ILLUSTRATION © GETTY IMAGES: OIVIND HOVLAND Novelists live and die by reviews, yet uncovering what garners a gushing ovation or blistering takedown is often a mystery. A professional critic lays out what it takes to earn five-star book rev...
[Enter your self-published book into the Self-Published Book Awards!] In his article “Critical Thinking” in the March/April 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, professional book critic Paul Goat Allen shares his criteria for evaluating a n...
Good morning from Maine where it feels like fall. Starting on Monday week I’ll be working with the Sigsbee Charter School in Key West, Florida for most of the next few weeks which means that I’ll miss a good chunk of my favorite...
Good afternoon from Maine where it is a beautiful late summer day. I don’t know about you, but I always feel like August passes too quickly. At the beginning of the month it feels like, “hey, it’s summer!” and by the...
Good morning from Maine where it is good to be home after two weeks of travel for back-to-school workshops. Nothing says “back to school” quite like seeing a couple of leaves that have changed color. Yes, that happens early here...
Good morning from Maine where we’re anticipating our first significant snowstorm of the year. As a skier, I cannot wait for the fresh snow. As a Dad, I’m excited to show my older daughter the joy of making snow angels. But as th...
Moose Tracks Good evening from Maine where it was a beautiful fall day. It was a perfect day for playing outside which is what we did to celebrate our youngest daughter’s first birthday. I hope that you had a great Saturday too! Tomor...
Wakelet is quickly becoming a popular choice amongst teachers who want to create collections of notes that can include text, videos, links, and pictures. Students can use it for the same purpose and share their collections with their teache...
Good morning from Maine where I’m home for a while after nearly four weeks of speaking at conferences and consulting with schools. When I started my little tour there were leaves on all of the trees in my yard. This morning I woke up ...
Thanks to one of the great teachers that I am working with at Sigsbee Charter School I learned about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. The festival is really a contest that is organized by YA author James Kennedy. The purpose of th...