Last week we celebrated our first major holiday here in Paris–Thanksgiving! We had a bit of an adventure just finding our usual staples like canned pumpkin. Maybe for Christmas we’ll try to make our meal with all French ingredients, but … Read more

I like to think of myself as a sensible person. In practice, though, I seem to be guilty of thoughtlessness far more often than I’d like to admit. And sometimes it burns.

Literally.

A couple of weeks ago, after teaching … Read more

I just read a scathing critique of the coming Common Core standards, which would propose to standardize education across the nation. Since I’m not in the public school classroom at the moment–and I’m not even in the U.S.–I’ve been pretty … Read more

A little while back a mom emailed me because she was worried about the topics her teen daughter was choosing to write about (including incest, violence, and other uncomfy topics). Since then, I’ve gotten a few similar letters, so I … Read more

Okay, I love looking at pictures of beautiful food. I love thinking about making it. Especially beautiful desserts like this one from Gourmet. But sometimes, it all just starts looking too difficult, complicated. Don’t get me wrong: I can handle … Read more

 A question for the universe: does social media make being a teen easier or harder?

I’m guessing this is one of those questions that tends to have “yes and no” as its most honest answer.

Here’s how I figure it.… Read more

There ought to be a database out there with all the characters in YA and MG novels who love books, dictionaries, literary allusions, or word play.

There ought to be such a thing so that I can print it out … Read more

Hey folks, today I’m over at Actin’ Up with Books for Joli’s Friday feature on indie bookstores. Today I blog about my favorite Bloomington indie bookstore, Boxcar Books. If you live nearby and haven’t checked Boxcar Books out, you should! … Read more

It’s Independence Day, so here’s a serving of my favorite independent(ish) films to help you celebrate. For the purpose of this article, “indie” will mean “outside of the mainstream aesthetic,” even if the film was made by a studio inside … Read more

A Smithsonian.com article on gendering trends in clothing, “When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink?,” has me thinking about lots of things–from how I dress my son to how I portray children in my novels. Here’s the article’s answer … Read more