Teacher Appreciation Week

It's a hectic, exciting time of year for teachers! We're juggling concert rehearsals, awards nights, drama performances, track meets, graduation celebrations, and of course reviewing for end-of-year assessments. That's why Teacher Appreciation Week is such a welcome burst of sunshine to our busy schedules.

Just in time, Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing its Teacher Appreciation sale May 4 and 5. Time to dust off those wish lists and fill up the shopping cart!

To get ready for this fun sale, I've updated all the store graphics on my TPT store, Brevity. 

The cute potted plant image came from handdrawngoods.com, which you should totally check out.

Inspiration to tinker with graphic design has come from many directions recently, but one of my favorites is Michelle Emerson's YouTube channel, Pocketful of Primary. Michelle teaches 4th grade in Maryland, and she has tons of ideas for using educational technology, hybrid teaching, digital planning, classroom organization, and more. Best of all, she's upbeat and positive, which is what I am looking for in a teacher YouTuber!

And to wrap up this brief missive, if you're looking for an end-of-year read-aloud for the middle grades, look no further than By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman. It's a laugh-aloud tale of a boy and a butler who need to strike it rich in the goldfields of California to save the family fortune. My nine-year-old loved it, and we stake our claim that it's our new favorite book.

Hope you have a happy week of appreciation for everything that you do.

Amy

Fall Reading and a Link to My Book Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Happy fall, y'all!

I'm looking forward to a book club evening at my local public library. The focus is genre fiction, and this time the genre is mystery. I headed over to Goodreads just now to see which mysteries I had read so far this year. The two most recent sure couldn't be much more different!

Barbara Ross's Sealed Off, #8 in the Maine Clambake mystery series, took me back to my roots in the Pinetree State. Even though I hadn't read books 1-7, I felt I could jump right in and follow the characters as they explored a secret room, feasted on good New England seafood, and solved a murder within their midst. I'm interested in reading the first book in the series to find out the characters' origin stories.

The Likeness by Tana French is the second in the popular Dublin Murder Squad series. Admittedly, the far-fetched nature of the premise (you're going to have to read the blurb on Goodreads) had me doubting whether or not I could get through this one. I kept reading, though, because. . .well, it's Tana French. Somehow, she pulled it off. If a little bit of grit in your mysteries doesn't bother you, start with Book 1, In the Woods, or read the series out of order, since each book features a different protagonist.

One non-mystery book that got me through my school's recent two-week quarantine period of distance learning was Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear. While I feel the need to give a trigger warning about sexual abuse, the book offers a different world to readers in 2020 who are hungry for escape. Check out my review on the New Pages blog.

What mystery or non-mystery books provide readers a great escape this fall? Share your favorites in the comments!

Amy

More Than They Bargained For

Teachers, I am smiling. It's not because I have two successful days of teaching from home under my belt, although that's something to celebrate. It's because of a book title.

Lessons on Love

I knew about this book before, but its title struck me as apropos today. Lessons on Love: 4 Schoolteachers Find More Than They Bargained for in Their Contracts.

Can't we all relate?

Teachers in America and beyond are on a steep learning curve right now, taking what once came from a textbook or the convenient workroom photocopier and scanning it, emailing it, posting it online. . .or finding an outside-the-box solution. We're learning Flipgrid, Zoom, Google Classroom, and dozens of other applications we might never have heard of two weeks ago.

And there's the emotional learning curve. We've always been there to support students in their learning, but now we can't be there face to face. There are screens between us, and sometimes our students don't have the tech they need to succeed. We're overwhelming parents with too much communication, even as we wonder if some of our students have dropped off the face of the earth. We want to pray for our students, but find ourselves crying out desperately in prayer for ourselves and our own families instead. How will we stock the fridge when the store shelves are empty? How will we keep our families safe?

We've all found more than we bargained for in our contracts this year.

And maybe it will prove, in the end, to be a lesson on love.

