Mindy (she/her)

Discovering Puerto Rico Like several million other people, I tuned in to the Bad Bunny halftime show last night. I admit I was not familiar with his music at all, and with my minimal Spanish, I only caught a handful of wo…

On Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl and a bookish coincidence propernounblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/09/d...

January in books in Minnesota January has been a rough month in Minnesota. I admit to escaping into fiction to cope with the strange situation that we are in here in this state. We all cope in different ways, and stories are my…

I haven’t known what to say for much of January as a Minnesotan. Here is a post about what I’ve read so far this year propernounblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/j...

On display this December You can make a difference! Books about being eco-friendly, standing up for what’s right, and more. I also included kindness conversation sparkers from Doing Good Together. We love Animals! This dis…

Check out what I have on display this month at the library propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/o...

Inclusive library play spaces for families What comes to mind when you think of inclusive library spaces and programs for early learners? Some time ago I sat on a panel where this question was posed. My brief answer only covered part of wha…

Creating space for play at the library propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/i...

College Life “Is this what college is like? Puppies popping up out of nowhere?” My 17-year-old and I were listening to Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli as we drove to college visits recently. It was not on…

On visiting colleges with my teenager, figuring out your life, and a good book

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It’s okay to ask I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it’s okay to ask.  I know it’s complicated. I’ve blogged about questions many times before over the years, and I always come back to the fact that m…

A post inspired by my new lanyard pin. Its okay to ask propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/i...

Monday Morning Music with Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra I’ve definitely written about Dessa on this blog before. I’ve seen her live a few times, but this weekend I saw her perform in a way I hadn’t before: backed by the Minnesota Orchestra. This isn’t t…

A little music for your Monday morning on the blog today propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/m...

What’s on display at the library, November 2025 I have games, puzzles, and mysteries on display for National Games and Puzzles week. It includes seek-and-finds, brain teasers, riddles and more. It also features a guess the Lego book cover quiz. …

It’s November! Here’s what I have on display at the library propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/w... #LibraryDisplays

Career Day, Librarian Edition Recently I spoke to a classroom full of eighth graders about my career. I admit, I was intimidated at the prospect of trying to make my job interesting to middle schoolers. I mean, middle-school-ag…

I got to talk about my job to a group of middle schoolers! #LibraryLife

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Early Literacy on Display At my library we often struggle to fill the lobby display case. Our instinct is to put books on display where they can be checked out. What do you put in a locked glass case? Birds and Bugs display…

What do you put in a locked display case at the library? Here’s one I’m particularly proud of.

propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/e... #LibraryDisplays #EarlyLiteracy

Oooh good tip! I’ll check it out

Let’s Talk Storytime I have long been grateful for the librarians who run storytime blogs. When I was first starting out, they were absolutely indispensable, and even now after eight years I often find myself going to …

I’m talking storytime on the blog today! Here are a few books and activities that have been working for me.

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THE BIONIC BOY-Coming on 10/21/25! You can preorder from your fav bookstore. If you want a SNEAK PEEK, I'm giving away a couple of ARCs. For a chance, share this post. I will choose random winners on 9/28. @nancyrosep.bsky.social @penguinschoollib.bsky.social #TheBionicBoyBook #mglit

What’s on display this month: October 2025 It’s a new month, and in library life that means new displays.  I have speculative books on display outside the children’s fiction with the sign “Books can take you to another world.” I spent …

Here’s what I have on display this month at the library: propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/06/w... #LibraryDisplays

The Magic of the Typewriter It starts with an old black typewriter. “The most magical thing in our house,” writes Doan Phuong Nguyen in Two Placed Heart. I wrote about this book last week, but it seems I have more to say abou…

I’m talking bout A Two Placed Heart on the blog again! This time it’s all about the typewriter.
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Where We Come From Some time ago, I read The Art of Talking with Children by Rebecca Rolland, and, as a parent of a teen, this quote stood out to me: “Teens and preteens who know more about their family history show …

I really loved @doanphuongwrites.bsky.social’s A Two Placed Heart. I blogged about my thoughts on it here: propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/09/22/w...

Monday Morning Music with Creeping Charlie Outdoor concert season in Minnesota is my favorite, but this summer has been so hot that I admit I haven’t attended as many outdoor shows as I might like. However, I recently saw Creeping Charlie a…

At long last, a music post. propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/m...

Great examples!

Diving into Darker Historical Fiction Historical fiction immersed the reader in another time. while history contains multitudes, I find that in my reader’s advisory work, I come across a lot of people (read: parents) looking for histor…

Historical fiction isn’t always safe and cozy

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Oooh, interested. (As a somewhat bionic person myself.) 😊

I recapped my summer of youth book clubs at the library with some tips I’ve gleaned over my years of leading kids book clubs propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/08/11/s...

Lefty I have been known to say that I’m the most left handed person you know. Unless, of course, you know someone else without a right hand.  I think it’s fair to say that I am usually the only one …

I blogged about LEFTY by @officiallyofficialmo and @dsantat today. As the most left handed person you know, I believe I am an authority on this subject. ;)
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Help public libraries today by:
✅ Downloading an ebook
✅ Registering for a program
✅ Sharing a post from your library
✅ Emailing staff and thanking them
✅ Mark your calendar to attend the next library board of control meeting
✅ Ask 5 friends to do the same

#kidlit #megakidlit #booksky

Institute of Hearts Every year around Valentine’s Day the Mia turns into the Institute of Hearts. Museum goers can leave paper hearts near their favorite pieces to share their appreciation for the work publicly. it ha…

Mark your calendars for the next Institute of Hearts at the Mia. propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/02/17/i...

How we tell our stories I didn’t realize what Kara in Red Butterfly and  I had in common until I was twenty-five pages into the story when she describes her “one blunt hand” that she always keeps hidden …

From the archives: this old post about RED BUTTERFLY by A.L. Sonnichsen has me inspired to write my own story propernounblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/h...

Librarian life A sculpture of a room with a bookshelf full of leaning books I just want to push the books upright and get a bookend on that shelf.  Of course, I can’t. It’s a sculpture my teenager made for a…

A post inspired by my teenager’s art class project that got me thinking about librarianing.

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'The First State of Being' and 'Chooch Helped' win top children's book awards This year's Caldecott medal went to a book about an older sister frustrated when her baby brother "helps." The Newbery went to a middle-grade tale about a time traveler at the turn of the century.

This year's Caldecott medal went to a book about an older sister frustrated when her baby brother "helps." The Newbery went to a middle-grade tale about a time traveler at the turn of the century.

Something like a home “With each passage over the threshold, the house went from being a barren thing to something like a home. It was, after all, what a house was for.”  -Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu This line s…

I found myself pondering what makes a home after reading @anneursu.bsky.social’s Not Quite a Ghost

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2024 in books Every year I set a goal of reading 100 books. Some years I barely make it. There has been at least one year where I spent New Year’s Eve day reading early chapter books or graphic novels to get to …

Finally posted about my 2024 year in books propernounblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/20/2...