home-cooked Mexican dinners. I’m talking about the 1970s, when “avocado” was to kitchens…