Category Archives: children’s literature

8 memorable cats in children’s literature

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

Cats make great book characters. They have a reputation for being mysterious, aloof, cunning, mischievous, and occasionally irritating. All of those traits lend themselves to compelling, memorable personalities. Here are eight cats from children’s literature that stand out in my … Continue reading →

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Book Giveaway! Request an ARC of The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

We’re a little over three months away from the release of The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill. That means it’s time to give away advanced reader copies! I’m distributing free digital ARCs (available in epub or PDF) in exchange for honest … Continue reading →

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The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award name change is OK … and so is liking her books

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

This past weekend, the Association for Library Service to Children made a change to a major children’s award. “Little House on the Prairie” author Laura Ingalls Wilder has long been the namesake of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which earned its … Continue reading →

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5 great TED Talks about children’s literature

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

I got hooked on TED Talks over the weekend. Despite the fact I kept telling myself, “Just one more, and then I’m going to stop watching these,” I kept watching. (No regrets.) Below are five talks about children’s literature worth … Continue reading →

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What the #$@& to do about profanity in middle grade fiction

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

One year my Battle of the Books reading list contained “The Runner,” by Cynthia Voigt. Battle of the Books was an annual in-school competition that allowed students to sign up as teams of four, read a list of books issued … Continue reading →

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