We've always loved our families. Now many of us have them close to us at all times. Can we still speak lovingly? Can we allay our children's fears?

We've always loved our students. Can we pray for their physical and spiritual needs now more than ever? Can we show up for each day ready to reassure our students that they can do distance learning?

Of course, to serve others, we have to first refresh ourselves.

The verse I have posted in my workspace is John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

If I can make this verse my true belief, I'll rely on God to keep me safe, to settle my heart in this most unsettling time, to fill my cup. Then I can pour out for others.


Have you found "more than you bargained for" in your teaching contract this year? Tell us about it!

How one small-town public library continues to serve during shelter-at-home

This week, I had the opportunity to interview the director of the Camas County Public Library, Stephanie Jewett, about how this small library has much to offer, even during social distancing. The resulting article is ready to read in the Weekly Beaver, another small-town Idaho gem. I guess this is what teachers do during Spring Break of the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking for some great reads? I received an email today from a friend seeking some fresh book picks for her family. Here's what I sent her:

• The Lost City of the Monkey God (nonfiction, archeology, Central America)
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette (silly, mental health, absurdities of schools, Antarctica)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (nonfiction, cell science, medical ethics, real people)
• On the easier reading end of the spectrum, A Wolf Called Wander (wolf protagonist, classic story of a journey, based on a real wolf's trek)
• Also for younger reading, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (historical fiction set in Maine, whales, discrimination, baseball)
• For John Grisham fans, An Equal Justice by Chad Zunker (legal thriller, helping homeless people in Austin, TX)
• And if you haven't read Tana French's police thriller In the Woods, it's gripping. It's the first in a series set in and around Dublin, Ireland.

What have you read lately? Have any book recommendations for families with kids? Share in the comments!

Audible Offers Free Listens For Kids

With the whole family home, life during social distancing looks entirely different. School's out, Dad's working from home, and Mom is supposed to be taking some time off during the week that once was labeled "Spring Break," but is now just another week of sheltering in place.

In a way, it feels more like Thanksgiving. No, there's no huge feast on the horizon, and the melting snow reminds me that it's really the end of March. But I'm so thankful! This overwhelming sense of gratitude keeps washing over me, not just for the rest we're all getting, but for a family that's fun to be around, food in the cupboards, and time to catch up with friends and extended family by phone, email, and texts.

And we're reviving some of our hobbies, which brings a whole lot of satisfaction to each day. The kids are reading, cleaning their rooms voluntarily, playing with Legos, and walking the dog without being asked. I'm baking, reading, writing, and catching up on housework that had fallen by the wayside a bit during the busy school semester. Check out this No-Knead, Five-Minute Artisan Bread recipe on Leite's Culinaria. So easy and so good!

We're a family of listeners, so one fun treat has been Audible's new, free kids' page, stories.audible.com. You don't need an account or credits to listen, and there's something for every age. No, I'm not an affiliate. I just love good books!

A few of the titles offered are old favorites of mine: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss (read by the voice of Yogi Bear); Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, read by Rachel McAdams; White Fang and The Call of the Wild by Jack London; and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle.

There are many more audio stories, including several in languages other than English.

How are you passing the time during "Shelter at Home"?

Ebook Deals and Steals

Happy December! Did you know you can give eBooks as gifts? In this post, I highlight some of my favorite authors to read anytime of year. Snap them up while the festive deals last!

Looking for a quick holiday read? Love Comes to the Castle, a Christmas novella by my mom, Susan Page Davis, is available now for just $0.99. It's the first in the Christmas at Barncastle Inn series. I'm currently reading this lighthearted inspirational romance, and it's SO much more fun than the literary fiction tome I just gave up on (which shall remain nameless). Also check out my mom's Web page, www.susanpagedavis.com.

I'm always watching for fun-to-read stories about teachers. For a limited time, The Teacher's Bride by Kathleen Fuller, first in the Amish Brides of Birch Creek series, is just $1.99 for Kindle. Looks like a good one!

