Novel – Unleashing Readers

The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite by Christyne Morrell

January 20, 2026 by Kellee

The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite
Author: Christyne Morrell
Published February 24, 2026 by Delacorte Press

Summary: In this middle-grade mystery, a twelve-year-old obsessed with Agatha Christie suspects every guest at her mother’s bed-and-breakfast of hiding secrets. That is until a real crime rocks the quaint B&B, and her mother is framed for it.

When the wealthy Willoughby family checks into her mother’s bed-and-breakfast for the weekend, Amber Adler is certain a crime is going to be committed right under their roof. And she should know—she’s read every Agatha Christie novel in the library and her father is a world-famous detective. Sure, Amber has made a few false accusations (and once got the SWAT team sent to her math teacher’s house), but this time, she’s positive that one of their guests is up to no good.

So it comes as no surprise to Amber when someone steals a priceless ruby belonging to the crotchety Willoughby patriarch. But what she didn’t expect was for her mother to be framed for it. Now, Amber must call on everything she knows about solving mysteries to find the stone and catch the real culprit before the family checks out—and learn that sometimes, people are the greatest mystery of all.

About the Author: When she’s not writing for kids, Christyne Morrell is busy raising one. She is a corporate attorney, and in her spare time enjoys reading, baking, and watching House Hunters marathons. She lives with her family in Decatur, Georgia. Kingdom of Secrets is her debut novel. Visit her online at christynewrites.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @christynewrites.

Review: Amber is always looking for crimes to solve, even when there is no true crime, but when she overhears a phone conversation about a crime by someone staying at her bed and breakfast, she knows this time there is truly a crime, and she is going to be the one that solves it. But this crime is different than she guessed but still full of twists & turns.

My middle schoolers are always looking for murder mysteries, but so many of them are teen; I am so glad that there are more and more middle school ones coming out, including this one. A truly fun middle grade mystery!

Educators’ Tools for Navigation: This book has so much that educators can use to expand on it!

First, I love that the author/publisher included a suspect tracker in the end. I WISH I had noticed it at the beginning because I would have loved to have utilized it, so I want to make sure educators know about it because it would be so much fun to take notes along with Amber.

Second, there are so many fun word play times throughout the book. For example, Amber would hear “betrayal” when it was actually “bee trail.” There would be some fun word games that you could do with this.

Lastly, with Amber being obssessed with Agatha Christie, there were definitely allusions to Christie’s work throughout.

Discussion Questions:

What predictions did you make while reading? What clues made you make these predictions? Were your predictions correct?
Do you think Amber’s mom has justification to be upset with Amber throughout the book?
What do you think is the biggest mistake that Amber made throughout her investigation?
Why do you think Amber didn’t want a sidekick?
Why do you think E.B. trusted Amber so much?
Do you think Amber really thought her father was a investigator like Sherlock Holmes or do you think she had tricked herself into believing it?

Flagged Passages/Spreads:

Chapter 1
Friday, 12:00 p.m.
(16 hours earlier)

I nudge the door open, and it releases a long, slow wail. This building is hundreds of years old, and it acts its age—everything creaks and moans and rattles. Everything makes a fuss. But all that racket makes my job easier, so I can’t complain.

I’m wearing all black, down to my ballet flats. The only glint of color comes from the gold name tag pinned to my shirt with Amber Adler etched in block letters. I creep silently into the room and flit from place to place, my toes barely grazing the floor as my eyes dart around, taking in every detail—the disheveled bed, the damp towels strewn on lampshades, the bottles littering the desk, leaking sticky puddles of who-knows-what onto the antique wood.

I unzip the black faux leather pouch around my waist and remove a pair of latex gloves. I slide them onto my hands one at a time, snapping them at the wrists to make sure they’re good and tight. They release a puff of sterile powder into the air. I run a fingertip over every surface—nightstands, doorknobs, windowsills—then examine the residue in the light. Messy, yes. But not criminal.

I make my way into the adjoining bathroom. Like the rest of the place, it’s in disarray. I shake my head, and as I do, something near the floorboards catches my eye. The light spilling out of the vintage sconces glints off a shard of metal.

“Well, well, well,” I mutter to myself. “What do we have here?”

I crouch down for a closer look. The object is small but incredibly sharp. I count four blades jutting from its squat handle, each one angled and gleaming. I know I shouldn’t smile—not in the midst of an active crime scene—but I can’t help myself. From my pouch, I remove a plastic evidence bag with a ziplock top. I carefully pluck the weapon from the floor and drop it inside. “Gotcha.”

