Meta tags:
description= In which a teacher and family guy is still learning ... and writing about it;
Headings (most frequently used words):
by, share, this, review, the, and, of, illustrated, posts, recent, what, not, wrong, here, come, aunties, cynthia, leitich, smith, aphelandra, amazing, generation, jonathan, haidt, catherine, price, seeing, beatles, sort, other, 2025, live, music, highlights, onward, 16, climate, fiction, short, stories, to, inspire, hope, edited, nora, shalaway, carpenter, eleven, baseball, book, reviews, for, early, off, season, retro, gentle, ben, walt, morey, living, life, writer, practices, student, writers, have, know, do, jen, vincent, king, neuro, verse, idris, goodwin, pop, goes, nursery, rhyme, betsy, bird, andrea, tsurumi, creaky, acres, calista, brill, nilah, magruder, gary, anderson, top, pages, email, subscription, comments, archives, meta, how, many, hits, since, january, 25, 2011,
Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (383), and (248), for (94), new (94), opens (80), window (80), share (72), #baseball (68), that (63), this (55), with (49), his (49), but (44), book (42), was (38), review (36), are (35), how (33), 2025 (32), books (28), they (28), from (28), her (26), more (25), their (25), email (23), who (22), like (21), all (21), young (21), facebook (21), when (21), about (21), not (20), have (20), other (20), posted (20), linkedin (20), tumblr (20), reddit (20), print (20), pinterest (20), one (20), readers (20), also (20), july (19), writing (19), november (18), life (18), december (17), music (17), ben (17), what (16), january (16), mark (16), february (15), march (15), april (15), generation (15), here (15), aunties (15), writer (15), may (14), august (14), october (14), 2023 (14), best (14), most (14), through (14), year (14), into (14), leagues (14), 2011 (13), june (13), 2022 (13), picture (13), school (13), time (13), friend (13), some (13), story (13), see (13), first (13), league (13), 2012 (12), 2013 (12), 2014 (12), 2024 (12), gary (12), anderson (12), writers (12), fun (12), nursery (12), verse (12), know (12), can (12), out (12), each (12), she (12), them (12), while (12), our (12), those (12), major (12), game (12), comment (11), loading (11), september (11), 2015 (11), 2017 (11), 2021 (11), nora (11), family (11), stories (11), living (11), leave (11), link (11), just (11), only (11), summer (11), world (11), roberto (11), 2016 (10), many (10), reading (10), carpenter (10), history (10), novel (10), chicago (10), hope (10), live (10), come (10), gentle (10), tagged (10), uncategorized (10), series (10), kids (10), has (10), were (10), clemente (10), neil (10), ringo (10), 2018 (9), middle (9), graphic (9), onward (9), amazing (9), haidt (9), creaky (9), acres (9), goes (9), rhyme (9), its (9), true (9), stone (9), 2019 (8), 2020 (8), few (8), king (8), parents (8), grade (8), season (8), beatles (8), price (8), cynthia (8), pop (8), jen (8), vincent (8), teacher (8), favorite (8), little (8), both (8), would (8), him (8), author (8), make (8), after (8), robinson (8), alonso (8), negro (8), buck (8), even (8), umpires (8), song (8), now (7), 2026 (7), students (7), professional (7), shalaway (7), early (7), off (7), climate (7), short (7), practices (7), there (7), because (7), guide (7), black (7), social (7), friends (7), read (7), back (7), way (7), toni (7), kahn (7), cole (7), hank (7), greenberg (7), sons (7), big (7), team (7), down (7), ball (7), real (7), call (7), media (7), wrong (6), shakespeare (6), seeing (6), leitich (6), smith (6), illustrated (6), neuro (6), student (6), walt (6), morey (6), important (6), want (6), old (6), excellent (6), isn (6), bit (6), much (6), then (6), though (6), includes (6), set (6), these (6), help (6), better (6), might (6), father (6), bananas (6), fans (6), player (6), made (6), you (6), banana (6), steve (6), paul (6), night (6), get (5), com (5), helen (5), murdoch (5), winter (5), teachers (5), reviews (5), development (5), john (5), illinois (5), high (5), country (5), choice (5), fiction (5), inspire (5), jonathan (5), catherine (5), aphelandra (5), posts (5), bird (5), thanks (5), your (5), horse (5), too (5), resilience (5), least (5), rap (5), title (5), pernell (5), focus (5), still (5), every (5), home (5), moment (5), own (5), good (5), days (5), years (5), town (5), schaumburg (5), savannah (5), jackie (5), lessons (5), soul (5), players (5), became (5), american (5), why (5), lot (5), ladies (5), dodgers (5), final (5), well (5), games (5), two (5), swinging (5), blues (5), smartphones (5), wordpress (4), website (4), write (4), top (4), spent (4), thoughts (4), carter (4), teaching (4), stephen (4), nonfiction (4), learning (4), cubs (4), eleven (4), edited (4), highlights (4), calista (4), brill (4), nilah (4), magruder (4), betsy (4), andrea (4), tsurumi (4), idris (4), goodwin (4), older (4), ways (4), plot (4), especially (4), text (4), action (4), gets (4), version (4), change (4), ten (4), where (4), illustrations (4), will (4), again (4), work (4), eventually (4), celebrating (4), goal (4), great (4), been (4), knows (4), wrapped (4), learn (4), comes (4), childhood (4), find (4), today (4), woman (4), before (4), almost (4), yes (4), roger (4), nathalie (4), swanson (4), joe (4), posnanski (4), jesse (4), bruce (4), weber (4), another (4), themselves (4), take (4), don (4), teams (4), covered (4), boys (4), different (4), something (4), unbelievably (4), fan (4), matter (4), sports (4), played (4), legend (4), age (4), got (4), later (4), southern (4), avenue (4), starr (4), mccartney (4), opry (4), ingram (4), festival (4), center (4), album (4), bodeans (4), sisters (4), auntie (4), comments (3), reader (3), content (3), log (3), sign (3), already (3), hits (3), since (3), create (3), plus (3), adult (3), tony (3), romano (3), poetry (3), biography (3), novels (3), animals (3), sort (3), retro (3), pages (3), long (3), characters (3), themes (3), friendship (3), artwork (3), colorful (3), moments (3), include (3), including (3), instead (3), several (3), figure (3), seems (3), weasel (3), rhymes (3), known (3), others (3), capture (3), images (3), exactly (3), 1999 (3), character (3), wild (3), harding (3), part (3), course (3), play (3), eager (3), useful (3), language (3), explore (3), opportunity (3), choices (3), 1965 (3), brown (3), bear (3), side (3), note (3), contemporary (3), exciting (3), classic (3), looking (3), kind (3), between (3), clear (3), things (3), men (3), mother (3), provides (3), interesting (3), boat (3), takes (3), during (3), benson (3), tickets (3), give (3), lives (3), death (3), krensky (3), sharon (3), boomers (3), braff (3), karen (3), click (3), delivered (3), inspirational (3), person (3), forward (3), small (3), fathers (3), experiences (3), around (3), ballplayers (3), daughters (3), dad (3), could (3), arguably (3), brooklyn (3), does (3), begins (3), moves (3), section (3), playing (3), day (3), completely (3), successful (3), people (3), did (3), field (3), really (3), right (3), star (3), hero (3), doors (3), probably (3), look (3), against (3), showing (3), gutierrez (3), narrative (3), spanish (3), came (3), had (3), three (3), charlesbridge (3), teen (3), provided (3), selections (3), nashville (3), memphis (3), grand (3), christone (3), kingfish (3), rock (3), listen (3), guy (3), cash (3), show (3), park (3), awesome (3), anxious (3), explain (3), indigenous (3), which (3), started (2), site (2), required (2), subscribed (2), subscribe (2), account (2), join (2), 403 (2), subscribers (2), blog (2), feed (2), month (2), archives (2), testament (2), pam (2), webb (2), parts (2), everything (2), jimmy (2), deb (2), nance (2), readerb (2), recent (2), literature (2), yalit (2), technology (2), liz (2), green (2), education (2), kokila (2), glad (2), plenty (2), room (2), quite (2), accomplished (2), authors (2), feels (2), interact (2), definitely (2), features (2), cartoon (2), drawings (2), panels (2), varying (2), effectively (2), used (2), drama (2), appealing (2), insists (2), answer (2), involves (2), historical (2), bully (2), believes (2), happened (2), house (2), barn (2), expected (2), competitions (2), end (2), winning (2), keep (2), hay (2), willems (2), minerva (2), david (2), ezra (2), stein (2), keeps (2), interrupting (2), perfect (2), along (2), trouble (2), typography (2), pre (2), humor (2), adhd (2), netgalley (2), advance (2), access (2), solid (2), suggestion (2), relate (2), navigate (2), mind (2), free (2), reflects (2), longer (2), setting (2), differently (2), understood (2), stereotypes (2), satisfying (2), creating (2), spring (2), become (2), becomes (2), forced (2), attention (2), routledge (2), classroom (2), reflect (2), ready (2), sections (2), going (2), specific (2), inspiring (2), classrooms (2), strategy (2), aspects (2), gold (2), traditional (2), happens (2), dimensions (2), related (2), beyond (2), human (2), courage (2), beauty (2), individuality (2), explores (2), six (2), love (2), honors (2), knowledge (2), celebrate (2), mindset (2), heart (2), idea (2), identity (2), ever (2), celebration (2), offers (2), outdoor (2), hunting (2), dennis (2), weaver (2), clint (2), howard (2), bears (2), screen (2), versions (2), based (2), florida (2), alaska (2), huge (2), giant (2), interested (2), fishing (2), healing (2), maybe (2), continues (2), hands (2), originally (2), published (2), seem (2), relationship (2), makes (2), left (2), strong (2), emotional (2), progress (2), brought (2), held (2), spend (2), place (2), grow (2), five (2), named (2), shed (2), local (2), fog (2), selling (2), bring (2), outside (2), worthwhile (2), brandon (2), terrell (2), involve (2), teach (2), positivity (2), recommend (2), anyone (2), pictures (2), always (2), shows (2), listeners (2), york (2), former (2), such (2), child (2), sad (2), leaves (2), feeling (2), opinion (2), ballparks (2), talk (2), museum (2), everyone (2), everywhere (2), road (2), trip (2), america (2), role (2), followed (2), son (2), said (2), gone (2), growing (2), although (2), fair (2), importance (2), tracks (2), post (2), turned (2), understanding (2), entertaining (2), away (2), across (2), try (2), avoid (2), sure (2), dance (2), visual (2), purists (2), tells (2), bill (2), pitch (2), changes (2), integrity (2), plate (2), surprised (2), replay (2), than (2), very (2), minor (2), chance (2), paid (2), lively (2), travels (2), land (2), glossary (2), think (2), convey (2), jared (2), video (2), never (2), championship (2), enough (2), value (2), community (2), daughter (2), neighborhood (2), second (2), baseman (2), helps (2), jewish (2), tigers (2), pitchers (2), faced (2), culture (2), addition (2), freeman (2), captivating (2), climbed (2), semi (2), prejudice (2), indianapolis (2), clowns (2), runs (2), conditions (2), paying (2), latino (2), rudy (2), enhanced (2), realistic (2), philanthropy (2), career (2), puerto (2), rican (2), heritage (2), phrases (2), run (2), bat (2), latinos (2), tell (2), four (2), attended (2), frontier (2), playoff (2), won (2), ended (2), involved (2), xelena (2), gonzalez (2), rachel (2), hylton (2), padma (2), venkatraman (2), jeff (2), zentner (2), heather (2), dean (2), brewer (2), erin (2), entrada (2), kelly (2), educator (2), let (2), provide (2), collection (2), elements (2), same (2), lisa (2), medina (2), lennon (2), spotify (2), songs (2), lucky (2), cowboy (2), united (2), solo (2), prairie (2), arts (2), memorable (2), yet (2), band (2), man (2), performed (2), foster (2), tribute (2), saw (2), stage (2), wanted (2), crowd (2), audience (2), recorded (2), garden (2), guyton (2), ole (2), tiktok (2), snapchat (2), rocky (2), pond (2), instagram (2), yuan (2), cheng (2), penguin (2), authentic (2), explained (2), throughout (2), users (2), companies (2), platforms (2), tech (2), traits (2), heartdrum (2), harpercollins (2), aunts (2), law (2), smiles (2), narrator (2), design, name, collapse, bar, manage, subscriptions, view, report, privacy, clustrmap, widget, reset, entries, meta, select, dark, blacko, janekise, fighting, terry, katie, shaw, learned, linn, buffalo, dreamer, vio, eric, schaefer, sync, ellen, hop, chooch, helped, andre, address, subscription, week, twitter, thriller, science, schools, revision, racism, penny, kittle, pandemic, ncte, nancy, churnin, matt, tavares, lawson, literacy, knowles, jane, kise, goodreads, cybils, collaboration, candlewick, audrey, vernick, art, search, visiting, appreciate, commenting, horses, seen, allows, put, finger, created, cinematic, unfolds, wll, clever, banter, portrayal, outsider, supporting, universal, involving, style, sizes, intensify, compelling, scenes, sequences, wordlessly, sillines, girl, riding, cow, poorly, behaved, goat, possums, galore, met, microaggressions, touch, hair, studies, calls, argument, white, principal, automatically, environment, strange, purple, quirky, lack, discipline, previous, worst, poor, repair, trainer, doesn, believe, allowing, participate, parental, job, means, beloved, facility, award, equestrian, fever, rambunctious, satisfied, jumping, causing, consternation, frazzled, vein, pigeon, hilarious, romp, built, punchline, guaranteed, tickle, toddlers, aloud, bop, rhythms, sudden, exuberant, interruptions, making, energetic, cartoonish, bright, uproar, animate, familiar, lines, calibrated, sense, ones, beg, chicken, neurodiversity, add, neurological, differences, admire, captures, fragmented, restless, couplets, passages, showcase, clarity, rhyming, underscores, compared, negative, rings, claims, agency, self, directed, project, couplet, basis, classical, cafeteria, toppling, current, echoes, study, initially, connect, thread, hard, stretch, neurodiverse, embrace, hamlet, forthcoming, english, dismisses, deficit, disorder, failing, lifeofawriter, deserves, wants, elevate, department, clubs, schoolers, chapter, affirmations, practice, purposes, enhance, using, prompts, journaling, practical, works, thousand, scaffold, differentiate, mine, deeply, humanistic, motivational, instruction, following, rubrics, guidelines, veer, prescribed, paths, fully, realized, beings, power, providing, strategies, process, collect, presented, claiming, matters, joy, frustration, gratification, identify, grapple, projects, cause, fact, nostalgia, remember, movie, television, starring, inexplicably, everglades, changed, smaller, outdoors, responsibility, grief, meaningful, nostalgic, found, warming, enjoyable, avoids, common, issue, dated, boss, handle, without, overt, conflict, dynamic, discussion, nature, physical, bond, pal, intensifies, faces, animal, predators, caught, storm, breath, 100, 101, 102, tall, grass, shores, alaskan, sound, unlikely, deepens, confident, alongside, salmon, secretly, befriends, kept, chained, scoundrel, floats, raffle, shoot, pleads, buy, reluctant, dangerously, unpredictable, cautiously, property, statehood, thirteen, andersen, shy, withdrawn, grieves, brother, seasonal, fisherman, care, sixty, ago, adventure, favorites, wondered, hold, mlb, stack, any, recommendations, importantly, embracing, obstacles, opportunities, enjoys, motivating, signs, autographs, poses, spins, tales, cares, mission, shock, deejays, willie, mays, lou, brock, meeting, enters, elevator, encounters, kernel, wisdom, working, traveled, visited, large, celebrations, dinners, raise, awareness, nascent, charmed, infinite, sincerity, warmth, manager, coach, scouts, nineties, ambassador, kansas, city, traveling, over, telling, explaining, effective, expression, lesson, personally, relevant, learner, knew, intuitively, recounts, careers, eighteen, leaguers, interviews, focused, pursued, none, reached, levels, exception, cal, ripken, foreword, stretches, returned, cherished, hanging, children, honesty, sensitivity, perceptiveness, discussions, light, gifted, athlete, celebrity, parent, affects, couldn, thinking, patriarchal, downplays, mention, interacted, allowed, speak, consider, greatest, assessment, doubt, subject, 1950s, era, athleticism, artistry, taps, cross, generational, appeal, obsessed, delving, stratosphere, decade, meant, move, fade, cities, itself, remains, essentially, unchanged, iterations, lush, fields, memories, herald, tribune, judgement, viewpoint, picked, intrigued, phenomenon, honest, less, general, sweetened, point, masses, tend, lose, interest, sorry, say, actively, superiority, stop, preaching, hyperbolic, creator, owner, says, origin, equal, chaos, sideshow, boring, flip, changing, rules, adding, incorporating, stunts, experiment, wildly, freely, admits, begs, question, whether, mutually, exclusive, groups, personal, motivation, business, philosophy, inspired, disney, barnum, veeck, observant, dates, clock, underscore, tension, front, offices, psychological, necessary, umpire, didn, stripe, strike, zone, instant, accuracy, ultimate, higher, ups, grumble, fiery, arguments, drag, turnover, having, enlightening, considers, umpiring, possible, angle, misunderstood, underappreciated, questions, asks, ponder, illustrator, certain, frames, installment, unlike, details, terminology, vividly, split, champion, sluggers, loses, match, follow, dare, discovers, fielding, skills, blazing, fastball, fast, paced, lore, engage, tolerance, civil, rights, lightly, fictionalized, eight, amount, struggle, check, families, shares, advice, rein, behavioral, impulses, boy, 1911, 1986, superstar, detroit, hitters, dominating, 1930s, 1940s, enduring, anti, semitic, taunts, conveys, enthusiasm, establishes, elite, courageous, insistence, honoring, scheduled, yom, kippur, angered, stood, convictions, seeking, should, elsewhere, model, embodying, religious, faith, perseverance, softens, harsher, racist, realities, thoughtfully, celebrates, pioneer, insight, twentieth, century, valuable, library, collections, laura, present, photographic, realism, backdrops, cultural, information, need, arm, leg, musculature, authentically, exact, ranks, barnstorming, double, skin, color, gender, fifteen, seasons, finally, singled, drove, biographies, tomboy, defying, expectations, church, tried, steer, accepted, surpassed, determination, define, dues, joined, traded, henry, aaron, becoming, female, decades, officially, recognized, affirming, significance, pioneering, achievement, proudly, appreciates, quality, brilliant, storytelling, superbly, uses, mixed, vivid, colors, combine, abstract, words, collage, page, spreads, remembered, extraordinary, tragic, plane, crash, delivering, supplies, earthquake, survivors, nicaragua, main, delve, chronology, touching, covers, endured, pittsburgh, pirates, example, called, bob, insisted, 