Just in time for Christmas, Colleen Coble's eBook Christmas Collection: Silent Night, Holy Night, All Is Calm, All Is Bright is available for $2.99. Several of Coble's other books are discounted now, too, so check out those Kindle deals!

Dalene Vickery Parker and Linda Gilden's Words To Live By: 52 Ordinary Words That Lead to an Extraordinary Life is just $1.99 for Kindle. I have given this book to a fellow teacher as a gift, and she loved it as much as I do.

The MacArthur Topical Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to Every Major Topic Found in the Bible is a #1 bestseller in Christian Ministry books on Amazon. Right now, the Kindle edition is only $1.99.

This one I purchased as a paperback, but the Kindle edition is now on sale for $1.99. I've begun reading The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent to my kids, and it's already been a great blessing. John Piper's writing is clear and piercing, conveying a whole lot of thought in a few words. Each day's meditation is just two pages, perfect for our busy mornings before school.

I hope you find some time to savor a good book this December! Check out my previous posts to find out what I'm currently reading (and why!). Follow me on Goodreads as I try to crush my 2019 reading goal!

Kindle Edition of Canadian West Collection by Janette Oke on sale

Love Janette Oke's When Calls the Heart? For a limited time, all six novels in the Canadian West Collection are on sale for one low price. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read the series for free. If not, the Kindle edition is just $1.99. This series would make a great gift for a teacher in your life. Just click the "Buy for others" button on Amazon.

Ready for something grittier? Tana French's In the Woods, Book 1 in the Dublin Murder Squad series, is also on sale for a limited time. I couldn't put this psychological thriller down. Snatch up the Kindle edition for $1.99.

What I'm Reading These Days:

The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
Why: magical realism, WWII, Holocaust, resistance, good vs. evil

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Why: literary fiction, short stories, Bengali-American, world cultures, seasons of life

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Why: high school English, books about books, dystopian, current events, bucket list books

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
Why: middle grade, historical fiction, descriptive, preacher's kids, racial discrimination, Maine


Happy reading!

Do You DARE To Revise?

Now that I'm halfway through the amazing book Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D., and Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., I decided to try out some of the strategies I've been collecting for increasing student learning.

I knew my first Creative Writing unit needed to be revised, so that's where I decided to focus my efforts first. Since the unit includes targeted lessons on revision, I'll be practicing concepts I want to teach as I revise the unit. Way to make it gel!

Here are the steps to my revision attack plan.

1. The first step in revising a unit (or a piece of writing) is to gain some distance. You can't revise a piece you've just finished writing because you're too close to it. So, put the manuscript in a drawer and walk away. Take a two-week vacation. Then you can come back to it with fresh eyes. I've done this by finishing my unit draft and teaching from it last fall, then setting it aside for almost a whole year. Let's just say, my eyes are fresh.

2. The second step is to reread the unit or draft with an eye for revision. Specifically, look for elements that can be deleted, added, rearranged, or exchanged. Notice that these verbs form the acronym DARE. I'll be teaching my students this acronym, but I need to apply it to my unit plan as well.

• Delete: I deleted a few activities that did not support student thinking about the unit's essential questions. While the activities are fun and do promote creativity in writing, I wanted to zero in on my standards and EQs more precisely. So that meant some things had to go.
• Add: I added several opportunities for retrieval practice, a topic I'm learning about through Powerful Teaching. Low-stakes and no-stakes retrieval activities allow students to show what they know and get feedback without fear of losing points. Retrieval practice is a learning strategy, not an assessment strategy. Since I want students to remember concepts like the steps in the writing process for the long haul, I needed to add practice opportunities that reduce the need for cramming. I also added a unit assessment in Google Forms, including feedback for both incorrect and correct answers. Feedback is another of the "power tools" from Powerful Teaching, so I know I'm helping students learn and retain understandings.
• Rearrange: In my original unit draft, my lesson on individual revision practice came before my lesson that allowed the class to work together on a revision. Clearly, students would benefit if I placed the "we do" lesson before the "you do" lesson. I also shuffled some of the standards around, rearranging them to accurately reflect what students are learning in each lesson of the unit.
• Exchange: In some cases, my learning objectives were vague or did not clearly match expected outcomes. I spent some time honing each objective to exchange vague words for specific ones and to match the objective's verbage to its expected outcome in the lesson.

