A Note To Readers Today I am delighted to welcome one of my debut group colleagues to the blog to talk about how to teach his picture book, I am Odd, I am New. Ben Giroux wrote his I AM poem as a classroom assignment when he was ten. Now that he’s 16, he’s about...Read More

A Note to Readers When I was a child, I loved mysteries. Not only did I devour books like Harriet the Spy–I was always looking around the neighborhood for mysteries to solve. I would have loved a book like Secret, Secret Agent Guy. I’m so excited to welcome my friend and critique partner to talk...Read More

A Note to Readers I’m delighted to welcome Nancy Tupper Ling to the blog to talk about the book she co-edited with June Cotner, For Every Little Thing. This jubilant collection of poetry will be a welcome addition to any home, library or classroom. It’s filled with classic gems like Emily Dickinson’s “I’ll Tell You...Read More

A Note to Readers Happy National Day on Writing! In 2009, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) founded the event to celebrate writing and writers. And not just literary writers–all writers! When I wrote Mightier Than the Sword, I intentionally chose people who wrote in multiple disciplines. I want young people to see...Read More

A Note to Readers I’m delighted to welcome Candice Marley Conner to the blog to talk about how teachers can use her brand new book, Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail with students. This book is Dyslexic inclusive; it is printed in a font that everyone can read, including people with dyslexia. Yay! Read on...Read More

A Note to Readers My friend Janet Halfmann has three books releasing almost back to back. The first two are nonfiction, the third fiction, and all have lots of fun science. This is the first of three posts (the dates for the second two are yet to be determined) featuring Janet’s new books. I haven’t...Read More

A Note to Readers When I wrote MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD, I was excited to learn about Charles Darwin and his amazing discoveries. Jordan Bell puts Darwin’s findings into fiction, helping young people understand the concepts of evolution. If this is something you cover with your students, you won’t want to miss this post! Enjoy!...Read More

A Note to Readers Letter week! Who doesn’t love celebrating each one of those lovely letters during letter week–as well as diagraphs. And with Stef Wade’s amazing book Q & U Call It Quits, you have a built-in tool for making this week rock! Enjoy! Rochelle   Teaching Q & U CALL IT QUITS  ...Read More

A Note to Readers We need to talk about consent with our children. But it’s awkward! Britta Stromeyer Esmail’s picture book, Raina’s (Un) Happy Birthday gives parents, teachers, and librarians an amazing starting point. Read on to learn more! Rochelle Teaching Raina’s  (Un) Happy Birthday Tell us about your book. Young children don’t have much...Read More

A Note to Readers When I met Liz Trudeau, I knew I had to feature her on the Tales for Mighty Writers Blog! I wrote Mightier than the Sword  to explore how writers changed the world. I was curious about how they  overcame obstacles to succeed. The award winning science fiction novelist Octavia Butler had...Read More