I rise and spin on my heel, prepared to disappear as silently as I’d arrived. But first, for a split second, I’m confronted by my own reflection in the bathroom mirror—reddish-blond hair scraped back into a messy bun, with escaped strands waving around my face like Medusa’s serpents; an all-black ensemble designed to escape notice; and permanently narrowed eyes overshadowed by two thick brows known to have a life of their own. It’s a good thing I work in the shadows.

And then I see something else in the reflection—or rather, I don’t see something in the reflection—and my eyes grow wide as I realize what’s missing. “Eep!” I squeal louder than I should. But that doesn’t matter now. The time for sneaking around has passed. On to my favorite part: the big reveal.

I burst out of the room and onto the landing at the top of the stairs. My entrance gets everyone’s attention, as it’s meant to. At the bottom of the staircase, three heads turn to face me, all wearing matching looks of confusion. I barrel toward them, not caring anymore if the decrepit wood snaps, crackles, and pops with every step.

“Amber?” says Mom. Her brief moment of confusion has passed. Now she’s giving me a silent warning with her eyes. Not again, she’s saying without saying it.

Read This If You Love: Secrets of the Broken House and all books by Taryn Souders, The World’s Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson, Undercover Latina bby Aya de León, Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz

Recommended For:

**Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review!**

Author’s Guest Post: “Teaching Dual Perspectives Through Adventure Stories”by Sarah Branson, Author of For the Love of Glitter & A Pirates’ Pact

January 18, 2026 by Kellee

“Teaching Dual Perspectives Through Adventure Stories”

One of the quiet joys of writing for middle-grade readers is witnessing how fully they step into a story. Young readers don’t hover at the edges—they immerse themselves. They imagine what they would do, what choices they might make, and how differently those choices might turn out.

This becomes especially powerful when a story offers more than one perspective.

In my middle-grade novel, A Pirates’ Pact, twin brothers Kik and Mac navigate challenges that stretch them—sometimes together, sometimes apart. Although the story is written in close third person, readers are given a front-row seat to how differently each boy interprets the same moment. Kik tends to observe, reflect, and question, while Mac leaps, tests boundaries, and charges ahead. Their contrasting instincts reveal not only who they are as individuals, but how perspective shapes story.

For teachers and librarians, this contrast is an opportunity: dual perspectives naturally spark conversations about point of view, empathy, voice, and character motivation.

Why Teach Dual Perspectives?

It deepens empathy.

Students begin to understand that even people who care deeply for one another experience the world differently. This opens doors to discussions about intention, impact, and the many ways identity shapes perception.

It strengthens comprehension.

Comparing two interpretations of the same event helps students practice inference, identify bias, and attend to textual clues—skills essential as they progress toward more complex texts.

It supports writing craft.

Once students see how worldview shapes voice, they begin to use it intentionally in their own writing. They hear the difference in pacing, tone, and vocabulary when they slip into another character’s skin.

Mini-Lesson: How Would the Other Character Tell This Scene?

Choose a short, high-tension moment from A Pirates’ Pact—for example, when the boys break a treasured family heirloom and uncover a hidden piece of a map.

After reading together, ask students:

What does Kik believe just happened?
How does Mac interpret it?
What assumptions does each brother make about the other?

Then invite students to rewrite the scene from the other brother’s perspective.

As they write, students quickly discover:

how word choice shifts with personality,
how pacing reflects impulsiveness or caution,
how emotional tone changes the entire moment.

This often opens into a personal reflection:
How do you see events differently from your siblings, friends, or classmates—and what value lives in those differences?

Classroom Project: Two Voices, One Story

Have students write a short narrative (1–2 pages) from two viewpoints—siblings, teammates, rivals, or even two sides of the same protagonist (the brave self vs. the uncertain self).

Encourage them to explore:

what each voice wants,
what each misunderstands,
how the conflict shifts when both perspectives matter.

This project helps reluctant writers focus not on inventing an entire story, but on exploring interpretation. The heart of the work lies in how each character experiences the moment.

Why Adventure Stories Enhance Perspective Work

Adventure applies pressure—and pressure reveals character.

When students watch two characters navigate the same storm, literal or metaphorical, they begin to understand that perspective is not an ornament; it is the engine of story. Kik and Mac model how two people can move through the same world and come away with entirely different truths.