3. Ideally, the third step would be to seek peer feedback on the unit or draft. If you are the only teacher in your department because your school is so small (yeah), it might be more challenging to find a peer reviewer. This is where networking at teacher conferences and harnessing social media can help. Connect with friends, ask for help, and get another person's fresh eyes to read your revision. And if you're teaching throughout the revision, see how the revised unit works in the classroom. Seeing which lessons succeed and which lessons flop is valuable feedback. Put that feedback to work for you!

4. If you have the luxury, step four is to put that manuscript back in that drawer for another two weeks or a year and come back with fresh eyes for another round of revision. Okay, we're teachers. That would be ridiculous. But just as we tell our students, "You are never done." There is always something we can delete, add, rearrange, or exchange to help students learn.

I'm almost ready to tuck my unit away again and not look at it until fall. I'm much happier with the strategies and the structure, and I believe students will benefit from my efforts. All it took was a chunk of dedicated time and the daring to revise.

For more on revising a unit, check out this past post.

What are your favorite revision strategies? Share in the comments!

Enjoy this free download from my store, Brevity!

Visit Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers for more free encouraging eCards.

Summer Reading to Energize Your Teaching

It takes most teachers a good chunk of the summer to recharge their batteries enough to even want to think about school in the fall. For me, the P20 conference in mid-July is my turning point each year. After sitting in on keynotes and breakout sessions by impassioned speakers, my head is filled with strategies to try in the classroom.

After that turning point, I'm ready to pick up a few good books on teaching. Here are some picks that will give you that needed boost of energy heading into back-to-school time.

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess

A couple of years ago, I attended Burgess's keynotes at the P20 conference in Twin Falls. This passionate educator uses the acronym PIRATE to inspire teachers to teach with creativity every day for student engagement and achievement. As the book's Amazon page claims, you'll learn how to:

•  Tap into and dramatically increase your passion as a teacher
•  Develop outrageously engaging lessons that draw students in like a magnet 
•  Establish rapport and a sense of camaraderie in your classroom
•  Transform your class into a life-changing experience for your students 

As a writer, I'm always looking for ways to increase the suspense in my prose. Turns out, suspense is vital for student engagement, too. Burgess walks you through it in a not-scary way, even (and especially) if you think you're "not creative."

Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D., and Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S.

I'm currently reading this 2019 book, and I'm taking careful notes on the research-based "power tools" and how to use them in my teaching. It's so refreshing to learn that cognitive science shows that many teaching strategies we're already using are dead-on, but there are ways to leverage the science of learning to increase student understanding far beyond our expectations. I highly recommend this book for all teachers in all disciplines and grade levels. You can view excerpts from the book here!

Unlocking English Learners' Potential by Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder

This one's on my to-be-read list. Even though my small district has a low population of English learners, we need practical tools to support each student as he or she learns. This fall I'll be presenting a professional development refresher on strategies for teaching ELs to my school staff. While I could just use last year's slideshow as a springboard, I want to dig deeper and have plenty of information and research at the ready. Not to mention energizing my presentation! If any of you have read this book, tell us what you think.


Please share in the comments any great teacher books you have found energizing!


For more summer reads, check out these posts:

Who Is My Neighbor? Better Information Means Better Compassion
Words To Live By, A New Book By Dalene Parker and Linda Gilden
Conference Time and A Few Good Books
Balance and Boundaries

Visit my store, Brevity, on Teachers Pay Teachers and follow me, Amy, on Goodreads!

