Dr. Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez is an assistant professor and the director of English Education at North Dakota State University, where she is living her dream, teaching Methods courses and Young Adult Literature and mentoring preservice English teachers. She is in her 16th year of teaching and loves it just as much now as she did on day one. She has taught and worked with pre- and in-service teachers in Montana (very rural), Arkansas (urban), Arizona (urban and rural), and, now, North Dakota (urban and rural). She has been a member of NCTE since 2008, and is a strong supporter of professional organizations like NCTE, its state affiliates, and ALAN. Her research interests include teacher education, rural teacher support, YAL, and methods of teaching reading. She can be reached at [email protected]    

For the last pick this month, I wanted to revisit a classic: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, who has inspired us all with her words over the course of her writing and speaking career. I’ve probably read this book more than ten times, but, reading it this time around, it has really been sitting with me. Lowry tells us the story of Annemarie, a young Danish girl who must become brave in the face of Nazism. At first, the Nazi soldiers in Copenhagen are just an inconvenience. Then, all of a sudden, they become scary, especially when Annemarie learns that her best friend is truly in danger. Annemarie, of course, doesn’t have the political or social knowledge of what is happening across Europe, but she does know that she loves her best friend, that her best friend needs her, and that her (Annemarie’s) parents are involved in something bigger than themselves. Annemarie faces her fears, thinking only of the success of the mission, of the safety of Ellen. 

Lowry takes us through just a fews days of Annemarie’s life, but these are days that will change her – and, one hopes, the reader – forever. Lowry illustrates that every one of us has something to contribute.
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Pick up this book if you are needing a reminder of the goodness of people in the world, if you need inspiration to keep doing the things YOU can do in the face of so much hate in this world, and if you need a reminder, as we enter the holidays and the season of giving, that one person actually can make a difference.   
           
Purchase your own copy here.
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It's the third weekend of November, and many of us are in Denver for NCTE. If you're here - great! If you're home and possibly experiencing conference FOMO,  North Dakota State University student Elana Anderson has just the answer for a great read YA read this weekend. Happy reading, all, wherever this weekend finds you! 

Elana Anderson is a 3rd year English major at North Dakota State University. After completing their degree, they have their sights set on traveling the world to teach English as a second language. Their love for literature and linguistics started from a young age and has continued to bring them joy as they dig into the bookcases full of books they and their family have collected throughout the years. They love to dip their toes in all the different genres they can. From graphic novels to textbooks of obscure topics, (the most recent being A Practical Review of German Grammar) and even different genres from folktales to mystery, romance, adventure, and historical fiction. They believe in the idea that any book can be good if you read it enough!

Even as the Halloween season comes to a close, there is never a better time than now to pick up a book filled with thrills and chills. Anna Dressed in Blood is just that. After the unexpected death of his father, we follow Cas, a teen who has taken over the family business of ghost hunting, and his mother who works from her kitchen as an herbal witch. With adventures similar to that of monsters-of-the-week, Cas and his mother are never in the same place more than once. They travel all throughout the world, following the next rumor or story they hear in hopes of catching a ghost to hunt before it starts to hunt others. This time they have found themselves in Ontario, Canada looking for one Anna Dressed in Blood.

​The story is a perfect spooky read that traps you in with mystery, horror, and an unexpected romance. Who killed Cas’ father? Who killed Anna? And why is Cas stuck in the middle of this supernatural mystery? 

Welcome to the second Weekend Picks for November! This pick is brought to us by North Dakota State University student Ellie Keppel.

​Ellie Keppel is a senior at North Dakota State University studying English, with a minor in psychology and a certificate in publishing. She is graduating in December 2025 and will be moving on to a job in publishing. This job will take her back to the Minneapolis area, where she is from, every few weeks. Ellie is a member of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society on the NDSU campus. When Ellie isn't reading for school, you will find her reading historical nonfiction books, leading a small group through Chi Alpha, or spending quality time with her loved ones. Ellie is looking forward to indulging in her favorite book genre again after graduation.

Thanks for your great YAL recommendation, Ellie! 

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​Man Made Monsters, written by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee), contains a series of stories about monster encounters, all of which involve one long Cherokee family line between the years 1839 and 2039. While the revelation of the familial ties is sometimes hard to find, they are in each and every chapter of this book. The monster stories aren’t always necessarily related, as most of them tell tales of different monsters interacting with different people. One specific character, Ama, appears frequently throughout. She is the narrator of the first chapter and plays a part in many chapters thereafter. This thread of family horror engages readers, leaving them to wonder how each story might be related and what the outcome will be. 

​This book involves some fairly mature themes but makes these topics accessible for young readers. Descriptions aren’t too vivid or vulgar, allowing readers to explore these topics without feeling overwhelmed. I found myself completely engulfed in this book. I couldn’t put it down. I was intrigued by each connection and each monster. No two stories were identical. They were all new and exciting, but beautifully intertwined.

​I would most definitely recommend this book for middle and high schoolers. It’s a fantastic introduction to the author’s incredible writing style, to new cultures, to familial connections, to mild horror, and to life throughout history. 

​You can find more about Andrea L. Rogers here and you can purchase a copy of your own here.

Dr. Rebecca Chatham-Vazquez is an assistant professor and the director of English Education at North Dakota State University, where she is living her dream, teaching Methods courses and Young Adult Literature and mentoring preservice English teachers. She is in her 16th year of teaching and loves it just as much now as she did on day one. She has taught and worked with pre- and in-service teachers in Montana (very rural), Arkansas (urban), Arizona (urban and rural), and, now, North Dakota (urban and rural). She has been a member of NCTE since 2008, and is a strong supporter of professional organizations like NCTE, its state affiliates, and ALAN. Her research interests include teacher education, rural teacher support, YAL, and methods of teaching reading. She can be reached at [email protected]     

Amidst all the basketball action, Tre bonds deeply with his best friends, mourns a devastating loss, builds better relationships with his parents, and learns what it means to be true to himself. This book is for you if you love basketball (though this is not a prerequisite!), if you love reading about friends who go through highs and lows together, and if you are interested in the perspective of a young man learning to be himself.

​It was such a good read, and I hope you’ll pick it up! (See my Wednesday post for an interview with author Byron Graves!)

You can read a synopsis and preview of the novel here: and purchase your own copy here.