This is fertile ground for literacy learning, SEL conversations, and writing craft exploration.

Classroom Connections

A Pirates’ Pact can be used to support discussions about sibling dynamics and interpretation, point-of-view analysis, comparing character motivations, writing voice exploration, empathy, and social–emotional learning. It also pairs well with books like Wonder (multiple perspectives & empathy), Because of Mr. Terupt (group POV), and The View From Saturday (interwoven voices).

Final Thoughts

Stories give students a safe place to practice perspective—one of the most essential skills they will ever learn. Over and over, young readers tell me how much they love slipping between Kik and Mac’s viewpoints, and how those shifts help them better understand their own lives.

If you bring A Pirates’ Pact into your classroom or library—or if you’d like discussion guides or additional activities—I’m always happy to share. I hope your readers find their own unexpected connections as they explore these two voices, one story.

Published February 20, 2024 by Sooner Started Press

About the Book: Two brothers, a hidden secret, and an adventure of a lifetime.

On the pirate island of Bosch, almost eleven-year-old twins Kik and Mac are facing a storm of changes. With a father from Edo and a Bosch mother, the brothers navigate the challenges of identity, friendship, and family in their own unique ways.

Mac, daring and mischievous, finds himself in a whirlwind of trouble as he strives to impress new friends. Meanwhile, Kik, quiet and observant, grapples with his heritage and a heartfelt secret he’s not ready to share.

When a ball thrown in anger fractures a family heirloom, a hidden piece of a pirate treasure map emerges, setting them on a quest that will shake up their relationship and reshape their understanding of family.

A Pirates’ Pact is a tale of friendship, self-discovery, and the enduring strength of family ties. Will Kik’s and Mac’s pact withstand the challenges ahead? Embark on this middle grade adventure where bonds are forged, secrets are unveiled, and treasures go beyond gold and jewels.

Published September 29, 2025 by Sooner Started Press

About the Book: A rebellious heart. A tempestuous romance. A plot that could bring down a nation. In Bosch, loyalty isn’t just earned—it’s tested.

Grey Shima has her future all planned graduate, enlist, and follow in the footsteps of her fearless mother, Master Commander Kat Wallace. But when Grey meets the magnetic and passionate Edmund Sinclair, her world tilts.

He’s not just another boy with good hair and dangerous ideas—he’s a revolutionary, dead set on exposing the ugly truth behind the glittering power that fuels Bosch. Caught between love and legacy, Grey finds herself questioning her training, her purpose, and her heart.

But she’s not alone. Sy Mercer, Grey’s best friend, has stood by her side throughout her childhood. Smart, steady, and secretly in love with her, Sy sees the danger Grey can’t—or won’t—acknowledge. As Grey spirals deeper into a movement that may not be what it seems, Sy must confront his own fears and decide how far he’s willing to go to protect her… even if it means losing her.

Because love, like revolution, is rarely without sacrifice.

In a postapocalyptic world rebuilding from ruin, For the Love of Glitter is a YA speculative romance about betrayal, resistance, and finding your true north—even when everything else is falling apart.

About the Author: Award-winning author Sarah Branson was a midwife for close to thirty years, helping families welcome their little ones into their arms in the hospital, at a birth center, and at home. Now she writes feminist speculative fiction with plenty of action, adventure, revenge, and romance. Her stories are firmly rooted in the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.

Sarah first started conjuring stories of pirates when her family hopped a freighter to Australia when she was seven. As a child and as an adult, she traveled extensively across the US and the globe. Her children grew up in Northern Michigan, swimming in Sturgeon Bay and Little Traverse Bay. Over the years, she has worked as a receptionist, retail clerk, writing tutor, business owner, and certified nurse midwife. She also taught science and history to middle school and high school students in the U.S., Brazil, and Japan. Through these myriad experiences, Sarah developed a deep appreciation for people’s strength and endurance.

Her debut novel, A Merry Life, has been honored as the 2022 Connecticut Adult Fiction winner by the Indie Author Project, and was the 2022 Kindle Book Award winner for science fiction and was named a 2022 Book of the Year finalist in the action/adventure and science fiction categories by the Independent Author Network. It is the first book in the four-book new adult series Pirates of New Earth. The second book in the series, Navigating the Storm was a finalist for The Eric Hoffer Award. The series was followed by a young adult spin-off, Unfurling the Sails, a finalist for the 2023 Foreword Indies Award and for the 2024 Independent Author Network in both action/adventure and young adult categories. In 2024, A Pirates’ Pact, her first middle-grade book, was released and garnered a Best Book Cover Page Turner Award. A stand-alone novel North Country, A Kat Wallace Adventure, was released in January 2025. Her latest book For the Love of Glitter was released in September 2025.

