Katy shares how intentional rituals, shared faculty values, extended work time, and student-led portfolio conferences shape a culture where children feel seen, capable, and motivated. From daily morning meetings to goal-setting conferences beginning in kindergarten, this conversation explores how small structural moves create a school environment grounded in purpose, agency, and joy.

GUEST
Katy Inman — School leader at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• How daily morning meetings create belonging and shared purpose.
• Why faculty-selected annual values anchor school culture.
• The importance of long, uninterrupted work blocks for meaningful learning.
• How student goal-setting and portfolio conferences build ownership from kindergarten on.
• Moving away from grades toward narrative feedback and growth reflection.
• Designing a school intentionally small to function as a learning laboratory.
• Creating systems that welcome visiting educators to learn from practice.

BOOKS & REFERENCE
• Stoner by John Williams
• Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona, licensed from Pond5; Learn more at booklovefoundation.org

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GUEST
Jaren Vetter — High School Principal in Saskatchewan, Canada.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Why learning every student’s name is a foundational leadership move.
• Prioritizing people over paperwork in the daily work of leadership.
• How intentional conferring builds trust and strengthens school culture.
• Structuring time to protect relationship-building in busy leadership roles.
• Leveraging peer support and teacher leadership within a building.
• Addressing conflict through honest, face-to-face conversation.
• Why leaders must model the relational practices they hope to see in classrooms.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
• Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• Same As Ever by Morgan Housel
• What Great Principals Do Differently by Todd Whitaker

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona, licensed from Pond5; Learn more at booklovefoundation.org

Click here to view the episode transcript.

GUEST
Sam Bennett works with teachers and leaders to support learning through conferring and conversation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Conferring centers listening and trust.
• Asking questions leaders do not already know the answer to supports growth.
• One-to-one conversations strengthen relationships.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
• That Workshop Book by Samantha Bennett
• The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
• Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen
• Mary Oliver: “Sometimes” (poem line quoted)

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org

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Elizabeth describes how meaningful change happens through small, intentional moves over time. She discusses piloting new initiatives, supporting teachers through change, and using accountability alongside trust. The conversation explores what it means to lead with clarity and courage, including having honest conversations when expectations are not optional.

This episode highlights leadership as a human practice — one built on belief, consistency, and the daily decisions that shape school culture.

GUEST
Elizabeth Rossini is an educator and school leader with 37 years of experience in public, international, independent, and university settings. She has served as a classroom teacher and administrator and shares insights from her work supporting teachers and students through long-term instructional change.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Schools should be joyful places for learning and leadership.
• Sustainable change is built through small moves made consistently over time.
• Leadership requires balancing support with clear expectations.
• Courageous conversations are a necessary part of leading change.
• Accountability works best when paired with trust and advocacy.
• Culture is shaped by what leaders choose to prioritize and reinforce.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
        •        Simon Sinek simonsinek.com
        •        The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World by Daisy Dunn

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org

Click here to view the episode transcript.

GUEST
Taylor Kanzler, veteran high school English and Spanish teacher based on the coast of Maine. Co-designer of the interdisciplinary course If This Land Could Talk.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Trust is foundational. When teachers feel trusted, they gain courage to innovate.
• Publishing student work publicly raises engagement.
• Supportive leadership encourages experimentation.
• Small classroom pilots spark cultural change.
• Post-pandemic openness has paved the way for community-connected learning.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
• Trust: The Coin of the Realm - essay by George P. Shultz
• “The water will always flow around the boulders.” - Taylor Kanzler
• “When trust was in the room, good things happened. Period.” - George P. Shultz

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org

Click here to view the episode transcript.

GUEST
Sullivan (Sully) Gaudreault, documentary filmmaker, teacher, and Deputy Director of Communications at the Syrian Emergency Task Force. Head of Documentary Filmmaking for the Making an Exoneree program.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Creative freedom can ignite lifelong passions and purpose.
• The learning process matters more than the final product.
• Small sparks of curiosity can grow into meaningful creative pursuits.
• Insights into Making an Exoneree and its impact: 12 exonerations since 2018.
• Leadership lessons: find people’s passions and give them space to act.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
• Serial Podcast (Season 1, Adnan Syed case)
• Omar Alshogre, Syrian activist and TED speaker
• Syrian Emergency Task Force
• Making an Exoneree
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
• Percy Jackson - Sully’s first video project

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org

Click here to view the episode transcript.

GUEST
Dr. LaQuita Outlaw, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Curriculum and Instruction, with nearly 30 years in education, including 19 as a middle school principal. Advisory board member with the Book Love Foundation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• How one small move made reading part of the fabric of school culture.
• Using literacy as a connector for staff, students, and families.
• The power of sharing “What I’m reading now / next / just finished” to spark curiosity.
• Choosing diverse books to reflect the community you serve.
• Effective leadership is rooted in connection, not compliance.

BOOKS & REFERENCES
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
• John Maxwell: “Leadership’s not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It’s about one life influencing another.”
• Brené Brown: “Joy comes in ordinary moments.”

Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org

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Season 4 Episode 1 Show Notes
Bringing a variety of professional experiences into the realm of education, Chad Everett is a self-proclaimed literacy and technology geek. His knowledge of effective technology practices to enhance student learning coupled with his passion for literacy makes him a significant resource in the school districts with which he works. A strong believer in the power of collaboration and the power of technology to expand learning communities, Chad cofounded #MSedchat, Mississippi’s education Twitter chat. 

