“However uncomfortable it is, the path to truth, reconciliation, and healing, learning about our history. We can’t eliminate racism, prejudice, discrimination, or injustice until we bravely look it in the face.”
Author Archives: Nina Giannangeli
Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippencott
“I’m not a doctor or scientist, so it’s not likely that I’ll be developing cures for various diseases any time soon. But, I do like to talk about books. So, when I can share voices and stories of young people who experience adversity like this, I make a point to do so. Maybe those young people will feel less alone because they see themselves in the literature they read.’
NOW Classrooms Grades 9-12: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology by Meg Ormiston
“Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Sometimes you have no idea where to start. NOW Classrooms is an enjoyable place to start. The authors of this book — teachers themselves — understand this and write directly for teachers trying to meet the needs of their 21-century students in a holistic way.”
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
“With a focus on female friendships, social justice, and the power of identity — all with the magic of the sea sprinkled throughout — A Song Below Water is a unique blend of fantasy and reality.”
How Writing Shapes Thinking: A Study of Teaching and Learning by Judith A. Langer and Arthur N. Applebee
“Unfortunately, even thirty-five years after the research came out, it’s not typical to see students writing unless they are in English or social science class. Creating a school culture of writing still hasn’t caught fire. But it needs to.”
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
This Friday we have a guest blogger: please welcome District 323 community member, Amy Salamon! How can I leave my mark on the world? What do kids in 1450 Constantinople have to do with me? And who says ancient stories like The Odyssey are irrelevant when much newer and exciting media is being made? Fortunately, …
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Rosanne A. Brown
“The fantastical elements of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin will capture your imagination, but it’s the characters and their ways of surviving adversity that capture our interest and our emotions.”
The Loud Minority: Why Protest Matters in American Democracy by Daniel Q. Gillion
“In the book, Gillion presents the research he found when he pursued the question, “How do protests impact American democracy?” He reviews not only the history of protests in the United States but also the data collected from his action research about protests and their various natures.”
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
“dfather was only twenty-one when he saw the horrors of a concentration camp. War and violence are rooted in evil, pride, and ego. There’s almost always another alternative, but it seems the world has yet to embrace this fact. And it is the children who innocently suffer.”
How to be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
“I chose the side of “no racism.” But, it wasn’t until the summer after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbury that I realized it isn’t enough to be “not racist. We have to be antiracist.”
Bago Book Talk Blog 