Readers can connect with Sarah Branson on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.

To learn more, visit SarahBranson.com

Thank you, Sarah, for this lesson!

Kellee’s 2025 Reading Recap & Stats

January 14, 2026 by Kellee

And just for fun: here is Trent’s 2024 Year in Books!

Here are my five star reads from 2025:

Middle Grade

Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Giant Rays of Hope by Patricia Newman
The Liars Society: A Secret Escape by Alyson Gerber
Not Nothing by Gayle Forman
The Deadly Fates: A Conjourer Novel (Marvellers #3) by Dhonielle Clayton
Trials of Apollo #1: The Hidden Oracle and #5: The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown
(I also reread The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger, & Son by Lois Lowry and The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, all which are 5 star reads)

Young Adult

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle
I Don’t Wish You Well by Jumata Emill
Red as Royal Blood by Elizabeth Hart
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Sunrise on the Reaping by Susanne Collins
Winterkeep by Kristine Cashore
(I also reread The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green; Graceling & Fire by Kristen Cashore; and The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, & Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, all which are 5 star reads.)

Happy reading in 2026, friends!!!
To see all the books I’m reading, visit my READ Goodreads shelf and feel free to follow 📖💙

Author Guest Post: “My Hope” by Frank W. Baker, Author of Risk, Resilience, and Redemption: A Miraculous Holocaust Survival Story

October 26, 2025 by Kellee

“My Hope”

My newest book, Risk, Resilience and Redemption: A Miraculous Holocaust Story, is the story of two people who survived Hitler’s Final Solution. The paperback book is a narrative version of the YA graphic novel We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story, which was published in September 2022. Both books detail the harrowing journey two young Polish Jews, from their capture and forced labor as slaves to their eventual liberation, marriage, and emigration to the United States. But the book is much more than their personal story. It explores the widespread antisemitism Bluma, Felix, and millions of others faced in Nazi Germany.

The narrative raises important issues I believe every student should understand. In my talks to middle and high school students reading Risk, Resilience, and Redemption, I begin by asking a series of questions:

Who knows what the Holocaust was?
Who knows who Adolf Hitler was?
Who knows how many Jews died during the Holocaust?
Who knows the names of the other groups that collaborated with Nazis to target the Jews?
Who knows what propaganda is?
Who knows what antisemitism means?

It is these last three questions that have students stumped.

It has been my experience that public education has given short shrift to the Holocaust, leaving many students with little knowledge about this horrific time in world history. For example, a 2025 Claims Conference survey found that “41 percent [of millennials] believe that substantially less than 6 million Jews were killed [two million or fewer] during the Holocaust.” I began asking social studies teachers I knew why our students are so apparently lacking in essential knowledge about the Holocaust, and the answer I consistently received was, “We don’t have the time.” But as a colleague of mine once said, “It’s not about time; it’s about priority.”

And that is what drives my work today: making the Holocaust a priority by connecting it to the skills and awareness students need most in this era of misinformation.

So how do we make teaching the Holocaust a priority? I think one way is to provide students with opportunities to learn by hearing directly from survivors themselves, using the media/technology students already pay attention to. In other words, we can reach out to them using social media sites such as TikTok and YouTube. For example, 21-year-old Dov Forman used TikTok to tell his great-grandmother’s survival story, and the clips received millions of views. My decision to tell the Goldberg story as a graphic novel was my acknowledgment that graphic novels, a medium that has exploded in growth and popularity, are yet another way to reach students.

In my presentations to students, I also try to make them aware, if they aren’t already, that some rhetoric and actions in 2025 closely resemble actions taken by Nazi Germany in the 1940s. I have to remind them that history repeats itself. In the graphic novel, there is an image of Bluma’s family running from their burning home, frantically trying to survive after the Nazis entered their small town in Poland in 1939. When my illustrator first showed me this image, I said to myself, “This is Ukraine…this is exactly what happened when Russia invaded, forcing people from their homes.” History does repeat.

