Today is Menstrual Hygiene Day, a day dedicated to busting taboos and myths around periods. Fifty percent of the population gets a period, and yet people are still uncomfortable talking about it. There are lots of great non-fiction books for kids that cover puberty, but what about fiction? Most girls get their periods between 10-15 … Continue reading Why Do So Few Characters Get Their Periods in Middle Grade Fiction?
A Rebecca Stead book is always unexpected and always a delight. I very much enjoyed her Northern fantasy First Light and remember hand-selling the heck out of it to die-hard City of Ember fans in my bookseller days. Then I read When You Reach Me and was struck by how timeless it felt, despite being … Continue reading Middle Grade Monday: Goodbye Stranger
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 1927-2014 When I was a kid I got a box of books at a garage sale. I don't remember how old I was. It was the summer, possibly between grades 3 and 4, or 4 and 5- but I do remember that box vividly. I discovered some of my favourite authors in … Continue reading Thank You for the Borderlands: RIP Zilpha Keatley Snyder
There are a million and one reasons to love the CBC, including this right here: First of all, what a total thrill to be featured on The Next Chapter, a fantastic program that has taught me so much about books, writers, and Canadian literature in particular. Shelagh Rogers is warm, funny, and a fantastic … Continue reading Tiger Eyes & Days That End in Y: I Heart the CBC