Chad holds a degree from the University of Memphis and is currently completing a Masters degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi.  He is a former instructional technology specialist and now works in the area of student discipline, examining the power of restorative discipline practices to transform the student discipline process. A frequent professional development leader and conference presenter, Chad spreads a love and enthusiasm for learning and the role technology plays in literacy instruction. Additionally, he works with community adult literacy organizations, believing the change needed to transform education extends beyond the school’s walls.

Find him on Twitter @ChadCEverett

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you to our sponsor
This episode is brought to you in part by Audible. Audible is offering you a free audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/BookLovePodcast and browse for a title that interests you, download a title for free and start listening. It's that easy.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Penny’s conversation with Sam Graham-Felsen, author of Green, a novel.

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Season 3 Ep 2 Show notes

Sam Graham-Felsen s debut novel Green was recently selected as one of 10 adult books with special appeal to teen readers to receive the 2019 Alex Awards by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of the American Library Association (ALA).

It was also recognized as a New York Times Editor s Pick, an Indie Next selection, one of Amazon s Best Books of the Month, one of Six Debuts to Watch for in 2018 by Barnes and Noble, and one of the New Yorker s Books We Loved in 2018. 

His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, The Nation, and elsewhere. From, 2007-2008, he worked as the chief blogger on Barack Obama s presidential campaign.

Sam is currently at work on more fiction and serves as an adjunct assistant professor of creative writing at Columbia University.

You can connect with him on Facebook or contact him through his website.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 2 of Penny’s conversation with Cornelius Minor.

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Season 3 Ep 2 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of Penny’s recent conversation with Cornelius Minor. If you haven’t heard Part 1, be sure to check it out!

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator and staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project who works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform across the globe and to bring communities together.

He is the author of We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be

You can connect with him on his website, Kass and Corn, or on Twitter at @MisterMinor.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you to our sponsor

This episode is brought to you in part by Audible. Audible is offering you a free audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/BookLovePodcast and browse for a title that interests you, download a title for free and start listening. It s that easy.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 1 of Penny’s conversation with Cornelius Minor.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Season 3 Ep 1 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Cornelius Minor.

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator and staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project who works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform across the globe and to bring communities together.

He is the author of We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be

You can connect with him on his website, Kass and Corn, or on Twitter at @MisterMinor. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you to our sponsor

This episode is brought to you in part by Audible. Audible is offering you a free audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/BookLovePodcast and browse for a title that interests you, download a title for free and start listening. It s that easy.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 3 of Penny’s conversation with John Irving.

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Donate to the Book Love Foundation

This conversation was recorded as part of the 2017 Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club. The 2018 Summer Book Club is coming up soon. Visit the Book Love Foundation web site to learn more.

Season 2 Ep 13 Show Notes

This episode is Part 3 of a three-part conversation Penny had recently with John Irving.

From Irving’s web site:

John Irving, the modern American novelist, has written thirteen novels over the course of his prolific career, nine of which have been international bestsellers.  The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving s fourth novel and his first international bestseller.

Worldwide, the Irving novel most often called an American classic is A Prayer for Owen Meany(1989) the portrayal of an enduring friendship at the time when the Vietnam War had its most divisive effect on the United States.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you to our sponsor

Support for the Book Love Foundation Podcast comes from Booksource.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 2 of Penny’s conversation with John Irving.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

This conversation was recorded as part of the 2017 Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club. The 2018 Summer Book Club is coming up soon. Visit the Book Love Foundation web site to learn more.

Season 2 Ep 12 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of a three-part conversation Penny had recently with John Irving.

From Irving’s web site:

John Irving, the modern American novelist, has written thirteen novels over the course of his prolific career, nine of which have been international bestsellers.  The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving s fourth novel and his first international bestseller.

Worldwide, the Irving novel most often called an American classic is A Prayer for Owen Meany(1989) the portrayal of an enduring friendship at the time when the Vietnam War had its most divisive effect on the United States.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you to our sponsor

Support for the Book Love Foundation Podcast comes from Booksource.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 1 of Penny’s conversation with John Irving.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

This conversation was recorded as part of the 2017 Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club. The 2018 Summer Book Club is coming up soon. Visit the Book Love Foundation web site to learn more.

Season 2 Ep 11 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a three-part conversation Penny had recently with John Irving.

From Irving’s web site:

John Irving, the modern American novelist, has written thirteen novels over the course of his prolific career, nine of which have been international bestsellers.  The World According to Garp, which won the National Book Award in 1980, was John Irving s fourth novel and his first international bestseller.

Worldwide, the Irving novel most often called an American classic is A Prayer for Owen Meany(1989) the portrayal of an enduring friendship at the time when the Vietnam War had its most divisive effect on the United States.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

What Penny is Reading

If your students like high action fantasy books that connect strongly to character, like the Hunger Games and the Maze Runner, check out The Arc of Scythe series, by Neil Shusterman.  Thunderhead, Volume 2, is now available.

Also, The Dorothy Must Die series, by Danielle Paige lets students revisit Oz in a whole new way.

Thank you to our sponsor

Support for the Book Love Foundation Podcast comes from Booksource.
 

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Season 2 Ep 10 Show Notes

Tiana Silvas-Brunetti considers effective teaching to be an intersection of continuous co-constructed learning, self-confidence, and lifelong leaders that emerge from teacher teams and classrooms. Silvas feels that the best way to grow as an education leader is through experience in the classroom saying, I continue to lead from the trenches. She says true leadership isn t what you do in the moment, but the legacy you leave behind. TIana is a 4th Grade Teacher, and former Literacy Coach at PS 59 (from her Heinemann Fellows bio).

Find Tiana on Twitter and Facebook.

Read the recent post from the Heinemann Fellows blog, Heinemann Fellow Tiana Silvas on Fostering Empathy and Understanding Among Students.

In their conversation, Tiana and Penny mentioned several authors who have books that kids can connect with throughout their development as readers.

By Jacqueline Woodson: The Other Side, Brown Girl Dreaming

By Gary Soto: Baseball in April, his many books of poetry

By Matt de la Pena: Last Stop on Market Street, Mexican WhiteBoy

By Jason Reynolds: Ghost, All the Way Down

By Kwame Alexander: The Crossover, Solo

Here are Tiana’s book recommendations…

Her Right Foot, by Dave Eggers

The Paper-flower Tree, by Jacqueline Ayer

Family Pictures Cuadros de Familia, by Carmen Lomas Garza

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Season 2 Ep 9 Show Notes

Aeriale Johnson  serves children and their communities as a kindergarten teacher at Washington Elementary School in San Jose, CA. Prior to that, she taught in rural Alaska for 11 years and Florida for eight years. Her research focuses on both exploring and eliminating word poverty and the impact of the vestiges of colonialism on public school education in rural and urban settings throughout the world. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, served on the ILA Rural Diversity Committee from 2012-14, has presented at ILA and NCTE, and is currently a Heinemann Fellow.

Find Aeriale on Twitter and Facebook.

Here are her book recommendations…

Where the Past Begins, by Amy Tan

My Name is Not Easy, by Debby Dahl Edwardson

(Also mentioned: Blessings Bead and Whale Snow.)

The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon

(Also mentioned: How It Went Down and X, a novel, written with Ilyasah Shabazz.)

Other texts mentioned:

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond

There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America, by Alex Kotlowitz

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Refugee, by Alan Gratz

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Season 2 Ep 8 Show Notes

Penny talks about Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers, by Ruth Ayers.

Dana Johansen  Dana has taught elementary and middle school for more than ten years. She currently teaches fifth grade English and is earning her doctorate in Curriculum & Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dedicated to the ever-expanding applications of technology in the classroom, she has presented at conferences on the use of iPads, wikis and blogs in the classroom.

Dana is the co-author with Sonja Cherry-Paul of Flip Your Writing Workshop: A Blended Learning Approach, and Teaching Interpretation: Using Text-Based Evidence to Construct Meaning.

Find Dana on Twitter.

Here are her book recommendations…

The Swap, by Megan Shull. (Megan on Twitter.)

Kate Messner includes a link on her web site to authors who Skype with classes and book clubs (for free).

Ghost, by Jason Reynolds

Patina, by Jason Reynolds

Sunny, by Jason Reynolds

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, by Janet Fox.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Season 2 Ep 7 Show Notes

Tricia Ebarvia teaches at Conestoga High School outside Philadelphia, PA. From her Heinemann Fellow bio:  Tricia has spent the last 15 years as a classroom educator with a student-driven approach to teaching reading and writing. Through her career, Tricia has applied the philosophy of the teacher-as-researcher while applying best practices to cultivate independent learners through independent reading and student choice. For better or worse, well enough doesn t satisfy me. I approach each school year, each course, each unit with fresh eyes. 

Find Tricia on Twitter and her web site.

Here are her book recommendations…

When Dimple Met Rishi, by Sandhya Menon

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

The Paper Menagerie, by Ken Liu

The story “The Paper Menagerie” was also featured on an episode of LeVar Burton Reads.

Also, Penny talked about Reimagining Writing Assessment: from Scales to Stories, by Maja Wilson.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Season 2 Ep 6 Show Notes

Cornelius Minor is a frequent keynote speaker for and Lead Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. In that capacity, he works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support deep and wide literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. Whether working with teachers and young people in Singapore, Seattle, or New York City, Cornelius always uses his love for technology, hip-hop, and social media to recruit students engagement in reading and writing and teachers engagement in communities of practice. As a staff developer, Cornelius draws not only on his years teaching middle school in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but also on time spent skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.

Find him on Twitter, and on Facebook. And also check out some of the episodes of the Heinemann Podcast that he has been part of.

What a variety of titles from Cornelius! Here are his recommendations…

Video Game Guides for Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and MineCraft.

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, by Jeff Chang

The Rap Yearbook, by Shea Serrano and Arturo Torres

Hip Hop Raised Me, by DJ Semtex

Basketball (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated, by Shea Serrano, illustrated by Arturo Torres

Dear Martin, by Nic Stone

The Great Greene Heist, by Varian Johnson

To Catch a Cheat, by Varian Johnson

Marvel Champions

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Season 2 Ep 5 Show Notes

Some recommended titles from Penny Kittle…

What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen, by Kate Fagan

Out of Wonder, by Kwame Alexander

Untwine, by Edwidge Danticat

(also mentioned, The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story and Create Dangerously)

Reading for Their Life: Re-building the Textual Lineages of African-American Adolescent Males, by Alfred Tatum

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

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Season 2 Ep 4 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Deborah Wiles.