Teaching about the Holocaust isn’t just about remembering history. It’s also about recognizing how misinformation and propaganda still influence people today.

Another concern of mine is where students first learn about the Holocaust. I ask, “Was it from a book? A movie? Television? Social media? Or perhaps listening to a survivor’s story?” Because where they get that information is vital. Do the students know what a reliable source is and how to verify it? In 2025, Holocaust denial and distortion are rampant, and many students believe what they see and read without question. That is why I remind them to be doubly careful about what they consume on social media, because so much of it today is manipulated.

Teaching about the Holocaust isn’t just about remembering history; it’s about helping students think critically about the information they encounter every day. For more than 25 years, I have been teaching media literacy, which I define as applying critical thinking and viewing skills to all media messages. It is painfully obvious that too many young people believe what they read without question. They rarely verify or consider the sources. This is troubling.

There are many groups (I like to call them “bad actors”) who are deliberately manipulating content to fool a media-illiterate population and sway opinion. The bad actors are most active around breaking news events: a hurricane will bring images of sharks swimming in a city’s downtown flooded streets (NOT); ongoing wars will bring a plethora of fake and manipulated images. And with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, images and video are being altered every day, often seen and shared by unsuspecting audiences.

Recently, the Columbia Journalism Review produced a short video, The PSAi, designed to raise awareness of the techniques being used in AI. If you are a parent or an educator, consider showing this to students and leading a discussion about how easily digital content can be manipulated and what questions students should ask before they believe or share it. Fact-checking is one of the most important tools students (and the rest of us) can use to navigate the fake news, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

Finally, let me give a shout-out to the school librarians in this country. Thankfully, they are the educators in most schools who are actively teaching students “information literacy,” which is closely related to media literacy. Together, classroom teachers and librarians can make a powerful difference by helping students develop the critical thinking habits that protect both truth and democracy.

We have our work cut out for us. We must all work harder to counter the junk that’s out there. Thomas Jefferson said (and I paraphrase here) the health of a democracy depends on an informed electorate. But what happens when the electorate is mostly misinformed? My hope is that by teaching truth and critical thinking, we can help our students make sure that doesn’t happen.

Publishing October 21st, 2025 by Tree of Life Books

About the Book: From acclaimed media literacy educator and author Frank W. Baker comes a powerful new narrative: Risk, Resilience, and Redemption: A Miraculous Holocaust Survival Story. This moving retelling of the true story of Holocaust survivors Bluma and Felix Goldberg is written specifically for young readers in prose form. At just 40 pages, this accessible edition shares their courage, resilience, and message of hope with students in grades 5 through 12.

Two young polish Jews, Bluma Tishgarten and Felix Goldberg, were torn from their families and communities as Hitler led the Nazis in their murderous march across Europe and beyond from 1939 to 1945. Despite not knowing if their friends, neighbors, and families were still alive, they struggled through the grueling conditions of near-starvation and slave labor as well as torture and terror with only the faint glimmer of hope as their beacon leading them to survival. Then they found each other. They found a life together, and they found their way to America. This is their miraculous story of the risks they took, the resilience to persevere, and their ultimate redemption.

This version preserves the emotional depth of the original graphic novel, We Survived The Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story, making it an excellent choice for classrooms, book clubs, and educational programs that want to introduce Holocaust history through narrative storytelling. In today’s world, helping students think critically and care deeply about others is more important than ever. This book offers a powerful starting point for those conversations.

Risk, Resilience, and Redemption also serves as a valuable resource by addressing essential themes and fostering skills that connect past and present. Its concise length makes it especially useful for educators seeking a focused, impactful story that fits into tight classroom schedules.

Key talking points include:
• Understanding the Past, Thinking About the Future: Bluma and Felix’s firsthand accounts help readers connect historical events to current challenges, including prejudice, nationalism, and the spread of false information.
• Navigating Today’s Media: An accessible introduction to media literacy that helps students question and evaluate what they see and hear in today’s digital world.
• A Timely Resource for Classrooms: This book supports meaningful discussion on history, identity, and justice.
• Hope, Resilience, and Courage: While grounded in tragic history, the story ultimately offers a message of strength and survival that can inspire young readers.

