Spotlight on Timely Topics!

Each month, our Implementation Team creates timely collections of quick ideas. These Timely Topics include related curated lists, awards, and ideas for using TeachingBooks resources for everything from short ready-to-go activities to deep discussion. Featured resources and ideas include a variety of genres, cultures, curricular areas, grade bands, and more, so there is something for everyone.

You can receive these directly to your email and have a ready "packet" of inspiration for new lessons and on-the-go sub or supplemental activities delivered each month.

Nick Glass
Founder & Head
TeachingBooks and Book Connections
nick@TeachingBooks.net

Meet-the-Author Recording: Nina: A Story of Nina Simone with Traci N. Todd

As we celebrate Women's History Month and Music In Our Schools Month, listen to this Meet-the-Author recording in which Traci N. Todd shares a pivotal moment in the life of the activist singer Nina Simone and how it inspired the writing of her 2022 Coretta Scott King Honor book, Nina: A Story of Nina Simone (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021).

Ryan Calejo on Teaching and Writing

In this For Teachers, By Teachers post, author Ryan Calejo shares his thoughts on the importance of patience and perseverance for student success in the classroom. Read about why he gave his characters those same qualities in his latest book, Charlie Hernández & the Golden Dooms (Simon & Schuster, 2022).

Amber McBride on We Are All So Good at Smiling

Amber McBride, winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for Me (Moth) (Macmillan, 2021), joined our tour with her latest title. We Are All So Good at Smiling (Macmillan, 2023) addresses depression and trauma through a magical fairy tale lens. Learn about the author's personal connection to the topic and why she wrote the book.

Featured Booklist: 10 Middle Grade Novels That Address Mental Health with Compassion

Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, compulsions—our students live with these and other mental health challenges every day. Use these ten titles to open a conversation in your middle school classroom and honor the experiences of young people with mental illness.

Watch Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan Compete in the Author Fan Face-off

This month's Face-off is double the fun, featuring mega-fans Zoya and Kaylee and authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan answering questions about A Place at the Table (Clarion Books, 2020). Discover the story of sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, who develop an unlikely friendship while taking a South Asian cooking class.

Behind the Books: "Finding a Story"

"After my son was born, I knew I would never write again," begins the post from our guest blogger Sarah Warren. Follow her journey from this supposed certainty to the editing of her new picture book, Everything a Drum (Amicus, 2023).

Using Multi-Leveled Lessons

TeachingBooks has a number of multi-leveled lessons that offer scaffolded learning opportunities for thinking about genre, cultural representation, and storytelling. Delve into ideas that help you think about how to incorporate these resources into your teaching.

Resources for All Readers with TeachingBooks

Support reading development and engage readers with resources to develop fluency, support comprehension, and celebrate different learning styles.

Thursday, March 23, 2023 12:30 CT

Contests & Giveaways

Check out our March Contests & Giveaways, accompanied by multimedia resources!

• Love is Loud by Sandra Neil Wallace & Bryan Collier (Simon & Schuster, 2023)
• The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir (Abrams, 2023)
• The Moonlit Vine by Elizabeth Santiago (Lee & Low, 2023)
• And More!

See the March Contests & Giveaways on our blog.