Deborah Wiles is an award-winning author of novels and picture books whose work is loved by readers of all ages. She is a two-time National Book Award Finalist, and you can learn more about her at her website.

Deborah’s novels include Love, Ruby Lavender (2001), Each Little Bird That Sings (2005. National Book Award Finalist), The Aurora County All Stars (2007), Countdown (2010), and Revolution (2014. National Book Award Finalist).

Her picture books include Freedom Summer (2001) and One Wide Sky (2003).

From the conversation:

Deborah Wiles on Pinterest.

Minds Made for Stories, by Tom Newkirk

12 truths I learned from life and writing, by Anne Lamott.

“Story is the primary vehicle human beings use to structure knowledge and experience.”   – Richard Rhodes

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Season 2 Ep 3 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Deborah Wiles.

Deborah Wiles is an award-winning author of novels and picture books whose work is loved by readers of all ages. She is a two-time National Book Award Finalist, and you can learn more about her at her website.

Deborah’s novels include Love, Ruby Lavender (2001), Each Little Bird That Sings (2005. National Book Award Finalist), The Aurora County All Stars (2007), Countdown (2010), and Revolution (2014. National Book Award Finalist).

Her picture books include Freedom Summer (2001) and One Wide Sky (2003).

From the conversation:

Deborah Wiles on Pinterest.

Minds Made for Stories, by Tom Newkirk

12 truths I learned from life and writing, by Anne Lamott.

“Story is the primary vehicle human beings use to structure knowledge and experience.”   – Richard Rhodes

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

In this episode, Part 2 of Penny’s recent conversation with Kwame Alexander.

Subscribe in iTunes

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Season 2 Ep 2 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kwame Alexander.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 24 books, including SOLO, a Young Adult Novel, and THE CROSSOVER, a middle grade novel which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED

Kwame’s web site is where you can find all things Kwame.  Details and links are available there.

He served on the advisory committee for Nikki Giovanni’s 100 Best African American Poems.

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

We kick off the season with a conversation with Kwame Alexander.

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Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Season 2 Ep 1 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kwame Alexander.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 24 books, including SOLO, a Young Adult Novel, and THE CROSSOVER, a middle grade novel which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. In the past five years, we have awarded $223,000. If you can help us in our mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.
– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED

Kwame’s web site is where you can find all things Kwame.  Details and links are available there.

He served on the advisory committee for Nikki Giovanni’s 100 Best African American Poems.

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 13 Show Notes
This episode, the last of our first season, is a celebration of teachers who are changing the reading lives of teenagers one kid and one book at a time.  

The 2016 grant winners join the Book Love Foundation family, which stretches across 24 states and 3 Canadian provinces.  They teach in public and private schools.  They teach honors students as well as students who have always struggled with reading.  

Books matter.  In every classroom, high interest books matter.  

I am so excited for you to meet these teachers.  

Thanks so much for joining us today.
- Penny

Congratulations to the 2016 Book Love Foundation Full-Library Grant Recipients:

Jake Casey

Jill Cooper

Kelsey Curlett

Jake Eismeier

Colin Flynn

Wendy Gassaway

Austin Hall

Michael Simental

Dawn Taylor

Shondra Walker

It has been a pleasure bringing you Season 1 of The Book Love Foundation Podcast.

Thank you very much for listening.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 12 Show Notes

In this episode, the topic is reading break at Kennett High School. 

Four days a week, at 9am, for 20 minutes, the school becomes nearly silent.  Students gather in groups of 10-15 students all over the school to read with teachers.  Almost all of these reading breaks hum with engaged reading.  

Engaged readers are not hard to spot.  They ignore distractions.  They continue reading through the morning announcements.  They settle into a peace and contentment we so rarely see in high schools today.  

The enthusiasm for reading in students and in teachers is easy to see as well–they finish one book and have plans for the next, they bring in books to read and to share with each other.  They continually invite, rather than police, kids into reading, simply because they know how important it is.  

Our school is committed to developing a community of readers.  I believe it happened because we hired a principal who used to own a bookstore.  Neal Moylan responded to growing apathy about reading with time for pleasure reading.  And, he tripled the English teachers library budget for them all to start classroom libraries, then also allocated money for any teacher in any content area to personalize their classroom library.  That with a shrinking budget. 

The teachers you ll meet today are not English teachers.   But they are passionate about reading, and they are advocates for individual kids.

And, to recognize Memorial Day, we conclude this episode with a story of a legacy, a woman who left her mark on everyone who knew her.  

Thanks so much for joining us today. 
- Penny

CONVERSATION SEGMENT

Thank you to Neal Moylan, Peter Innes, Kate Sargent, Cheryl Furtado, Joe Riddensdale, Lindsay Cole, Melissa Cyr, and Jason Cicero.