“After reading this book you must take away a new sense of urgency that lies in the forefront of your mind to eliminate the latest scourge of antisemitism that is sweeping the world.” Henry Goldberg, second-generation survivor

About the Author: Frank W. Baker has worked in television news, public education and public television. In 2019, Frank was recognized by UNESCO with its GAPMIL (Global Alliance Partnership for Media & Information Literacy) honor. In 1998, he founded the Media Literacy Clearinghouse website and began working with teachers and students to help them better understand how to think critically about the media. Other books include Coming Distractions: Questioning Movies (Capstone, 2007), Political Campaigns & Political Advertising: A Media Literacy Guide (Greenwood, 2009), Media Literacy in The K-12 Classroom (ISTE, 2012), Close Reading the Media: Literacy Lessons and Activities for Every Month of the Year (Routledge, 2017), and We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story – The Graphic Novel (Tree of Life Books, 2022). You can find him online at www.frankwbaker.com.

Thank you, Frank, for this post about media and history literacy and the importance of including it in a curriculum to help grow hope for our future!

Author Guest Post: “Beyond ‘What’s Wrong?’: How the Stories in Our Classrooms Can Heal Fading Dreams” by Andrei Goanta, Author of The Library of Lost Dreams

October 12, 2025October 12, 2025 by Kellee

“Beyond “What’s Wrong?’: How the Stories in Our Classrooms Can Heal Fading Dreams”

I think every parent and educator knows that moment. When a child comes home from school or retreats to a corner of the classroom, shoulders slumped, a silent storm brewing behind their eyes. You ask, “What’s wrong?” and the answer you get is a “Nothing” that shuts a door in your face. And you’re left on the other side, without a key. As a father, I’d often feel this sense of helplessness. I just wanted to understand what was truly going on in their heads and hearts.

So I started asking myself, what if I could actually see the story behind the sadness? The truth is, The Library of Lost Dreams didn’t start with some grand idea; it started right here, at home. The world of the library is, in essence, a map of my family’s heart.

My main character, Dahlia, has this deep empathy… it’s the same thing I see in my own daughter every day. That’s her superpower in the book, and I think it’s a real one in life, too. And Astra, the wise owl who guides Dahlia with such patience and strength? Yep, that’s my wife, our family’s steady compass.

But like any real family, things get a little mixed up. Anyone who has read Book 2, Journey into the Past, has met a much younger, more impulsive Astra. That whirlwind of unchecked joy, endless curiosity, and slightly chaotic energy? That is my son, Tudor, right there on the page.

And where do I fit in? It’s funny, I thought I was the wise guide, but I’m definitely more like Sol, the fluffy companion from Book 3. He’s this little ball of love and loyalty, but he’s also the guy cracking bad jokes. That’s my job in the family: bringing some goofy energy when things get heavy, while always being that loving, protective presence.

From My Home to Your Classroom: The Magic of Empathetic Listening

For me, that’s where the real magic is. It has nothing to do with spells. The power Dahlia uses is something we can all do: the simple, profound act of empathetic listening. It’s the power of saying, “I see you. I hear you. Your story matters.”

And I believe this idea works perfectly in a classroom. A child’s dream isn’t always about becoming an astronaut or a painter. Sometimes, the dream is simply to feel understood, to have the courage to ask a question, or to believe their voice is worth hearing. When these small dreams start to fade, when a student becomes quiet, withdraws, or says “I can’t,” that’s when we, as their Keepers of Stories, can step in.

We don’t need a magic portal to enter their world. We just need a set of keys. Here are three strategies, inspired by The Library of Lost Dreams, to help rediscover the fading dreams in your classroom:

1. The “Safe Chapter” Key: Creating a Space for Unspoken Stories

In the first book, a shadow called “The Silence” feeds on forgotten dreams and untold stories. In the classroom, this “Silence” can take the form of fear of making a mistake or anxiety about speaking up.

Classroom Application: Create a “Dream Journal” or a “Worry Box.” It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a special notebook where students can write or draw freely, without the fear of being graded. It could be a decorated shoebox where they can leave anonymous notes about their thoughts or fears. The goal is to provide a pressure valve, a safe space where their inner story can come to life without judgment. It’s a first step in showing a child that what they feel is valid, even if they aren’t ready to say it out loud.

2. The “Guiding Owl” Key: Providing the Compass, Not the Map

In the books, Astra acts as Dahlia’s compass, not her map. She doesn’t have all the answers, and she doesn’t pretend to. When faced with a shadow like “The Silence” or a new threat, her strength isn’t in providing a step-by-step solution, but in pointing Dahlia toward the only available path, even when the destination is unknown to them both. She trusts Dahlia’s unique power of empathy to navigate the parts of the journey that her own wisdom cannot.