1961, training, segregation, stuck, teammates, enjoyed, golfing, beach, juxtaposition, injustice, pride, conveyed, sentences, various, points, non, speakers, context, word, phrase, hall, fame, outfielder, icon, connects, passion, stellar, reporter, producer, lasmayores, official, expertise, authenticity, ropes, single, pushes, miss, grateful, experience, independent, overall, respectable, regular, eliminated, san, diego, padres, gloves, earned, silver, slugger, finalist, rookie, seven, 146, innings, eleventh, inning, seventh, blue, jays, scored, balanced, began, japan, canada, born, nine, countries, continents, mvp, japanese, anthology, highly, interestingly, refer, sink, activists, actions, attitudes, deploy, delay, possibly, strengths, anthologist, bringing, together, emerging, surprise, contribution, anthologies, led, investigate, newer, included, karina, iceberg, prose, formats, essay, within, brilliantly, placed, pieces, half, shapes, follows, near, future, sci, fantasy, effects, dramatic, situations, plotlines, water, heat, agriculture, natural, dimension, activated, dystopian, environments, caused, apathy, politics, ignorance, greed, angles, looks, accurately, realization, playlist, heard, tasty, mix, americana, surprises, reasons, skerryvore, longley, foo, fighters, queens, podcast, launched, encompasses, whole, indie, catch, eye, ear, wonderful, evenings, symphony, orchestra, ravinia, vince, gill, peter, frampton, primer, doing, rhinestone, singing, circle, unbroken, chapel, singer, songwriters, venues, chicagoland, hottest, ticket, iconic, tour, hey, jude, wrap, wistful, tonight, 2007, memory, full, concert, revelation, haven, discovered, energy, jubilant, rich, harmony, shared, dna, upside, thrilled, currently, nominated, grammy, category, pair, theatre, wanna, photograph, kick, climb, behind, drum, kit, masterful, drummer, bandmates, lukather, toto, colin, africa, metv, ruthie, opened, rosanne, evanston, folk, ring, fire, daring, considering, headliner, reinvents, johnny, arlington, heights, wife, 1990s, open, hornsby, summerfest, milwaukee, flash, thirty, village, 4th, mom, stand, nice, millenium, joyous, killer, beautiful, turn, millennium, mississippi, juke, joint, yelled, immediately, twenty, raved, 662, security, looked, panicky, himself, ovation, wowed, act, naturally, hit, owens, 1963, lead, vocal, memorably, entire, cast, joining, rousing, historic, acknowledged, honored, connection, fab, centric, artists, line, beatle, rhonda, bluegrass, rendition, hasn, mandy, barnett, sang, molly, tuttle, octopus, pleaser, mickey, deep, cut, 1976, powerful, recording, released, riders, sky, lorne, greene, heyday, bonanza, rotogravure, manner, speaking, thankfully, witnessed, debut, taped, cbs, special, ryman, auditorium, earlier, appeared, saturday, once, penguinkids, mental, health, copy, available, careful, forcing, risk, provoking, rebellion, hopes, direction, last, locking, concept, pursue, needs, format, graphics, running, comic, group, use, balloon, quotes, gave, logic, convincing, persuasive, emotions, rewire, minds, developmental, stages
Text of the page (random words):
ssic johnny cash later in september metv fm set me up with a pair of tickets to see ringo again this time at the chicago theatre with his all starr band it was fun seeing him do i wanna be your man photograph and other big beatles and solo hits but the real kick was seeing ringo starr climb behind the drum kit at age 84 and just be a masterful drummer while his bandmates steve lukather from toto and colin hay from men at work performed their hits africa and who can it be now every year the schaumburg prairie center for the arts includes a blues show in its season the night is always memorable but this year s october concert was a revelation if you haven t yet discovered southern avenue you might want to get on that this family band from memphis is high energy jubilant and rich with the harmony that only happens through shared dna if everyone would just get up each day and listen to their song upside the world would probably be a better place i m thrilled that