Conference Time and A Few Good Books

Tomorrow is the P20 Educator Conference at the College of Southern Idaho, always a fun place to pick up some new info and make new friends. This year's theme is "Diversify to Unify." I'll be presenting on teaching narrative writing using Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books as an inspiration. We'll learn to link story pages electronically, so readers can choose their own paths. On Wednesday, I'll present on Faith and the Public School Teacher. There are already lots of educators signed up to attend, so I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

While I haven't had much time for blogging over the last several months, I have been growing as a teacher, a mom, and a reader. Let me share just three of the books I've enjoyed and learned from recently.

A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty 
by Joni Eareckson Tada

A Place of Healing

We're all familiar with Tada's diving accident when she was a teenager because of her book Joni and the ministry she has had since becoming a quadriplegic. In her 2010 book, A Place of Healing, she shares how the heart-shattering new experience of severe, chronic pain has led her to trust God in new ways. I highly recommend this book for any believer, but specifically for those suffering from persistent pain, whether it be physical or otherwise. Visit Joni & Friends to learn more about Tada's ministries.


Reclaiming Surrendered Ground: Protecting Your Family from Spiritual Attacks
by Jim Logan

Reclaiming Surrendered Ground

The Amazon description of this book claims it will "help you and your family:

• Become alert to the enemy and his tactics
• Discover your areas of vulnerability
• Live freely in Christ's victory."

I definitely found that statement to be true when I read Reclaiming Surrendered Ground. If you're raising a family for Christ, give this book a thoughtful read.


The Parables of Jesus 
by Tomie dePaola

The Parables of Jesus

My children and I (and, when I taught Kindergarten, my students) have always loved Tomie dePaola's books with their thoughtful narratives and exquisite, accessible illustrations. In The Parables of Jesus, dePaola retells familiar stories Jesus told in a traditional manner, accompanying them with his gorgeous art. Good for short storytime sessions or a cover-to-cover read. As always with picture books, I recommend the paperback or hardback versions, since it can be difficult to appreciate the illustrations fully in an ebook format.



What are you reading these days? Share your picks for educators and other people of faith in the comments!

Follow me, Amy, on Goodreads.

Story Reading at Camas County Public Library

No Winner in the Book Giveaway

Hi, Everybody!

The book giveaway has ended with no entries and thus no winners. The contest post had lots of traffic, though, so I am dying to know if readers tried to enter but had technical problems. If that was the case, please leave a comment on this post or email me, Amy, at this address: amy [at sign] amyballard.com.

You can of course purchase Shhhh. . .Murder on Amazon and elsewhere on the Web, but it's disheartening to think someone may have missed out on a win because of issues with the Rafflecopter widget.

If you live in southern Idaho, there's another opportunity coming up, and this one doesn't involve technology! You're invited to the Camas County Public Library on November 15 at 6 p.m. for a reading of two cozy mystery stories from Shhhh. . .Murder! and a chance to win the paperback edition as a door prize. See you there!

Book Giveaway for Shhhh. . .Murder!

It's here, the giveaway for Shhhh. . .Murder! 

Use the Rafflecopter box below and comment below for a chance to win a free copy of this fun fiction anthology from Darkhouse Books. The contest begins Thursday, October 25 at 12 a.m. EST and ends Saturday, October 27 at 12 a.m. EST, so spread the word and tell your friends while there's still time to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



The prize: one copy of the paperback edition of Shhhh. . .Murder!, signed by Amy Ballard, the author of "Bookish Dreams," one of the stories in the collection.

Shhhh. . .Murder!

I was so excited when I saw the call for submissions for this anthology. What a fun theme! Immediately, I knew I wanted to write a library-themed who-dunnit. After all, I have so many good memories of libraries.

One of my favorite library memories from childhood is of the big, old-fashioned, clawfooted tub full of pillows that the public library in Waterville, Maine, kept in the children's room. What better reading nook could there be? And why don't I have one of those in my house? #LifeGoals. I wonder if the tub is still there. . . ?

