From The Mixed Up Files

Summer can be an exciting season, inviting more time with friends and family, campouts under the stars, or fun-filled travel plans. However, the break in predictable school-centered schedules can also invite big changes! For me growing up, summers often meant relocation and new schools, for others it can bring big shifts in friendships or new family dynamics. Follow the kids in these five middle grade novels, as they navigate tricky summers when everything for them changes. Why it matters: Low key, vacation-centric summers are pleasant, but some kids face a different kind of “heat” during...

As the use of generative AI grows, concerns about its negative impacts grow as well. Most notably, Pope Leo XIV recently issued his Magnifica Humanitas, an appeal to safeguard humanity against the use of AI in a way that is detrimental to our collective future.   While concern is spread across industries, the publishing arena has become acquainted with a unique set of issues. Lawsuits are waged over the unauthorized use of intellectual property, and many literary agents and publishers now require authors to attest that AI was not used in the development of stories.    And yet, AI is...

Summer can be an exciting season, inviting more time with friends and family, campouts under the stars, or fun-filled travel plans. However, the break in predictable school-centered schedules can also invite big changes! For me growing up, summers often meant relocation and new schools, for others it can bring big...

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math! Today, we are thrilled to travel to the Czech Republic to interview Magda Garguláková, author of Bridges (April 2025, Post Wave). Explore the amazing world of bridges—from ancient stone arches to modern marvels—and discover how...

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math! Today, we are thrilled to travel to the Czech Republic to interview Magda Garguláková, author of Bridges (April 2025, Post Wave). Explore the amazing world of bridges—from ancient stone arches to modern marvels—and discover how...

As a classroom teacher, I am always looking for new ways to reach readers. Here at From the Mixed-Up Files, our From the Classroom series has a wide-range of tools and book lists geared towards teachers and librarians. Some of my favorites include weekly read-alouds for First Chapter Friday, If...

The Cat Prophecies: Claw Quest By Nik Korpon and Jorge Enrique Paz A thirteen-year-old boy holds the fate of his family, his neighborhood, and the world in his hands when he discovers that his cat is from a secret realm of warrior cats facing a dangerous enemy. The walls between worlds are wearing...

Hot days, cold poems Let’s capture “aha” moments Lazy summer days                — Ann Angel   Summer days are meant for daydreaming on beach blankets, sitting on porches lost in a great piece of fiction, and writing about this very moment we’re in. It’s...