their excellent album family is currently nominated for a grammy in the best contemporary blues album category go southern avenue southern avenue schaumburg prairie center for the arts schaumburg illinois october 18 2025 the hottest ticket in town this year was arguably paul mccartney and i was lucky enough to see the final night of his iconic got back tour at the united center in chicago the live versions of hey jude and let it be are almost too big to wrap my mind around so the emotional moments for me were here today his wistful song about john lennon and dance tonight one of my favorite paul solo tracks from 2007 s memory almost full paul mccartney united center chicago illinois november 25 2025 so much great music right i m a lucky guy but there was more wonderful evenings with the chicago symphony orchestra at the ravinia festival vince gill new music from my friends tony romano and lisa p medina peter frampton blues legend john primer doing rhinestone cowboy john carter cash singing will the circle be unbroken in a chapel singer songwriters in small venues in nashville memphis and chicagoland wrapped around all of this was all the things music a website and podcast launched by our daughter and her friend that encompasses a whole world of pop indie and other music take a look at their website something in it is sure to catch your eye and ear i m looking forward to 2026 for many reasons and eager to see what live music comes my way i already have tickets for skerryvore in february liz longley in may and foo fighters queens of the stone age in august i made a spotify playlist of some of the favorite songs i heard live this year give it a listen for a tasty mix of americana classic rock blues and a few surprises thanks for reading and tell me about your music share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest more print opens in new window print share on reddit opens in new window reddit share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin like loading posted in uncategorized tagged 2025 all the things music beatles christone kingfish ingram grand old opry john lennon lisa p medina live music memphis music nashville paul mccartney ringo starr southern avenue the beatles tony romano leave a comment review onward 16 climate fiction short stories to inspire hope edited by nora shalaway carpenter posted on december 7 2025 by gary anderson when we see something from several different angles and it looks the same each way we are probably seeing it accurately this realization about climate change is the focus of onward 16 climate fiction short stories to inspire hope edited by nora shalaway carpenter published for young readers by charlesbridge teen most of the selections are near future realistic but some have sci fi or fantasy elements the effects of climate change create dramatic situations so the plotlines involve conditions related to water heat agriculture and other natural elements each story also has a dimension of hope activated by young people living in dystopian environments caused by apathy politics ignorance or greed in addition to prose fiction onward also includes other reading formats including excellent short stories in verse by jeff zentner and padma venkatraman xelena gonzalez s essay the world within is brilliantly placed in the middle of the collection as it reflects back on the pieces in the first half and shapes a reader s mindset for what follows one of carpenter s strengths as an anthologist is bringing together well known and emerging authors it s no surprise that stories by heather dean brewer erin entrada kelly and carpenter s own contribution are strong selections but each of carpenter s anthologies has led me to investigate other writing by at least one newer writer included in its pages after reading onward i m eager to find more by karina iceberg and rachel hylton interestingly several of the selections refer to our own time as before let that sink in the young activists in onward provide hope by showing the actions and attitudes we can all deploy to delay or possibly avoid after i highly recommend onward for young readers and those who guide book choices for those readers click here for the excellent free educator s guide provided by charlesbridge teen thanks to netgalley for early access to this title for my reviews of other nora shalaway carpenter books just click here share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest more print opens in new window print share on reddit opens in new window reddit share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin like loading posted in uncategorized tagged anthology book review books charlesbridge teen climate change erin entrada kelly heather dean brewer hope jeff zentner nora shalaway carpenter onward padma venkatraman poetry rachel hylton reading review short stories verse writing xelena gonzalez yalit leave a comment eleven baseball book reviews for the early off season posted on november 27 2025 by gary anderson now that was a world series world yes the season that began in japan ended in canada the players involved were born in nine different countries on three continents the mvp was japanese series the seven game series covered 146 innings and came down to the final out of the eleventh inning of the seventh game the blue jays scored more runs in the series but the dodgers won more games it could not have been a more balanced series for me it was a good season overall because my teams were interesting and successful the chicago cubs were exciting and had a respectable playoff run i attended one regular season game and one playoff game the wild one where they eliminated the san diego padres three cubs players won gold gloves one earned the silver slugger and as i write this one of our pitchers was a finalist for rookie of the year my independent league team is the schaumburg boomers i don t know how many boomers games i attended a lot they played for the frontier league championship that also came down to the final out in the final game i miss baseball already but i m grateful that a lot of good baseball books enhanced both my baseball experience and my reading i d like to tell you about eleven books in this post these include four picture books a middle grade title a graphic novel and five nonfiction books call me roberto roberto clemente goes to bat for latinos by nathalie alonso call me roberto roberto clemente goes to bat for latinos is an important new nonfiction picture book celebrating roberto clemente the inspirational hall of fame outfielder and puerto rican icon as author nathalie alonso connects clemente s childhood passion for baseball with his stellar professional career alonso is a reporter and producer for lasmayores com the official spanish language website for major league baseball and her baseball expertise provides authenticity in the narrative with phrases such as ropes a single and pushes a run across the plate the baseball action is completely satisfying but call me roberto also covers the prejudice that clemente endured as a black latino player in the minor leagues and eventually for the major league pittsburgh pirates for example early in his career he was called bob to make him seem more american but clemente insisted call me roberto later clemente s 1961 team held spring training in florida where even after winning the world series segregation forced him to be stuck in his room in another part of town while his teammates enjoyed golfing and going to the beach alonso s focus is the juxtaposition of baseball injustice and language clemente s pride in his puerto rican heritage is conveyed through spanish phrases and sentences at various points in the narrative and artwork much of this can be understood by non spanish speakers through context but the back matter features a glossary of each word or phrase used in the text clemente is also remembered for his extraordinary philanthropy and tragic death at age 38 in a plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake survivors in nicaragua the main narrative of call me roberto does not delve into his death or philanthropy but they are covered in the back matter s chronology and alonso s touching author s note alonso s brilliant storytelling is superbly enhanced by rudy gutierrez s artwork gutierrez uses mixed media in vivid colors that combine realistic and abstract images with words in varying typography to create captivating collage like page spreads call me roberto is a perfect book for baseball fans and for celebrating latino culture and really for anyone who appreciates high quality picture books i hope nathalie alonso and rudy gutierrez team up for more baseball books like call me roberto swinging into history toni stone big league baseball s first woman player by karen l swanson karen l swanson s swinging into history is the picture book biography of toni stone the first woman to play in the big leagues after paying her dues in semi professional ball she joined negro league team the indianapolis clowns when they traded henry aaron becoming the first female player in the major leagues