From Nancy Drew to the Mystery Gang, most children dream of solving mysteries with their friends. While there might not be an obnoxious old man with a large inheritance or a masked ghoul waiting for us to find, there are plenty of books to discover. …

Ah yes, World History, the high school class determined to fit the entirety of global events into fifty minute chunks over the course of about six months. You already know the drill: start with the history before history. Flourish in the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia. Jump over to the Indus…

It’s hard to know how to prepare children for the complicated, and sometimes terrifying experience of being alive. How much should you tell them, and when is it too soon to start discussing world events with them? While we may never experience the devastation of war, poverty, and loss of…

In The Skin I’m In, the character Miss Saunders is described as having skin that has patches of a lighter hue. Although the cause for her skin’s appearance is never specified in the text, many have speculated that Sharon Flake is depicting a person with vitiligo. Vitiligo is a chronic…

Generally speaking, the rockiness of middle school comes pretty close to being a universal experience. Long time readers already know that we have talked about dealing with the challenges of puberty before; that experience would be enough to throw anyone for a loop. Add in ever changing academic and social…

In Prince George’s County, we’re extremely lucky to be just a short drive or Metro ride away from some of the country’s biggest and most famous museums. It’s easy to spend long afternoons exploring the more than 70 unique museums that Washington, DC has to offer. That’s before even considering…

Where do we even begin this week? From the solemn experience of running away from home, to the magic of museums, to the liminal space between childhood and young adulthood, there were so many themes to choose from. As always, we did our best to identify books that would include…

The first recorded April Fool’s prank, or series of pranks, dates back to India (present day Peshawar, Pakistan) in the late 5th century. It was there that the Bakhshali manuscript, containing the first known use of the zero symbol, originated. While the original author remains unknown, it does seem that…

Opinions may differ as to if April is indeed the cruelest month. But it is a transitional time of year and transitions are challenging. As Alice could tell you, so is turning 13 and embarking on an uncertain journey into young adulthood. Who are you supposed to be? How are…