Weekend Pick for March 22, 2024
 Grace Strodtbeck | Today's Weekend Pick is brought to you by Grace Strodtbeck. She is a pre-service teacher at Youngstown State University, majoring in Integrated Language Arts Education. While she plans on teaching in the 7th-12th grade range, she has spent the past three years working at a local K-8 after-school program. Grace loves the unique opportunity to work with students of all ages this early in teaching career. |
I picked up Curlfriends: New in Town at NCTE. I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous illustrations; the little details and the adorable style attracted my attention even more. Just look at how author Sharee Miller signs her name with a drawing of her and a little cat! What’s not to love?
| Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down! It’s such a cute, heartwarming story and Miller expertly captures the highs and lows of navigating friendships, girlhood, family, and adolescence. Although this is a story about middle school girls, one detail I noticed was that the author does not utilize stereotypical “mean girl” tropes. In a book aimed towards young girls, I think this is so important. With the absence of an external bully, Miller demonstrates that sometimes our own negative self-talk is our biggest antagonist. |  |
 | Along the way, the main character, Charlie, learns a valuable lesson about embracing her authentic self. It’s a message that I think many middle grade readers will connect with, and one that I wish I would have heard when I was that age. I hope it finds a place in your classroom library and in the hands of your students! For more books from Sharee Miller, visit her author website at https://www.shareemiller.com/ |
Keep reading, friends!
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