Another Black History Month is coming to a close, but the books in my high school library continue to circulate, be discussed and enjoyed all year round⤵️
What type of displays or programming did you see this past month in honor of the observance?
We honor 🧧Lunar New Year 🐴 in our high school library with items from NYC’s Chinatown, Diso, The Book Wrangler, Canva and Junior Library Guild⤵️
What do have you seen in your libraries?
We do send a friend a valentine & our Ultimate Book Lover's Basket giveaway!
Love those ideas! What program did you use to design the graphic?
How does my high school library celebrate Valentine’s 💌 Day?
💝 Blind Date with a Book
❤️ Make + Take Friendship bracelets
💘 YA romance bookmarks, stickers + make your own romance story pamphlet
What has been popular in your libraries?
We had several screenings of this at our state library conference last week and it brought us all to tears! Thankfully, THE Amanda Jones was our closing speaker and we were lifted up by her words⤵️
The Olympics are a great opportunity to bring your classroom or school together to experience fun competition, geography and teamwork. Check out what I did with my middle school ⤵️
thestoryspectator.blogspot.com/2022/01/popc...
One.
I have one school visit scheduled for the 2025-26 school year.
Before the book banning movement and the politics of hate metastasized, I visited 40, 50, and 60 schools each year.
This regime of monstrous evildoers is actively trying to erase LGBTQ+ stories, identities, and humans.
Resist
Congratulations to Daniel Nayeri on the Newbery Honor Medal for the incredible book, The Teacher of Nomad Land⤵️
If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out! Everyone I’ve recommended it to has been moved by this account of children in Iran during WWII.
Congratulations to Zeke Peña’s Caldecott Honor for Sundust 💗
My school library was gifted a copy of the gorgeous picture book in both English and Spanish languages from the publisher, Penguin Random House⤵️
My high school library’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day display went up and I’m grateful for Canva for having signage in Spanish and English to commemorate it ⤵️
These are amazing, Amanda! Every year I’m beyond impressed by you and your students!
Out of the 130 books I read last year I narrowed down my 4 and 5 ⭐️ ratings here for young adult, middle grade and adult reads⤵️
thestoryspectator.blogspot.com/2025/12/reco...
How fitting that on Jane Austen’s 250th birthday today, I got a copy of Emma in my MiniBrands blind box⤵️
#schoollibraries
I can’t believe author Lauren Tarshis’ 25th I Survived book was released! My students have been huge fans of this series at each school and state where I’ve worked. Scholastic sent an awesome timeline poster of the books along with journals & bookmarks for school libraries⤵️
#schoollibraries
Great idea!
What do other libraries do with unwanted donated books other than setting them out for the school community to take for free? ⤵️
#schoollibraries
What is it like for a child of divorce? Author, Matthew A. Tower along with award-winning artist Tsuneo Sanda take readers through the experience as an homage to Star Wars.
Thanks to Publishers Weekly for the chance to share this book with my students⤵️
#books #schoollibraries
Upcycling items for bookmarks has been quite the experience in my high school library ⤵️
✏️ colored pencil shavings
▫️Lego boxes
📄 hole-punches
#schoollibraries
The high school library is festive & bright for winter season. The book tree and Lite-Brite station have been popular this week ⤵️
#SchoolLibraries
Congratulations! The story is beyond memorable, touching and the characters remain in my heart!
My high school library’s Native American Heritage Month book display and realia include some of
my favorite books by Indigenous authors⤵️
Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer
Sisters of the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
New DIY bookmarks from donations of my high school’s marine biology class & a donated (damaged) Middle Ages book ⤵️
November decor, gratitude cards & Children’s Book Week in our high school library this week ⤵️
This is one of the best read alouds I’ve ever read with my elementary aged students. The icing on the cake is when I got to meet Avi and was able to ask him the quest my students and I had about the book.
Library witch 🧙🏼📔🎃 using everything to keep the library magic alive! 🪄
“We think folks are one way until they show you that they’re not that way at all.”
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes⤵️
Middle grade readers & up will appreciate this story as it examines issues of power, legacy & history.
#libraries #books #schoollibrarians
My high school students are getting into the Halloween spirit! 👻 💀 🎃 #schoollibraries #schoollibrarian #highschool
Correct!
It is! And there are so many other ways to do it. I am writing a blog post that I will share soon with free resources that I made for mine. Stay tuned!