(Kennett reads.  And it rocks, too. -kc)

The staff members we interviewed named these books as their favorites, although we didn’t end up using this in the edited show

If I Stay, by Gail Foreman

Cat’s Eye, by Margaret Atwood

Temple of My Familiar, by Alice Walker

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Possessing the Secret of Joy, by Alice Walker

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, by Chris Hadfield

The Endurance, by Earnest Shackleton

Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift

Roots, by Alex Haley

The Odyssey, by Homer

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes

American Sniper, by Chris Kyle, Jim DeFelice, and Scott McEwen

Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson

Athletes Wanted, by Chris Krause

White Like Me, by Tim Wise

Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin

The Hunger Games books, by Suzanne Collins

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

Pop, by Gordan Korman

THE MAN CLUB SAMPLER

The Car, by Gary Paulsen

The Rifle, by Gary Paulsen

Trapped, by Michael Northrop

Alabama Moon, by Watt Key

Dirt Road Home, by Watt Key

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah

Snitch, by Allison van Diepen

The Talk-funny Girl, by Roland Merullo

Caged Warrior, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Homeboyz, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

Boot Camp, by Todd Strasser

Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos

BOOK TALK

from Lindsay Cole (biology):

The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

The Resurrection of the Romanovs, by Greg King and Penny Wilson

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

The Family That Couldn’t Sleep, by D. T. Max

from Melissa Cyr (World Studies):

First Crossing (Anthology)

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

from Jason Cicero (math):

Enumeracy, by John Allen Paulos

The Visual Miscellaneum, by David McCandless

books by Roald Dahl

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

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Episode 11 Show Notes

In this episode you will get an inside view of some of my work this year.  Kevin Carlson, who produces this podcast for the Teacher Learning Sessions, came to A158 at Kennett High School a week ago and invited my ninth graders to talk about their reading lives during this school year. The three students who volunteered to talk have similar histories from middle school .unfortunately. 

They came to me from two different middle schools: one public, one private. Their teachers had good intentions and they worked hard to make a few books interesting. But with little balance between teacher-selected books and student-selected titles these kids read little and became dormant readers.

Now, after a year of hard work, they are in very different places in their reading lives.

My belief is that if kids become uninterested in reading, it is up to us–it is on us– to change that. Books, in the words of Stephen King, are portable magic. We can make that true for every student. Every year. Three from my classroom will tell you how.

Thanks so much for joining us today.  The board members of the Book Love Foundation are choosing finalists this week. We meet on Thursday. It will be a long night. We want you all to win. Every small donation helps us fund one more library. Please help us help teachers.

Thank you for listening now get back to reading. 

– Penny

CONVERSATION SEGMENT

Thank you very much to Sully, Jamie, and Ashton for volunteering to share their thinking and experiences for this podcast!

These are the books referenced in their conversations…

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini (from the Inheritance Cycle series)

The Harry Potter Books, by J.K. Rowling

The Percy Jackson Books, by Rick Riordan

The Martian, by Andrew Weir

Winger, by Andrew Smith

The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer

The Fifth Wave, by Rick Yancey (from the Fifth Wave series)

Leaving Home, by Jodi Picoult

BOOK TALK

from Jamie:

Winger, by Andrew Smith

Stand Off (Winger, Book 2), by Andrew Smith

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer (from The Lunar Chronicles series)

Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer (from The Lunar Chronicles series)

Swim the Fly, by Don Calame

The Martian, by Andy Weir

from Ashton:

Soul Surfer, by Bethany Hamilton

Growing Up Gronk, by Gordon Gronkowski

from Sully:

I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore (from the Lorien Legacies series)

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Episode 10 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kelly Gallagher. Part 1 appeared in Episode 9.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. We have given away $100,000 in three years and are currently reviewing 140 applications for 2016. We wish we had money to give to every one of these deserving teachers. If you can help us in that mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED

Kelly’s web site is where you can find his Article of the Week and many other resources.

Kelly is the author of In the Best Interest of Students (Stenhouse, 2015), Write Like This (Stenhouse, 2011), Readicide (Stenhouse, 2009), Teaching Adolescent Writers (Stenhouse, 2006), Deeper Reading (Stenhouse, 2004), and Reading Reasons (Stenhouse, 2003).  Details and links are available on his website.

SOME FAVORITES FROM KELLY’S CLASSROOM LIBRARY

The Martian, by Andy Weir

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher

Everything Everything, by Nicola Yoon

The Rose That Grew from Concrete, by Tupac Shakur

If I Stay, by Gayle Forman

Alabama Moon, by Watt Key

Every Day, by David Levithan

Another Day, by David Levithan

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 9 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kelly Gallagher.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. We have given away $100,000 in three years and are currently reviewing 140 applications for 2016. We wish we had money to give to every one of these deserving teachers. If you can help us in that mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED

Kelly’s web site is where you can find his Article of the Week and many other resources.

Kelly is the author of In the Best Interest of Students (Stenhouse, 2015), Write Like This (Stenhouse, 2011), Readicide (Stenhouse, 2009), Teaching Adolescent Writers (Stenhouse, 2006), Deeper Reading (Stenhouse, 2004), and Reading Reasons (Stenhouse, 2003).  Details and links are available on his website.

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 8 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Donalyn Miller.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. We have given away $100,000 in three years and are currently reviewing 140 applications for 2016. We wish we had money to give to every one of these deserving teachers. If you can help us in that mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

Books:

The Book Whisperer, by Donalyn Miller

Reading in the Wild, by Donalyn Miller

On Twitter:

@donalynbooks

co-host of #titletalk with Colby Sharp

co-host of Best Practices Roots (#bproots) with Teri Lesesne

founder of #bookaday

Donalyn is also the co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club.