Here in my southern Idaho town, our local library served as part of the inspiration for my story, "Bookish Dreams." While the characters in the story are purely fictitious, the setting of the old library building and other spots around town may be recognizable to local readers. 

(And speaking of my public library, I'm looking forward to doing a reading there in mid-November! More on that in a future post.)

As for the would-be detective pooch, Billy, he's inspired by a bulldog rescue that one of my husband's coworkers took to work with him. To my knowledge, the real-life doggy, Max, never solved any mysteries either, though he did get in trouble with the cops once or twice.

Amy Ballard

I hope you have a chance to read the story, along with the 23 other stories in the cozy/noir mystery anthology. If this contest doesn't bring you luck, you can go to Amazon.com to purchase the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback for $12.95. Like what you read? Leave an Amazon review. Your reader reviews will help the book find more readers.

If you're a Goodreads user, you can add the book to your lists and follow me, Amy Ballard, there, too.

It's your turn! In the comments, tell us your favorite library memory.

Note: Any entries or comments deemed spam will be deleted by the author of this post and will not be eligable to win.

Library-Themed Book Giveaway Coming This Week: Shhhh. . .Murder!

Shhhh. . .Murder!

The fall book giveaway is just five days away! Stop by Christian Teacher, Public School from Thursday, October 25 at 12 a.m. EST to Saturday, October 27 at 12 a.m. EST to enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Shhhh. . .Murder! The anthology features librarians in sticky situations, trying to solve "Cozy crimes in libraries." Some stories veer more toward noir, while others are solidly cozy reads. It's the perfect fall book pick, with twenty-four mysteries by various authors, including me, Amy Ballard.

In my story, "Bookish Dreams," assistant librarian Emma and her English bulldog Billy help solve a murder in the old library building across town. There's a smattering of romance, a pile of old National Geographics, and plenty of small-town charm for cozy mystery readers who like a happy ending.

Also don't miss Michael Bracken's "Mr. Sugarman Visits the Bookmobile," a cozy mystery with characters that feel so real they could be your neighbors. After I read this one, I just had to send the author fan mail via his Web site. Michael was kind enough to reply! I know you'll love the story as much as I did.

Can't wait to read the collection? Get the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback for $12.95. Like what you read? Leave an Amazon review. Reader reviews will help the book find more readers.

If you're a Goodreads user, you can add the book to your lists and follow Amy Ballard there, too.

Use the sharing buttons below to spread the word about the contest to book lovers and library lovers in your life!

More:

Landlocked: Poems by Amy Ballard
The Swans of Starlight Lake, a traditional fairytale by Amy Ballard and Reagan Ballard, .99 for Kindle
"The Ghosts of the Composers," a short story by Amy Ballard on Penultimate Peanut

Free eCard Digital Colors of Fall, a Perfect Encouragement for the Teacher in Your Life

For a limited time, get the "Fall Is My Favorite Color" eCard from Brevity on TPT free. It's part of the 8 Encouraging eCards for Teachers, Summer and Fall Collection now on sale for $3.00. Celebrate the colors of fall with this cheeful greeting pack.

Coming Soon: Looking for a fun fall read? 

Mark your calendars for an autumn book giveaway perfect for lovers of cozy mysteries and noir. Tell your local librarian, too, because the stories in this anthology all feature "Cozy crimes in libraries."

The giveaway begins Thursday, October 25 at 12 a.m. EST and ends Saturday, October 27 at 12 a.m. EST. Stop by Christian Teacher, Public School during the contest window to claim your entries! The prize is a paperback edition of Shhhh. . .Murder!, featuring "Bookish Dreams" by Amy Ballard and twenty-three other stories.

In "Bookish Dreams," assistant librarian Emma and her English bulldog Billy help solve a murder in the old library building across town. There's a smattering of romance, a pile of old National Geographics, and plenty of small-town charm for readers who like a happy ending.

Get the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback for $12.95. Like what you read? Leave an Amazon review, and don't forget to follow Amazon author Amy Ballard. Your reviews help make this launch from Darkhouse Books a success.

