Tomorrow we celebrate National Day on Writing! Are you planning on writing tomorrow? I am! To honor the day and to honor writers, I’m sharing three of my favorite quotes on writing.   First a quote from one of my favorite poets, Audre Lorde. Remember: Poetry is NOT a luxury.   Next, some words from...Read More

A Note to Readers When I researched Charles Darwin for my book, Mightier Than the Sword, I was surprised to learn he frequently skipped school. But Darwin didn’t just mess around–(okay, he did a little of that)–he used his time away from school to experiment with chemistry. In fact, he got so good at making...Read More

A Note to Readers Underpants. Say it in a crowd of kids, and they will erupt in giggles. No doubt they will adore Christine Van Zandt’s brand new book A Brief History of Underpants. I certainly do! Read on to learn about how you can use this book in your classroom. Happy reading, Rochelle  ...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 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 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

A Note to Readers As we approach Independence Day, it’s a good time to reflect on the people who helped establish this country. Given that the United States was formed at a time when women mostly worked as homemakers, teachers, nurses, and servants, it’s both surprising and delightful to find out that women also took...Read More

A Note to Readers I am so excited about this post from Aileen Weintraub. I met Aileen in a Facebook group this past winter, and was so excited to learn about her new book, We Got Game: 35 Female Athletes Who Changed the World. Young female athletes need books about their role models–how they’re winning...Read More

A Note to Readers I’m delighted to welcome Kim Zachman to the blog to talk about how to reach those reluctant readers. Whether you are a writer, educator or librarian, this post will help you connect with readers. Enjoy!   Reeling in Reluctant Readers by Kim Zachman   For seven years, I had the best...Read More