SOMIRAC (State of Maryland International Reading Association) will hold its annual conference at the Hunt Valley Marriott on April 14-16.  I'll be doing three presentations.  If you're interested, go to the "See Barb on WBALTV" section and you can read the announcement.  Hope to see you there.  It's going to be a great conference with T.A.Barron, Richard Peck, Dan Gutman, Gail Carson Levine and so many more. 

I just created a new keyword you can find under the Find A Book section.  I am calling it Middle Reader-Careful Content and it's intended to help you find books for 8-11 year olds who can read above their grade level but still need some boundaries around the content of their books.  If you have one of these advanced readers but you are concerned they may pick up books that deal with mature subject matter, you can use this keyword in your searching.   

If you have feedback or comments for me, please feel free to use the Contact tab at the bottom of the site.  That comes straight to me and I'd love to hear from you. 

Our BOOKS FOR BOYS pages have launched successfully.  If you need a book for a boy, I hope you'll take a minute to explore the four categories of "reading personalities" I've developed to help boys figure out what kind of books they prefer.  There has been much buzz lately about the Books Alive interviews.  I hope you are enjoying them.  

I created abookandahug.com to help you find a book for your child. It's important to match children up with books they want to read. It can make all the difference in the world if you can figure out his or her "reading personality." So, just who is your child and what does your child look for in a book?  A Books For Boys page is coming soon to help you define your boy in book terms.  A Books For Girls page will follow on its heels.  

Books Alive is the new section that includes twelve author/illustrator interviews.  More are waiting to be loaded and should be up in the next few months.   

How to Use the Site:

• a category:  fantasy, action/adventure, etc.
• a reading level:  independent reader, older reader, etc.
• keywords:  boy, girls reluctant reader,  horse, spies, etc.

If you click on the Advanced Search, you can see all of the keywords displayed and choose what you're looking for along with your category and your reading level.  I want you to be able to customize your search to match your child.              

The team that helped create the website deserves my deep thanks as well: Abby, Joanne, Mary, Matt, Penny, Theresa and the wonderful Lynda who kept it all organized for me!

We have miles to go with this but we are on our way!