Goodreads users, follow Amy Ballard there, too.

Book Giveaway for Shhhh. . .Murder! Coming October 25th!

Shhhh. . .Murder!

Mark your calendars, mystery readers, because a fall book giveaway is headed your way! Tell your local librarian, too, because the stories in this anthology all feature "Cozy crimes in libraries."

The giveaway begins Thursday, October 25 at 12 a.m. EST and ends Saturday, October 27 at 12 a.m. EST. Be sure to stop by Christian Teacher, Public School during the contest to claim your entries! You'll have a chance to win a paperback edition of Shhhh. . .Murder!, featuring "Bookish Dreams" by Amy Ballard and twenty-three other stories.

In "Bookish Dreams," assistant librarian Emma and her English bulldog Billy help solve a murder in the old library building across town. There's a smattering of romance, a pile of old National Geographics, and plenty of small-town charm for cozy mystery readers who like a happy ending.

Can't wait to read it? Get the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback for $12.95. Like what you read? Leave an Amazon review, and don't forget to follow Amazon author Amy Ballard. Your reviews help make this launch from Darkhouse Books a success.

If you're a Goodreads user, you can add the book to your lists and follow Amy Ballard there, too.

Tell your friends about the giveaway by using the sharing buttons below. Spread the word about the contest to the book lovers and library lovers in your life!

More:

www.amyballard.com
Landlocked: Poems by Amy Ballard
The Swans of Starlight Lake, a traditional fairytale by Amy Ballard and Reagan Ballard, .99 for Kindle
"The Ghosts of the Composers," a short story by Amy Ballard on Penultimate Peanut

Shhhh. . .Murder! Now Available

Buy

I just received my first batch of Shhhh. . .Murder! anthologies from Darkhouse Books. It's so exciting to see my story, "Bookish Dreams," in print! Though I've had short fiction published online and even as an audio recording, this is the first time I've held my published short story in my hand.

And mine isn't the only story in the collection. Twenty-four library-themed cozy crime stories fill the pages of this anthology, edited by Andrew MacRae at Darkhouse Books.

Learn more at darkhousebooks.com or on my author Website, amyballard.com. If you read the book, be sure to leave a review on the Shhhh. . .Murder! Amazon page!

Who Is My Neighbor? Better Information Means Better Compassion

But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:29

The New Odyssey

Just finished reading The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-First Century Refugee Crisis. Patrick Kingsley's reporting goes beyond information to find the heart of the story, the individuals and families who seek asylum from political upheaval and terrorism.

In addition to telling a captivating story, this book is a vital handbook to response for elected officials, students, humanitarian volunteer workers, prayer warriors, donors, voters, and people who simply want to be better informed about their world. Teachers of current events and world history in public high schools should consider making this book part of the curriculum.

Reading this book did not change my mind about what I think my own response to the refugee crisis ought to be. It informed my thinking and (although it is not a religious book) reinforced my belief that Christ calls us to compassion more often than to safety. If my neighbor is in need, I hope to be a Christian who shares what she has, rather than one who shuts the door and ignores my neighbor's knocking.

Who is my neighbor? The example of Jesus and the parables He told reveal that we must sometimes cross cultural and religious "borders" to help our neighbors. If biblical precedent is not enough, may books like The New Odyssey help believers everywhere to set aside their fears, cross borders, and offer aid to the world's most vulnerable.

Link Love

Follow Amy on Goodreads.

On March 8, read Amy's guest blog post "Getting To Conflict: The Absolute Necessity of Unpleasantness in Fiction" on The Artist Unleashed.

Stepping Stones: Children's Books on Immigration and Refugees

"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."  Matthew 10:42

In keeping with my recent readings about the refugee crisis, I thought I would pass along a superb roundup of children's books about refugees. Jen Gann at NYMag.com's The Cut praises titles such as Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey by Margriet Ruurs for help with "explaining to children that the heart and soul of America is to welcome others to our country who need a safe place to make a home."

