Regardless of a student’s reading level, here are simple and meaningful tips to make reading more enjoyable for kids during their summer break to help keep them from feeling the struggle when back-to-school season arrives. 

I loved Such Good People, a new book by Amy Blumenfeld. It’s a book about friendships, relationships, life, and how both our choices and our character are always a part of our stories. 

What does it mean to delve deeply into your life to write a novel? How do you even start? How does an author write deep, diverse characters? 

Such were the questions that AJ Frazier worked through to write his new novel, Mariel. 

He answered them, and then some, in this fascinating thriller that encompasses extraordinarily complex themes in a new and interesting way.

There is so much to discover in Paris that a lifetime isn't enough. And what to do, when we are far away and planning (or dreaming about) a trip? What to see, do, eat, buy? We need help (and inspiration).

Enter the most BEAUTIFUL and inspiring new book: Paris Shopfronts, illustrated by Joel Holland, words by Vivian Song, foreword by Sarah Andelman. 

I have the most beautiful, artistic, DELICIOUS book to share with you today!

Our Food Grows, written by Sarah M. White, illustrated by Tessa Gibbs, and published by the Collective Book Studio, is a pure delight for young kids and their families and educators.

I have an extraordinarily important, loving book to share with you today. This Sure Thing, written by Sarah Mayfield and illustrated by Dennis Auth, relates the story of grief and love in a family. The younger brother has passed away, and the older brother and family find ways to cope with grief, adjustment, and continuing living with such love.

I've got such an interesting, important biography to share with you today. Women's Crusader: Catharine Beecher's Untold Story, by R. Lee Wilson, is an insightful look into the life of a woman I didn't even know existed.

Once I started reading, though, I was so very grateful that Wilson has brought Beecher to life for us. Her story is fascinating; Wilson's deep dive into primary source materials is extraordinary. This is a book about women's rights, women's education, and a very personal life and love story.

I have the most fun (and delicious) picture book to share with you today! I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!, written by Shannon Anderson, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, and published by Feeding Minds Press, is a GEM.