Other:

Scholastic Book Fairs, where Donalyn is Manager of Independent Reading Outreach

Little Free Libraries

Book Buzz

Book Riot

BOOK TALK

Here are the books from this episode s book talk, courtesy of Donalyn Miller:

Reading without nonsense, by Frank Smith

Unidentified Suburban Object, by Mike Jung

The We Need Diverse Books Movement.

Dumplin’, by Julie Murphy

Side Effects Vary, by Julie Murphy

Rad American Women A to Z, by Kate Schatz

Drowned City, by Don Brown

The Great American Dust Bowl, by Don Brown

(Yes, this same book talk appeared in Episode #3.)

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 7 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Donalyn Miller.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. We have given away $100,000 in three years and are currently reviewing 140 applications for 2016. We wish we had money to give to every one of these deserving teachers. If you can help us in that mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

Books:

The Book Whisperer, by Donalyn Miller

Reading in the Wild, by Donalyn Miller

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, by April Genevieve Tucholke

On Twitter:

@donalynbooks

co-host of #titletalk with Colby Sharp

co-host of Best Practices Roots (#bproots) with Teri Lesesne

founder of #bookaday

Donalyn is also the co-founder of the Nerdy Book Club.

Other:

Scholastic Book Fairs, where Donalyn is Manager of Independent Reading Outreach

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 6 Show Notes

We're going to talk about leadership in teaching, but maybe not in the way you think. In the words of Sadie Nardini, Becoming a master takes stubbornness, dedication, and focus. And it starts right now. Transformation was, is, and always will be a DIY–a do-it-yourself process.  I was struck by how much that mirrors teacher professional development. We can't wait for someone else to develop us–we are in charge of how we grow. Teaching is always a draft–always an approximation–but just like with the young writers we teach, we want each draft to show evidence of revision and improvement.After 31 years of teaching, I'm always hoping next year I will be a better teacher–next week, even. As Lolly Daskal, President and CEO of Lead from Within says, Leading is about striving to become better than we are, and helping everything and everyone around us to become better too. And in this episode, we explore what that means for teachers.

If you want to know more about the Book Love Foundation, please visit booklovefoundation.org. We are currently reading applications and struggling to decide which classrooms we will fund this year. We could sure use your help. Any contribution will help us. 100% of donations go to teachers we know will put books into kids hands. Thank you for believing how important that work is.
Penny

CONVERSATION SEGMENT

The Interviews

Beth Hughes teaches high school English at Massachusetts’ Wakefield Memorial High School. You can find her on Twitter @MsBethHughes, read about her musings on lifelong learning at msbethhughes.org and her passion to reintroduce her students to reading at fortheloveofreading.org, or email her at bhughesud@gmail.com.
Rebekah Hess is a high school teacher at Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia and is a teacher consultant for the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project. When she isn t teaching English, she is choreographing for the Rock Ridge Performing Arts musical productions. She can be reached on Twitter @MissHessEnglish or through email at Rebekah.Hess@lcps.org
Jennifer Brinkmeyer teaches Reading Strategies and English 9 at Iowa City High School and serves as language arts curriculum coordinator for the district. In 2014, she received UChicago's Outstanding Educator Award. She regularly presents at Iowa Council Teachers of English conferences.  You can also follow her on Twitter @jjbrinkmeyer and email: Brinkmeyer.jennifer@iowacityschools.org
Erica Beaton currently teaches history and English at Cedar Springs High School in west Michigan. She blogs at EricaLeeBeaton.com and can be reached on Twitter at @EricaLeeBeaton.
Melissa Sawyer is a high school English teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Career Campus in Cleveland, Ohio. She can be reached at melissasawyer013@gmail.com or on Twitter at @MelSaw013.
Kevin English currently teaches English at Wayne Memorial High School in southeast Michigan and is a teacher consultant for the Eastern Michigan Writing Project. He can be reached on Twitter at @kevinmenglish or by email at kevinmenglish@gmail.com.
Julie Jarriel is currently in her third year teaching ninth grade English at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, South Carolina. She can be reached by email at julie.jarriel@gmail.com.

Other Resources

Write Beside Them, by Penny Kittle

Book Love, by Penny Kittle

The Book Whisperer, by Donalyn Miller

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

International Literacy Association (ILA)

National Writing Project (NWP)

Lolly Daskal of Lead from Within is @LollyDaskal

Sadie Nardini is @sadienardini

BOOK TALK

Here are the books from this episode s book talk, courtesy of Kristinia Haney:

We Were Here, by Matt de la Pena

Mexican White Boy, by Matt de la Pena

Matt de la Pena s web site:  http://mattdelapena.com/

Matt s recent essay for NPR:  Sometimes The ‘Tough Teen’ Is Quietly Writing Stories

Matt on Twitter: @mattdelapena

STUDENT STORY

This episode s student story was from Serena Kessler.

The books mentioned in her story were:

Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan

I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Serena Kessler is a high school English teacher at Romulus High School in Romulus, Michigan.  She blogs at wholechildren.wordpress.com and can be reached by email at serenakessler@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 5 Show Notes

This episode is Part 2 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kylene Beers.

You can listen to Part 1 here.

