In this episode, I talk about graphic novels, focusing on three specific novels to give background to the genre and an introduction to a few different styles of the format.

Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Books mentioned:

• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

• Stitches by David Small

• Alte Zachen by Ziggy Hanaor and Benjamin Phillips

In this episode, I talk about the 1923 Newbery Medal! It was the second year of the Newbery, and there was only one Newbery Medal winner. So, I also talk about the first Doctor Doolittle book and another book for children written in 1922.

I talked about the plots, the writing style, the major problems with them, and my general thoughts about them, and why they should be read or not in our day!

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Books mentioned:

• The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
• The Voyage of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
• Bannertail: The Story of a Gray Squirrel by Ernest Thompson Seton

In this episode, I talk about the 1922 Newbery Medal! It was the first year of the Newbery, and there were five books named for runner-up and one Newbery Medal winner.

I talked about the plots, the writing style, the major problems with them, and my general thoughts about them, and why they should be read or not in our day!

Books mentioned in this episode. Bold indicates a Newbery book; links lead to full reviews at Rebecca Reads.

• ⁠The Old Tobacco Shop by William Bowen ⁠
• ⁠The Great Quest by Charles Hawes
• ⁠Cedric the Forester by Bernard Marshall
• Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
• The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs⁠
• The Golden Fleece and The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum⁠
• D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon * Winner

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In honor of Valentine's Day: Thoughts on the romantic era novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, one of my favorites and kind of the stereotypical classic "romance" novel for a reason. I also talk about some literary theory "lite" books I enjoyed that take our appreciation to the next level.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Books mentioned:

• • Pride & Prejudiceby Jane Austen
  • What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan
• • The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monstersby Rachel Feder
  • Georgette Heyer (author)

Today I share the Newbery winners 2025 and my thoughts about them. Review all the winners for all the awards here:American Library Association announces 2025 Youth Media Award winners | ALA

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Books Mentioned:

• The First State of Beingby Erin Entrada Kelly

• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allwritten and illustrated by Chanel Miller

• The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy.

• Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar

• One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

• Life After Whaleby Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Jason Chin

• Home in a Lunchbox illustrated and written by Cherry Mo

• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

• The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hoopermanby Gennifer Choldenko

Time to talk about a few more potential Newbery Award books! There are so many more that I'd like to share before they announce, but I'll have to talk about them AFTER if they do win!

Books mentioned:

• Louder Than Hungerby John Schu
• Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War IIby Adam Gidwitz
• Not Quite a Ghostby Anne Ursu
• The First State of Beingby Erin Entrada Kelly

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Monday January 20 is Martin Luther King, Jr. ,Day, so today I thought I’d share some interesting picture books about both the man and his mission in the Civil Rights movement.

• Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzallo and illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
• Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marion Dane Bauer (My First Biography series by Scholastic)
• The Cart that Carried Martin by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Don Tate
• A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler and illustrated by Robert Casilla
• Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier
• As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Raul Colon
• My Uncle Martin's Big Heartby Angela Farris Watkins and illustrated by Eric Velasquez
• Martin and Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
• We March by Shane W. Evans
• I Have a Dream, with paintings by Kadir Nelson
• March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris and illustrated by London Ladd

For Older Kids

• If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Anna Rich
• ho Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?by Bonnie Bader and illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf

See my Martin Luther King, Jr. book study

Visit⁠⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit⁠⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode, I talk about four different middle grade novels published in 2024 that qualify for the Newbery Medal in the US.

I share brief summaries and my thoughts about them, and why they should be considered for the Newbery (or not).

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
• The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
• Olivetti by Allie Millington
• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel MIller

Visit ⁠⁠⁠Rebecca Reads⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠Line Upon Line Learning⁠⁠⁠.