Unlawful Orders, a Portrait of Dr. James B. Williams: Tuskegee Airman, Surgeon and Activist, won a 2023 award from the International Literacy Association in the Intermediate Nonfiction category. Take a look at a video booktalk made for the International Literacy Association about Unlawful Orders on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OSnOOW2TE4
Unlawful Orders wins awards Read More »
October 13, 2023, is a magical day for Illinois teachers, students and school librarians.
Free Virtual Class Visits on October 13, 2023 Read More »
Domestic violence is a quiet epidemic, hitting 25% of all women, and 7.6 percent of men at some point in their lives. October is Domestic Violence month, for the millions of men, women and children who live within violent homes every day. Domestic violence makes up 21% of all violent crimes, and has no respect
Courage Spotlight – Domestic Violence Read More »
On Friday I traveled the 144 miles to Bloomington Illinois to meet with freshmen at Bloomington High School. I was invited by Keran Johnson, the school\’s retiring Library Media Specialist (she\’s in full countdown mode). We met last fall when I spoke at the Illinois School Library Media Association in Springfield, and she mentioned how
End of Year School visit Read More »
I am now the author of two YA novels, one of which was a YALSA 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list, and was on the School Library Journal list of best books for youth in detention in 2011. Being noted by on those two lists made my proud, because one of my
ALA 2013 – Attracting Reluctant Readers Read More »
I\’M PRESENTING!! This Saturday at 1:00 pm, I will be making a presentation to the American Library Association in Chicago on Attracting Reluctant Male Readers. Normally I don\’t start gathering butterflies in my stomach until the day before a presentation. But then I made the mistake of looking and saw that almost five hundred people
Attracting Reluctant Male Readers @ ALA 2013 Read More »
This was my second year of participation at the fair, held at the Fountaindale library in Bolingbrook, Il. Many patrons were not aware of the fair until they heard library staff on the microphones telling them to come over and to meet and greet local authors. The library handed out small autograph books for patrons to
Bolingbrook Author Fair – April 13, 2013 Read More »
Being God comes out Feb 1. The book represents my commitment to writing quality books designed to attract both eager and the reluctant teen readers. Especially the kids known as reluctant readers. I truly believe that most kids who are reluctant do not deserve that name. They are just kids who have not yet found the
One of the more promising things I heard at the conference was how English classes are working to give students the tools they need to pick books, along with tools to critically analyze the many messages they are bombarded with. This includes: Understanding and dissecting the messages in covers. Learning to understand how covers hook
YALSA Conference report – student understanding Read More »
A number of my friends in various writing groups received word yesterday that they are finalists in RWA contests – either the Golden Heart for unpublished authors, or the Rita for books published in 2011. Being ineligible for either (I am published, but my book is from 2010) I was surprised and pleased to get another
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Read More »