As I travel the "wild blue yonder," flying from coast to coast, I've been reading some great books. On the YA lit front, I've revisited a favorite title of mine, Whirligig by Paul Fleischman. This is an overlooked masterpiece, in my humble opinion. Brent, a high-schooler, is rebuffed by the target of his love at a party and he proceeds to get drunk and drive. In his attempt to end his own self-consumed life, an accident results in the death of a promising high school senior, Lea. Lea

Summer time literacy is a wonderful thing. Add Dr. Janet Allen and a team of dedicated educators to the mix and summer literacy reaches all new heights! Over 100 teachers from across the country joined us in Punta Gorda, FL at Charlotte High School. They heard Janet speak about the top 10 things she wished she had known when she started teaching. Many oohs and ahhs from the audience suggested keen connections to experiences shared. Her second keynote explored specific strategy instruction pro