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THE FIREFLY SUMMER by Morgan Matson (MG) — Summer Reading

Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is an actual blog post. I know, I can hardly believe it, either. I read a book this week that I wanted to share with you, and here we are. (Note, which you’ve likely figured out by now: the image is not the cover image from the book….

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THE LONGEST LETSGOBOY by Derick Wilder, illustrated by Catia Chien — Book Recommendation

Title: THE LONGEST LETSGOBOY Author: Derick Wilder Illustrator: Catia Chien Publisher: San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, October 2021 Genre: Picture book Audience Age: 3 to 8 years Themes/Topics: dogs, dying, love, pets, hope Opening Sentences:  Mewmew wakes me, rumbledrumming my tummy. I strrrrretch my oldbones. Synopsis: This lovely, moving, heartfelt story tells of a much-loved old dog’s last day, from the…

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HEARTS UNBROKEN by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Title: Hearts Unbroken Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith Publisher: Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2018 Genre: YA Fiction, #ownvoices Audience Age: 14 to 18 years Themes/Topics: Friendship, romance, Native American history and issues, racism Synopsis: Lou (short for Louise), is a high school junior in current-day Kansas. By the time the book ends, she is a senior….

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Thinking About the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice — with reflections on Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Yesterday, November 11, 2018, was the 100th anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended the 1914-1918 war, usually called World War I, known then as “the war to end all wars.” We all know now that although that name was filled with hope, that hope was quickly dashed. In ceremonies in many countries,…

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Books to Help Kids Understand Dementia

Many, perhaps most, of us know someone who deals with dementia. My first encounter with dementia was when I was in my early teen years, although that word was not commonly used then. We’d go over to visit my paternal grandparents, and Grandma would say, “Father is confused today.” We accepted this confusion as part…