Classroom Application: As educators, we often feel the pressure to be the “expert” with all the answers. This approach reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is admit we don’t know, and then become a co-explorer with the student.
- Instead of feeling you need a solution for a student’s problem, try validating the challenge: “That sounds really tough, and I don’t have an easy answer for you, but I’m here to think it through with you.”
- Frame challenges as shared quests: “I’m not sure what the best way to start this project is either. Let’s look at the very first possible step together.”
- Empower their unique skills: “You have such a creative way of looking at things. I’m stuck on this problem, but I have a feeling you might see something I don’t.” This transforms the dynamic from teacher/student to a team of adventurers. It shows children that it’s okay not to have all the answers and that their unique perspective is a valuable tool for finding the way forward, together.

3. The “First Draft” Key: Validating the Process, Not Just the Product

Many of the children Dahlia helps, like Rowan the painter or Rose the violinist, lost their dream because they were afraid the final result wouldn’t be “good enough.” They forgot the joy of the process.

Classroom Application: Celebrate the “first draft.” Praise the effort, the curiosity, and the courage to try, regardless of the outcome. When a student shows you a drawing, focus first on the joy behind it: “I can tell you had fun choosing these colors!” or “What a brave idea you had here!” When a student is struggling with a math problem, validate the persistence: “I really appreciate how you didn’t give up. Let’s look at the steps together again.” This shifts the focus from the pressure of perfection to the joy of exploration and teaches children that every attempt, even a “failed” one, is a valuable part of their learning story.

Whether we are parents at home or teachers in the classroom, we have an incredible role. We are the companions in our children’s stories. By helping them believe their voice is worth hearing, we give them the courage to face any shadow, in any world.

This little adventure that started with my kids has grown into a world I’m so happy to share. And just so you know, Book 1, The Library of Lost Dreams, and Book 2, Journey into the Past, are now out in their fully polished second editions. I am currently in the process of bringing Book 3, Journey into the Future, to that same standard. Afterward, I will begin writing the final book in this story arc, Parallel World. It will be a more intricate adventure designed for slightly older readers (10+), exploring even more complex emotional landscapes.

Thank you for letting me share a piece of my world with you.

Published July 9th, 2025

About the Book: The Library of Lost Dreams is about a young girl named Dahlia who has a pretty cool gift: she can feel the old stories and emotions that places hold. It leads her to a magical library, and it turns out every book there is a kid’s dream. The problem is, a shadow called “The Silence” is making the dreams fade. So Dahlia has to use her empathy (not magic spells) to jump into those dreams. She’s there to help other kids find their courage and start believing in their own stories again. The book is really all about how important it is to listen, and how no dream is ever really lost if someone just cares enough.

About the Author: As a dad, Andrei Goanta gets his best ideas from his kids. He writes worlds that he hopes are more than just fun and fantastical; he wants them to feel safe and real for young readers. You could say his series, The Library of Lost Dreams, is a love letter to imagination, to the guts it takes for any kid to share their story, and to the courage to be brave no matter what.

Thank you, Andei! We love books that celebrate imagination and the good in people!

Student Voices: What Kellee’s Students Read in September

October 8, 2025 by Kellee

What Kellee’s Students Were Reading in September

I thought we could do a beginning of the year check in with my middle schoolers to see what they are currently reading. My students do an It’s Monday! What are you reading? post whenever I do one here on Unleashing Readers; I love keeping up with what they’re currently reading and what they’ve thought of what they finished. Here is a roundup of the book covers, in no particular order although I tried to keep series/authors together, of middle school books that my Student Literacy Readers read in September:

What a variety! Here’s to more great reading!

Author Guest Post: “Asking ‘What If’ About Our Real-Life Experiences” by Kevin Garone, Author of Night of the Living Toilet Paper

October 5, 2025 by Kellee

“Asking ‘What If’ About Our Real Life Experiences”

Attempting to float a mattress across a pond sounds like the kind of thing that could only happen in fiction. But it happened in real life.

I would know, since I was one of the few to watch as three of my friends attempted to sail a queen-sized mattress across a local pond on a cold December night. I’d helped haul the thing through the dark, but I was at least smart enough to not try to float alongside them in the freezing pond water.

