Welcome!

I never thought I'd give in to the blogging craze, but here I am! With the number of young adult and children's books I read and enjoy recommending to others, it only seems natural to expand my reach, and publish my recommendations to the world. Yes, I know that I could just do that on Amazon, but I wanted a place that is mine (don't we all) where all my reviews could be found together.

First, a little about me. I've been teaching for about eight years, and I love getting my students excited about reading. The simplest and best way to do that is to have lots of books available for them to choose from. So, I have shelves and shelves of books in my room. But I am picky/careful. I won't put anything in myclassroom until I have read it myself. I do this for two reasons:
1. I can do a better job of recommending books to my students if I have actually read more than just the back cover.
2. I just don't want to put something in my classroom that my students are not ready for in terms of maturity, content, etc. I want my students and their parents to feel safe choosing books from my shelves. For me, it isn't about censorship, as many of the books I have and love will challenge students to think in different ways and from different perspectives than they are used to. It is simply a matter of what is appropriate for me, as a teacher, to give them access to. Some things are the domain of the parents. Books that I feel are questionable but have value to them I put in a special area that requires a parent note giving the student permission to read the specifi book.

Now I think I have babbled enough. I look forward to sharing my reviews of childrens and young adult lit with the world!