From The Mixed Up Files

Writers are known to have rituals. Light a candle, sit in your favourite chair, arrange your paperclips at right angles, and only then can/will the the magic at the keyboard begin. I’m not exactly kidding. Patricia Highsmith apparently started her writing sessions off with a stiff drink; Truman Capote claimed he could only write when horizontal, coffee and a cigarette in hand; Haruki Murakami has said that when he is writing a novel he wakes at 4 am and works for five or six hours straights, runs or swims in the afternoon, and goes to...

Newberry winner Meg Medina has been selected as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, seeks to raise awareness of literature for young readers in order to promote literacy and highlight the power of reading to positively impact young lives.   About Medina’s Work Medina’s books reflect her Cuban-American heritage as she examines culture and identity through the eyes of young protagonists. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suarez Changes Gears, the first in a series of three books, is a coming-of-age story about a thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader who has to...

March is blowing in with some great New Middle Grade Releases – including one by our very own Beth McMullen. (Congratulations, Beth!) Find a cozy blanket and a patch of almost-Spring sunlight and settle in with one of these new books.   Miracle by Karen S. Chow When her father...

  What’s the story of math? It’s more than logical equations, patterns, and exact answers. These STEM Tuesday books tell of math’s history, its use, and how it integrates into the lives of fictional characters. Bring the story of math into the classroom with these fun activities. A Quick History...

Writers are known to have rituals. Light a candle, sit in your favourite chair, arrange your paperclips at right angles, and only then can/will the the magic at the keyboard begin. I’m not exactly kidding. Patricia Highsmith apparently started her writing sessions off with a stiff drink; Truman Capote claimed...

  ABOUT THE BOOK The Addams Family meets The Westing Game in this exhilarating mystery about a modern magical dynasty trapped in the ruins of their once-grand, now-crumbling ancestral home. Twelve-year-old Garnet regrets that she doesn’t know her family. Her mother has done her best to keep it that way,...

  ABOUT THE BOOK The Addams Family meets The Westing Game in this exhilarating mystery about a modern magical dynasty trapped in the ruins of their once-grand, now-crumbling ancestral home. Twelve-year-old Garnet regrets that she doesn’t know her family. Her mother has done her best to keep it that way,...

Writers are known to have rituals. Light a candle, sit in your favourite chair, arrange your paperclips at right angles, and only then can/will the the magic at the keyboard begin. I’m not exactly kidding. Patricia Highsmith apparently started her writing sessions off with a stiff drink; Truman Capote claimed...