We hope you enjoyed my conversation with Kylene as much as I did.  Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. If you feel inspired to support this work, please visit booklovefoundation.org where you can donate money we will use to support teachers. You can also meet teachers there who have changed the story of reading for their students with the support of The Book Love Foundation.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, by Kylene Beers.

Notice and Note, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Response and Analysis, by Robert E. Probst

Notice and Note book club page on FB  (started by Allison Jackson, a 3rd grade teacher)

The Heinemann Booth Bay Literacy Retreat

The Pacific Coast Literacy Retreat

Reading Nonfiction, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Kylene s  I am not an H Facebook post

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Subscribe in iTunes

Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 4 Show Notes

This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation Penny had recently with Kylene Beers.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Book Love Foundation podcast. The Book Love Foundation is a non-profit 501 3(c) dedicated to putting books in the hands of teachers dedicated to nurturing the individual reading lives of their middle and high school students. We have given away $100,000 in three years and are currently reviewing 140 applications for 2016. We wish we had money to give to every one of these deserving teachers. If you can help us in that mission, visit booklovefoundation.org and make a donation. 100% of what you give goes to books.

– Penny

RESOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, by Kylene Beers.

Notice and Note, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Response and Analysis, by Robert E. Probst

Notice and Note book club page on FB  (started by Alison Jackson, a 3rd grade teacher)

The Heinemann Booth Bay Literacy Retreat

Reading Nonfiction, by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Kylene's  I am not an H Facebook post

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Donate to the Book Love Foundation

Episode 3 Show Notes
You can learn more about the Book Love Foundation at booklovefoundation.org, where you can also make a donation. 100% of the money you give to the Book Love Foundation puts books into classrooms. Applications were due on March 1, and this year we received 140 from across the United States and Canada. I've only just begun reading them and sorting them for my board members, but I already know we haven't raised enough money to fund all of the deserving teachers who have applied. Can you help us reach potential donors? Send a link to our podcasts to people you know and encourage them to help us with this mission. Help us bring the joy of reading to more teenagers. Help us create a love of reading in every school. Help teachers build reading lives that last.

– Penny

CONVERSATION SEGMENT
Dr. Kim Parker currently teaches grades 10-12 English and Writing at Cambridge, Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, MA. She blogs about her literacy work with underserved young people at www.classroomlinernotes.wordpress.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @TchKimPossible and email: kimpossible97@gmail.com
Jennifer Brinkmeyer teaches Reading Strategies and English 9 at Iowa City High School and serves as language arts curriculum coordinator for the district. In 2014, she received UChicago's Outstanding Educator Award. She regularly presents at Iowa Council Teachers of English conferences.  You can also follow her on Twitter @jjbrinkmeyer and email: Brinkmeyer.jennifer@iowacityschools.org
Brian Kelley teaches 8th-grade creative writing at Charles F. Patton Middle School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He is a co-director of the Pennsylvania Writing & Literature Project. You can email him at bjk925@gmail.com, connect with him on Twitter @_briank_ , or follow  his blog: http://www.brianjkelley.net/

Penny talked about conferring with her student Kaedyn about The Death Cure by James Dashner
Here are Penny's Book Love Workshop Handouts.

BOOK TALK
Here are the books from this episode s book talk, courtesy of Donalyn Miller:

Reading without nonsense, by Frank Smith

Unidentified Suburban Object, by Mike Jung

The We Need Diverse Books Movement.

Dumplin’, by Julie Murphy

Side Effects Vary, by Julie Murphy

Rad American Women A to Z, by Kate Schatz 

Drowned City, by Don Brown

The Great American Dust Bowl, by Don Brown
Donalyn Miller has taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade language arts and social studies in the Fort Worth, TX area and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. In her popular book, The Book Whisperer, Donalyn reflects on her journey to become a reading teacher and describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students to read 40 or more books a year. In her latest book, Reading in the Wild, Donalyn collects responses from 900 adult readers and uses this information to teach lifelong reading habits to her students. Donalyn is the founder of the annual #bookaday event and co-host the monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk. Her articles about teaching and reading have appeared in publications such as Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership and The Washington Post.

Donalyn's web site is https://bookwhisperer.com/, and she can be found on Twitter @donalynbooks.

STUDENT STORY
This episode s student story was from Kim Parker.

The books mentioned in her story were:

Everything Everything, by Nicola Yoon  

Atonement, by Ian McEwan  

The Boy in the Black Suit, by Jason Reynolds 

All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely 

Books from Ni-Ni Simone

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

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Episode 2 Show Notes
You can learn more about the Book Love Foundation at booklovefoundation.org, where you can also make a donation. 100% of the money you give to the Book Love Foundation puts books into classrooms. We've given away $100,000 in three years, but the need is far greater. Help us reach more young people with the power of reading. Book Love Foundation awards are given to teachers like you. If you're listening to this show, you're already committed to kids and the power of reading. You can apply for a Book Love Foundation grant by visiting booklovefoundation.org. Applications for 2016 are due March 1st.

