An early blurb for this amazing children’s book states: “Put together the wordplay of The Phantom Tollbooth, the imagination of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and the problem-solving mysteries of Encyclopedia Brown, make it about media and digital literacy, and you’ve got Gram & Gran Save the Summer” (Faith Rogow, author of Media Literacy for Young Children: Teaching Beyond the Screen Time Debates).
I could not agree more. And I would add: If an improv comedian and a media literacy teacher had a baby, it would be this book. Educator Stephen Chiger (co-author of Love & Literacy, and full disclosure: a dear friend) and Daniel Pereira (also a former English teacher), along with their illustrator Louis Decrevel, have done something magical. They’ve invented a new genre!
This clever novel takes me back to delicious summer days when I would ride my bike to the library every morning, having devoured the latest Encyclopedia Brown novel the day before, eager to check out another one. This book is playful, hilarious, engaging, and educational all at once. The policy geek in me loves how this book teaches important lessons about how to navigate digital literacy. The English teacher in me appreciates how the authors provide ample context clues for children to build their vocabulary knowledge and strengthen comprehension. And the child in me giggles at the subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—humor (yes, one chapter includes extended riffs on flatulence).
Each chapter could stand on its own—and indeed, each invites rich textual analysis as well as timely discussions about how to spot misinformation on the Internet, how to recognize “cherry-picking” arguments, and more. To support instruction, Steve and Daniel have created a super-helpful Teachers’ Guide.
While they are learning, students will delight in the ongoing story of three children (Nia, D’Angelo, and Deja) visiting their eccentric, unpredictable grandparents for the summer. It’s relatable and a page-turner.
Before I read this book, I didn’t know how much we needed it. And now I want to read a whole series just like it. I can’t wait to see what Steve and Daniel create next!
On the cover, a sallow-faced girl sits half-buried in a ball pit full of yellow balls with smiles drawn on them. She is not playing in the ball pit, however, just staring glumly at her cell phone.
Haidt argues that since 1995, we have 1) overprotected children in the real world and 2) underprotected them in the virtual world. Indeed, this girl could not be more protected indoors–buried amidst a ball pit: a place where your parents have to take you and watch you, a place where you mainly interact with balls, not other children. The balls are soft; it’s impossible to get hurt, even if you fall. And yet this girl is NOT playing, but instead LOOKING AT SOMETHING ONLINE THAT WE (and her parents) CANNOT SEE. It could be anything: text messages from a random stranger, Instagram posts that make her feel inferior, TikTok videos promoting misinformation, pornography….
Overprotective parenting started in the 1990s. Haidt offers several theories for the cause. Perhaps it was an increasing focus on the competitiveness of college admissions, perhaps the rise of cable TV and 24/7 news stories about children being abused by adults, which in turn led to the assumption that adults couldn’t be trusted to be alone with children—so, only their parents could. Whatever the reasons, the consequences have been debilitating. Anxiety levels have risen. Fewer children have close friends. More children feel lonely.
Because unsupervised play in public spaces has evaporated, children have little practice being in “discover mode” as opposed to “defend mode” (p. 67). In “discover mode,” children outside playing freely with other children can learn to take healthy risks, deal with failure, and navigate interpersonal dynamics. They look for opportunities, think for themselves, and see the world like a kid in a candy shop.
By contrast, children in “defend mode” constantly scan for danger and worry about being safe. They operate from a scarcity mindset (p. 71). Ironically, if we could get more children to play outside with one another, we wouldn’t have to do what so many schools now do: try to teach them SEL (social-emotional learning) skills with PowerPoint slides!
Of the many stark graphs that Haidt shares, one of the most dreadful points out the increase in major depression among teens (p. 24). Depression has become 2.5 times more prevalent in girls and boys since 2010. What happened in 2010? For one thing, iPhones came out with front-facing cameras enabling selfies. And we saw a dramatic increase in the number of teens with smartphones. By 2016, 77% of teens owned a smartphone, as did 28% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 (p. 34). In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram, and by 2013, 90 million people were using Instagram to post selfies (p. 35). Because the goal of social media companies is to capture eyeballs (using any means possible) so they can earn advertising income, the rise of social media has led to widespread phone addiction in children (and, let’s face it, adults). For more on this phenomenon, see my post on the documentary “The Social Dilemma.” For so many children, monitoring their phones (esp. their social media) has become like a full-time job. If you’re a teacher or a parent, you know what I’m talking about: these children might be right in front of you, but they feel like they’re somewhere else.
Although densely stuffed with depressing data, this book also offers lots of practical solutions. For immediate action, Haidt proposes these four reforms:
No smartphones before high school.
No social media before 16.
Phone-free schools.
Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence.