decades later major league baseball officially recognized the negro leagues as major leagues affirming the significance of stone s pioneering achievement that swinging into history proudly honors like many picture book biographies swinging into history begins in childhood showing young tomboy stone defying expectations her parents and church community tried to steer her away from baseball but she accepted their conditions for playing and then surpassed them with the determination that would define her life as she climbed through the ranks of barnstorming and semi professional teams stone faced double prejudice for both her skin color and her gender after fifteen seasons she finally got her chance with the indianapolis clowns in her first game toni singled and drove in two runs laura freeman s captivating illustrations present toni in almost photographic realism the images of toni are set against colorful backdrops that convey historical and cultural information baseball books need to get the baseball right and freeman s attention to the arm and leg musculature in the game action pictures is authentically exact the life of toni stone is an inspiring testament to perseverance and resilience while the book softens some of the harsher racist realities stone faced swanson thoughtfully explores them in the back matter swinging into history not only celebrates a sports pioneer but also offers young readers insight into american culture and progress in the twentieth century this is a valuable addition to family classroom and library collections hank on first how hank greenberg became a star on and off the field by stephen krensky hank greenberg 1911 1986 was the first jewish superstar in american professional sports as first baseman for the detroit tigers he was one of the best hitters of his generation dominating pitchers in the 1930s and 1940s while enduring anti semitic taunts from fans and other ballplayers stephen krensky s hank on first how hank greenberg became a star on and off the field conveys greenberg s enthusiasm for baseball from a young age and establishes him as an elite player but the focus of this picture book biography is greenberg s courageous insistence on honoring his jewish identity by not playing games scheduled during yom kippur this angered many tigers fans but greenberg stood by his convictions young readers seeking baseball action should probably look elsewhere but as a story with a role model embodying integrity religious faith and courage hank on first is inspirational the hero two doors down based on the true story of friendship between a boy and a baseball legend by sharon robinson author sharon robinson daughter of baseball and civil rights legend jackie robinson tells the lightly fictionalized story of eight year old brooklyn dodgers fan steve and his brooklyn neighborhood steve s hero is dodgers second baseman jackie robinson steve gets in a fair amount of trouble in school and in the neighborhood and his parents struggle to keep him in check then jackie robinson s family moves in two doors down from steve and his family the two families become friends and jackie shares some advice with steve that helps him rein in some of his behavioral impulses the hero two doors down has enough baseball lore to engage middle grade fans but the real value in robinson s book is from the life lessons about resilience tolerance and the value of friends family and community 8 bit baseball by brandon terrell jared is a champion at the video game all star sluggers but he s never played real baseball when he loses a match and has to follow through on a dare to try out for his school baseball team he discovers he has no fielding skills but he does have a blazing fastball the plot of this fast paced graphic novel comes down to one pitch in a championship game 8 bit baseball is an excellent installment in the sports illustrated kids graphic novels series unlike many sports books for kids it gets the details right from the terminology to the strategy the drawings are exciting as they vividly convey jared s split focus on video games and real games in ways that a text only story could not the back matter includes a glossary that i don t think is too useful but i really like the visual questions section that asks readers to ponder why the illustrator made certain choices in specific frames as they see em a fan s travels in the land of umpires by bruce weber bruce weber s as they see em a fan s travels in the land of umpires might just be the most enlightening entertaining baseball b...
|
