2022, like 2021, 2020, and 2019 before it, has been a lot so far. Between the news, some difficult events in our extended circle, and everything going on at school lately, I am emotionally exhausted and in the market for a distraction. You may be too. So in that spirit, I offer this update from the mini-wildlife refuge we call a backyard.
If I were you, I’d be really curious to know what it’s like to work in a public school library during Omicron. With the caveat that our district has done a lot of mitigation work during this pandemic (ventilation upgrades, mask mandates, vaccine mandates), and is located in California so eating outdoors and opening windows is possible, Omicron is still having an impact.
My job is amazing, and I love working with both middle schoolers and books, but I do have a tendency to use up all my words at work. But we have a day off today, so I thought I’d spent at least part of it telling you how things have been going at the library.
Packed with recommendations for diverse and relatable books on topics such as immigration, adoption, body image, and gender/sexual identity, Melissa Hart’s Better with Books has proven invaluable to me as a library assistant and Book Aunt.
Guess who gets to spend the 2021-2022 school year working as a library assistant at her favorite middle school?
My 14-year-old was completely obsessed with this book for at least two days, so of course I had to read it to see what all the fuss was about.
My 14-year-old was completely obsessed with this book for at least two days, so of course I had to read it to see what all the fuss was about.
School’s back in session, which means I’m once again sneaking peeks at the books that cross my path courtesy of the kids at the local middle school library.
School starts on Wednesday, and guess who gets to start working in the library in-person again (at least for now)?
A Jonathan Swift poem? Norse mythology? A mistranslation from the Greek? Shoddy thatched roof craftsmanship? Where does the phrase “raining cats and dogs” come from anyway? (Part 2 of our 2-post investigation)
CATERPICKLES 