Obviously, it’s going to take collaboration to get everyone rowing in the same direction. Regarding #4, if parents can do their part, I would also encourage educators to explore outdoor education opportunities for students. For example, Princeton-Blairstown Center (where, full disclosure, I’ve been a trustee for more than 10 years) offers day trips, overnight trips, and a 5-day Summer Bridge program to help young people (esp. from historically marginalized communities) by nurturing their social-emotional skills through experiential, environmental, and adventure-based programming. Developing these skills enables participants to engage in self-discovery and transform their communities to create a more just world.
Bottom line: Please read this book. Discuss it with your friends and colleagues. Set screen/phone limits with your children. Work with your fellow teachers and administrators to make the difficult but much needed choice of being a phone-free school. Find as many opportunities as you can to get your children, students, and families outside engaged with each other in play. We can work together to turn this thing around.
PS–This post is being cross-posted as well on my TLC Blog.
Depending on whom you ask, there are either five stages or twelve stages of burnout. Either way, the final stage is the same: mental and physical meltdown. While it’s not fun or funny to feel empty, exhausted, depressed, etc., somehow—somehow!—Sophie Kinsella has found a way in her latest novel, THE BURNOUT, to portray this situation as truly hilarious. What? Yes.
In this genuinely funny rom-com, the protagonist, Sasha, literally runs into a wall. She also attempts to join a convent as a way to escape her job. As part of her recovery, she goes to a winter seaside resort and ends up meeting Finn, who is also a mess. I don’t want to reveal much more. Suffice it to say that while I had plenty of other things I could have been doing, I could not stop reading this book.
If you find yourself in ANY of the five or twelve stages, this book would be a helpful antidote.
Dramatically gusty, rainy days like today give us ample opportunity to burrow under the covers with a good book. If you’re not sure where to turn, try JOURNEY OF SOULS, an eye-opening book by Michael Newton (1931-2016), a hypnotherapist who lost his skepticism about the notion of past lives after a client who came to him for shoulder pain went into a trance and landed in a WWI trench being bayoneted during the Battle of the Somme.
Newton developed a technique that could take clients to what he called “Lives Between Lives.” As a result of his extensive research—over several decades and 7,000 cases—this book describes in remarkably compelling ways what happens after we die and before we choose to return to Earth (or somewhere else) in a new life.
No matter what religion you follow (or don’t), Newton’s clients make a strong case that we are all on amazing journeys, and life on Earth is a fascinating stop along the way. In short: When things seem “over,” they’re not. To say more would spoil it, but Newton’s work answers many questions, and if you’re feeling gloomy, this book will definitely lift your spirits. All puns intended.
About ten weeks ago, my friends Joe and Perryanne and I launched a grounding group in our community. We announced it, then, at the appointed time, took off our shoes, sat in the local park in beach chairs, and waited for others to show up.
The concept of grounding is simple. Being connected to the ground connects your biofield to the earth’s energy. Research has shown that if you have your bare feet touching the earth for about 40 minutes a day, you will see health benefits. Joe had also heard about a community in Alaska where when one percent of the community practiced grounding and meditation together, people reported feeling noticeably better and the stats on crime went down. At a minimum, we figured we had nothing to lose and would receive our daily dose of grounding.
Five other people came to that first session, and we found the total number auspicious. Lynne McTaggart’s amazing book THE POWER OF EIGHT, subtitled “Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World,” explains how a group as small as eight can set intentions that have remarkable consequences.
This is not some “woowoo” thing. Ms. McTaggart is an investigative journalist who for years has been studying the Zero Point Field and how it relates to consciousness and health. Her book THE FIELD explores quantum physics and the evolution of our understanding of the interconnectedness of, well, everything.
I don’t want to spoil THE POWER OF EIGHT by giving away too many of her findings. The stories are astounding and inspirational.
What I can say is that our group has grown, and each of us has felt the benefits. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me (Email: literacycookbook@gmail.com).
On April 23, 2016, RJ Spina became paralyzed from the chest down and underwent emergency life-saving surgery. In addition to having a rare staph-infection that compressed his spinal cord, he was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and an autoimmune disease. His doctors viewed his paralysis as permanent. He told them he would walk again. One hundred days after that surgery, just as he’d predicted, he was able to walk on his own.
In his book, SUPERCHARGED SELF-HEALING (subtitled “A Revolutionary Guide to Access High-Frequency States of Consciousness That Rejuvenate and Repair”), RJ explains how he did it. He calls his systematic approach “Ascend the Frequencies Healing Technique,” and while it sounds mystical and woo-woo—and to some degree, it is—it is also practical and accessible to anyone who is open to it. He shares case studies of people he’s worked with (suffering from debilitating pain, illness, depression, anxiety, drug addiction, and so on), and the results are dramatic.
One thing that most of RJ’s clients seem to have in common is that they are at their lowest point and willing to try anything. That openness is essential to his approach because it requires people to understand a key feature of healing: that we must participate in our own healing in order to fully heal.
