• Books & Writing,  Teaching

    Author School Visits

    Ten years ago I devoured a book entitled BOUND by Donna Jo Napoli. I was a teacher at the time attending a writing conference where Ms. Napoli was the keynote speaker. The novel gripped me. I had to find out who this woman was that wrote so beautifully about a girl named Xing Xing.  

  • Books & Writing,  Inspiration,  Parenting,  Teaching

    Believe in Magic

    It took becoming a teacher and discovering how much I loved getting kids interested in reading to understand that my path was leading me to write. “She might even be your lovely school-teacher who is reading these words to you at this very moment. Look carefully at that teacher. Perhaps she is smiling at the absurdity of such a suggestion. Don’t let that put you off. It could be part of cleverness. I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But–here comes the big “but”–not impossible.” ―    Roald Dahl,   …