My latest, with @propublica.org + @nytimes.com: An Oklahoma law was supposed to help reduce the sentences of domestic violence survivors who fought back -- women who are serving long sentences for killing their abusers. Why are nearly all of them still in prison? www.propublica.org/article/okla...

I still believe in a world where real people make real things and that's in part because this 7th grader crocheted this onto their hair clip, "just 'cause" and isn't that reason enough?

Nothing but love for the avid narrative non-fiction reader who is always desperately trying to get their friends to read it as the friends only care about fiction. Kid is constantly out there hand-selling narrative NF. Spent all lunch booktalking this one. Keep at it, kid. "Just try this one."

My best friend and I are doing a bf journal for the year and I'm having a hard time letting him have his turn but also I love it.

Me, trying to explain KPOP DEMON HUNTERS to one of my coworker: okay so they're like a classic hot boy band but ALSO they are demons so the song is about drinking SOULS not soda but - oh I forgot the bird. So - My coworker:

do y'all ever think about the truly wild coincidence that 99% of the time every single year "the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature" is ... a middle grade chapter book for ages 9-14? That seems weird doesn't it. And yet somehow....

Don't you love when you get messages from friends because a teen in their life finally connected with a book so they want more recs to keep the reading going? And don't you EXTRA love it when it's a book you know is totally amazing and by @kosokojackson.bsky.social ?? Yeah I love that too.

The most magical time of year for a school librarian! Teaching lateral reading time!

This is our 10th student librarian and I just gotta tell you it gets better every time. (This is a generic version of the sign I made to share, the real one has the student's name obviously.) Every part of this program is a joy. #librarylife

For my last RT, there's no one making books about prison abolition and toll incarceration takes on families and children like @prisonculture.bsky.social. Please get all three of her picture books for your libraries.

We published a children's book last year. It's available today at 40% off. I didn't do a lot of promo of the book last year because there was too much else going on. But I really like the book which is beautifully illustrated by @ollycostello.bsky.social - www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2588-p...

Okay there's just no way middle schoolers like pumpkin pie THIS much right?? (this was a fun one. #WhiteboardMagic)

First book club of the school year. How many kids will show up?

I'm not a member of ALA anymore because I'm poor now as a teacher (that's literally true I cannot justify the expenseon my current salary) but I would NEVER want to hear anything religious from the leader of any of my professional orgs. You don't know shit about what I believe. Shut up.

Nothing like when you just put out something (after a request) and they just start making magic. #librarylife

here's a real niche tweet: it's been four years but one of the hardest parts of school librarianship v. public librarianship is still not marking down the tallies for reference questions.

One thing on my dream wishlist is more middle grade titles from Vietnamese American authors, ideally fun and contemporary stuff. @brandonhoang.bsky.social, Thanhhà Lại, and @trungles.com can only do so much. This is a gap, imo.

This is what happens when you let your #1 reader be the first student librarian of the year and they literally twirl through the stacks with joy. #librarylife

while there are many exquisite feelings in librarianship there are none MORE exquisite than when a kid sees your favorites cart, beams at you and thoughtfully says "Oh! Thank you for having and loving this book. Did you know the character is Native like me but from Canada?"

If anyone in publishing cares what actual mid-schoolers want to read, I would be trying to acquire about 60000 more books exactly like Daphne Benedis-Grab's Secrets and Lies series, they have literally been checked out since day one at my school and spread through word of mouth. daphnebg.com/books/

Does @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social sell stickers? Because I would love to have some for my laptop and my sticker places and they have so many great designs now I would looooove to see some place other than tshirts and mugs. Any leads on this?

Every generation of new 7th graders must go through the rite of passage: finding the small Target hashtag blocks and building the biggest cube they can, all whilst imagining no one else has ever done this. It's a canon event!!!!

today a 7th grader told me "do you want to hear a dolphin noise?" and when I said YES OBVIOUSLY they drank a water bottle in a way that sounded exactly like a dolphin and I thought maybe I was gonna cry from happiness, it's only been two days and magic is already everywhere.

@lynnekelly.bsky.social hello hi hello! I would love to send you a quick message about my beloved and darling book club now that we are back in school season. Is there somewhere I can send you a note? Thank you! 🥰

A back to school task I'm so glad I get to do: refreshing the care drawer. This is free and accessible at all times to any student. It debuted last year and it was a hit. The most popular items were pads (over pantyliners and tampons) and deodorants. What am I missing?

