When You Reach Me (Newbery Medal Winner)

Having friends is so important in surviving middle school—or life, for that matter. So obviously we want our kids to have friends, but we want them to have the right friends, right? Buddies who are loyal, kind, respectful, in bed by 9 p.m. every night, obey their parents, make straight A’s, eat all their vegetables, […]

My thing when I was in middle school was my older brother’s long-sleeved denim shirt. I wore it over everything: flowered dresses, my beloved black T-shirt from the Broadway musical Cats, embarrassing knee-length shorts (my school required they be that length—we all looked like we were modeling middle-aged cruisewear). Some kids would comment, point, and […]

It’s no secret that mystery novels make up one of the more popular genres in literature, and television has definitely taken notice over the last few years. With so many crime shows and dramas featuring detectives, it’s no wonder that television producers are turning to one of the most influential characters in literature for her […]

The “Disneyfication” of New York City is a topic of fierce debate. South Park recently devoted an entire season to mocking gentrification, with a story about sky-high rents, ridiculous rebranding, and unaffordable artisanal shops taking over “the city part of town.” One could argue that the transformation of Times Square over the past twenty years from seedy to safe has […]