As it turns out, mattresses aren’t the best flotation devices. About halfway across the pond, the mattress began to sink, and my friends had to abandon ship and swim back to shore. The mattress stayed visible below the surface for about a week before it finally sank to the bottom.

Now, hopefully most students aren’t going to get involved in activities like that. But ideally, they still have plenty of everyday experiences that they can use as the basis for their own stories.

This can be a helpful way to adjust the often-repeated writing advice to “write what you know.” When trying to get students interested in writing their own stories, this advice can feel incredibly vague, and even overwhelming.

After all, when you’re a kid, what do you really know? If you feel like you don’t truly “know” a lot about anything, it could intimidate you from writing anything.

That’s why I feel it’s important to take this advice a step further. Saying to “write what you know” can feel like you need to know a lot about history, science, or some other subject. On the other hand, reframing that in the lens of your real-life experiences can suddenly make writing a lot less intimidating. After all, storytelling is a natural part of our day and how we relate events, even if we don’t usually think of it in that sense.

By reframing the mindset, students can find stories just about anywhere. Inspiration could come from:

Participating on a sports team
Clubs and other activities
Playing in a band
Working a summer job
An incident that took place on a family trip
People-watching at a park or mall
Activities with friends
Classmates
Stories they’ve heard from friends or family

Of course, there are a few caveats to go along with this. For one, kids can’t just write down what happened to them in real life; not if we’re trying to help them truly flex their creative muscles. This is where asking “what if?” comes in.

An attempt to float a mattress across a pond serves as the opening of my book Night of the Living Toilet Paper, the second in my middle grade comedy horror series. The incident in the book certainly has a lot of similarities to real life, but it is firmly grounded in the world of the story.

In real life, floating a mattress happened on a whim (teenage boys can be dumb like that). In the book, Marv, who is obsessed with preparing for an alien invasion, does this as an experiment to see if a mattress could be used as a means of transportation after ETs take over. That simple change in the who and why helps take things in a different direction.

The main threat that Marv faces in this book (a giant toilet paper monster) is also very loosely adapted from a high school friend’s plan to toilet paper our school. His plan never came to fruition, but it was definitely the kind of thing that felt like it belonged in a story somewhere.

Bringing these real-life incidents into the book required looking at them through the lens of “what if?” For me, asking “what if?” usually means taking something loosely connected from my real life experiences and placing it in a more paranormal setting. It also helps to have read (and watched) plenty of spooky stories for inspiration.

Young writers might need some prompts to get the “what if” mindset going. But with the right nudge, they can start reframing their experiences in a way that helps them rethink how they can be creative and come up with their own stories.

Some example prompts could include:

What if one of your experiences happened to your favorite movie/video game/book character? How would it happen differently?
If you had done X instead of Y, what would have happened?
Put your real-life experience into the world of your favorite book, movie, or video game. How would this different setting change things?
What if you had a parent with you instead of your friends — or vice versa?

Hopefully, by helping kids see that there is potential for interesting stories anywhere, they can become more interested in storytelling themselves — and more interested in getting out and living life so they can have those experiences to draw from.

Published September 23, 2025 by Temor Press

About the Book: In the sequel to I Know What UFO Did Last Summer, a few months have passed since Marv and his friends stopped what he believes was an extraterrestrial plot to take over the planet. But he’s not letting his guard down. If there’s one thing Marv knows, it’s that aliens could attempt another invasion at any time.

So when he spots an unmanned motorcycle racing into the woods, pursued by a paranormal investigator, Marv’s instincts scream that something very weird is going on. Marv tracks down the bike and hauls it to his fort for closer inspection. That’s when he sees it: a Sleech—one of the creatures he encountered last summer—slithering out of the motorcycle’s tailpipe.

But when Marv returns to show his discovery to his friends, they find the fort completely destroyed. The only thing left is his emergency stockpile of toilet paper.

And it’s alive.

Now Marv and his friends must unravel the mystery of the Sleech before their entire town is overrun by a monstrous swarm of toilet paper. Because if they don’t stop it in time…

It’s going to wipe them out.

About the Author: Kevin Garone is the author of I Know What UFO Did Last Summer and its sequel, Night of the Living Toilet Paper. He lives with his wife and sons in Arizona. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him reading, playing video games, hiking, or cheering on his favorite sports teams. Visit him online at https://www.kevingarone.com/

Thank you, Kevin, for pushing us to push our writers by using their experiences and a dash of imagination!