Stepping Stones

How can teachers use books like Stepping Stones in the classroom?

• Read aloud and notice how illustrations enhance the narrative
• Make predictions about what will happen after the end of the story
• Pair with art lessons; allow students to illustrate part of the story in a different art medium
• Conduct a Socratic seminar using the book and related texts to explore the facts and controversies of the refugee crisis
• Give an art show displaying student interpretations of the story in art and poetry
• Pair with current news articles and photos
• Create a classroom newspaper with students' articles about the refugee crisis
• Springboard to writing assignments like song lyrics, diary entries, letters, and research essays

From the blurb for Stepping Stones on Amazon.com: 

This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr’s work, and, using many of Mr. Badr’s already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. Nizar Ali Badr’s stunning stone images illustrate the story.

Know of a good book to help children understand current events? Have a strategy for teaching current events through nonfiction? Share!

Nonfiction Book Pick for 2017: The New Odyssey by Patrick Kingsley

The New Odyssey

In my senior English class, I always assign students to read a biography or other nonfiction book of their choosing. The greatest benefit of the assignment may be that students find for the first time the unexpected thrill of enjoying a book.

Secondary benefits they experience include:

• learning new things, 
• "traveling" from the comfort of home,
• becoming an expert on a person, 
• finding a hero, 
• having fun conversing with their peers about their chosen books,
• and understanding the world around them better than they did before. 

Biography, more than other genres, imparts wisdom to the willing reader.

The assignment has its downside, too, though. Vivid memories of desperate conversations with librarians about overdue inter-library loans come to mind!

Unbroken

To help my students along, I always read a nonfiction book at the same time. One year, it was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I chose it because it was highly praised by critics and was being made into a movie, and because I had read and enjoyed Seabiscuit: An American Legend by the same author. Still, in a sense I was taking a gamble. It paid off.

All the benefits I hope my students will enjoy, I enjoyed. I learned about the Pacific War, I became an expert on Louis Zamperini (a man I had never heard of before picking up the book), I found a hero (both for his will to survive and for his eventual faith in God), I enjoyed chatting with a student who had chosen the same book and with the class as a whole about our book picks, and I understood the world better for my reading.

Hiroshima

Additionally, I built on prior knowledge about the War in Japan that I had gained from reading Hiroshima by John Hersey. Unbroken presented another element of the story.

This year, I wanted a specific type of book to read. The nonfiction book I wanted would teach me about the lives of refugees, the facts of the related current events, and the culture of the countries refugees call home. As a bonus, the book would reveal needs that compassionate Christians could help meet.

I found what I was looking for in The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-First Century Refugee Crisis by Patrick Kingsley. After reading a glowing review by Christianity Today's Bethany Hoang, I immediately went to Amazon to purchase the book.

I'm partway into The New Odyssey now, and it's every bit as spellbinding as the review indicated. It's my nonfiction book pick for 2017 because it's opening my eyes to the reasons why refugees are fleeing their home countries and to the problems facing the nations who take them in (or choose not to). By interspersing chapters about a real Syrian refugee among chapters about the refugee crisis as a whole, Kingsley puts a human face on the story. The book hardly mentions the religious aspect of the situation, but as a Christian, it's helping me to view refugees with greater understanding and compassion. As a teacher, it's giving me much-needed background knowledge I can share with students as we learn about our world.

More to come as I continue reading!

In the meantime, what nonfiction books do you recommend—for students and for teachers? What biographies and other nonfiction works have influenced you the most? How so? Please share in the comments!

Further Reading:
Leadership in Band of Brothers Unit
What Happened When I Interviewed Hip-Hop Artist MK Asante (And a Truck With a Confederate Flag Drove By) (By the way, it looks like MK will be back in Idaho soon for the Federal Programs Conference! You won't want to miss his keynote!)
Balance and Boundaries: An Interview with Dalene Vickery Parker