By Amber Bauer 5th Grade Language Arts Teacher at Conger Elementary School Delaware, OH As teachers, we all know that little pit you feel in your stomach when your principal says, “How would you feel about . . . ?” Six years ago, my principal came to me asking if I would take over a

Savvy is celebrating its 10th anniversary of publication with a special paperback edition! This Newbery Honor book has everything you could want in a coming of age story (and more): adventure, magic tattoos, and a rickety bus full of determined kids. For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a secret. At the age of thirteen, every

Bibliotherapy, or the therapeutic use of literature, can support students as they develop empathy and a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. Reading engaging and timely books in one classroom, one school, or one entire community can help educators in their mission to build a culture free from stigma and bias. JUST UNDER THE

The 2018 Global Read Aloud selections were announced and Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed was the upper elementary/middle grade selection! The Global Read Aloud aims to connect teachers and students across the globe by reading aloud the same book during a set 6-week period every fall. Amal Unbound is story of a girl’s fight to regain

How to Use Wonder Beyond “Choose Kind” by L. Bruce Coffey Jr., Director of Programs at Read to Them®   At Read to Them, our mission is to help entire school communities read, explore, and share rich children’s novels. For the last six years, R. J. Palacio’s Wonder has been a very special title in

We’re thrilled to welcome author Rob Buyea to the Common Reads blog to share his own personal experience with audiobooks and why they are perfect for teachers and students.

The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off this month and features Victoria J. Coe’s Fenway and Hattie for its early reader selection! The Global Read Aloud aims to connect teachers and students across the globe by reading aloud the same book during a set 6-week period.  The project started on October 2nd and runs until

We’re so excited to see Ruta Sepetys’s latest masterful historical fiction title, Salt to the Sea, is out in paperback! Salt to the Sea is an emotionally wrought, epic WWII-era novel that shines a light on one of the war’s most devastating–yet unknown–tradgedies. Perfect for readers of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot Sea, Ruta

Saugatuck Elementary School in Westport, CT, kicked off their second annual One Book, One School initiative by choosing Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Appleblossom The Possum this Spring.  Sloan’s story follows a family of adorable marsupials as they make their way into the world, and learn life lessons that are applicable to all students along the way, serving as

We never said Yes. We weren’t even talking about next year’s book. Weeks still stood between us and summer vacation and we were busy with activities to wrap up our current adventure. Typically we discuss books for our school-wide reading initiative for the better part of a year. But when people ask us how we

by DONNA GEPHART, author of Lily and Dunkin (Delacorte Press, May 2016)   I’m not going to sugarcoat this. The statistic is grim and the stories behind it heartbreaking. Forty-three percent of transgender young people try to kill themselves. Why? Here’s one story: Because her parents isolated her from supportive friends and adults, refused to accept

It has been 13  years since Betty Birney began writing about the sensitive, talkative, and perceptive hamster who makes his home in Mrs. Brisbane’s Room 26. Since then, she has visited schools across the country and around the world, and the love for our furry friend is palpable. When Betty set out to write The