Whether you are suffering now or know someone else who is, this book will awaken you to possibilities you might not have previously considered.
Before I read STORIES THAT STICK (subtitled How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business)on a flight to Scotland for an 8-day tour, I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed to about storytelling. I mean, I’ve studied and taught narrative writing for years. I’ve written dozens of stories and told hundreds. I know storytelling is important.
I didn’t know how important.
Kindra Hall clarifies the value of storytelling in ways I have never seen before. Though largely pitched to her corporate clientele, her book could also be read as a guide on how to become a more interesting person.
On my trip, I was lucky enough to see her engaging and practical ideas in action.
From the moment I met our tour guide, Jodie A. Stalker (Yes, that is her real name, and no, I’m not changing it because she is hilarious and brilliant and deserves all of the recognition she can get), it was clear to me that even if she hadn’t read this book yet, she already understood its lessons on how storytelling can captivate and motivate an audience. For example, I’ve never been curious about Mary, Queen of Scots before, but (or as Jodie would say, as a complete sentence, “But!”) once Jodie began narrating the story of Mary’s life, I could not shut my eyes, no matter how drowsy I felt on the tour bus after a hearty lunch that involved a giant scone topped with whipped cream and jam. Jodie’s rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (which included Lady Macbeth “going slappity-slap-slap” to persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan) was priceless, and the contrast with Macbeth’s and Duncan’s true stories (also told with wit and aplomb) became stickier as a result.
At one point, Jodie handed us off to another guide, a woman apparently trained in guiding that was more descriptive than narrative. She was lovely and earnest. But! I found myself looking around, wondering where the stories were.
Anyway, back to the book: I love how Ms. Hall frames stories. They’re not “Beginning, Middle, End,” but “Normal, Explosion, New Normal”— a great solution for writers who’ve wrestled with the question: “What happens in the middle?”
My New Normal will involve stories. Lots and lots of stories.
PS—Many thanks to Sandy Gingras for this recommendation. And to Jodie A. Stalker for modeling the behavior, as we say in the field of education.
I was curious about HELLO BEAUTIFUL after I read the funny New York Times article about how Oprah Winfrey called the author to let her know she’d loved it. Ann Napolitano’s reaction was priceless. “While she was reeling from the news, Winfrey launched into a series of questions about her writing process: ‘In that moment I was like, This is mean! That Oprah Winfrey thinks she can call you and expect you to have an intelligent conversation with her with no warning!’” Her humanity as much as Oprah’s endorsement made me want to check it out.
From the first page, this novel is completely engrossing. It reminded me of the National Book Award-winning THREE JUNES by Julia Glass for its longitudinal approach to a family (covering 1960-2008), ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy for its cinematic flow, and so many other great books that explore the human condition with empathy, compassion, and poignancy. The shifting third-person limited point of view piques and satisfies our curiosity in a way that is simply ingenious.
I won’t spoil it by discussing the plot. You should just read it. Oprah was right.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” One morning when I heard Brené Brown quote James Clear from his book ATOMIC HABITS, I thought, That is SO TRUE. I should read that book.
But I had already read at least three good books on how to form habits (THE POWER OF HABIT by Charles Duhigg, reviewed here; PRACTICE PERFECT by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi, reviewed here; and SWITCH by Chip & Dan Heath, reviewed here), so I thought, How many books on habits does one person need to read?
Four. The answer is four.
What pushed me over the edge was listening to Brené’s 2-part interview of James (Part 1 here; Part 2 here), in which he tells his story and explains his four “laws” for how to create good habits and break bad ones. For example, the 3rd law is “Make It Easy.” One way to do that is to use “the Two-Minute Rule.” He advises: “Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.” The idea is that if it doesn’t take long, you are more likely to do it and become hooked.
Which is why his story begins with these words: “On the final day of my sophomore year of high school, I was hit in the face with a baseball bat.”
If that doesn’t make you want to keep reading, I don’t know what will.
And now, in accordance with “The 4th Law: Make It Satisfying,” which recommends using reinforcement (“Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit”), I’m going to fix myself a nice slice of pumpkin pie. With extra whipped cream. #HabitCompleted
As much as I love reading escapist romantic comedies, it isn’t often that they keep me up past 10pm. I prize my sleep, and besides, rom coms tend to be so formulaic that you know what is going to happen, so there is no point in losing sleep over them.
Annabel Monaghan’s debut adult novel, NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT, keep me turning pages until 1:00am. It’s what Hollywood calls a “high-concept” premise: Imagine you write a screenplay about the breakup of your marriage and People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” comes on-location to your house to play the part of your ex-husband. Imagine further that he asks to stay an extra week in your back cottage.
The surprise here is not that Nora falls in love with Leo Vance or even that he falls in love with her, it’s about what happens NEXT.
Only Good Books 