Posts contained in the “Parenting Issues” category:

Strange Happenings by Avi


Share this…             At some point in our lives, we all have a desire to become someone or something else. What would you do if that wish became true? The five short tales contained in this book all have transformation as a central plot device: A bored twelve-year-old boy turns into a cat. A young princess in …read more…


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie


Share this…             Update as of 26 October 2011: This book continues to be controversial. Only this past spring, I was asked to help fight a push to not just remove this book from the twelfth grade curriculum of a public high school, but to remove the book from the school library, as well. The irony is …read more…


PDL Book Sale – October 2, 2010


Share this…             It is absolutely amazing that I made it to two of these sales in a row. Again, I picked up a bag-load of books for $12.70. Here’s what I got: Short story collections and novels: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore. Even if I had never heard of Lorrie Moore, the …read more…


Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen


Share this…             Worried about finding enough money to buy a new inner tube for his bike, a twelve-year-old boy gets an old riding mower from his grandmother for his birthday. Soon he is mowing his neighbors’ lawns, and making more money than he thought possible. When he meets Arnold, a stockbroker who teaches him about managing …read more…


PDL Book Sale – August 7, 2010


Share this…             The Portage District Library had a book sale yesterday. They have six of them a year, but for some strange reason, I seem able to only get to about half of them. It’s always a lot of fun, and you can pick up some great bargains. Most paperbacks are three for a dollar, hardcovers …read more…


Encouraging Summer Reading


Share this…             Keeping kids reading during the summer is important. We want to encourage our kids to read and to enjoy it, but we need to strike a fine balance between making it optional and making it mandatory. The following tips come to us via ADDitude Magazine. While these tips are aimed at children with ADD/ADHD, …read more…