Why We Write

Hundreds of new books for kids and young adults hit shelves every year, yet teachers often stick with the same titles year in and year out. The educators behind The Classroom Bookshelf, a blog on the School Library Journal website, encourage teachers to try new and diverse books by giving them ideas on how to incorporate them into their existing lessons. In their words, they share "thoughts and ideas on some of the most exciting, arresting, profound, and beautiful books for children and young adults." Today, we speak with two of the bloggers, Grace Enriquez and Mary Ann Cappiello, about reading books by morally suspect authors, representing different cultures in literature, and how The Classroom Bookshelf came to be. Read more about these former classroom teachers turned professors and their social justice mission on our episode page.