CONVERSATION SEGMENT
Ben Wilkinson has been an English teacher for six years, most recently at Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, TN. He also teaches Creative Writing, and won a Book Love Grant in 2014. Find him on Twitter at @readlikeawolf.
Claire Gibson is a high school English teacher and instructional coach at Adams City High School in Commerce City, CO. You can find her on Twitter @Gibby86, read about her reading and teaching life on her new blog atateacherwhowrites.com or e-mail her at clairegibson9@gmail.com.
Karlen Shupp has taught English since 1999 and currently at Trumbull High School in Trumbull, CT.  She has also taught at Pomperaug Regional High School and Western Connecticut State University.  She presented at the NCTE Annual Convention in 2014 on modeling and in 2015 on assessments linked to Independent Reading. Shupp, along with Stephanie Jalowiec and Jim McCaffrey is part of the Reading (R)evolution, a group of three educators dedicated to sparking the love of reading in students.  They have a blog at https://3lonenuts.wordpress.com and an active Twitter account @THSReadRev.
Karlen can be reached at shuppk@trumbullps.org, @THSteacher, and https://sites.google.com/a/trumbullps.org/shupp-english/Steph can be reached at jalowies@trumbullps.org and on Twitter @MrsJalowiec.
Jim can be reached at mccaffrj@trumbullps.org and on Twitter @mccaffths.

Beth Hughes teaches high school English at Massachusetts’ Wakefield Memorial High School. You can find her on Twitter @MsBethHughes, read her musings on lifelong learning at msbethhughes.org and her passion to reintroduce her students to reading at fortheloveofreading.org, or email her at bhughesud@gmail.com.

BOOK TALK
Here are the books from this episode's book talk, courtesy of Serena Kessler:

All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

I am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore

The Divergent series, by Veronica Ruth

Ender s Game, by Orson Scott Card

Rangers Apprentice, by John Flanagan

13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher

Jandy Nelson books, especially The Sky is Everywhere.

Ellen Hopkins books

(That's two episodes in a row for both Jandy Nelson and Ellen Hopkins, in classrooms 2,000 miles apart )

Serena Kessler is a high school English teacher at Romulus High School in Romulus, Michigan.  She blogs at wholechildren.wordpress.com and can be reached by email at serenakessler@gmail.com.

STUDENT STORY
This episode's student story was from Lynn Hagen, a high school literacy teacher and Reading Specialist in Columbia, Missouri.  Lynne is a passionate advocate for choice reading for high school students.  You can follow her reflections on teaching at Blue-skyteaching.blogspot.com or on Twitter @lynnahagen.  You can reach her by email at lhagen@cpsk12.org. Lynn's student mentioned liking:

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers

The Bluford High series

Thank you for listening to the The Book Love Foundation Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share it with a colleague or two.

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Episode 1 Show Notes
You can learn more about the Book Love Foundation at booklovefoundation.org, where you can also make a donation. 100% of the money you give to the Book Love Foundation puts books into classrooms. We've given away $100,000 in three years, but the need is far greater. Help us reach more young people with the power of reading. Book Love Foundation awards are given to teachers like you. If you're listening to this show, you're already committed to kids and the power of reading. You can apply for a Book Love Foundation grant by visiting booklovefoundation.org. Applications for 2016 are due March 1st.

CONVERSATION SEGMENT
Allison Marchetti teaches high school English in Richmond, VA. She is the co-author of Writing with Mentors: How to Reach Every Writer in the Room Using Relevant, Engaging Mentor Texts (Heinemann 2015) and co-founder of the blog Moving Writers with Rebekah O’Dell. You can connect with Allison on Twitter @allisonmarchett or at movingwriters.org.
Laura Tracy Baisden is a 26-year veteran teacher, serving as Language Arts Department Chair at Logan High School in Logan, West Virginia. She teaches Honors 9, English 12 College Readiness, and Creative Writing. She is a former co-director of Marshall University Writing Project, and director of the rural satellite, Coalfield Writers. She can be reached at ltbaisde@k12.wv.us Tracy is also a National Writing Program teacher.
Lori Lebel has earned a dual Bachelor's Degree from Syracuse University and a Master s Degree from the University at Albany. She has been teaching English Language Arts with the Schenectady City School District for sixteen years. For the past six years she has been the English Language Arts teacher and Team Leader for the Schenectady Smart Scholars Early College High School Program. Additionally, she was the sole recipient of the 2015 New York State English Council Dr. Ruth E. Everett Award for promoting teaching as a profession. Lori can be reached via email at: elalebel@gmail.com Lori mentioned talking with Penny at NCTE. Read more about NCTE and the NCTE16 here.

BOOK TALK
Here are the books from this episode's book talk (courtesy of the students who visit Brian Kelley's classroom library)

Butter, by Erin Jade Lange
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, by Laini Taylor
Coldest Girl in Cold Town, by Holly Black
Anything from Jandy Nelson.  Brian says a lot of his kids are reading The Sky is Everywhere.
Crank, by Ellen Hopkins.  This is the first of a 10-book series.
The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander

Brian Kelley teaches 8th-grade creative writing at Charles F. Patton Middle School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He is a co-director of the Pennsylvania Writing & Literature Project. You can email him at bjk925@gmail.com, connect with him on Twitter @_briank_ , or follow his blog: http://www.brianjkelley.net/

STUDENT STORY
This episode's student story was from Amy Marshall, who teaches grade 9 and 10 English at St. Malachy’s Memorial High School in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Amy uses her love of literacy to provide workshops to teachers on creating engaging high school English classes. You can email her at marshall.pet@gmail.com or follow her blog: https://meaningfulteacher.wordpress.com/ Amy's student was inspired by Go Ask Alice. Published in 1971.

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