For Teachers

From the Classroom – It’s Mock Award Season!

By on December 22, 2025   /   books, For Teachers, From the Classroom   /   Leave a comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I’m not talking about the holiday season. It’s almost time for the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual youth media awards! Held on Monday, January 26th, 2026, the youth media awards include the most prestigious awards for children’s literature, including the John Newbery Medal for excellence in American Children’s Literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for excellence in children’s literature illustration, the Coretta Scott King Award for excellence in African-American literature and illustration, and a slew of other awards. You might already have this on your radar, and when you get back in the classroom in January, there is plenty of time to partake in mock award activities before the big event!

MOCK CALDECOTT AWARD

Image of Caldecott Medal from ALA Youth Media Awards

Feeling short on time in January? Then the Mock Caldecott Award is for you! You’ll have plenty of time to read one-two picture books a week and judge them based on pre-existing criteria. Not sure where to begin? Check out Mr. Schu’s list of picture books to consider. He and Colby Sharp also have short videos attached to the list that discuss each book and also feature some chats with the illustrators and authors. Principal Brain Samson also created a unit packet that’s ready to go! It includes the official Caldecott criteria for you and your students to discuss in class as you make your final selection. Then, watch the live event to see if you picked the winner! Don’t forget – middle graders love picture books too!

MOCK NEWBERY AWARD

picture of newbery award medal

Working with older students or want to dive into longer texts? Then look no further than the mock newbery award. The Heavy Medal blog, sponsored by School Library Journal, has already selected fifteen possible contenders. What’s even better is that a panel of librarians, students, and other experts will be discussing each of the fifteen books all January! There is also a discussion guide you can use, and ALA also provides a mock Newbery toolkit that’s classroom friendly. Feeling like it’s not possible to read multiple novels with your students in January? Have every kid pick a different book to read for the month and then do a report-out on their individual book using the criteria in the discussion guide to try and persuade their classmates that their book will win! It’s a great way to cover lots of ground in a short amount of time.

 

The New York Times just wrote an article (note: behind paywall) about how kids don’t read whole novels anymore in school, especially in English class. These mock award activities are a great way to get kids reading with a payoff they can get invested in at the end of January. Celebrate with the winners on January 26th, and celebrate books all the time! Who do you think is going to win the Caldecott and Newbery award?  Leave a comment below!

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Inspiring Quotes for Writers or How to Avoid Writer’s Block

By on December 18, 2025   /   For Writers, Teacher Tips, Writing   /   Leave a comment

Don’t wait for a writing community to show up. Create one. Invite, seek and you will find.

Turn off your phone.

Read. Read. Read. Did I say read?

Live in gratitude

If you are not where you want to be that’s okay. It means you know what you want.

Even if you don’t have time, write for two minutes. You can even write—I don’t know what to write

Be kind to librarians.

Read. Read. Read. Did I say read?

Tell someone you love them.

Write what intrigues you, what you obsess over.

Don’t worry, work instead.

Don’t work, play.

Stop thinking. Feel.

Buy books, borrow books. And give books away.

Don’t fall in love with your words, fall in love with ideas…with feelings with people.

You will always need to change your words, but your feelings are yours.

Learn from everything.

Trust yourself.

See the world and feel the world.

Have faith in yourself.

No excuses.

Laugh.

Drink water.

Exercise to keep mind, body and spirit strong.

For the first draft, feel your writing; heart not brain.

Second draft, use your mind, and your heart.

Write what you like to read.

Take trips.

Journal.

Write down your dreams.

Meditate. Breathe more deeply.

Eat more veggies.

Take a walk.

Take a shower.

Don’t be afraid.

Write through to the end.

 Revise, revise, revise.

Read, read, read. Did I say read?

Love to love critiques.

Be honest with yourself so you can be honest on the page.

Cut corn syrup out of your diet; it slows down your brain.

Take an acting or improv comedy class.

You are a beacon of light. Shine brightly.

Art takes time.

Spend time in nature every day.

Befriend someone who needs to be friended.

You are here for a reason.

Revision makes all the difference. Revise.

You are loved.

Your beauty shines out of you, always.

Observe your envy. It will tell you what you want. Then tell it bye bye!

Learn to say no to the world but yes to the universe.

First drafts are supposed to be ugly, mushy and mad.

Revise. Revise. Revise.

Never stop learning.

Commit.

Believe you are worth it.

You already know everything. Learning is opening up and allowing yourself to remember.

Expect success.

Write thank you letters.

Create your own inner best friend.

Remember you are amazing!

See with your heart.

Love your antagonists.

Ask questions.

Write your own inspiring quotes…

Hillary Homzie is the author of the Ellie May chapter book series (Charlesbridge, 2018), Apple Pie Promises (Sky Pony/Swirl, 2018), Pumpkin Spice Secrets (Sky Pony/Swirl, 2017), Queen of Likes (Simon & Schuster MIX 2016), The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009) as well as the Alien Clones From Outer Space (Simon & Schuster Aladdin 2002) chapter book series. She’s also a contributor to the Kate the Chemist middle grade series (Philomel Books/Penguin Random House). And her nonfiction picture book, If You Were a Princess: True Stories of Brave Leaders From Around the World is a look at historical and current princesses from many diverse lands who have made their mark (Simon & Schuster, August 2022). During the year, Hillary teaches at Sonoma State University. In the summer, she teaches in the graduate program in children’s literature, writing and illustration at Hollins University. She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on Instagram, and her Facebook page 

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From the Classroom: If You Like…

By on October 27, 2025   /   For Teachers, From the Classroom  
If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers
If you like Funjungle books, read Spy School

Middle grade readers often have strong opinions. In earlier From the Classroom articles we shared how to Build Reflective Readers and reasons why we Don’t Pigeon-Hole Middle Grade Readers. This time I’d like to share a sure-fire way to get kids interested in new books: “If you like…” posters and recommendations.

If You Like … Posters

Every Friday is First Chapter Friday in my fifth grade classroom. Most weeks I read aloud the first chapter of an enticing middle grade book, and students have the chance to sign up to be the first readers. It’s a great way to expose kids to new authors, genres, topics, and formats of books than they might usually read.

If you like scary stories, then try ... with a list of 8 books

But some weeks, I share a group of books related by a theme. This Friday, being Halloween, our theme is “If you like… Scary Stories!” Not only will I share several of the titles above with my students (blurbs this time, not every first chapter), but I will also hang the poster up above our classroom library. This year I went the extra step of adding a basket specifically for “scary books,” to help readers find them easily.

If you like survival stories, with a list of 8 books

Some other popular topics for “If you like…” include survival stories, magical school stories, graphic novels, you name it! I’ve also done versions for genres, as a goal of fifth grade is introducing students to books in various genres (realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy).

Have Students Make Their Own “If You Like…”

Another strategy is to have students make their own book recommendations using the “If you like…” format. It’s a great way for them to think about what kind of reader would like a certain book, and what other books that same reader might enjoy. Some of them come up with pretty straightforward recommendations, like the one at the top of the article: If you like the Funjungle series by Stuart Gibbs, then you might like The Spy School series also by Stuart Gibbs.

If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers

But students also come up with combinations that might seem more unexpected. One students suggested The Invention of Hugo Cabret if you liked The Lightning Thief. She said that “These books are adventurous, and exciting! I recommend these books to readers who like mysteries and fantasy.”

So there you go!

How do you use book talks or book recommendations to inspire readers in your life or classroom?

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