It's back to school time, babes.

Nothing ever matches the energy and pacing of S1, where you can CLEARLY see Thomas has conceived it as a YA novel. You simply cannot care about anything again as much as you care about Lily. In the book, she connects/is saved by her father, the door opens ON LOGAN, NORMAL. They kiss, the end.

Why do you think they pushing so hard into education? They get paid a lot of money and get to train the next generation to be wholly dependent on them. A win-win.

This is a beyond masterful MG book. I read part of it outloud to some of my 8th graders until one of them said "Uh that's enough, too freaky, please stop." IMO this should be in Newbery conversation.

HEY I'M STILL HERE (again) and school is about to start 🫠 so let's do something fun! How about a thread of the things I snatched up over summer for this school year?

Librarian pals the Dollar Tree has these cute book journals out now. I'm stocking up because I know my middle school readers will love these as prizes.

@vinceyface.bsky.social I just saw you in the Nathan Fielder tiktok and I feel like I know a celebrity. 10/10 genius

That's a wrap on year 4 in school libraries. It's the best career reinvention I never expected and I'm so grateful. Here's to summer!

hey is being fat still a precondition? asking for a friend who looooooves COVID boosters and as a reminder that if they want to use BMI to say everyone's a fattie, well --

We've got two weeks of school left and I finally took down the Black Lit board I had up (and was gonna take down before I had to take off two weeks for my family issue and then needed a week to recover from 🫠) so I slapped this very lazy last board up. It's enough.

Well, it is the most magical time of the school year: my lunchtime book club takes our annual (free) field trip to the most exciting place. The, wait for it, public library!!!!! Last year School Library Journal wrote a whole article about it: www.slj.com/story/Field-...

I was recently out for almost two weeks due to personal issues and coming back today was just real joyous on so many levels. One of my students told me, "Since it's teacher appreciation week, I just want you to know I appreciate what you do."

Another day another middle school student asking me for books about "body image" and "being better about liking your body" and me thinking about how no publisher or agent is interested in the middle grade fat acceptance anthology I have a whole pitch for.

Some days you wonder what's the point of it all. But other days you get enough goldfish crackers for the entire school as part of your March Snackness celebration and it'll be during testing and this is your view and then... you know what it's all about.

yesterday my husband got to see one of his biggest mirror characters on screen for the first time with the release of the MURDERBOT trailer. He cried a little. He relates so much to Murderbot. When it got to "forced to connect" he was like "see? Murderbot is just like me."

There's simply nothing on earth I hate more than those displays that have mirrors and tell kids bullshit like MEET THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FUTURE/THOUGHTS/ DECISIONS/EFFORT blah blah. IF but only if we're that easy for so many of our students. So simplistic. So I made the opposite.

One of my tweens brought in their copy of SUNRISE ON THE REAPING to show me their tear stains. Spectacular. What a gift.

I dunno man, I know everything is terrible and it feels like it never ends but sometimes you get to spend a lunch hour listening to teenagers laughing in the library and playing card games and feeling joy and - and - you remember -

"Listen up. I really need this baby fight to happen." You hear 7th graders say the best things when you are the chaperone for the Dungeons & Dragons lunch club.

Hard to think of something I did this school year I loved more than Student Librarian. An amazing delight and a wondrous way to spotlight student voice. Just excellent overall.

Today at lunch, through the wild roar, I hear music truly blasting. When I go to investigate I see one of the 7th graders has brought in an enormous portable speaker. And felt comfortable enough here in the library to let that thing RIP at full volume. Are we a shushing library? More like...

A year ago my beloved friend Jacob and I started BFBC (best friend book club) where we read or re-read books off our lists or that we're into and then talk about every single detail. We read everything and have had extra fun with poetry. For our year anniversary you know we had to #ReadSunrise

My beloved friend @alnl.bsky.social revealed the amazing FAT GIRL cover for WITCHKILLER their upcoming fierce, fat, feminist HANSEL AND GRETEL retelling out in October from Scholastic and have you ever seen anything better? You can pre-order!! www.instagram.com/p/DHLqzFcRSr...

I have great news: I read a book I think changed the way my brain works, a book that goes beyond and deeper than I ever dreamed, a book that made me laugh out loud and wince in agony. Perfection. The bad news is what will I ever read next to compare? So. Get REJECTION by @tonytula.com right now.